How does it work, life with so many dogs? At the moment, there’s 12. At the top of the chart is Otter, who will be 15 in March 2009. Her great-granddaughter Spider will be a year old in April 2009.
How do I try to stay in balance so that none of the dogs appear to be lacking
something important to them? First, life with many dogs requires that I let go of the notion that I could possibly have the same kind of relationship with all the dogs that I could have with 1 or 2 dogs. Kind of like being married, and then being married with a kid, and then having 4 more kids (or in this case, 8 more after that.) It is more complex in some ways, less intense on some levels, more intense on others, and yet the shared interactions also lift the burden from my shoulders to be ALL.
When I had just one dog (a long, long time ago, Carruthers...), I was acutely aware that I was that dog's whole world. If I wasn't with him, he was alone. If I wasn't able to play with him, he was alone, playing by himself or waiting for me. This is not true of my current gang of dogs. If I or John are unavailable or busy working, they can and do entertain themselves for hours on end with their own games in the yard & house – games that do not require a human, and are purely canine. I am not their whole world - they have a rich social life. The mixture of ages helps a lot. The youngsters keep the old folks spry and on their toes, the elders teach the pups what good manners are, and the middle aged enjoy their status as in-the-know, physically at their peak and enjoying long established relationships with older dogs and learning about the younger dogs.
I never allow other dogs to fill in the gaps in a relationship between me and a dog. This is deliberate on my part. It's all too easy for dogs to become more attached to other dogs than to people. Why? Sometimes, it’s because dogs are better playmates for dogs than boring, clumsy, demanding or unaware people. It can be easy IF those other dogs are the primary source of fun, interactions, learning, companionship, etc.
I do not separate a puppy from the adults, or isolate any dog in the name of training. I do spend time alone with a pup (with any dog), but I do not worry about the time they spend with other dogs. Though limiting (or avoiding) play with other dogs is advocated by some trainers in order to make sure all fun/learning came from the handler alone, this is an approach I find abhorrent & unnatural. This is as ludicrous as saying my best friend is my best friend because she isn't allowed to have any other friends so I'm more valuable.
Instead, I make sure that my relationship with any individual dog is intense, pleasurable, rewarding for that dog. I commit to investing myself completely in being connected with that dog in that moment. In other words, what the dog gets from being with me is different from what he can get from another dog or any other person for that matter.
I remain alert to what each dog tells me about what they need. Just as a friend might call or show up and need my attention to varying degrees, so do the animals – and I do my best to respond according to what they say they need. More often than not, they don't need anything extravagant or time consuming - just a genuine moment of connection. Make no mistake about it: genuine is key. Dogs don’t appreciate disengaged “yes dear” conversations any more than we do.
Doing this with 10-12 dogs sounds nearly impossible, and yet, each dog has different
needs. Various ages, various personalities, various stages of experience &
training... all make for different demands on me from each dog. Thus, I can juggle it all.
Could I deal with a dozen 9 month old puppies? No way! Could I deal with a dozen 14 year old dogs? Maybe, but keeping track of that many elderly canine and worrying if they were sleeping
deeply or maybe just not breathing would probably kill me!
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Big Dog Family
I also have a big dog family. It is exactly as you said. Each has their own needs and personality. My mom and dad had 10 kids and it was kind of like that too. I'm always checking ears, nails, who's eating and who's not. I have some older and some younger so I'm always on top of their health and such. It is work but so worth it. Each have basic training but the rest varies with the dog's likes and abilities. Like with my mom and dad with 10 kids-you love them all the same amount but in different ways.
Lydia McCarthy Playful Pooches and Parents Dog Training 513-939-dogs
Thanks for posting this. A
Thanks for posting this. A lot of us wanted to hear about it. And I'm sure we'd all like to hear more. Don't take our silence is lack of interest, it's hard to comment on something so far from what we're used to, but it's fascinating.
I have a question. I know it probably depends on a number of factors, and it's such a vague question in many ways, but given a home that could support either successfully (and I'm not saying mine necessarily is), would you recommend one dog or more than one dog. Are "single" dogs missing out? Or are they getting a great deal?
Thanks again.
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I have a blog: http://doxienews.com
Excellent follow-up to the
Excellent follow-up to the "Full Life?" blog. Very insightful. "It is more complex in some ways, less intense on some levels, more intense on others, and yet the shared interactions also lift the burden from my shoulders to be ALL." This is so fascinating I will have to sign up for your Oakland seminar to learn more.
Informative post - thank you!
Elizabeth
Suzanne, thanks so much for
Suzanne, thanks so much for helping me start to learn how to have a more meaningful relationship with each of our dogs! Elizabeth & anybody else thinking of attending one of Suzanne's seminars, you'll learn a lot!
Megan & Java, Tex, & Tommy
Juggling Dogs
I also live with a large family of German Shepherd Dogs, and a similar dynamic; most of my dogs are related, & multi generations live and play here at our farm. Suzanne, you have put the exact words to my feelings about my dogs' social life. When I had only one dog, many years ago, I felt much more pressure to be EVERYTHING to her. I believe her world revolved around me and her activities with me.
My dogs today have a rich and full life, that includes me, and also excludes me. I feel my ego is strong enough to withstand the knowledge that the dogs can be happy playing or resting or working without me. They are always delighted to be with me, work with me, play with me. But, they also each have a life of their own. Some of my dogs are particularly popular as playmates. 18 month old "Fig" for instance, is almost always found at the center of the "reindeer games" out in our yard. If I look out the window and see a knot of dogs, Fig is almost always the one in the middle. Fig wrestles with everyone - from our toughest dog to our most retiring dog. She is able to entice any dog to engage. And, Fig loves summer when our kiddie pool sare filled. Fig will lay in a pool and roll in it. She loves water. Charlotte likes to run the sheep fence line (one of our fence lines in the yard borders a pasture where our sheep come and go), and only occasionally likes to chase and wrestle. Her favorite activity is to dig. I call her the "Diggerator". She digs massive caves and has resculptured the dog yard. She is so industrious and serious about her digging job. KiKi oversees all activity. She patrols. She is also a Jolly-ball fiend, and she will run back and forth kicking and biting a ball and flinging it in the air. On most days there are between 10 and 15 dogs in teh play yard at a time.
The dogs amuse themselves very well.
Our dogs live in our home. They all get along. W ehave males and females, intact. (I am a breeder.) This information is almost always met with skepticism and disbelief. I can't tell you exactly why it works for me and does not work for many folks. Maybe it is because my dogs - in most cases - have been raised here, together. The dogs have a dog play room complete with multiple dog beds, a somewhat destroyed dog sofa, and a dog door to several acres fenced. During the day, the dogs can choose to go in or out as they please. I work a couple dogs daily with our sheep, and I work on training, for a short time inidvidually, with our puppies and adolescents. I allow my puppies unrestricted access to socialize with the others and play, even when they are in training. I totally agree with your comment about a Best friend. I do not have to take away other options to become valuable to my dogs.
At dusk, I close the dog door and shut the dog play room for the night. (trust me - it needs a good cleaning by then EVERY day!) For the remainder of the day/evening the dogs are in the living room or spread out in their favorite spots throughout our home. Two of them - not always the same two - will flank my husband on the sofa while he reads or watches t.v.
When I am at the computer, KiKi and Bunny are almost always nearby; one is usually ON my feet.
We usually end up with three in the bed with us for a short time.. they stay for some snuggle and then retire to a more comfortable spot to sleep.
Some of our dogs demand more attention than others. The ones who seem to need less, and ask for less, get less. Still, they don't seem to be offended. And I do feel I have special time with each of them, special routines with each, and a special connection with each.
When I had just one dog, did she get a good deal? Yes. I doted on her, trained her... all my time was fo rher, so I taught her to do more things than some of my dogs now will ever know how to do...., I played with her, set up doggie play dates, included her in almost all my activities, and lavished her with toys and attention.
But, my multi dog household now is also home to very happy, loved dogs whose needs are met and who enjoy the opportunity to "have a dog life" amongst themselves. I have so much on farm work, I rarely am gone.. but when I am, I don't feel guilty that one lonely or bored dog sits awaiting my return.
Thank you Suzanne!
I go married this summer to a fellow dog lover. Together we have seven dogs, five males and two females. People think we are crazy and ask how we do it (they also ask if they all live inside....do people really still have dogs that only live outside????). We do our best to give each dog personal attention but we do allow them to play amongst themselves as well. Some require more human attention than others. The two Saint Bernards LOVE to chase each other around the yard. The two Rat Terriers LOVE to play tug together. Miss Border Collie needs a human to throw her tennis ball. Mr. Skinny Brown Dog loves to lean and have his chest scratched but will play with Mr. Rat Terrier sometimes and Mr. Pit Bull LOVES (of course) to have his butt scratched. They have a doggie play room all their own with beds, a sofa and a recliner and we have a decent sized yard for living in the city. They all get along as well as "siblings" are expected to too (especially step-siblings). They have an occassional disagreement but nothing major. Their ages vary from 3-8 years so no puppies to manage at this point and we have no need for cable televion since we have a doggie circus to watch every day. Their training is kept up but there is little need for constant supervision or guidance.
I love meeting people that successfully and humanely keep multiple dogs. It takes some getting used to but I wouldn't change it for anything.
Here's a picture of five of them in my living room
Kendra Coatney Dempster
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