Going from 2 dogs to 3

[Laurae]

My experience is a lot like Paula's--my biggest transition was from one to two (but the one was my first dog ever, and she was what we like to call "a handful" (no doubt much more so due to my complete inexperience with dogs). Anyway, I waited until Sophie was four before I added Taz and though the transition from one to two was fantastic, it was a change. I used to bring Sophie absolutely everywhere with me, but that's harder to do with two dogs. I thought there was not much of a change going from two to three or three to four, except when hiking--I no longer walk to the hiking spot half a mile down the road because we pass a park with lots of running little kids and older teens hanging out with their own loose dogs and dealing with that while walking four at once is too much of a hassle. So we drive to the trail, and it's fine from there. Also, I can only legally hike two of my dogs off leash on the much nicer Boulder open space trails, so when I do that I have to switch off. I did find it a bigger deal when I had five--walking was harder and the fifth one in particular, Craig, was sometimes difficult to manage because he worked (and bit) the other dogs while they were playing. I think most of the problem was just Craig himself, but managing five was harder for me than managing four also in terms of spending one-on-one time with them, especially the ones who weren't working (or working any longer). Traveling is a little tougher logistically with more dogs. I would love to get another right now, but I think four is a good number for me and, with my current lifestyle (dog-centric but includes a lot of time on the road with them and I work full time), is less stressful for me and my dogs.

[OurBoys]

Now, I'm really itchy off and on for another dog, but I think my husband has finally drilled it into my head that five is too many for us. At least most of the time I'm convinced...

Every time I get itchy for a 4th dog I temp foster. Jake with his attitude towards fosters usually cures me of that...usually. Several weeks ago I had a temp foster that Jake accepted in 2 days. I never thought I would see that happen so who knows. Maybe one of these days when my mom is no longer with us and the right dog comes along....

[juliepoudrier]

Put me in the enabler camp that says you should definitely get Henry, lol!

 

BTW, old dogs don't have to be terribly expensive, nor are young dogs always problem free. The real question is whether you think you can afford vet bills for three dogs, and if you have the reserves available to deal with any serious problems, no matter what the age of the dog.

 

J.

[PSmitty]

Every time I get itchy for a 4th dog I temp foster.

 

Now, see, that wouldn't work for me, unless I *definitely* want a 5th. We're not so good at fostering, being 2 for 2 in the failure department.

[Jeri Jessee]

I only have 2 myself and that's all that I can personally handle, but I think you should definitely get Henry!

[beachdogz]

I want to clarify that my response was absolutely, positively influenced by the fact that when I saw Henry's non-scared-to-death picture I thought he was the most adorable thing I have ever seen. And yes, I do also want to see pictures.

[Liz P]

BTW, old dogs don't have to be terribly expensive, nor are young dogs always problem free.

 

No, they don't have to be, but it breaks my heart to see so many people who want to help their dogs but can't because they have more animals than they can afford. You can easily drop $5K on an emergency. If a person wants to provide a certain level of care for their dogs and can only afford to do it for one, having more pets can put that person in an uncomfortable and potentially heartbreaking position.

 

I did just finish paying off a $3000 surgery bill for a puppy that broke her leg (and that was a discounted price), so I definitely agree that young dogs are not automatically cheaper.

[juliepoudrier]

No, they don't have to be, but it breaks my heart to see so many people who want to help their dogs but can't because they have more animals than they can afford. You can easily drop $5K on an emergency.

But that doesn't change if the dog is old or young, and even if you have just one dog (until an expensive emergeny or illness happens, those same people apparently don't have more animals than they can afford). $5k can still be more than many folks can afford to spend on even one animal, but would you tell someone not to get a (single) dog, period, if they didn't have $5k socked away in case of an emergency? I'm not saying that people should go out and get a bunch of pets and not think about the cost of care, but expensive emergencies can happen no matter how many animals you have, and regardless of their ages.

 

A person with multiple animals needs to be aware that expensive vet bills can result, but there are options, like insurance or simply setting aside money each month into an emergency fund, that can help a person avoid being caught by a catastrophe.

 

JMO, of course, but I have a lot of dogs, lost my job three years ago, and have put one dog through expensive cancer treatment since becoming unemployed, not to mention the ongoing, regular expenses with some of the others, and still have managed. I don't advocate putting oneself in over one's head, but there are ways to make it work if life throws you curve balls. YMMV.

 

J.

[D'Elle]

I don't advocate putting oneself in over one's head, but there are ways to make it work if life throws you curve balls. YMMV.

 

J.

 

Speaking from my own experience, this is absolutely true, and sometimes amazing things happen along the way that help out. I usually have three dogs in my house at any given time although currently only two are mine, with the third being a foster. Some foster dogs upset the peaceful balance we have here, some don't. Now that my current foster dog, Kelso, has been here over a year there is a lovely cooperative balance in the household with those three, and the cat. I could adopt another dog at this point if I wanted to.

 

I think the most important thing is not to bring in another animal unless the current arrangement is happy and very stable. At least, that is what works for me.

 

The biggest difference that I have noticed in the difference between two dogs and three is the food bill.

 

But, of course, I love having dogs around and I would probably have at least 5 dogs (AND take in fosters) if I felt I could do so responsibly.

 

Now that I have gone to look at Henry's photo, I see why you want him; I would want him myself if he were here.

 

Best of luck!

[JohnLloydJones]

...but I've had a number of people tell me that the step to 3 dogs created a pack mentality in their dogs. This can be a problem if you take them all three to a dog park or other public place where there are other dogs. They seem to be more likely to "gang up" on a stranger dog.

t

 

I have also seen that going from two to three does change the dynamics and brings out a pack mentality. However, I haven't had any situation where they "gang up" on a stranger dog. What I noticed is that they tend look after each other when stranger dogs come and pester one of them -- the other two march up and let the nuisance dog know that if he messes with one, he gets to mess with all three. Mind you, this is with three border collies; I have no experience with other combinations.

[SecretBC]

I have three - Luke is 8 1/2, Kaiser is 4 1/2 and Secret will be 3 next month.

 

The only reason that going from one to two was a shock was because Luke was so well trained by that point and I was spoiled. Very, very spoiled. He's hardly even a dog, honestly. Bringing Kaiser into the mix was so hard on me and it more or less required a huge upheaval of my life. Also, whereas it used to be easy for me to drop Luke off to stay with my parents if I had plans, they were not quite as keen on taking both of them because Kaiser required more work (ie: Kaiser had to stay on leash).

 

Secret was added easy-peasy. It was almost a relief because she would play with Kaiser (who was always bothering Luke trying to get him to play and he wanted none of it). I also had a fenced in yard by this point so potty trips were not an issue. Figuring out how to handle three leashes and fit three crates into my car to go to trials was the hardest part. I'm pretty darn good at handling three flexi leashes at hotels now, but if it all possible Luke gets to go off leash because I have 100% faith in him.

 

I occasionally foster puppies and it is shocking how much different it is to go from three to four. Suddenly it feels like I have an entire herd of dogs in my midst. For whatever reason, adding one (and a puppy, at that!) just feels like it adds a lot more.

 

Four is nice, though, because then I can take them out in pairs at trials without feeling so bad for one being left behind.

 

I've had five for short periods when I have to watch my parent's dog while I'm fostering -- And for whatever reason going from four to five is unnoticed in my brain. It's just three to four that seems like such a big step!

[Laurae]

Four is nice, though, because then I can take them out in pairs at trials without feeling so bad for one being left behind.

 

This is definitely true for me as well. Sophie is harder for me to bring places--she can be a little reactive, her recall isn't fabulous, and she barks. But if I leave her home alone, say, when I'm going somewhere to work my other dogs, she gets upset and is sometimes destructive. She seems to be developing a touch of separation anxiety as she gets older (she is 12 now). However, she is generally much better if I leave Taz with her. I feel a bit bad for Taz, because he is always perfectly behaved and wants to be with me most, but since he is now retired, he is the one I can justify leaving home. And leaving him with Sophie is much better for her. Taz is a champ...

[Liz P]

In 2006 I had really, really bad luck with my pets. It broke the bank. I had emergency funds saved up, but I burned through them before the year was over. I nearly exceeded my financial limits, even with discounts, Care Credit and payment plans. I have never had such a bad year before, and thankfully haven't had once since. It was a close call that has left a permanent impression on me.

 

Freya

1 broken tooth pulled

1 mass removed, benign according to histopath

ICU stay after nearly dying (plus lots of bloodwork, echo, US, radiographs, etc)

 

Flyboy

1 tooth pulled plus dental

 

Duncan

hemangiosarcoma, PTS after a short but expensive battle

 

Rhys (cat)

bilateral femoral head necrosis, bilateral FHO surgery

 

Plus basic wellness for all the animals (vaccines, heartworm prevention, flea/tick control, food, etc).

[juliepoudrier]

^^And so did you limit yourself to two dogs ever after for fear you could have another run of bad luck?

 

J.

[Root Beer]

I occasionally foster puppies and it is shocking how much different it is to go from three to four. Suddenly it feels like I have an entire herd of dogs in my midst. For whatever reason, adding one (and a puppy, at that!) just feels like it adds a lot more.

 

That's how I feel when I have five in the house!!

 

Even when they were behaving impeccably (which was most of the time), something about five made me feel like I was living among an entire herd of dogs!! Sometimes I liked it, but sometimes I wasn't thrilled about it. Although, of course, there wasn't one of them that I would not have wanted to have as part of our household.

 

I guess four feels more like two pair!! The numbers just seem more in balance.

 

Even though Dean was probably the most exhausting of any of the dogs when he first came here, I still felt like I had enough of me to go around among all four of them. Tessa was probably the easiest addition, but when the total number bumped up to 5, I really noticed.

 

It is interesting how the number that is the "leap" number is different for different people.

[Jexa]

Liz- it is definitely heartbreaking to see people give up their animals because they can't afford them. My background is very solidly in the horse world, so it's something I've unfortunately seen a lot of. Feed, board, lessons, show fees, trailer cost and maintenance, vet, and farrier costs are bad enough, but emergencies are usually horrendously expensive. Colic surgery typically runs upwards of $10k, and frankly doesn't have a stellar success rate.

 

We have a savings account built up for any unexpected expenses that don't fit in our monthly budget (such as two very good friends getting married a week apart from each other on opposite sides of the country from me- those plane tickets/hotel rooms/rental cars/gifts weren't fun to buy!), but our other contingency plan is basically to stop our monthly investments. Every month we put away quite a bit. We're pretty aggressive with it because we both have big goals for retirement. If we needed to for a few months, we could stop putting that money away and deal with an emergency. It would hurt, but that's why we try so hard to put it away while we can. I know not everyone can always do this, but it's something we considered before even getting one animal.

[rushdoggie]

Its true that age is no guarantee of health expenses, but as one who had two dog close in age who got older I can attest that more routine and expensive stuff for old dogs costs more. Between vet visits for a heart condition and treating cancer, arthritis meds, added supplements and other stuff, my pet expenses skyrocketed for 3 years with my 2 old boys.

 

Now I am down to a 2 year old and an 8 year old, and am looking at a 1 year old Pap who may be a great fit but I worry about having 2 within a year of each other again.

[Liz P]

^^And so did you limit yourself to two dogs ever after for fear you could have another run of bad luck?

 

J.

 

My income went up drastically, so I felt comfortable going back up to 5 dogs. But yes, if I was going to be living on that budget for a long period of time I would limit myself to 1 or 2 dogs.

[juliepoudrier]

My income went up drastically, so I felt comfortable going back up to 5 dogs. But yes, if I was going to be living on that budget for a long period of time I would limit myself to 1 or 2 dogs.

Oh, okay, so what you've been saying all along is that people with lower incomes should limit their number of pets, but people with higher incomes might not have to consider their numbers? And if a person's job situation should change, then perhaps they should rehome the extras so as not to have to worry about catastrophic vet bills?

 

J.

[Maralynn]

I added dog #3 as a college student on a budget bouncing back and forth between two places. Not the most logically sound situation to add a 3rd dog too.

 

But I had a dog emergency fund set up and felt I could handle the increased day to day costs. And my dogs are pretty much what I do in my feel time and I love working with/training them. I was in my late 20s and tired of putting things on hold because everything wasn't perfectly set up and I felt that it would work for my situation and I could do right by 3 dogs. So I got Kenzi and haven't at all regretted the decision.

 

I think it's very wise to be prudent in decisions involving another living creature and understand your personal limitations (financial, time, resources) so as not to get in over your head. But I also know that sometimes if you wait for the perfect situation before doing X, Y or Z that it may never come and YOU miss out on things in life that are important to you.

[Laurelin]

For me the magic numbers have been 3 and then 6. When we first got three dogs I was in high school and I think it was more shock at adding a new very active puppy at the time with two 8 year old easy dogs. From 3-5 it didn't seem much different at all to me. When we hit 6 dogs the two times we've hit 6 dogs, it's been obviously too much for me.

 

I can't decide right now if I permanently want 2, 3, or 4 dogs at a time. I know I will have 3 in the near future but I am unsure if I'll keep it or go back down to two once my older dog goes (hopefully we still have another 8 years, her dam lived to 16 and my girl is 8 and spry). Sometimes I think I'd really love to do a matching set of 2 papillons and 2 border collies at a time. It really comes down to finances though and how many classes I can afford every month.

[juliepoudrier]

I think it's very wise to be prudent in decisions involving another living creature and understand your personal limitations (financial, time, resources) so as not to get in over your head. But I also know that sometimes if you wait for the perfect situation before doing X, Y or Z that it may never come and YOU miss out on things in life that are important to you.

Well said, Mara.

 

J.

[mum24dog]

2-3 was easy, especially as the first two were dogs and the 3rd a bitch.

3-4 was harder and 4-5 harder still. I'd like to go back to 3 eventually.

I can give 3 the individual attention I would like but with more I have to spread myself more thinly between them.

And most people I meet where I exercise the dogs don't look twice at 3 dogs but some start to think more is weird.

Statistically the more dogs you have the chances that some of them won't get on together must increase. If you have the space so those who aren't best buddies can give each other a wide enough berth you can lessen the risk of flare ups.

[mum24dog]

One thing that you might want to take into consideration - although this is also an individual thing - is spacing of ages.

 

We've ended up with 5 now aged 6, 9, 10, 12 and 13 (give or take a couple of months) - the reason for so many close together being that there are 2 of us doing agility.

 

My ideal now would be to take on a new dog about every 5 years so there would be a new one, one in its prime and one around retirement, all with their own needs that I would have the time for.

 

That's very hypothetical though as I'm too old to have such a long term game plan, but maybe my daughter will adopt that pattern when she is settled in her own life.

 

I would love another young dog for myself but will have to wait. It wouldn't be fair on the older ones and I can't realistically cope with any more, especially as 2 have to be kept apart. It wouldn't be fair on a new dog to be introduced to a strained atmosphere either. Finances come into it because both my husband and I are semi retired, but it isn't the ruling factor.

[Root Beer]

My ideal now would be to take on a new dog about every 5 years so there would be a new one, one in its prime and one around retirement, all with their own needs that I would have the time for.

 

That would be my ideal, as well.

 

Of course, things happen and sometimes a perfect dog comes along at an unplanned time. I will always be very grateful that Tessa happened along when she did and that we took the leap of adding #5 exactly at that time, when really it wasn't ideal.

 

But I'm also not going to seek out a new addition, both for time and financial reasons, as long as Sammie and Speedy are still with us. I feel that they deserve all the extra time and attention that I can give them in whatever time we have left. And when that time comes that I do go looking, I likely will be looking for a dog 3 - 5 years younger than Tessa.

 

My ideal number is 3 dogs, and I like a 3 - 5 year space between each dog. And while I am open to reconsidering that for the right dog, I'm set enough on it that I'll be thinking in those terms when the time comes to add someone new.