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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

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Original poster

Anyone have 3+ dogs?!

34 replies

Maneandfeathers · 10/02/2022 12:54

Is there anyone else out there who has more than 2?!

Did you intend to get more than a couple or did it just escalate?
How do you manage to walk them all, do you split them?
Do you leave multiple dogs home alone together?

I currently have 3 very well behaved lovely dogs who get on well. We would love another (we compete and the dogs are my hobby!) but I think 3 is the limit for me…has anyone else gone past this amount, how hard has it been?

OP posts:

EdithStourton · 10/02/2022 13:01

We've had three in the past. DH vowed that we were never having three again.

Less than a year and he's already weakening

Stressybetty · 10/02/2022 13:03

We have 5! Never intended to get to that number! 10 year old yorkie, 5 year lab, 3 year old labradoodle and 2 7month old labradoodles

Original poster

Maneandfeathers · 10/02/2022 13:07

I actually find 3 is a nice number. I can train one while leaving 2 together, the only issue is walking a pair leaves 1 alone.

Logic says maybe 4 would be easier…2 pairs

OP posts:

Original poster

Maneandfeathers · 10/02/2022 13:08

@Stressybetty that sounds fun! Do you walk all of them together?!

Luckily long suffering DH does not care about dog numbers, as long as it’s not a pony he is happy to agree!

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ImJustNotMeAnymore · 10/02/2022 13:10

I have ten, but to be fair there are six of us here to walk/train/play/clean/everything else.

Original poster

Maneandfeathers · 10/02/2022 13:13

@ImJustNotMeAnymore 10! Did you manage to have large amounts with DC or did you wait until your children were older (assuming you have any of course!)

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ImJustNotMeAnymore · 10/02/2022 13:17

We've always had dogs , and yes our children are all now older teens.

RightioMalbec · 10/02/2022 13:24

I’ve 3 at the moment, did have 4 but lost our oldest lad recently.

I walk them in pairs on lead for ease, as they all walk on the left which makes us very wide for the path! but if they’re going to be off (like the beach say) all the time I take all 3 and just open the boot

It’s harder than 2 at the moment but that’s because one is only a puppy. When we had 3 adult dogs it was pretty easy really. All similar exercise requirements and all had plenty of basic obedience which helps.

SprayItOnMe · 10/02/2022 13:24

I have 3. A black lab and 2 JRTs. All spayed girls who get on well, wash each other etc.

Walks wise, the JRTs pull on the lead but i can put both leads in one hand and they are small anyway so don't pull me over and the lab trots to heel. Its difficult if one of the JRTs stops to sniff something or wee and then walks on the wrong side of me. We are rural though so they are all off the lead when we've passed the roads and they all have good recall.

My had my mums dog for a bit, a manic mental poodle/terrier cross and having 4 was bloody hard work and we were glad when she went back.

inheritancetrack · 10/02/2022 13:41

My sister has 6. When one died she got another. She d decide to stop at 5 after the last death, but her husband went out and got one! All well looked after, walked 3 times a day, insured etc.

Peasandcabbage · 10/02/2022 13:47

Well.

Disclaimer, we are farmers.

We have six working collies, six huntaways, all in heated kennels at back door. We have one lab, one spaniel, four parson terriers in the house. I do agility and show terriers.

The lab is an ex gun dog who came for the weekend and never left. The spaniel is a rescue.

I did have six terriers but I rehomed two. I take them when they retire from showing and occasionally rehome if a quieter environment more suited.

I have a toddler and a baby and a big pram and a whistle. I train collies as well.

I walk them all together, they are all female, never on leads, but never off farm. The terriers come everywhere with me and they go on lead in town.

It's a mad house but I love it. My parents hate it! We never had a dog growing up now I'm a crazy dog lady.

And yes, I started with one.

fairylightsandwaxmelts · 10/02/2022 14:05

I'm a dog walker and do visits for someone who has seven rescues in a normal semi-detached house

They are fantastic dogs - walk-wise, some of them are too old for more than a potter in the garden now, but all the younger ones have good recall so the rest tend to be driven to the beach for a run about most days.

When I go and see them, I just let them into the garden, top up water bowls and get sat on, generally

Original poster

Maneandfeathers · 10/02/2022 14:07

@Peasandcabbage your living my dream! If I had the land I would have as many as you

My mother also says how lovely and easy my life would be if I didn’t have dog hair in the house. Personally I prefer to just Hoover and be happy!
I live rurally but need to walk them on leads to get to the park areas and this is the main reason I’m hesitant! I used to have ponies but can’t ride any more and so the dogs have taken the place of a very time consuming hobby but I think they may actually be worse

I currently have 3. Ones 13, too old to compete and riddled with arthritis. Number 2 is aged 6 and a dream dog but became broken (elbow dysplasia) so we got number 3. He was supposed to be my potential show dog is just not cutting the mustard. He’s lovely but he lacks that spark a show dog needs and I think he would prefer to sleep the days away. He will show but he won’t go to the top sadly.
Which leaves me 3 much loved and adores family pets none of which reach that competitive itch I have

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Peasandcabbage · 10/02/2022 14:43

@Maneandfeathers what breed?

That's funny re horses, same here. Although have got a pony for kids. Then there's the multiple horses on the hill, all retired or broken in some way but just part of the family. Honestly very few things leave once they arrive here. It's like a retirement home for dogs and horses.

Original poster

Maneandfeathers · 10/02/2022 15:01

@Peasandcabbage I have a random mix of a collie, GSD and a retriever! Nothing matches.

We still have our old retired arab pony who is happy out stuffing his face. I had a couple of lovely natives that were way too good not too be ridden and had to be sold after I stopped riding.

Head says no more dogs, logic says no more dogs. Heart says do it

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Peasandcabbage · 10/02/2022 15:06

@Maneandfeathers I think you need a terrier to compliment those. Look at JRT pedigree, lots of showing of those. Happy happy little dogs. My friend is showing hers at crufts.

BuddhaForMary · 10/02/2022 15:16

We had 6, but 2 of those were fosters and have recently gone to lovely new homes leaving me with my 4.

3 German shepherd x American Akitas, and an ancient chihuahua who rules them all

Flentiful · 10/02/2022 15:19

I compete with my dogs too OP, showing (we have 4 going to Crufts) and we also have working dogs and have dabbled in agility in the past. We've been up to 16 dogs but currently have 10, they have live in/out living arrangements. 10 feels very manageable believe it or not and I can't remember having less than 10, that'd be the nineties!

I've encouraged many a friend to extend their doggie families! Most of my friends have at least 5!

Original poster

Maneandfeathers · 10/02/2022 15:28

@Flentiful what do you show?
I feel like I’ve found a thread of my people

@Peasandcabbage I was thinking of going bigger not smaller

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Cecillie · 10/02/2022 15:50

5 here but 3 are chihuahuas so they don’t take up much room ! Though they are the naughtiest ones.

BuddhaForMary · 10/02/2022 15:57

@Cecillie my ancient chihuahua is definitely the naughtiest of my 4. And she lets the big ones know she's in charge

MrsBaublesDylan · 10/02/2022 16:24

We have three little dogs. Got the first because my middle son had talk about wanting a pug for five years. He is disabled and can obsess in such a way would would wonder how we held out for five years!!!

Got the second pup when the breeder had another little for no other reason except we wanted one.

They both gravitated towards dh of an evening and I had an empty lap. Utterly unacceptable. So I rescued my heart's delight and then there were three.

I could honestly suggest we get another tomorrow and the whole family would be in agreement.

PollyRoulllson · 10/02/2022 19:29

I have 6 collies
2 wcs
1 labrador
and 2 foster collies at the moment.

We are lucky to own our own land so the collies are working dogs. I also do professional scent work with the wcs so they too are working dogs. All my dogs live indoors and although they do work they are pets to us.

2 of the collies are involved with search and rescue which they love and keeps them busy and their brain working.
I do compete in agility with 3 of the collies so they are out and about a lot.

Labrador is being trained as a gluten detection dog as my daughter has coeliacs disease.

Fosters stay for a while as they are usually behavioural cases.

All dogs are walked together off our land daily.

My professional life is with dogs so my dogs work with me so they are important to my income but means they come to work with me. I have the best work colleagues ever.

When I went to uni I got a rescue dog and over the time of my degree had 4 dogs by my final year. I love having multi dogs and hope I will always be in a position to have them.

The biggest issue for me is transport but once I got a van that became a breeze.

If you do compete or work your dogs you do tend to gather multi dogs, as some are in training, some are working and then some are retired. Very quickly you have a house full but thats what we love

Easterbunnyiswindowshopping · 10/02/2022 19:48

I have 4. Started off with a big breed ddog in 2009. Added a dpuppy in November 2013 and Dec 2013.
Added a dc in 2014!!
Then sadly ddog1 died in 2019 and we added dpuppy just before that.
4 now and dh says never again!!
Yeah yeah pet!!

Original poster

Maneandfeathers · 10/02/2022 19:57

@PollyRoulllson that sounds amazing!
When you work a dog do the other dogs care much? I have 3 at the moment and sometimes find if I take 2 the one left behind gets upset. I also have one (GSD!) who hates strange places but won’t be left behind either which spoils it for the more easy going dog as I don’t like to leave her behind upset so I tend to leave him behind too.
They aren’t overly attached but tend to like being in a group!
Training or taking one about is easy as there’s always 2 left which is nice!

@Easterbunnyiswindowshopping my DH does not bother arguing any more

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