Do you think that the average person should own more than two dogs,as far as having the ability to control a pack? I know a lot of us up here have way more than two,and manage it well. I have seen a lot of trainers/behaviorists recommend that most people shouldn't have any more than two dogs as pets in their home. I am guessing it's because of all the issues that they encounter with people who can't control their dogs.
I have three - Rex the GSD, Maya lab-BC mix and Shelby, a golden retriever and something or other. Shelby is the lightweight at 65 pounds.
All are spayed/neutered, no guarding, there is a hierarchy but my husband and I are clearly head of the pack. They are all about the same age, around 7-8, and we have no problems other than the cost of feeding them all raw.
I see a lot of posts on here with regard to the pack dynamic and how 2 dogs aren't a pack but when you add a third you do? My pack is my Husband and I-alpha male and female, male Dobe-beta and male GSD-omega. In my experience all members of the same house are part of the pack, not just the dogs. If the human truly is the alpha and understands pack hierarchy you can have as many as you can afford!
It all depends on the people and on the dogs. I've seen people with ONE dog that couldn't control it and I've seen people with several dogs that had great control.
We have 4 large breed dogs. It all was easy to manage until the pack started turning onto our oldest dog as he is getting older and has had some health issues this past year. Managing them became a whole other ball game now, and got really a chore for a while. But even that we got adapted to and it is all has become routine now.
We don't feed raw, or homemade as it would be to expensive with 4 as well as not having the room for an extra freezer and fridge. They get kibble and each of them have their own supplements as well as different brands of kibble for different dogs.
For me personally the biggest downside is financially when we have to leave town. Having to get someone that is willing to deal with the pack and knows what they are doing is hard to find, but putting all of them into a kennel is not going to be the best solution for our pack either.
I agree that it's not always just the person or family, but also the individual dogs. We had 5 GSDS......no problem. Then I brought in a 6th one and she was so aggressive that she disrupted the entire pack harmony. I sold her as soon as I was able as she was too much dog for us. We now are back down to 3 and it's very comfortable. 5 was comfortable and I could do that again and probably will by years end but two of them will be pups that I raise up in the pack, not introduce to the pack as adults, and I think that makes a big difference too.
As to the financial end of it.....I buy premium dog food by the pallet and get a big discount that way. I pay the light bill at my vet's office, LOL. And now actually at two different vet's offices, because one is my favorite but the other is better at hip xrays so they both get my business for different things. All the other stuff; Frontline, worming, vaccinations, beds, toys, crates, whelping boxes, toys...did I mention toys? Well, all that stuff would probably buy me a vacation if I added it up! But, the love from the dogs is priceless. Just my 2 cents. Haven't been on the board in a long time but thought I would say Hi.
Two sets of muddy paws and making sure each is well cared for is plenty for me. My Raven had osteosarcoma of the lower jaw last May and $5000 (surgery and partial reconstruction) later, she is fine and cancer-free. My worry would be that I could never afford that if I had a similar medical incident with multiple dogs. Although I know the chance is low, I would worry that I could not handle it financially if it did.
I don't presume to know who should have a dog pack but I do have the feeling a good amount of people shouldn't even own one.
I personally set my limit at two dogs. I have two hands and two sides for dogs to lay next to. I'm dog experienced from working in the veterinarian field but I don't feel I'm an "experienced" enough dog owner for a pack dynamic at home, much less have the time or finances for more than two.
Some people shouldn't have dogs. They're not prepared for the commitment of time that a dog requires. For those who are prepared for the commitment, two is better the one; three is better than two; four, better than three.
I've rarely had fewer than five. It's definitely a way of life.
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