4 the multi-dog fam?

[Sak2]

Hi I have 1 pup now and have plans for another one in the distance future. (a bit if a storey) Anyways my boyfriend wants his own pup, for showing and obedience. We have plans to move in together in the summer, and my question for the multi dog families, how many do you have per house hold? We will be getting a house in the country so space is not a question, and I don't have a very demanding schedule so time 4 love is also not a problem.
I was woundering how did you cope with the first year?food, vet bills, socializing, play time,and 1 on 1 attention?
Thanks, any input would be much appreciated!

[mmgy]

There's another thread right now that would offer you a lot of opinions on this.

http://www.rottweiler.net/forums/sho...threadid=20816

We (two of us!) have six dogs currently, all rescues. If they didn't keep running out in front of my car, I'd have 3 or 4, and that would probably be perfect.:D

Hope this helps!

M2

[SABELLESMOM]

:D We've had 3-4 (2 Rotties a Ridgeback/greyhound and a cocker) at one time, but are down to 2 at the moment. We live in the city. But, there is no limit to the total number we can have. Of course yard patrol is fairly paramount.

Ours are indoor pets, with a very large yard and a cable run and a 20'x17' outdoor kennel run. No one is outside unattended. We have kiddie swim pools for cooling off in summer, but I swear they prefer air conditioning!

Time? In the summer there is so-o-o-o much time! We take 'em just about anywhere, expecially the Rottie(s). The Cocker is heading for 8 and he likes short trips but we leave him home if the excursion is too long and tiresome.

I show the Rottie pup and all of them have had or currently have classes. The Cocker got older and I decided not to do agility with him. (I prefer conformation showing anyway)

You said you have time? ENJOY YOURSELF! It's wonderful to be surrounded by dogs!

Our dogs were all of varying ages so raising a pup was no hardship on any of the others. Even so, you cope. Vet bills never seemed to be too strenuous either but we were lucky to have very healthy animals, other than the Cockers allergies. You can stagger when things come due annually. Not all 4 have to have their rabies/distemper st the same time, for example.

GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR HOUSEHOLD!:D :D :D

[girlunderainbow]

Counting a rescue and her litter of 7, I we have 14dogs currently. But the Rottie mom is hopefully going to a Rottie rescue, and the puppies (except one that already has a home) are going to a different no-kill group that neuters them before they are adopted out. Another dog I have had for almost a year will be going, most likely, to do police work. The other five, 2 Lab/ROtts and 3 Chihuahuas are permanent members of our family. Having a multi-dog home is a lot of work..but very rewarding. you really get to learn a lot about canine behaviour this way, also. Thank goodness I used to work for a vet and can do a lot of things myself, and also get a good discount. Plus, he happens to have the lowest prices in our area..I just checked and for DHLPPS he charges less than a THIRD of what ALL the other vets do!

[Mojave's Mom]

We have four. Let me say that it's not an easy task in the small house we have right now. Before my fiance and I got together each of us only had two, and two worked out well, tougher than just one, but handleable. Now with four it's a constant juggling routine. I swear the dogs get worked more at home then they do in class once a week just to keep the place civil. The boys don't get along, so we have to keep them separated at all times, and my youngest female and the youngest male are intact Conformation dogs, so we have to keep THEM separated when she's in heat. I don't personally recommend it because of all the time and effort that goes into it and when the day comes that we start to lose the elders (:( ) I'll be happy with just two again and will want to keep it at that. The food, vet, heartworm, training, competing, treats, toys, and most of all TIME is just all too much with four. I adore them all and wouldn't trade a single one of them for anything in the world, but it's a LOT of work. Lucky for us our two adults are the most well-behaved of the pack which gives us lots of leg-room to work with the puppies without things getting completely out of control. Still though, it's a TON of work.

[Dr._Labrat]

I keep costs down by using the internet sites to get things like flea/ heartworm medicine. Call around to different vets, prices for things like shots, worm meds, neutering, etc, can vary widely. My vet will price match any other vet or website, which is really nice. If you have access to a syringe and use Revolution (heartworm, flea, tick, earmite, etc--put it on once a month), you can check the dosage your pet is supposed to get and buy the next larger size for 2 or three dollars more. This way you get twice as much. (For example, I have 3 dogs that are between 20 and 40 lbs, they would need 1 ml of Revolution once a month. So I buy the 41-80 lb size, which has 2 ml per tube, and I use my syringe to draw up and measure the 1 ml. Saves a ton of money!!);)