Multi-dog Households
By Susan Sharpe on Friday, November 18th, 2011 |
More than one dog in the single household can be twice the fun or three times the work. The good news is, if the dogs get along well, they can play together, meaning less time for you to exercise them. The bad news is, if they do not get along you may be in for many years of rotating the dogs to separate areas of the house, walking each dog individually and potentially, medical bills if the dogs fight to the point of injuring each other.
If you currently have one dog and are thinking about getting another one, ask yourself, “Am I getting this dog for myself or for my dog?” Never get a dog for your dog, get it for yourself. Getting a dog because you think your current dog is lonely or bored is not the right reason for adding another dog to your family. Multi dog households are a forced pack. The dogs did not choose their roommate, it was chosen for them. It is similar to college freshmen roommates. They meet on the day they move into the dorm and live with each other for the first year. Some form bonds lasting a life time, others suffer with differences of morals, opinions, and interests and find new roommates as soon as possible.
Whether or not the dogs get along you still need to spend time individually with each dog teaching basic behaviors such as not jumping, come and walking nicely on a leash, before expecting the dog to be able to do these things while competing for your attention when the other dog is near. You must spend time individually with each dog for training and play. The new dog will learn from the first one, both good and bad. So if your current dog is unruly and out of control, you will likely end up with two dogs who are unruly and out of control.
Once there is more than one dog in the house – who gets the most attention? Often the most forceful dog is labeled the “alpha” dog and then is rewarded for being powerful by being first for food, treats and attention. Give food and attention to the dog who is behaving the best. This means that is the one who is sitting quietly gets attention before the others. Reward behavior, not pushiness! Also know the term “alpha” is widely misused.
Life is not always fair. This applies to dogs as well as humans. Let’s say you have a small dog who quietly sleeps in bed and a large dog who chews the covers while you’re asleep. Do you have to allow both dogs to sleep on the bed, to be fair? NO! Life is not fair. You can allow your small dog in the bed and teach your big dog to sleep on his own dog bed on the floor. If your older dog is reliable enough to be given free rein of your house, but you fear your new puppy may chew on the furniture, do you have to crate both dogs? NO! All dogs do not have to be treated equal. Dogs can learn to accept the differences. The dog that behaves the best gets the benefits of their behavior.
Dogs are individuals, but once you have more than one they can become a pack. If the dogs spend most of their time together and get little to no individual time with you, their bond can become so close they may begin to close you out of their group. Be sure to treat the dogs as individuals, not as a group. Good behavior gets the rewards, not size, age or pushiness.
Tip of the week: Train each dog individually to achieve reliable behavior when the dogs are apart together. Training is a great way to spend one on one time with each dog. Bark questions to: Canine Companion, 11652 North - 825 West, Huntington, IN 46750 or email info@caninecompanion.us
Canine Companion conducts dog training classes in Fort Wayne, Huntington and surrounding communities and behavior consulting nationwide. Along with their combined 30 years experience and endorsement by national organizations, the trainers are all graduates of Purdue University’s DOGS! program.
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