Do you have 3 dogs? Come hither.

[GissASquizz]

We currently have two. There is a possibility of taking on a third. Apart from the obvious expense/time increase, is there anything else we should consider?

I have three. I preferred two, but seem to collect rescues that need help!

The difference is if you've anything that pulls on the lead it can be a handful (two of mine are big) and they can plait leads for fun!

They take up more room in the house, car and caravan. A lot of dog friendly hotels have a limit on two dogs.

They also get more of a pack mentality.

However it's great company for them, and when one dies nothing is left pining on their own. I wouldn't swop them for the world.

I gather it can be harder to find holiday cottages and hotels that will accept you with 3

Fitting everyone in the car together, this is obviously size dependent though and much less of a potential issue with small dogs than larger ones.

Routine vet trips for things like vaccinations. On the one hand it's easier to have everyone due around the same time but on the other things like that immediately become a bit more awkward when you've got more dogs than you have hands. Not so much of an issue if you've got help though, I've got four and two adults with two each is vastly easier than me trying to take all of them on my own.

Doing things individually with each dog. It's a good idea to make sure everyone is happy with doing things on their own and with being left when others get to go out and do stuff. It's easy to fall into the trap of just doing everything with them together all the time which can result in them having dreadful FOMO if it's ever necessary to do things separately.

MY only struggle is trying to walk three on leads at the same time. They all have certain positions they like but I'm always tripping over one

Always had three dogs, but since lossing the old girl it's nice just having the two 🙂

Less food to buy, less insurance to pay, more room on the sofa lol don't get me wrong I miss her like crazy but it's made me realise that two are enough.

We did have 3 ddogs. Worked very very well.
Then we got another.
4 is even better!!

I had three until 10 days ago. I thought going from two to three was fine, but now I've gone down to two, life does seem simpler. They all have their quirks, I had two big dogs and one small dog and it's our small dog who died. She wasn't particularly tricky to manage on walks as she was small, but it could be really hard ensuring she didn't get trodden on by anyone and keeping the big two calm if someone's dog went mental at us etc.

I think it depends a lot on your current dogs and who you may be adding to the pack.

I had three for a long time. It may have had a lot to do with the personality of the third dog, who was an unplanned arrival with a lot of issues, but everything just fell apart. Suddenly there were squabbles, the noise got out of control, I couldn't go many places because they were such a rabble. As a previous poster said, the pack mentality got stronger. My training and handling skills just weren't enough to manage that dynamic. At the time I was on the agility circuit and three dogs seemed like a modest number compared to what some people had, but in hindsight, never again. Dogs became the focus of my life because very little else fitted in with them. I couldn't do an activity if I couldn't take the dogs because I couldn't ask anyone else to look after that many at once. I had no friends except other multiple dog owners because other people thought it was crazy and didn't want to be around that many dogs.

Your mileage may vary.

I think ages of your existing dogs and age of the dog you're adding will also make a huge difference!

I love having three dogs. I have three of the same, unusual, breed and they literally stop traffic, which can be a bit of a drag if you just want a quiet incognito walk .
Mine are medium sized dogs and they get on really well as a pack so we don’t have much trouble with space as they will all go in the boot of the car together for example. However I have noticed that even my family are reluctant to have us all over for tea. I’m happy to use kennels when we go away but it is a considerable expense added to a holiday. One of mine is tricky to handle (he was the third addition and came to us because of behavioural difficulties) which rules out daycare and most dog walkers, which is a pain because we can’t leave them at home for more than 3 hours without all hell breaking loose.
On the whole the advantages outweigh the disadvantages and I’m very happy with our pack. Training three dogs at the same time is hilarious . Walking three is always fun. Sleeping with three is close to heaven!

I've had 4 dogs, down to 2 now. In the past I've had 3 that i could walk together easily & DP to help out. My current 2 need walking separately so Its not changed & I still have to do 2 walks if on my own. It really depends on the individual how easy/difficult it can be & if character fits in well with current group.
I found 3 easier in a way as I could take one dog out and the ones at home had company. I never take them all to the vets at the same time anyway.

I have stayed at a b&b with 3, its possible but there's less choice above 2, however it perhaps depends on the size as people are often more accommodating with small dogs.

I have 4 dogs now. All same breed and funny enough same colour but different sizes - not on purpose but 2 are rescues. Absolute joy of my life. I have 2 double leads. I walk 2 girls on the left 2 boys on the right. Take into account extra insurance costs / grooming / food costs. All get on so well and such fun they have playing together. Ages are 10, 9, 8 and 2. All unrelated.

We had three for about two years & to be honest I found it hard work. I much prefer just having the two. We DH got a pup when we thought our old dog wasn't going to live much longer, but as it turned out the pup gave her a new lease of life & she lived for two more years, bossing around the younger dog & the pup. I miss the bossy old girl, but two is much easier.

I asked loads of people about going 1-2 & that was fine. Going to 3, even tho it's worked well in some ways (dog 1 & 3 are pals), it's a lot more work. They behave as a pack on walks, so very nerve-wracking.

We think, much as we love our 3, that 2 was a lot less work.

I took this after saying goodnight to mine last night!!

We have 3 due to a combining of households and I honestly think it is 1 too many.

Whilst I love them all and will be very upset when any one goes, I also cannot deny I think life will be much simpler and more relaxed.

This might be down to the personality types, though. For a variety of reasons all 3 dogs do not mix well together but any 2 of them works well.

It's certainly put me off having 3 again.

We have three and, as others have said we love them all and couldn't imagine being without one but I would never have three again. It was much easier with two. We could walk one each. I miss that!

We had two until last Sunday. We now have a 10 week old puppy to add to the mix. I'm currently trying to locate the part of my brain that thought this was a good idea....

I have three. I love them—they’re a great little gang but it was a bit of a step up from two to three. Think about how you’ll transport them. My backseat is now kinda unusable because it’s just set up for the dogs. It can be a bit hectic if they all decide to run in three different directions through the woods 😂 There is slightly more bickering—they don’t fight but I do separate them to eat and I watch them closely with toys so it doesn’t turn into an argument. You need good storage for the hundreds of leads/bowls/toys/harnesses you’ll accumulate 😂 All of mine are in an excellent routine which makes it much easier. They know where they need to go to eat/get in the car/get leads on etc—I think it’s a good idea to decide an order for these things and stick to it so that you don’t end up with a pile of dogs on top of you when it’s time to get dressed for a walk 😂 It’s great fun having three. The interactions between them are priceless—have fun!

Thanks for all the replies. Food for thought.