Two is definitely my limit

[Cookiebaker]

As much as I loooove having Daisy visit here, sadly enough I am convinced that two is my limit.

For example, I had Emerson and Daisy downstairs ready to go out first thing. I took Emerson out first (he did #1 and #2); came back in and found that Daisy couldn't hold it and peed on the floor. Ugh. Oh well, mop it up and take her out. I come back inside and found that Emerson had pooped again, and left a trail of poop all over the kitchen.

Besides that, Daisy is a bit food agressive and I have to be careful not to give treats or feed all three dogs together. Also, when the three are out together, unless supervised all the time, my two gang up on Daisy and corner her.

So it's a bit hairy (pun intended ) making sure that everybody has had equal attention and playtime, and making sure that they aren't cooped in their crate for too long. I can't possibly take all three for a walk at the same time, so I am going for 2 longish walks everyday. And that is not even going into giving each individual training attention each either. And if I am spending time with one dog, the other two go nuts in their crates jealous and barking.

I must say that this experience has given me 100% more appreciation for people with 3 or 4 or 5 or even more dogs. I honestly don't know how you do it! With 3 active dogs around, I am plumb worn out!

Please don't get me wrong, I love having Daisy here, and I wouldn't give my two up for the world. But I realize my limitations, and 2 is my limit.

[cali]

lol you take the dogs out 1 at a time? we had to to that when Honey was here, but otherwise we just open the door and 5 dogs come flooding out to go potty.our dogs are always fed seperatly, the dogs are only locked up when we are not home, perky goes in the bathroom, Blair goes in happys crate, Ripley goes in Blairs crate, misty goes in her crate and happy stay's loose lol


uh the crate thing sounds odd I know lol basicly Blairs kennel belongs to his breeder, happy has a wire kennel we got for her as a puppy, plus a new vari kennel we got for her like 2 weeks ago, both are in the house, perky has a kennel but was never able to be kennel trained, so it was given to Ripley, misty has a wheeled kennel which happy uses at the training hall, but misty needed a travel kennel so perkys kennel went from Ripley to misty, and Ripley got a new kennel.. lol

[robinh]

The only way we're able to do 5 is that we have a fenced back yard. When it's time to potty, we open the door and let them all out. With food, they've all learned not to be food aggressive. They share toys, Mom/Dad and sleeping space; so it's not too bad.

I'll probably never have this many every again, but now I can't imagine life without all of them. I just tell everyone I'm the crazy dog lady.

[anna_66]

I totally understand Anna. If mine weren't so good together there is no way that I could handle it either.

Sorry that your so worn out.

[Pam]

Originally posted by Cookiebaker

So it's a bit hairy (pun intended )

and 2 is my limit.

First of all, loved the pun! LOL! I have to agree with you on the "two is my limit" statement also. My two have developed such a bond that I don't know how a third would fit in. I would be afraid someone would be left out. You should also see me walking two dogs. It's a comical sight. For some reason they feel the need to weave back and forth when they are both out rather than stick to one side of me like when we go one-on-one. This results in me trying to be like a puppeteer keeping the "strings" from becoming tangled. I even bought one of those dual leash thingies and it was still a challenge, probably because of the size difference of my two. I would also need to graduate to a king size bed if I had to share my bed with any more critters since there is hardly room in it for me any more. I too take my hat off to those who are successfully managing with more than two dogs.

[ParNone]

Hi CookieB!

Yeh 3 is definitely more work and in your case having the 3rd be a visitor makes it worse. I don't really have it as bad as what you're describing though. As long as they're healthy, Murph and Oz really aren't that much work at all. The first month I had Gully, where I was really entrenched with training him, Oz and Murph were really understanding and well behaved about it. We're finally turning a corner now, where we all play together and rest together at the same time and I train Oz and Gully at the same time. And the one on one talking and petting attention seems to have worked out pretty well too. They all come to me at different times for attention and none of the 3 are attention hounds. So I don't really feel like I'm on a continual attention rotation between the 3 anymore. It just happens naturally throughout the day.

In the last couple of weeks, I've been able to start letting all 3 be in the back yard unsupervised too, which gives me some free time. Nobody gangs up on anybody. Oz and Gully play together and Murph is now free to sniff and pee with nobody bothering him.

The biggest frustration I have is some days I seem to constantly be letting somebody outside or inside of the house. I'm seriously considering a dog door. Just a lil' worried about burgulars.

But I have to say, if it wasn't for Murph getting up in years, I wouldn't have gotten Gully. Just having 2 is an optimal situation for me. 3's my limit.

Par...

[cali]

lol oh I cant walk all of mine at once lol I only walk 2 at a time, and one is always happy(because she walks offleash) I took misty and blair together once.. that was a mess! lol but my mom does not walk her dogs, they dont need nearly as much exersize as my 2 girls, so I walk happy and misty regulary, and occasionally take blair or Ripley. but really even when I had 6 dogs and dogsat tanner and maxx so I took care of 8 dogs its really not that difficult because I am used to the rutien lol however if our dogs did not get along? THAT is a rescipe for disaster lol there is a reason shadow has a new home, she simpley did not get along with the other dogs.

[Logan]

I have four, as you know, and I love every one of them to bits, Anna, but, two (especially two big ones) is a good number. Life was much easier when it was just Lilly and Honey. Not that I don't love Murphy and Zipper, but it is twice as much poop, twice as much hair, twice as much food, twice the vet bills, etc etc etc. And I don't feel I have enough time to give them all the attention I would like to. I will not plan to ever have this many big dogs at one time again as long as I am working fulltime.

[Aspen and Misty]

I think b/c our house is "smaller" we can only have 2 (And b/c we have WAY to many cats). But I find 3 is a good number, when they are YOUR dogs. I find that with 3 I don't get mad at my dog's but I get mad at Breeze, who is doing the same thing as my dog's but since she isn't "mine" I get mad at her alot faster Stupid Me! LOL. I'm the one who deserves to be yelled at! LOL. Poor Breezy!

Ash

[Kfamr]

Originally posted by Aspen and Misty
But I find 3 is a good number, when they are YOUR dogs. I find that with 3 I don't get mad at my dog's but I get mad at Breeze, who is doing the same thing as my dog's but since she isn't "mine" I get mad at her alot faster Stupid Me! LOL. I'm the one who deserves to be yelled at! LOL. Poor Breezy!

Ash

Oh, I agree!

Honey's here now... and I get mad (not MAD, but upset) with her alot faster than I do my two. It's just because my two are so behaved to what *I* want them to be, and Honey isn't quite how they are. My two WAIT for their food...WAIT to go outside... WAIT to jump on the bed. They wait for everything and until I tell them that it's okay. Honey just charges out the door, gobbles up her food, and jumps on my bed while i'm trying to get it ready for me to lay in.

Don't get me wrong, I love Honey to death and in a way love her as my own, but she's just not like my two and it's so much different having her around then I think it would be if she was actually *MINE*


I think three would be a perfect number for me, as another playmate for Nala would allow Simba to jump in when HE wants to, not when Nala wants to. He basically chills to the side while Honey & Nala are playing... and then when he feels like it. he jumps in and starts playing.

[RobiLee]

Whew, I don't know if I could handle more than 2 dogs either. Kudos to all of you that do and do it well!

I think for right now 2 will do just fine for me. Notice that I said "for right now"....LOL. I have completely fallen in love with our dog trainer's sweet little Maltese and I have only seen him once! We start our official first class next Tuesday and I can not wait to see little Mickey D again! I told Alden that maybe in a few years when our girls are calmer and better trained that I would love to get a little maltese...hehehehe. I didn't think I wanted a small dog but that little one has stolen my heart. Alden says "NOOOOO WAY". 2 really is his limit! Do you think maybe I can get him to surprise me again in a few years!

Robin