Multiple Dog Households

[Taqroy]

Do you crate/rotate or otherwise separate dogs? I'm puppy sitting (ok, he's 19 months old now... eek) this week and I can't handle managing three dogs out at one time. That, and Fritz likes to bounce on my dogs which is unacceptable. All three are only out if Fritz is on a leash and I'm actively working with him.

How do people with more than two dogs manage it? Do you ever just put all/some of the dogs away?

Rotating works fine, always has with this situation... but I'm spoiled. He's grown up here almost as much as his own house so he knows the rules and is great in his kennel.

With our dogs it depends on how they're behaving. If Tipper and Mu are having a bitch fest we'll crate one or both of them until they calm down. But that's becoming more rare. Usually all three of ours are out together (at least one is crated when we leave though).

If we have a foster....well it depends. If everyone gets along it's no big and they're all out. If we have issues then it's crate and rotate. And if we only have sporadic issues it's close management with crating as a separator if it's needed. When we had Sadie it was a little overwhelming. Mu REALLY disliked her and Tipper was ambivalent. So Sadie would go play with Tipper and Mu would get pissed/jealous and go try to break it up and then I'd have to go break the whole thing up before it got out of hand. It was really stressful and usually I just rotated the three of them out of the crate when I was home.

Murphy never gets crated because he's the golden child. And because he's not crate trained because he tries really hard to pull all his toenails off on the door when he is crated.

 

[PlottMom]

When I'm not around to supervise, I have 2 in crates, Daisy in the kitchen, and Liz loose. Usually they're all out together unless I, like you, simply can't handle it. Then I usually put the two troublemakers in their crates or I'll tie Rage outside for a bit and just cuddle with Daisy & Liz.

 

[SpringerLover]

I'm cleaning right now (no, really... I am) and I had to kennel the bad puppy because he's SO not helpful!

"Oh, you're putting toys away, let me bring them back out for you!" (And shred them and leave remnants you have to pick up by hand because they'll get caught in the vacuum...)

"You want me to lay on the bed? Why would I do something so boring?"

"I'm supposed to move when the vacuum comes near me?"

 

[Dekka]

with 7 dogs, 4 of them JRTs why yes we crate and rotate.

Dekka can go out with everyone, but can only be loose with Bounce if its just her and Bounce.

Both Solo and Sport want to eat Kaiden (poor Kaiden is such a good boy, he doesn't ever try to eat anyone) but they can go out with everyone else.

 

[k9krazee]

We've never had to crate/rotate and I usually walk the four of them together too. I like having a herd of dogs and my favorite part is laying on the couch covered with all four of them, or waking up in bed and not being able to move because you have dogs on all sides.

 

[corgipower]

I crate and rotate. Nyx and Ares have had some nasty fights in the past, so they're only out together for pottying and group training when they're under pretty strict control. For play time, they get separated.

Morgan is good with everyone, but sometimes Nyx is a little too rough and I'll crate Morgan while Nyx plays and then let Morgan out when Nyx gets a little tired/calm.

Tyr and Nyx get separated when Nyx is in heat.

Occasionally Tyr and Ares need to be separated, but usually they're OK, especially if Morgan is with them (so Tyr can bother someone other than Ares).

They're all crated when I'm not home.
At night I either have the two corgis on the bed or I have Tyr. Whoever isn't sleeping with me sleeps crated.

 

[MPP]

I had three dogs at one time, and a fourth one that I babysat. No crates necessary. Everyone had his/her own place in the living room. If I went into another room, so did all of them, which can be annoying when you're in a rather small bathroom. It was also dangerous to go into the (also rather small) kitchen. Turn around, and you had four hopeful faces staring up at you; easy to trip over them. But everyone was amiable and they all got along well.

Walking them together could be a challenge. I had one charge-aheader, two lag-behinders, and a macrame artist. If I hadn't been so lazy, I'd have walked them two by two!

 

[Dogs6]

It depends. If it's just me then everyone is loose because I'm pretty good at preventing ( and breaking up!!) fights plus it takes a lot to annoy me. When I'm not home it depends on who is. If it's my sister or no one ( that shows just how much she's trusted lol) then Tika is crated, Ozzy is loose and my three are locked in my room. If it's dad then generally Tika is loose for the first hour before she is crated for his sanity and her safety lol. If it's my mum poor Tika is lucky to make half an hour. despite all mothers speeches about the evils of crates the evil of Tika far outweighs that of the crate lol

 

[darkchild16]

Not when we are home unless its food time. When we are out Sci is quarantined in the kitchen with all the food up away from him ever since hes decided my house is a bathroom. layla is crated and Walker gets free roam.

Walker is the only one for a LONG time that will get free roam.

When my dads dogs come we will have to CnR he has a DA bitch and a male that isnt really but hes rough so it will just be him and Walker out with supervision.

 

[Amaroqwolf]

When I had all 5 Yes, yes and yes.

When it was Bree, Chad, Deron and Roxie Yes, Chad and Deron used to love each other then Chad developed his issues and Deron grew balls and hated each other, Then Deron passed away and Chad was Happy but still issue pron. When Bree passed away Chad got depressed so I let him and Roxie be togther that worked out and I needed no crates. Then I brought Kowalski home and he had to be crated any time I wasn't able to supervice him with Chad, Chad wnated to eat Wally from the get go. When Wally was trust worthy CHad and Roxie got free reign of the upstairs of our house while Wally and the cats lived in the downstairs, Then Ianto came home (F/A Pug) We are back to 2 Crates because the boys will have pissing Contests, Chad passed away and Wally has Free reign with Roxie when I'm not home.

Ianto sleeps in his crate, Roxie roams, and Wally sleeps in bed with me and the Cats. New Pup whatever it ends up being will probably be crated till its old enough to be trusted.