Living With Multiple Dogs?

[k9angel]

I have Gypsy, Jay Jay, Blacky, Whitey, Zuess, (huskies), Jasmine a border collie x kelpie, Luki a shep x husky, they are my resident dogs. Plus Alaska, a rescue husky, her Mother Jasmine, an ex husky rescue who is back for a 2wk holiday, Logan a rescue husky, Romeo a terrier x rescue pup, and Max a maremma blend rescue pup.

So that's 7 resident dogs + 4 rescues and 1 boarder at the moment.

I don't think I have forgotten any.

Foodwise I buy bulk fresh chicken and meat bones. Bag and freeze as I go along. Plus they get dry food and treats.

Walks are the hardest. I sometimes walk 2 at a time. I usually go on a roster system as I cannot walk that many dogs in one day. (well not with 2 kids) but I have a huge backyard and they get lots of toys/games of fetch aswell.

Plus each is different and has their own needs, old Gyps for example can only be lightly walked due to the fact she has a bad back, Poor Whitey can't be walked fullstop atm. Logan could walk to the moon and back given half a chance.

Theyre all different.

Bedding: They have several kennels. 3 large igloo ones out the back + a double garage with clam pools filled with blankets, there is 3 kennels in Alaskas run, and one igloo one in LOgans run.

Gypsy (who is a senior), Luki, Whitey (sick boy), Jasmine, Max and Romeo all sleep inside at night. It's a full house that's for sure.

[Sayreovi]

I have three medium sized dogs.

Food: They are currently on a super premium, all the same brand but unfortunately different types....one is one active, one on adult and the little one on puppy. Once the puppy is older, I will be going back to a raw diet as it will be more cost effective as at the moment I buy the 18-20kg bags every 2 or so months.

Bedding: Each has their own mat outside the bedroom and a "proper" bed in my bedroom.

Vet Bills: I am counting my lucky stars but mine are very rarely sick, the only real time they see a vet is if they are injured. However all three are also insured in case of any big emergencies! I only worm my dogs, they have never had an issue with fleas and I don't vaccinate yearly.

Walking: All three together, the two older ones walk well but the puppy is still learning

[JulesP]

I've got 3 border collies under 5 years.

They are fine to walk on lead together, none of them pull. I've got a couple of acres so mainly we go for runs out there. I have started to go to a off lead river and have run into a bit of trouble and think I will just take one at a time from now on. They are pretty good but it is hard to keep an eye on all three and be a good off lead citizen.

Food - they cost less to feed then the 2 Birman cats. They get super premium dog food in the morning and a bone at night.

Worming is a bit expensive as I use Sentinel Spectrum.

Don't have too many vet issues.

They sleep outside, their choice. The younger one has been sleeping in as she likes being in. She sleeps in her crate, in the kitchen with the cats.

[ninahartland]

I have 4 large breed residents and usually another large breed foster or boarder (currently have sons rotti for a month or two )

Food isn't too bad, I get huge bags of biscuits and mix either chicken mince or frames with it. Also brisket bones....have a cheap butcher so buy in bulk.

Vet bills...have been fortunate so far (touch wood ), but have insurance for my four so hopefully will be covered if I need it.

I'm on acreage with 2 dams so plenty of exercise and swimming (for the two that like water), before I moved here I used to walk all four along the beach daily, two either side.

Sleeping....they have single bed size mattresses on the floor, sometimes they'll share but quite often they prefer the wood or tiles as the weather's getting warmer. Two might hop on the bed but the others dont seem interested (which is good as there wouldn't be room for me,lol)

[Ons]

I have 3 dogs and a foster but about to get a fourth dog

2 are golden retreivers, 1 coolie, the foster is a kelpie and the fourth to come is a coolie

I walk the golden retreivers and the coolie together, if I walk them religiously every day they are good on the lead, if they miss a day they do pull a bit but we manage. When I have four dogs it's walks of two then two

food - a large bag of supercoat lasts about 3+ weeks, chicken wings, bones, home made stew are all added so nothing is too pricy - Jules P is right, the cats cost more to feed

Beds - outside there are 3 beds for them to lie on during the day, at night time the foster is in the crate but my three are on couches, or my bed, or on the tiles, they have free range and inside there is no "specificc bed" for them, the fourth will be in the crate at night until older

vet bills - the boys are generally healthy, if I watch Tilly's diet she is normally okay but she does get a bit of allergy problems and tummy upsets but so far, touch wood, nothing too major.

Another one who says - the more the merrier

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

I have 4 small and 1 medium dogs of my own and variable fosters on top of that. The youngest is around 9, the oldest is about 14.

I do 2 or 3 walks each morning and need to be careful who I put with who because some are much slower than others.

I feed dried biscuits plus raw or cooked turkey mince (sometimes chicken), tuna or sardines. I do also buy the meatballs that are prepacked. I also add veggies, cooked sweet potato or pumpkin or raw carrot or mixed frozen veggies and sometimes rice.

They all sleep in my room but sometimes migrate to the loungeroom. My evil foster Chihuahua sleeps in a crate because she's unpredictable ....

As for vet bills, they'll build a wing in my name ...

[Kaz]

Three large dogs here.

In the city suburbs I was not comfortable walking more than two at a time. That was mainly due to the occasional aggressive mutt racing out of someone's yard when you least expected it.

Now that I live in a small country town I am happy to walk the three at once as people seem far more responsible with their dogs particularly if their dog is dog aggressive.

Apart from their daily walk I usually take one or other of the dogs with me if I go anywhere. This gives them one on one time with me and a nice change in their routine. Three is a good number as the ones left behind always have each other for company.

Dog food is bought before I spend money on anything else. Iwill make do so long as the dogs are catered for.

eta I have three or four basic dog beds that are outside but long ago I gave up buying epensive dog beds and cushions because they would always be eaten at some stage. I now collect freebie lounges, lounge cushions and mattress that people are throwing away.

Mine generally prefer to stay on the lounges and sleep on my bed at night.

Edited November 29, 2010 by Kaz

[MavericksMission]

I have two mediumish large mutts under 2 years old.

Food: Eagle Pack Holistic Dry. Buy big bulk bags. Also get chicken necks, bones and other various add ins. (doesn't work out to be tooo expensive)

Bedding: They have their good inside beds. Outside they get towels in their kennels as they like to destroy beds outside.

Vet Costs: Luckily I work at an animal hospital, they would help me out in anything major happened. They were both desexed when I adopted them. Just have to pay for the vaccinations, worm & flea treatment.

Exercise: They both get training daily (seperately) and they get daily walks together. In the warmer weather we head down to the beach of an evening.

(I also have 7 cats & 5 frogs, which add to my weekly budget too)

[Kristin Dwyer]

I Own 5 beautiful dogs 2 Borders, 1 Australian Shepherd, 1 Koolie x and 1 Tibetan Mastiff.

Food is easy, it only coats me about $35dollors perweek to feed the lot of them. It includs raw meat, veggies, rice, fish oil tables, and dry dog food.

Walking, i take my TM and Koolie for a 40min walk in the mornings because there slow and were out easy, haha. Then i take my two BC's and Aussie for an hours ride at night after work. When i have days off, and weekends, i take them all for a walk together at the park and let them off lead.

Plus, on sundays i do Obedeince with them all, plus herding thursdays for all of them part from my TM. Also do flyball train on wednesday nights. almost forgot, they also take turns for walks to pick up the kids from school. So we keep busy

[KitKat]

Anyone find their City Councils are an issue?

[cowanbree]

Only from the point of view that a barking complaint is a serious issue as they can force you to down size very quickly

[newfsie]

I have three giants and one large dog.....the newfy pups eat quite a lot and so do the tin newfie rescues, but once they are mature they don't eat anymore compared to the golden cross we own.

We feed a lot of RAW meat, veggies, bones and some cooked grains. We grow our own veggies and we have chickens who lay well.

Our dogs sleep mostly on our screened in verandah and lounge about on the carpets.

Our dogs are quiet when they are indoors and hooligans when we are out and about on our property. We go to obedience at least once a week and go for lots of walks near the river or lake. Ours walk well on leash, so walking is easy.

We have found four easier then three. because we can take them out in pairs if we must, but we hardly ever do that. We have after all two arms each :-)

[Guest Clover]

4 of various breeds, ages and sizes here.

Everyone is fed the same, mainly RAW with maybe one meal of dry per week (plus any treats/ bikkies). I spend about $30 a week if that on food. They are wormed about every 3 months and i just buy big the 20KG wormers and split them. They are on 3 yearly Vaccs with Clover due this year. Every one is walked together (running free down at the creek), unless someone is getting special alone time.

I have been pretty lucky with Vet bills, they are all pretty happy and healthy. The only large bill i have had was Clover's cruciate surgery which came to about $1700 all up.

The BCs sleep out in the back room (all 4 have access to this room all the time), they have a soft kennel (houndhouse thingy), plus a 3 seater couch with blankets and beds. Clover sleeps in her basket next to my bed at night and Harri sleeps with me but in his own basket. There are also hammock beds and kennels outside.

Edited November 29, 2010 by Clover

[SkySoaringMagpie]

To further my curiosity...for those who have more then two dogs (especially large dogs) how do you manage? Food/bills/bedding/walking/etc?

We are double income no kids on acreage with good infrastructure. That's the short answer!

Food - we buy 15 kilos bags of it and whatever RMBs we can find cheaply. Having a country butcher helps.

Bills - most are to do with showing related expenses, we haven't spent a lot at the vet recently, and our bills are slightly different in that a lot of what I do spend is health check and repro related rather than illness related.

Bedding - we have a lounge in the dog area, crates (which are not shut overnight) and allow the older ones into the human lounge area where two of them sleep on the leather couches.

Walking - as we have roughly 2 acres fenced around the house, I take dogs out each morning and/or evening for a walk and play recall games. I don't run them all together, most are polite co-runners, one isn't.

Safety - we have 6 foot chain wire fencing and kennel runs for when we are out.

Council not an issue as we're in NSW - only problem would be if the neighbours changed and someone decided to complain. Right now we all tolerate each other, and mine don't bark constantly, they might bark once or twice a day.

We wouldn't have this many dogs if we lived in suburbia.

[Bjelkier]

2 Sammies and 1 Lab here, soon to be another 2 Sammie's joining us next year.

We live in country NSW so no council issues thankfully!

Food we buy in bulk, we get it from a local food supplier who also happens to be a showie so we get a great discount there

Vet bills we have had thnkfully very few over the years. Our latest big one was for a bowel obstruction but we covered that easily enough do to a dual income and no children household.

Walking we can take all three out together without any hassles.

And sleeping we have a few dog beds in the house, non are bed destroyers so they have lastest a very long time, otherwise they sleep on our bed and the lounge.

[Bokezu]

6 Vizslas here, we feed RAW and also Advance dry. We buy in bulk chicken, lamb, beef and offal etc

We go for a long time with no vet bills then Wham we have heaps all at once, can be very expensive when you add in hip x-rays etc..

We have acreage so I run the dogs daily for around an hour, they also race around by themselves when I'm home, if I'm working two are in runs and four inside, they sleep and don't cause any problems.

Sleeping arrangements vary, we have a roster system for our bed as 6 is just too many!! We have two sometimes three on the bed and the others are on their own couch or in crates with the doors open, works well but deciding who is coming up to bed at night is a pain as they all want to come, we then get the early morning whingers outside the door wanting to come in for a cuddle before we get up.......its great

[OSoSwift]

I have had two Dobes and a Stafford in the past, but now have 2 Whippets and teh Stafford now.

They don't eat much so feeding them really doesn't cost much. We have our own beef bones, they get sardines, some chicken, cream cheese etc but they eat nothing compared to the dobes!

The Stafford is old and has medical issues, his medication does cost a lot and we are lucky we have a good income. The Whippets have had a few injuries of late that are caused by high speed crashes. The Whippets have insurance so it doesn't bother me much and I have always covered the cost of the policy each year.

They have crates (Dobe sized) with cut down foam matress and polar fleece blankets in their dogs runs as well as sack beds. Inside they have a foam mattress cut down and I made a cover for it and there is a piece of Vetbed on top, or the lounge, or the beanbag!

I have 2000 acres and 5 acres mowed with nice shady trees around the house so they get lots of free running as well as lead walks. I do not walk the Stafford as he can get down the hill but not up it. We do lots of toy chasing and regular training and beach visits

We have no issues with the dogs interacting with each other, we have rules I am boss and that is it, plus they have pretty soft temperments and well the Stafford doesn't have the energy to be bothered!

I do not add up what it costs as I don't wan to know. I do not drink, smoke, gamble or go out so I spend money on the dogs instead!

[Dxenion]

We had 4 GSD until our oldest passed away at 13 yrs 8 mths. About to get another pup (glutton for punishment).

We found it was easier (and cheaper and took up less room) to buy one faux leather covered lofabed (cross between a lounge and a futon sofa bed) rather than 4 individual dog beds for our lounge. The same went for the outside kennels which they rarely used anyway. When we had four smaller kennels, we often found multiple dogs in the one kennel - crammed but happy as they preferred to be together. When we had to replace the kennels, we got one larger kennel and all four now occupy it at the same time very harmoniously. It's certainly easier for us to find a space for one large kennel vs four individual ones. They have their own plastic moulded beds with a custom fit faux leather mattress in our bedroom. We drew the line at sharing our bed with them - there is just not enough room for four GSDs and two humans in a queen sized bed!

Leashes, collars and harnesses tend to muliply anyway and once you're happily co-existing with two large dogs, adding a third or fourth isn't that much extra work. The extra hair at shedding time is a story for another day! Disposing of the waste produced by four dogs was sorted out with the purchase of a worm farm. As long as the dog waste is the only food the worms get, they quickly adjust to their new diet and process it as per normal.

We've found that having more dogs actually makes our food bill cheaper. We bought a 500 litre chest freezer which meant that we could take advantage of bulk meat and bone order discounts. Even super premium biscuits and dried treats are cheaper per item when bought in bulk. Bulk shampoo is cheaper too. The annual vet bill increases with each additional dog but on the flip side, we've been able to negotiate a fairly substantial discount when we get the annual vet check, C5, heartworm, 12 month supply of worming tablets and flea/tick treaments for all four dogs at the same time. It's still works out to the cost of a small car but we weren't ever able to get a discount when we had just two dogs.

Having four GSDs in surburbia tends to get you noticed more and because they are well behaved, we've found that people love to interact with them. I once found myself unexpectedly part of a photo shoot when I was standing with our four dogs outside a bookshop in the Fremantle Markets waiting for the OH to come out. A group of overseas visitors descended upon myself and the dogs. Turns out they all wanted individual photos of themselves kneeling next to the dogs (owner not included......). OH reckons I should've put a hat out on the ground! Then there was the time a lady chased our car in a taxi as she wanted to say hello to the dogs (she was missing her dogs back home in England).......

Exercising 4 GSDs becomes interesting though. It is an experience to watch the faces of passersby as you walk four GSDs down the footpath - people tend to cross the street when they see you coming! We've found that human leadership is very important and to ensure that you are numero uno to every dog. Obedience training is a must and so is socialising every member of the pack with other dogs. Two out-of-control large dogs is a sad sight - four would be just plain dangerous.

In our council, you have to apply for a permit to keep more than two dogs and it varies between councils on how they assess the application. Some councils require a letter from you which is then discussed and decided on at the next council meeting. Our current council charges a $55 application fee. The ranger then interviews you, inspects the dogs, inspects your home, interviews every adjoining neighbour and then makes a recommendation to the senior ranger. It's a thoroughly nervewracking experience!

For me, there is no joy greater than seeing our four GSDs romping off leash through the surf just being dogs (on an signposted leash free beach of course). Giving four large dogs a bath is infinitely more interesting than two though - especially when they all want in the bath at the same time!

[labsrule]

To further my curiosity...for those who have more then two dogs (especially large dogs) how do you manage? Food/bills/bedding/walking/etc?

I have 3 large black male labs, two seniors (14.5 & 12.5 yrs old) who were both adopted two years apart and a lab youngster (14months) who was introduced as a 10 week pup a couple of months after I lost my 10year old black lab boy to Cancer last year.

All my boys have got on extremely well with each other despite the fact that that when I had the 3 male adults they didn't grow up with each other as I adopted the two oldest when they were each 10 years old. My youngster has slotted into the pack extremely well, despite the fact that my middle boy who is now top dog after I lost my previous top dog to cancer last year had a couple of altercations with my youngster when he was a puppy and I was pretty pissed at the manner in which he dealt with puppy, as both times I was there and puppy did not deserve what my bully boy dished out ;) There have been no other incidents since and despite these couple of altercations, my bully boy has always been a great playmate with my youngster both when he was a puppy and still today now that he is an adolescent. My youngster has the best of both worlds with my older boys as the oldest boy is his "security blanket" (his great love who he bonded very deeply with from day 1) and top dog is his "playmate". I love the way my boys interact with one another and the wonderful changes that my youngster has brought to the pack and the fabulous way he relates to each of the older boys, he is such an awesome dog

Foodwise, they are fed a super premium kibble as well as raw which I source in bulk from a chicken factory outlet, wholesale butcher and local pet supply shop and I normally buy the raw/fresh foods fortnightly alternating between the various suppliers as I don't have an overly large freezer, but I manage to cram a lot into it Not sure on the $amount over weekly/fortnightly basis, but the amount I spend doesn't seem onerous and I also stock up on kibble when it is on special, so I can go many months before I have to buy any more and their diet consist of approx 30% kibble/70% raw (youngster) 50% kibble/50% raw (senior boys). They also get whole raw eggs, yoghurt, cottage cheese, vegetables, sardines added at various times throughout each week as well as fish oil capsules and joint guard.

Bedding - there are dog beds and the youngster's crate in the family room and beds outside on the patio as well, but they all sleep inside in the family room either on the dog beds or couch and sometimes the youngster will sleep in his crate as I just leave the door open and he can come and go as he pleases - they do play musical beds It is the first time I have had my bed all to myself for years as I have normally had a lab or two on my bed and it took a little while to get used to it, but I am really enjoying having the bed to myself . When I got pup I essentially set up camp in the family room, like I did with my previous pup for ease of toilet training as a lot easier to sleep very close to pup in his play pen or crate and have quick access to the back door to take him quickly out to the toilet every few hrs or when I heard him stir. When I finally moved back to my bedroom I did take pup to my room and sectioned off an area next to my bed as wasn't large enough for his actual crate, but he was pretty restless and missed his mates who were in the family room, so after a couple of restless nights, I moved him back into the family room. No doubt he will end up sleeping on my bed when he ends up on his own as I want to spend some time alone with him when it is time for my older boys to go to the bridge ;)

Walking - I walk them separately as it gives them one on one time with me and having a youngster and oldies the energy levels are vastly different I am very fortunate that I live only a few mins walk to a large reserve and a number of adjoining walkways to give them variety in their walks. My oldest boys handle a daily walk no problems & look forward to and enjoy their walks as much as my youngster I have walked my youngster and my middle boy together, but it is a bit of a nightmare as my youngster gets so excited when his mate is with him and of course he is determined to be the leader and he is a strong little bugger, so can be a bit hard to manage him when I take them out together. I also take my youngster to the local dog parks as he just loves playing chasey with other like minded dogs and he is so good with other dogs and it gives him another outlet to run off some of that excess youngster energy . I also drive them to other parks for outings/walks to give them variety as well as taking them to the river or beach during the warmer months. When I only had two, or the 3 adults I would take them together, but with my current 3, I normally take them separately to give them one on one time and to also be able to focus 100% on my youngster plus I also feel so guilty if I have to leave one behind

Vet Bills - I haven't really had to spend exhorbitant amounts on my current 3. The older boys have each had a surgery to remove a lump or fix problem with eyes and ear and have had the oldest undergo specialist diagnostic tests because of his excessive water consumption and each has had a couple of blood tests to check all is ok. My youngster is covered by pet insurance that I took out not long after I got him, but as the vet expenses have to be paid for upfront, I make sure I have adequate credit on my credit card for any emergencies.

Whilst I absolutely love having my 3 boys, I will probably go back to one as I lose my older boys so that I can have some one on one time with my youngster. I have always been home with him as I have worked from home for the last few years and have now taken early retirement, so hopefully he should cope ok without a doggie mate, but if he doesn't, then I will probably adopt an adult Lab in need or possibly get an adult Lab from a breeder as a mate for him.

[Agility Dogs]

Only from the point of view that a barking complaint is a serious issue as they can force you to down size very quickly

Brisbane City Council this isn't really an issue for multiple dog households any more than for any other household.

I have a 'breeders' permit and have 3 dogs out of the 4 I am allowed. (Border Collies). Things I can lose my permit for are related to containment and hygeine/husbandry, not noise.

In the case of noise I am treated as any other dog owner would be - the processes and penalties are the same which ultimately makes it pretty hard to have a complaint upheld.

In terms of how do I cope - Vet Bills are higher (I live at the vet because we blood test every 6 months, titre test every 12 and have Chiro checkups done every 3 to 4 months.) I just wear that, but I also put away more than what it would cost me to insure the 3 of them in case we have a major issue that I have to pay for. More money in the bank and makes it less of an issue if we have a problem.

Food isn't really a big problem - they are fed home made BARF which is pretty cheap.

Training time is not a big issue any more either. Two of them are quite well trained and just need maintenance and the puppy is coming along nicely. We won't be adding another pup until the current 7month old reaches 4.5 or 5 years.

Two of them sleep in crates (the naughtier/higher drive ones), the boy has his run of the house. They are all reasonably well mannered when we walk together so we haven't really found 3 to be much more of a challenge than 2 were.

ETA - the only other thing we have done is build Kennel Runs. At the moment I only use them to put two of the dogs in while I'm training the third. We really built them just in case we have injury issues or behavioural issues start to rear their head.

Edited November 30, 2010 by Agility Dogs