Multiple Dogs?

It often seems that when it comes to dogs in your home, 1+1 isn't 2, it's more like 3 or 4!  Don't get me wrong, I love having more than one dog at a time, other than about a year after Reese passed before Tristan came when Tilly was an only dog, I've had 2 or more dogs since 2003.  However, it does involve some extra challenges.  So lets look at some ways to set your multi-dog home up for success!

Individual Attention

This is important for several reasons.  If you want to teach your dogs something, it is best to teach them individually, then to practice with both of them together.  If you've had multiple dogs before, you know how much they can feed off each other's excitement!  Also, especially if your dogs are close in age, or littermates, individual time allows them to practice coping with things on their own, and builds their confidence.  If you dogs are always together, and a time comes when they need to be separated (i.e. injury, illness) it can be very distressing for the dogs if they are not used to it.

My preference if I have two dogs and I'm taking one dog out for an activity/training is to leave the other dog with a special treat/toy/stuffed Kong to enjoy.  If it is a training session, I'll then switch dogs and leave the other dog in with a special treat while we're out working.  It makes me feel better, and I feel it helps the dog who isn't currently the focus of the training/outing.  

Stationing

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