Living With Multiple Pets: How To Grow A Happy & Healthy Relationship

Having more than one pet in your home is a wonderful experience. Two or more pets become companions and enjoy spending time together. They keep each other from being bored when you’re away and can be fun to take to the park. Having one dog in your home requires a certain amount of effort on your part. Having multiple dogs can require more effort; but, your effort is channeled in different ways. The following tips are for handling two dogs in the home, but they can be applied to more than two pets.

If you want to have two dogs, then it’s a good idea to get them at the same time. It’s an even better idea to get them as puppies. When they are smaller, they will be more likely to get along and easier to train. It’s not a bad idea to introduce a new dog to an existing one; it just takes more caution and time. Some people recommend that you get two dogs of the opposite sex, while others recommend same sex pups. Before you make this decision you need to do research on the breeds. Most of the time, the breed behavior can make all the difference in choosing males or females.

It’s important to realize that there may be conflict between the two dogs, and this is normal. Dogs are natural pack animals. Conflict will arise early on as the dogs struggle for dominance. One dog will become the alpha dog, as it is sometimes referred, and be the leader of the other one. Never side with one dog if a fight occurs. Taking sides can only cause more conflict between the two. It can also hurt your relationship with your dogs. You should not allow your dogs to fight, but you should understand that one is dominant over the other. There is a difference in playful fighting and aggressive fighting. If your dogs are becoming too aggressive, then speak with your veterinarian or a behavior specialist as soon as you can. You need to put a stop the problem before it gets worse.

Your dogs will enjoy exercising and playing together, especially when you are around. It is fun to start a friendly competition of Frisbee catching, but everything you do should not be in a group. Each dog requires its own amount of attention. You need to play with each dog equally and independently. Training should be handled in the same way. You can work on training techniques together; but, in order to get your pooches’ full, undivided attention, you need to work with them each individually. They love playing together, but they also love and need the one-on-one time with you.

Your pets need their own separate spaces. This idea applies to a couple of areas. They may enjoy playing together, but they still need to have their own places to sleep and eat. In addition to having their own food and water bowls, they should also be fed in different places. An easy way to do this is by feeding them in their crates. This allows your dogs to eat in peace and avoid conflict. No matter how many dogs you have, it is a good idea to make sure their dinner areas are relaxed. There is no need to have different feeding times, just different areas.

Your dogs also need their own places to sleep. If they choose to sleep together, then that is fine, but they still need separate spaces. Crates are great for a variety of things, including training, sleeping spaces, and eating spaces. Crates also provide a familiar, safe place for your dog when he wants to be alone.

Living with two or more dogs can be great, but it does require a little more work. If you get the dogs as pups, then it will be easier to raise them together. It is extremely feasible, however, to introduce a new pet to an existing one. One of your dogs will naturally be the leader of the other one, resulting in some conflict. It’s important that you let the process occur (without endangerment to yourself or your pets), and never choose sides. You’ll need to spend time with the dogs independently of each other. They will also need to have their own separate spaces to eat and sleep. With a little effort, you will enjoy having more than one pooch! n