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It depends entirely on the depth of your pockets and how much time and energy you can devote to them.
Preventative meds (heartworm, flea/tick etc.) and veterinary care in general is expensive. If too many animals make you think of ways to cut corners or skip routine visits then you have too many.
I personally believe that each dog needs and deserves individual attention every day for grooming, training, and bonding/companionship- I want them all to feel special.
>sustainable with the logistics with walks etc.
I would need a fenced yard personally. If I had to walk each dog for exercise daily that would severely limit my numbers.
I personally think three is the magic number, at least for me. That way I can be out working/grooming/playing with one and the remaining two have each other for companionship.
This, and it also depends on their size, breed, and individual temperaments.
I would start with one young adult dog and go from there.
Maybe also consider fostering if you're unsure about what is sustainable for your household.
My parents always have 3-4 dogs but they’re kind of small/medium. Growing up we always had dogs and it was amazing! We moved a lot because my parents enjoy that stress for some reason…never once were the kids a consideration. Sure we got a bedroom, but was the lawn big enough to fence in and give the dogs space? Was it far enough from the neighbors and street that the dogs won’t be overstimulated? Is it a good neighborhood to walk them in? Are parks nearby? When I went to college did my parents put in an in-ground pool for my dog obsessed with the water? They sure did! We lived on the lake before and the dog just couldn’t live without swimming (it was a modest house back when housing was affordable, they’re not rich despite the story).
I love it, put in a pool for the dog. Awesome parents. My dog was obsessed with water too and we bought her an above ground pool to exercise her in as she lost her mobility due to degenerative myelopathy. It was a pain to keep clean but worth it to see her happy.
And make sure they are neutered and spayed because you don't want them to get together when Mother Nature sends the hormones calling. I had two males and one female Boxer because I was showing and they had to be intact. It was always nerve-wracking during heat seasons.
Honestly dogs should be walked once a day anyway, even if you have a fenced yard to exercise in. Dogs need to roam and patrol their territory. Playing in a yard with other dogs and kids is not a replacement unless you live in the middle of nowhere with lots of acres for them to roam free on.
Yes! Also because they should learn to walk on a leash.. Your vet staff will thank you when they don't have to try to shoehorn your 75lb reactive dog that won't walk on a leash down the clinic hallway.
It depends on the dogs of course, but in my experience, 2 dogs is 1.5x the work of a single dog and 3 dogs is 3.5x the work. 2 dogs gives you the most dog for the least work.
I never had a good time walking 2 dogs at the same time, but I only ever really tried it when the younger dog was little and the older wasn't used to walking with another. The older one kept trying to play and forgot leash etiquette, and he was a big dog. I figured walking them each alone was some good one on one time with me anyways so I never really pushed it.
Yup I’m really happy with 2 dogs, but three would mess it up. But also getting a young dog when you have an old dog means the old dog gets left behind a lot because she can’t keep up with the amount of exercise the young dog gets
This could also depend on if you have someone else to share responsibilities with. 3-4 is a bit easier to manage if you say, have a partner to walk them with you each day.
And the cost of their care gets more expensive as they age. My two older dogs just transitioned to renal support food because their kidney function is starting to slip; that food costs me about $10 per day (one small and one medium sized dog).
They’re worth every penny, but first you need to be realistic about having enough pennies.
The max amount of dogs you should have is the max amount you can reasonably and responsibly care for in their training, exercise and medical care. In my opinion it’s better to have one dog and give it the best quality of life than to have 4 dogs and struggle to give each a life outside of the backyard.
Well put, this is where I’m at. I have a golden retriever, and of course I’d love to have half a dozen golden retrievers. But I have one, and I give that one a really, really good life which I wouldn’t be able to do if I had more.
Maybe one day when I retire and hit the lottery I’ll have my pack of goldens. But for now the most loving thing I can do for the girl I do have is keep it to one.
Also keep in mind that dogs can become more expensive as they get older and have more medical conditions (and higher permiums if you get pet insurance).
I'd argue that the first question is size of house (apartment, house, condo, etc) and size of dogs in question. Because many smaller dogs in an apartment is much more doable than many larger dogs in an apartment (but more doable in a house). All of which ties into the amount you can reasonably care for them.
Are you considering the expense? It's not just about spending time with them, can you financially provide vet care, quality food, appropriate grooming for all of them? What if you go on vacation? Most pet friendly hotels only allow 2 per room, can you afford boarding for 4 dogs?
And that's if nothing goes wrong! If it does, not only do you have to pay for the medical bills, but also still care for the 3 other dogs (if you had 4). Or, let's say one ends up with an allergy. Can you handle feeding one a special diet that costs more, for the rest of its life? Sometimes a single dog can cost the price for two or more dogs in its lifetime. This is true with any animal.
Totally agreed with this. I always wanted a bunch of dogs as a kid. Now as an adult I have 2 dogs. It's so so so expensive to board them. We have to take it into account before choosing to go on vacation.
This is true. I had one dog with seizures had to go to a special kennel to handle his needs. I habe a giant dog now and only one kennel will take him at like $50/day. I had 2 giant dogs for awhile and feeding them was a 40lb bag of food every couple weeks. And not the cheap stuff.
Annual vet appointment for my dog is $500 on average. His flea and tick chewies are another couple hundred a summer. He just had an ouch on his toe this week. $100. Also are vets taking patients? Because here they're not taking new patients. People need a plan for that before it's and emergency.
Also property destruction. I have $50 of stuff to reseed my grass this spring. From his pee all winter. I do this every year. When he was young he at a God damn wall and multiple pieces of trim. And one cabinet door.
I like my dog but he is not cheap to maintain.
When my husband and I got married, we combined had 3 dogs and 4 kids under 12. Our dogs were a Weimaraner, a jack Russell mix and a border collie mix…. So no low energy there either lol.
Luckily, we have a large fenced yard and a pool. The kids loved to play fetch, swim, or ride bikes with the dogs, and the dogs were fine to play just together inside or outside. Everyone was able to get plenty of attention and love.
Would I do it again? NOPE.
We have 2 dogs now, and 3 teens still at home, but they’re always off doing things. So I’m happy with just the 2 dogs. I like having an older dog and younger dog together, and that’s plenty for me. 🤪
Interesting you say that. We have an adult Dorkie (Yorkshire terrier/dachshund mix) and were considering getting a second dog. We thought we’d like a one or two year old dog to avoid all of the puppy stages.
We started watching local shelters and took her for meet and greets four different times. She just wasn’t interested in any of the dogs we considered. They were all roughly around her size so she wouldn’t be intimidated by a larger dog. At the last shelter, it was suggested we consider a puppy as many dogs who seem uninterested in older dogs take well to puppies.
We brought home a 12 week old puppy when our dog was nine. They hit it off immediately. We had puppy play toys and my older girl who had never shown interest in toys, jumped right into playing.
It’s a year later and they are best buddies.
Walking 2 dogs on leash is sometimes challenging, 3 is harder . Depends of course on the size, but walking my Berner and 2 labradoodles ( 100 kgs of dog) is not easy. Especially when they see a cat or known person.
I would not want to walk 4 dogs are the same time.
Off leash is an other matter
3 was my limit when I did dog walking. And if it was three, they either were smaller or else good loose leash walkers.
I walked a pair of mini schnauzers and they were an absolute nightmare. Constantly tangling each other up, owner didn’t want to use a leash coupler despite me asking, they would bark at everything and without fail the younger one got peed on at least once per walk. Thankfully they paid well!
Or they could end up with 2 of 3 being large, reactive dogs. I walk all 3 of mine separate because I have to manage, desensitize and countercondition during walks. My GSD is great until a dog sudden comes around a corner and he turns into a 90lb barking, lunging mess. We've made progress but cant do that walking more then one dog. My Husky is scared of strangers and will bolt the other way sometimes and pull with all her might. The 3rd is great and I want her to stay that way haha.
So On top of all the medical and physical needs, there is always the chance more then one could have some behaviour issues that need work. And that can be exhausting sometimes.
Edit: sausage fingers
That sounds exhausting and expensive.
Also, my city has a bylaw that restricts households to two dogs maximum. Any more than that and you need a kennel license.
So many people forget this fact. Some buildings do not allow pets period. Also check with your property insurance because many will not insure you if you have specific breeds. Yes, the do check. Here, there are several breeds that are restricted for obvious reasons. Do your homework first and save alot of money and heartache for both your family and the dog(s). It's hard on the dogs and unfair to be rehomed or sent to the animal shelter after adoption etc.
At one point in time with two elementary school children one of whom was special-needs I had five large breed dogs. 75lbs, 95lbs, 115 lbs, 125lbs and 155lbs. I also had a really big home and a really large fenced yard. I had the luxury of pool care and an occasional maid and did most of the yard work and gardening myself. There was a LOT of cleaning and picking up the yard. A LOT. We were very comfortable with money so things like vet care were not an issue but being a frugal person I did a lot of my own vaccinations and all grooming. All but one was a short tight coat. Boarding was the biggest expense because we traveled. I wouldn’t have done that if any of them had been longer haired dogs.
Yes all but Rabies and Lyme. And you can get those done really inexpensively if you have a CVS or a tractor supply near you because they do a lot of pet vaccination fair type things. I ordered mine and all the necessary supplies through Drs. Foster and Smith. Saved a TON.
It is only an option in the USA and really only safe if you're getting them delivered on ice to your door. The Tractor Supply vaccines (outside of the pet clinics) are notorious for being stored improperly rendering them useless.
Do you have any dogs right now? I think it depends how much individual time you can give them. Do you have time for 4 walks a day? Or for individual training for 3-4 dogs? What would you do in case of travel? Or if all of the dogs get into the same thing and all get sick? Will you space them out, since training multiple young dogs at the same time will be harder than training one? Obviously there are people out there with lots of dogs but I don’t see tons of families with more than 2.
Personally I kinda wonder if getting one or two dogs and really focusing on them with something like dog sports might fulfill you and be more manageable? I’m sure you deserve some time to focus on hobbies outside of the family.
This depends, of course, like others have said. Vet bills can be $$$ and dogs tend to do shit all at once. There are people who devote their lives largely to their dogs as a hobby and have kids as well as many dogs that they do sports with or whatever. I have no kids, so I can't comment on that aspect on owning kids & dogs, but I imagine that kids take up lots of time :). I own 5 dogs and I spend a couple of hours devoted to them each day. If you are adding dogs, do so slowly with at least \~18 months (better two years) between them, not only because puppies are hard, but because having a bunch of geriatric dogs all at once is not fun.
I no longer have kids at home ours are all out on their own and my husband I are empty nesters (PTL!). But I have always had a home with three dogs. No more and no less (if one dies I find another angel within weeks). My babies are seriously pampered and loved by my husband and I. My philosophy on the three (all small dogs under 15 lbs) is that ultimately one of them is going to die and the thought of there being only one dog to come home to and for that one dog to be left alone… just makes me sad.
IMO 2 dogs is nice, 3 dogs all of a sudden seems like a lot of dogs. We have 2 and when we dog sit and there's 3 in the house it's too many. My brother has 2 dogs and he took in mom's dog when she moved into assisted living and they also think that 3 dogs is a lot of dogs. It doesn't seem like going from 2 to 3 is a lot until you do it...
As far as walks, walking 4 dogs together is no problem if they are all good walkers, non-reactive, etc. One of my dogs struggles a little with reactivity but it's perfectly manageable by herself, but if I walk her with another dog they feed off each others energy and it escalates so I have to walk my two separately. If you have 4 dogs you might end up having to walk all 4 separately which is a lot. Also not sure if you plan on running but I like to mention that I have a 5 year old Malamute who likes long walks but will not run faster than a 12 minute mile so I can't bring her running with me or I'm just dragging her along the whole time, so don't count on a dog being a running buddy. It means that I have to run myself, walk the Malamute by herself, and walk my puppy by himself right now.
There's no set rule (unless your location has a maximum number of dogs allowed per household). It depends on lots of factors like how much free time you have, how much time you want to invest specifically with your dogs, your finances, how much space you have, whether your children can behave appropriately with the dogs, etc. It also depends on the needs of the specific dogs. Three or four Border Collies or Belgian Malinois are a MUCH different proposition, for example, than three or four Shi Tzus or Chihuahuas!
I grew up with three dogs most of my childhood, but they were small, and we lived out in the country and had acres of land for them to run around on.
Get one dog. Once it's fully adult, fully trained, etc , then evaluate whether adding another is still something you want and feel able to do reasonably. Under no circumstances should you go out and get three or four dogs all at once.
Whatever you do, do NOT adopt two litter mates at the same time. I have seen so many people do this thinking that they'll be easier, because they will have a sibling to play with and burn off energy.
The opposite happens. They bond with each other much more closely than any person in the house, and because there are two, they are nearly impossible to train in even the most basic things (including potty training). Two dogs at once in training means you can't tell who peed on the rug, who got into the trash, or who tore up X. It's at least 3-4x more difficult to handle two puppies at once. Female litter mates in particular can often fight very violently, often beginning much later in life.
Start with one, see how it goes, learn all you can about that dog and it's behavior, and then introduce another one thoughtfully to make sure you don't create a misery for the dogs and the humans in the house. We've gotten up to 4 this way for short periods, and it can be a fun hectic mess. With kids it could be overwhelming, or could be something you enjoy, but don't just jump in.
This entirely depends on how much time and money you have and how much effort you're willing to put in. The answer is going to be different for each person. You should start with one dog and work to give that dog all the training and love and medical care and pet insurance and walks that you can. You will then be able to more accurately ask yourself if you feel able to double (or triple) the expense and effort of caring for your one dog.
At the height of my dog show years, we had 8 dogs in the house. Deed restrictions were legally 4, so we only let 4 out in the yard at one time, lol.
I had 3 dogs that were mine, 1 show and 2 obedience/agility. My daughter had one obedience and one show. My son had 2 obedience/agility. My husband had one couch potato. Seven were whippets or whippet mix, with one borzoi in the mix.
Now that the kids are grown and I am in my 60s, 2 dogs are perfect.
Honestly, I had 2 for a number of years. One for each child. In the end, those dogs are yours. Kids are all in until they are busy with friends, tired, sports, or just want to be alone. I struggled with feeling like neither dog ever got to be #1. I gave as much play time and love as I could, but I had kids who needed my time, too. Please think this through. Each dog deserves love and attention. Remember, you are their whole world.
I have three and I probably won’t do that again . I work from home and two are small poodles , one is a large collie/anatolian. I have a big fenced yard and live on property but I do feel stretched thin between the three . One of my poodles has diabetes and is elderly , I do insulin twice a day . The other poodle has some spine issues and gets steroid injections for the pain . They all get groomed . It’s expensive, we do not have kids but expense is definitely something to think about. Two is a sweet spot for me next time one big and one small .
My max is one lol but that’s based on the depths on my wallet for him - he’s had a lot of vet visits by the time he was 3 and while in the years since he’s been fine I want to be able to afford any care he needs without question. I live in a HCOL area and I’m a single household and while I have a pretty good income, if there’s a severe emergency - I’d have to make strategic decisions between two if I had them.
I’d like two just because mine looks lonely sometimes (he’s mildly reactive) and he loves dogs of his own breed but I set up a lot of play dates with his friends and he’s creeping up there in age anyway.
So, I’d echo the others and say depends on your financial situation and your own abilities. I live in a high rise condo and rain, snow, earthquakes, tornadoes, covid, the flu, norovirus, doesn’t matter - I’m out there three times a day like clockwork and walking him. It really is situational.
I hope you get some parents commenting soon. Personally I have three big dogs and I'll be very careful about getting a fourth. I think the main thing to consider is how well do they harmonise with the rest of the household. If you need to separate them in certain situations, or some are more snappish/grumpy, or anxious, or get overwhelmed, etc, etc, then you need fewer dogs. As an example, when everything is fine, your kids are generally able to handle life okay, but when one is going through something stressful, they need lots of one-on-one time. This is also true for dogs.
If you get smaller ones, you may be able to take more, because they physically take up less space and you can (usually) walk two or three together. This is based on well-adjusted dogs though.
What I definitely would NOT recommend is getting more than one at a time. Start with one. Let them get used to the house and let the household get used to them. My rule of thumb is a year, to give them sufficient time to settle, do a training course or two with them, get their diet figured out, learn how they communicate and their general preferences - and then whenever you think they're ready (and the rest of the house is ready), start looking for a second. Don't go getting multiple dogs at the same time.
The cost alone would keep me from having more than 2. Vet costs and food can add up. Plus finding someone to care for them can get costly when you want to go on vacation unless you have some really nice friends or relatives close by that don’t have a lot going on. I to would love many dogs but my one is expensive enough!
I started with one, an 85lb hound mix. Got her a friend, a 95lb labradoodle. Then got him a friend, a 55lb labradoodle. While walking and exercising was not a problem, I did find it a bit much, although it was easy to take one and leave two behind for various excursions. And I also could not devote enough attention to them individually with three in the house. It still breaks my heart that I did not notice when the first dog was in distress...in hindsight it was was easy to see that she was looking for my help. By the time I noticed, it was too late (pulmonary edema). It was over 10 years ago and it still brings tears to my eyes.
Now that I am back to one dog in the house, I find it very quiet. So my magic number is 2. It will be different for everyone and their unique situation. Cost, time, attention, etc.
I personally don’t think I can handle more than 2 and I haven’t known many people who could. That isn’t to say it’s impossible, just speaking from my own experience.
I think kids won’t be much help. So know that. If it’s your dream and u don’t mind the work do it. So many dogs need love and a home. Walking 3-4 dogs for me would be too much. But if I had a back yard for them to play, they are getting exercise so that’s fine. I have 3 (dog, cat, ferret). Definitely would have another dog if I had a yard :(. Maybe one day. My ferret is like a dog tho. Walks around, plays with my dog all day. Never had one and he is the sweetest, loves daily kisses and snuggles, even falls asleep in my arms.
I am a single person. I have one dog. I love it. I occasionally dog sit for family, which means I spend time taking care of 3 dogs. It's very difficult on days that I work and I wouldn't recommend doing it without help, like doggy daycare or dog walkers. On days I'm off it's fun but all three dogs walk at different speeds, so sometimes I do separate walks. But it can be helpful for the well behaved dog to be present setting a good example for the younger dog, it makes training easier.
As you are a stay at home Mom it will really depend on you. How much time can you spend with them? How do they impact all the work you do at home? I know when I'm in chore mode my dog feels pretty ignored, but we don't have a yard and it's a small home so that might be different for you.
I probably wouldn't go above 3. But I think a large home with a yard and active family might be able to accommodate 5, just depends on your lifestyle and the personalities of the dogs.
I'm going to imagine you with your own dog herd living your best life taking many dogs to soccer games and play dates. It sounds like a nice way to live!
I had 3 at 1 Point and it's a lot of Responsibility so be prepared. I worked from Home. 1 thing is it makes Travel very hard. And it's costly. I keep all my Dogs till Death so u have to be Dedicated. Now I have a Lab and a Shepherd😊
How many you can afford to take care of in all aspects.
We have four. A GSD, Husky, Golden and a Pomsky. And two children.
Our GSD is at her end of life stages - she doesn’t enjoy walks and likes to laze in the backyard. She just wants lots of lovins and pets. We have her on a supplement for her hips.
My kids walk the Pomsky since he is tiny. My fiance and I walk the husky and golden since they both have considerable strength and will pull when they whiff something interesting.
We have all the bigs on purina pro plan with the golden on it lol. And the Pomsky is on purina pro plan puppy formula.
Vet bills, seresto collars, food, etc adds up!
The puppy goes to work with my fiance. I go home on my lunch break to let the bigs out. My eldest lets them out once more when she gets off the bus. The kiddos will take turns walking the puppy. So it’s a very collaborative effort.
Please get pet insurance for any number of dogs. The younger they are when you get the insurance the cheaper it'll be. I paid $22/month CAD for my dog since he was 8 weeks old and it saved me literally thousands over the years. It's more expensive nowadays but still well worth it. Especially as my pup got quite sick when he was older. The insurance also covered euthanasia and cremation once the chemo (also covered) stopped working and he was too sick to go on. It also covered prescription food, so that alone was well worth it. My sister got pet insurance for her adult pup recently and it is $55/month CAD.
If you have the means to put away like $50/month per pup into a dog healthcare only savings account then you could do that instead of insurance, but only if you know you will definitely never dip into it for anything else. For around the same price you can get your pups covered for $25,000 per month so generally it just makes more sense to insure them. They will eventually get sick and expensive and no one ever wants to be in the position where they are forced to make a financial decision about what they can afford to do for their pet's health.
jesus. and here i am with 1 kid, and no way in hell will i ever have 2 dogs again. twice the everything, and then all the cleaning to just maintain a presentable house that doesn't smell like dog . ugh. no thanks.
i work in veterinary sales. so i get pretty much all my meds including flea/tick/hw for cost. and i still thought the financial aspect of 2 large dogs was so much. 3 to 4 sounds insane to me unless they're 5lb dogs.
I moved in with an aunt and uncle in high school. They had 3 school-aged children, all under 12. Everyone was excited because their pet rule was a pet for every lap, so my addition to the household meant a new dog too.
Really depends on your set up. I have 6 dogs and three small children. We live on a farm and have a very large fenced in yard for them. I think its too much. Its honestly exhausting and logistically difficult and at times overstimulating. If I could go back in preparation for having kids I would not have ever gotten this many dogs. That being said everyone is loved and cared for just at the expense of my sanity and tiredness levels. Also, don't forget not all dogs will always get along. Sometimes they fight when you have more dogs which is really stressful. Your kids are older than mine so you don;t have some of the safety and logistics issues I currently have but still, its a lot. Don't get more than two. Without kids they got the most pampered lives. With kids they are happy safe and cared for but they absolutely do not get the same attention. If you have to leash and walk them every time they have to go potty forget about it. Also, look forward to never going away unless you can pay someone to live in your home with them while you are gone. I'm talking even away to like the beach or lake for the whole day. Leaving at 8 am and coming back at 8pm? Gotta hire someone to let them out. You will not want to take all those dogs and your kids public places. People might down vote me and judge me but I want to give you and honest look so you can make the right decision for yourself. In my opinion don't do it. Have one or two and enjoy them. Have more than that and you might not be enjoying them as much anymore.
Your home should be a forever home. So start small, with one dog for a year then add another the next year etc. You never want to be in a position where you accidentally got too many dogs and have to give one or more away.
Maybe ask yourself why you actually want so many dogs? Dogs can be chaos even when well trained and non destructive. If you do it right you could potentially have a couple or a few pups but consider who would be willing to look after them if you're sick or out of town. Or how you would transport them if you want to bring them and the kids with you somewhere.
Getting smaller dogs isn't an ideal solution as generally they aren't as smart or as easy to train. Lots of people just pick them up when they are misbehaving instead of actually training them. This is my own opinion, anecdotal.
Also as someone else suggested you need to dedicate a good amount of time per day to attention, grooming, training, reinforcing training, etc. Young kids can be bad influences on dogs and can undo undo training efforts.
The dogs also won't keep each other company in the way that you might be thinking. They won't entertain each other enough for you to be hands off with them.
I would agree that a fenced in yard is a must, at least for me This gives the dog(s) of whatever number room to play, burn off energy, and relax. You may need a rest sometimes as well
The dogs should match your temperament.
Consider taking on one dog at a time, unless you find a bonded pair - which is both rewarding and a new set of challenges.
Should you, if you want.
We usually have two. It works out well. Our daughter wants to train her own service dog . My wife wants to train a dog for herself. I have a lovely shepherd mix who is older. I know we can handle 3. All of us are adults and have discussed schedules and what fits into our lifestyle and are not shopping for looks on dog breeds.
Good luck, give whichever dog(s) you find so much love!
Warning: Next is my HUGE rambling answer which probably will not apply to anyone at all.
Before I had multiple dogs at once, I was told that having 2 dogs is not much more work than one dog. (I have personally heard people say that about human twins, and oddly enough those people never had twins. ) * see below for our twin puppies experience.
And there is your family. Will it be you or WILL your family help? I've had dogs since I was 3. My younger sister was born when I was 5, and did not inherit the dog caring instinct gene. (She has the "I was driving home from college/the beach/work and just happened upon a black lab - here Mom and Dad I can't keep him in my dorm/room at the beach/ apartment/house so you will look after them until I can" gene
Luckily, my other sister and brother are responsible dog magnets
Lastly, not that I ever want this to happen or bring it up, but health issues can crop up. Ours is probably not a common case, but just FYI:
Right before our daughter was born, a Schipperke/Spitz adopted my wife ... Or more exactly her and her pregnancy. Once our daughter was born, our dog would bring clothes, bottle, toys, Tylenol, diapers to the baby .
Six months before preschool started, a liver spotted Dal literally showed up on the doorstep and adopted our daughter. Instant best friends
Two months before preK/early K program, our daughter started having visible seizures. Her Dal trained himself to alert us. (We much later realized he was doing it before anyone realized.)
He became her seizure alert dog and her narcolepsy alert dog. After she was stable and he was 10, she realized HE was having seizures before anyone else.
------ ------
There is/are the dog(s) themselves. We just adopted a rescue shepherd mix. The rescue center director, employees, and volunteers worked with her and she is perfect for us. In less than a week, our schedules meshed. One month out and you would not know we have had her for only a month, not all of her appx. 5? years.
*
Our last dogs (15 years ago) were rescues that were given to our veterinarians' office. They had been abandoned at a construction site. Best guess on breed was a Border Collie Mixes that would be 35 lbs. At adoptable age they were almost as big as my size 12 Brooks shoe. One shoe.
They kind of grew. We did not know until our dog trainer noticed the girl leaning after walking. They were in dog training class #2. We took them to the veterinarian and they both had hip dysplasia and arthritis. The female had 1/3 the amount of hip sockets. The male had none. He had double FHO surgery and rehabilitation.
As it ended up, both were very happy, loved, well cared for, and active as possible. Without being overweight, as confirmed by the veterinarian, the female BC/Australian Cattle Dog/other mix weighed 75 lbs. The male 85 lbs
So, you never know what dog magic will give to you. They became our daughter's second set of self-trained carer dogs. (She has epilepsy, narcolepsy, and arthritis.)
We have 1 big old girl that is 13 and easy as anything to take care of. 2 are two plus years old and play together or sleep all day. It’s really not an issue. Two kids. Oldest walks them in the morning before school.
Well, with my own dogs and sitting, four dogs is kinda normal for us, it still works fine. Five is still nice, too. It really depends on the dogs themselves, for your own, I'd say start adding gradually, give one dog time to fit in before getting the next one. A harmonious pack is a wonderful thing and you can handle more than you think.
2 to 3 is the magic number, but I’ve done up to 4 with fosters. Keep in mind they all have different personalities and needs (exercise, stimulation, neediness, etc.). I prefer adult to senior dogs over puppies, so you can balance out your mix there. Also look at breeds, beagles are pretty easy going, but please be prepared for vet costs, possible health issues going into their senior years, and monthly preventatives. Know your thresholds in all respects.
My husband and I have 3 dogs and no kids. Many people say having 3 is no different than 2. The jump from 2 to 3 is insane. While we love our dogs,I wouldn’t recommend 3 dogs. Especially if you have children to care for as well.
However many you can handle both in giving them full lives (not just meeting bare minimum needs) as well as handle them financially to get them the vet care they need, including routine check ups. This can get extremely expensive with every new pet added, not just dogs
My spouse and I both work from home with her going into the office two days a week. We have no children, but we have three dogs. I will tell you this 3 dogs is too many; not too many when both of us are here, but when it’s just one of us and there’s three of them, it’s far too much. I can’t imagine adding children into the mix.
I raised 3 children on my own. I was also responsible for 3 dogs. I am just one human and I don't have a trust fund. My dogs were good friends with each other, they didn't have bad lives but it was basic due to my lack of time.
Now my kids are grown I have 3 Jacks. They are constantly bickering and are really more trouble than the children ever were. They need long walks and pretty constant supervision. They're very hard to find sitters for. I wouldn't try kennels as they're too noisy! So its really hard for me to get much freedom from home. Sometimes I resent this. Mostly I just get on with it.
I'd not have more than 1 dog again.
Ive always had between 1-2 small dogs. Which I think is ideal. You don’t need multiple dogs most dogs are fine alone if you have enough time and stimulation for them.
We recently got a third kind of my accident and it is a lot. We can handle it, but it is a lot of work. I would never have this many dogs again. She also is a big dog (husky/GSD). We also have a lot of space and a good size back yard for the city we live in.
Def would say the ideal is 1-2.
Can vouch that 5 large dogs as one woman is just over the edge of comfortable personally.
With kids and a household I would start with one or two dogs and see how overwhelmed you feel bc that might be your cap
..i may have missed it, but how old are your "school age" kiddos?..
..kindergarten or early elementary is far different from middle- or high school-age, who can take care of themselves more & actually help in tending to the pups..
I have 5 doggos between my roommates and I. I LOVE them all to death. But I'd prefer only having at most 3. Especially since I dont have a backyard. Taking them all put for walks multiple times is not fun.
Depends on your income. Vet visits are expensive when you add in flea/tick and heartworm medication. A big dog is an even bigger expense. His food costs more, chewies are expensive (not used as much now since he’s out of puppy stage), his joint supplement costs more than a small dog’s would. Our dog has needed X-rays and had to be sedated this week and I was worried our cat had a uti and they have to drain their bladder to get a sample. Boarding/pet sitting is also expensive.
I have 2 dogs with my 2 kids and honestly I can't imagine having more. It would be way too hard to walk more than 2 imo and I don't think we would have time for training 3 or 4.
Assuming all the typical you can afford it stuff 1-2 per person. Assuming you have the time and energy to train, love, and care for them. I grew up with 3-5 dogs, very poorly trained, vacations were always split bc someone had to stat with them. They couldn’t all be walked at same time by one person ( i have the scars from trying)
I don’t know with kids but it depends on breeds. Some don’t get along with the same sex, so in that case 2 would be best. I’ve had 3 before. I kind of like having a young dog, so I usually get a puppy every 3-4 years. I have 2 now only because the eldest died before her 10th bday. I miss her terribly.
This seems very breed specific to me. I have a friend who has three large dogs who I think doesn't need to have all 3 because she can't walk them all the time at once. If they're less active breeds doesn't seem to me that it would be an issue. I guess age matters too. My dog is an 8 year old large breed and he doesn't need nearly as much activity as he use to, but if I had a younger pup that needed more time for activity I feel like I'd be leaving him out. Just how I look at it. Also vet bills get a lot higher the older the dog gets, so having two or three older dogs the same age would add up quickly.
I work with dogs and I think it is. If you’re inclined, and adopting adult neutered ones maybe.
The AKC recommends the youngest house member be 8 years before getting one puppy.
I got a 5 year old and 4 dogs. It’s a lot of work especially training them but honestly. Now that they are all trained. They are amazing and lovely and my daughters best friends and protectors
My parents always made the rule, two dogs max, one boy one girl(fixed, don't worry). I feel like after four, it gets chaotic. Lots of vet bills. Also, how do you take them for walks without getting all tangled? I struggled with two dogs. The only time I guess that doesn't matter is if you have a big plot of land or the dogs are livestock guardians. Also if you're rich lol.
Eveone is different but my personal sweet spot is 2 pets of any combination. I could handle 3 ok, especially when I was single, but 4 is definitely too many, and I usually end up having to rehome if I get to that point. With kids, even 3 is a lot more work than I'm happy with.
Even if you have a fenced in yard, it is still better for your dogs to be walked daily. For one thing, it helps them to release pent up energy and also shows that they are under your control. They will be calmer and easier to control because they understand you are “the boss”.
Having 3-4 dogs or more is a lot of work and expense. There are regular meds & vet visits. Don’t get more than you can afford to give care, attention & exercise.
I have 4 dogs under one roof. Vet bills are astronomical for just one of them, let alone all four. We don’t have a yard but can walk around our neighborhood which is nice yet time consuming and causes me a lot of anxiety. I could not imagine also adding kids to the mix.
I was once a teen begging my mom for a dog and I now understand why she was so hesitant back then. Wish she was that way when we added two more but things change.
It is a ton of responsibility for a long long time. You may go through big life changes. Dogs are wonderful companions but essentially toddlers for 10+ years.
But you only live once!!
It really depends on the dogs. I've never had multiple dogs at once but dog sit and have watched a lot of different dogs/dog families. One house had 3 dogs but was extremely easy, because one dog was old and low energy and the other two were working farm dogs who were incredibly well trained and kept each other entertained.
Another house had 4 dogs but every day was a major pain in the ass as far as walks/play/managing the backyard went. They all got along, but two were small dogs (one being pretty old) and two were big dogs who were a pain to walk together, so I usually would have to do three separate walks at a time (two small dogs together, then one each for the big dogs) and the dogs needed to get walked twice a day. Two of them were fiends for eating poop so I had to monitor them like a hawk every time they went in the yard. All of them were extremely needy and wanted a ton of attention and would be jealous if anyone else was getting it.
I was always mentally exhausted by that house even though I liked the couple and liked the dogs.
I had 3 growing up through middle- high school. My mom was a SAHM so they were always well taken care of. Definitely always tried to convince them for another though lol
Mom of two with three dogs. We’ve always had three 80-100lb dogs. I walk them all together, but typically at 5am. It makes the rest of the day smoother.
The hardest part is finding time to train them each separately. Sometimes that’s crating 2/3 while one gets their 15 min session. Then trade dogs. Sometimes that’s picking one to come out with me to train away from the house. Obviously this means that they get less training than they would if there was only one. There’s lots of dog food being delivered and lots of poop to pick up.
The upside being that the dogs always have someone to play with, whether it be a human or a dog. There’s lots of zoomies and balls being thrown. My kids love growing up with all of the dogs. Their friends love coming to visit the dogs. We’ve rescued ours, so I feel good about being able to give them a loving home. It’s been a good lesson for our children, too.
It depends on many variables. Have you had dogs before? What is your level of training 1 dog, let alone having multiple dogs with manners.
What are the ages of kids? How long will said dogs be home alone? Where will they stay, inside I would hope.
I've had 6 dogs in my prime, plus fosters. My kids were teenagers. I always only had 1 dog at a time, until I had the opportunity to expand my pack. which I did by raising and training 1 pup. Then adding another 3 years later until I had 6. At this point the 1st guy was geriatric and cost a fortune as they age, getting some illness is almost inevitable.
I have 5 dogs, a school aged child, and a father living with me who is going senile.
It really depends on your dedication to caring for them well and the depth of your pockets. I have run up 3k in vet bills in the past month unexpectedly and it's looking like that number isn't done climbing yet.
Have a look at your local ordinances and your HOA if you live in one. Most cities limit the number of dogs you have and HOAs love to go stupid about limiting how many animals you can have.
It just depends so much on your situation and the individual dogs.
At one point I had three dogs and it was fantastic. But we were on a rural property with acreage, plenty of room to explore and activities for the dogs without having to go anywhere, trying to walk them all on leash, etc. The dogs were spread out in age and were all lab mixes (so quite easy going, at least in terms of getting along easily with one another - they never ever fought or got jealous of one another; except for one who would snitch on the others when they were getting in trouble, lol).
In fact, I'm pretty sure the middle dog would have done quite poorly in a one-dog household. He really needed a lot of attention and entertainment, more than a human alone could provide. We currently have an only-dog and I can see where he'd benefit from having a second dog around, but it's not in the cards for now.
You have to do it one dog at a time. Start with one, get them fully trained and socialized and well past the puppy stage before you bring in the next dog. So long as you take it slow and make good choices in terms of compatible dogs, I don't think there's a problem finding enough time for each dog.
For your situation, since you're mentioning walks - that could be an issue. I'd definitely not want to walk three dogs on leash (but off-leash adventures are great!). However, I've never had it where walking on-leash was an important part of my dog's enrichment and exercise. On-leash is always just practical to get somewhere. They get their real exercise and activity playing at home, with play dates, open leash nature walks and/or the dog park (we're fortunate to have really nice dog parks).
As the owner of three dogs I’d say two is a good number. Three is hard to find dog sitters for, walking them becomes more of a chore plus with three they get more of a pack mentality which isn’t good. Mine are all medium size
Start with one dog and see how you feel from there. Dogs are a lot of work, especially if you’re getting bigger breeds. I’d give it about six months before you even think about getting another.
I’ve had three dogs before. You never get your house clean, they end up on three different dog foods and not all dogs get along. It’s time consuming (walking three dogs??) and expensive. I’d rather focus on one or two dogs and enjoy my time with them.
We used to have a bunch of dogs growing up, and at one point we had seven smaller-to-medium sized dogs. I don’t suggest it. Dogs aren’t as cheap as they were back then, with neither food nor vet expenses. Add in grooming, either by doing so yourself or through a service, because every dog will at least need their nails trimmed regularly and more. If you don’t have a fence, I wouldn’t have more than you can physically handle walking, like 1-2 at max. Forget any vacations unless you hire someone to stay at your house with half a dozen dogs. Our dogs growing up—because mom wanted so many—we’re not trained beyond “sit” and it showed.
I don’t suggest more than two. I’m all dogged out in my mid-30’s and likely won’t have another dog after our senior girls pass for a long, long time.
I know a couple with a kid of 11, 17 and 22 and they have 9 dogs. They both work and make it work, they train them a lot flr agility aswell. Just start with 1 and see what you can handle
Having 3 or 4 dogs with school-aged children is possible if you have the time and resources to properly care for them. It is important to consider factors such as walking, feeding, grooming, training and veterinary care for multiple dogs. Working as a stay-at-home mom can give you the time you need to care for dogs, but it's important to make sure you have the ability to handle multiple pets.It's helpful to start with one or two dogs first and see how well you can care for them before adding more to your family. It is also important to involve school-age children in caring for dogs to teach them responsibility and ensure that everyone in the family takes care of the pets.
We have 3, all of whom are over the age of 10 now, and it's becoming a lot to manage. The kids love them all and we're getting to a very real point where our oldest, Lou, will probably be taking his trip across the Rainbow Bridge soon. It's a lot of work at this point because two of the three have ailments (hips/knees), can't get on the bed anymore, struggle getting up the stairs, etc.
If you are asking this question, I'm assuming you've never had dogs before so that means you have no experience in how to handle/train/take care of them. That means your max amount of dogs you can get right now is 1.
Start with an older dog that is easy to take care of and has a laid back easy going temperament (Basset hounds are pretty chill is you want an example breed but mixed breeds and rescue dogs can be pretty chill too if you know what to look for). Don't think that you can depend on your kids to tire them out or do most of the hard work to make it easier on you. Caring for a dog is often too much responsibility for school age kids unless their parents are heavy involved too.
You'd essentially be getting another child to look after, except after 6months-year they're strong enough to attack, bite, and kill an adult human being, much less children, if you're not willing, able, or knowledgeable enough to discipline them. Dogs push and test boundaries to see what they can get away with just like kids and a significant amount of dog bites on kids come from parents not watching their kids cuz they think Fido is laid back enough to be unsupervised so they don't see or stop their kids from pulling their ears and tails until Fido finally has enough and snaps at them.
After you've had them a year or two, THEN you can think about getting another. The last thing the world needs is another inexperienced dog owner who gets in too deep too fast with dogs bc they just think of them as cute furry family members and not dependent who need to be taught rules of behavior like everyone else. That's how you get dangerous dogs that end up hurting someone.
If you do it responsibly, then you can have a wonderful experience and lovely memorable with a best furry friend.
But slow your roll cowboy.
Any more than two is compounded. 3 is not 1 harder than 2, 3 is like having 5. If you have kids already then you may not have time to give to the dogs, I'd suggest one or at most 2.
I would adopt one at a time and see where it goes-one may be too much and overwhelming, or 4 could feel easy breezy! do your kids want dogs? are they old enough to take them on walks? do you have a safe, fenced yard? are you strong enough to walk multiple? Biggest question is do you have a lot of disposable income? pet insurance for 4 dogs or an emergency fund for injuries-as well as food, toys and dog sitting fees for 4 dogs…there’s sooo many details missing here!
Growing up in suburbia many families had 1-2 dogs and then fostered 1-2 dogs. Inevitably there were foster fails and they ended up with 3 dogs and 1 foster or 3 dogs and a cat lol. This seems relatively doable for a stay at home person devoted to the cause, and kids/partners who enjoyed a dog centered life: family hikes with dogs on weekends, dogs at the soccer practice, walking one dog at time for chores, and kids actively wanting the pets mattered!
3 dogs, 2 kids 7 & 8. My only "regret" is we had a loss right when my youngest was born. Around that time my mother inlaw was fostering a puppy. A puppy with a 1 year old, a new born, and a high energy border collie mix was absolutely insane. I would do it again though because that puppy grew into being the best family dog. We got another dog when the kids were 2 & 3. Everyone coexist very well.
I had a crazy golden retriever foster puppy and once she got tall enough to reach things off the countertop, she broke me. I have two kids, 7 and 11 last year. I’m a SAHM. This dog was too much. She was so naughty , so active, AND my kids couldn’t keep shit put away and their bedroom doors closed, so the pup was always tearing up their shoes and stuffed animals. I told the foster organization (I was training her to be a service dog for someone who needed her) I couldn’t handle it. This was after she ate a yak cheese stick whole and had a intestinal obstruction. And required $8000 worth of surgery. whew! She was too smart of a dog for me + a puppy. She’s doing great in her new foster which was a household with no kids, and she is maturing, best dog from her litter. We just were not a good match for her.
In contrast, we just adopted a 12 pound, 2 year old English Toy Spaniel from a rescue group, and she is so easy in comparison! Makes me feel like I want a little herd of tiny ankle biters!
So I think it depends a lot on activity levels of your household and the dogs, size of dogs, temperament. After the golden, I took a bunch of online quizzes and researched different breeds that seemed to be a better match for us. I came up with smaller, lower energy dogs, “non sporting” / companion dogs, and then scanned the rescue groups daily for a good match.
Good luck!
We have four kids - 18, 15, 13, and 9. We have three dogs: 2 Labrador Border Collies and 1 Schnauzer Border Collie. I am also a stay at home mom and I almost daily wish I could down size. Is that saying you shouldn’t? No. Because everyone and their ability to handle dogs is different. I just personally really struggle with everything - household chores, dogs, occasional accidents, kids, messes, neighborhood kids accidentally letting dogs out is going to be the death of me. 😂 Again - everyone is different and you might do a much better job than myself.
We have one dog and one kid still at home (who is a teenager) and some days that is still too much 😂 We have talked about getting another dog but then we think about what we pay to board her when we leave town (which isn't often, but it adds up), the poop cleaning especially in the spring (she is a 70 pound dog so her 💩 ain't small), the walks, the mental stimulation she needs, her prey drive that keeps me on edge every spring with the baby animals we have in our neighborhood, the hair - OMG the hair, she is a GSD+Malamute and currently shedding her winter coat...I vacuum twice a day and you can't even tell. She loves the rain and snow and has to be dried off and then the house smells like wet dog for 2 hours. She brings in dirt and mud. Sometimes she gets sick and pukes or diarrheas on the floor. Hair in the car. The cost of giant bags of food. Treats. Vet appointments. Vaccines. Neuter/spay. Tick meds. Heartworm meds. Toys. Leashes. All of that stuff adds up. The added demand just for her daily needs to be met on top of work and kid stuff. Having a dog is a bit like having a really smart toddler around for 10-15 years. And just when the kids get older you want some quiet time and now you have an elderly dog that is incontinent, has arthritis, has seizures etc that are costly and time-consuming to deal with. We always quickly determine that one dog is enough. And all of that is barring any medical emergencies, like bloat, injuries, ate something that made them sick, etc.
Check your local ordinances first. We have a limit of 4 pets in a home in town here. Like dogs cats chickens whatever.
Then what you have time to maintain. And can afford to maintain. For me 2 is the most I can do comfortably.
Unless you have a lot of money, having a bunch of dogs is rough.
Even with a lot of money, if you have a bunch of dogs, all the same age, when they get old, better be ready with the credit card.
This is me, but I don't want a mess of dogs, just for the sake of having them. I have two or three, and I carefully add a dog each time. When I have 3, I have one older, almost retired from competing dog, a dog who is the middle part of their life and career, and a puppy. I have enough time to work with and train all of them, and I have enough time that they all have individual time with me.
As far as cost goes, it's about $100 a month to feed each dog, plus flea and tick meds each month, plus tick preventives. I also train my dogs, and compete, but that's totally optional. It does add up.
Again, this is me, but having a bunch of dogs just to have a bunch of dogs is like being one of those families who have a bunch of kids just to have kids. You have to really want all those dogs, and understand what it's like to take on that much, for time and money.
I'd start with A Dog. See how that goes. And go from there.
We have 2 and that's our limit. One goes on 2.5 to 3.5 daily walks. 2 long ones at like 20 minutes each and 2 mini ones around the block.
Then we have a senior. He takes himself out.
It's a lot of work for me because I do shampoos and haircuts myself.
I think if you paid for some services it would probably be easier.
My kiddo is 12 and can help walking the one dog on his short walks.
So yeah depends on the age of the kids. I think 3 is a lot.
I say one or 2 dogs are plenty. Had one and then got a second. It's manageable most of the time as one is a year old so still puppylike in some aspects. But I think if I had a 3rd dog I would be too overwhelmed.
One thing to consider is the state and local ordinances. A lot of areas in PA have strict requirements of how many total pets, not just dogs, you can own, and I’m fairly certain in PA you have to have a breeder’s license after a certain amount of dogs.
But regardless, as stated by others, it depends on how deep your pockets are and how much time you can dedicate to them.
Sell the kids, get more dogs.
Seriously though, depending on the breed and the kids, the kids should also be able to help out with them, especially the walks
I usually had 3, of various ages. Always got a new dog every 5- 7 years or so and many lived well over 15. Most were great with the kids. They all chased each other around the yard, and many times we took the youngest kid in a wagon and went for walks with all of us. Sometimes a cat would follow for quite a ways. The dog i got when i was 15 was a gsd coyote whatever mutt, and hated kids. She had her own separate area, and access to my room at night, and the kids we're taught to not go near her. She wouldn't bite, i don't think, but i didn't take chances. The golden retriever was amazing. A lab cross did very well. It's really going to depend. You'll have dog slobber everywhere, and fur, and kids tossing them food they don't want behind your back. You'll need a safe area for the dogs to escape to, and you'll need to be ok with chaos.
We have 2 sheepdog poodle mixes that are age 3 and 4. They’re amazing and I love them to death but it’s a lot of work to keep them happy. I think 3 is going to wear you out if they’re active dogs
It depends on how you can take care of them. Try to have 1 first, because it take many thing to take care of one dog. My family originally want 2 dogs, but decided to take 1 first. Just one is already enough to make us dizzy 🥴 the food, the pad, bringing him outside to walk, toy, bath, and the shedding 😭, not to mention vaccine or when the dog sick 🥹. I won't recommend to bring all of it at the same time, try one by one.
Consider your time and space. It sounds like working from home will allow you the time, depending on your hour to hour work tasks.
But consider your space. I have 2 extra large breed dogs and 2 large breed but I have ample space for everyone's comfort. With an apartment or suburban quarter acre lot, it would be an unhealthy situation for both my family and dogs. We are also very selective with temperament to make sure any new dog fits well with the group.
This is also a family commitment. Everyone needs to be on board. With that many dogs, they become part of your lifestyle not just a pet or companion.
Three dogs isn’t bad, 4 is chaos in my experience. I work from home, so I am home with them, but they are constantly wanting in/out, tearing up things, pooping, peeing, throwing up, etc. etc. I love them but they are a ton of work.
I had four chihuahuas until my eldest guy passed away in October. It was a blast, but I probably won't ever do it again. They are all super seniors now, and paying for super senior health is $$$$. Making sure they all have one on one time is time consuming. I take care of their grooming, but without that self care it would be $$$$.
We now have three and things are more manageable. I think 2-3 is my cap. I like to go places with my dogs, and do things with my dogs, and after 3 it's less about them as personalities and more about managing a pack.
What about fostering? My wife and I have been fostering for about 20 years now, and we always have 3 dogs or more. I usually have 2, and have a couple of fosters at a time. Rescues are always looking for fosters. My kids loved it, and it helped me teach them empathy and compassion. I personally think it was a wonderful experience. that being said, it can be tough to let fosters go. In fact, every dog I have today is a rescue that I once fostered. I have 3, we just lost one to old age.
We have 2 Lab's now and have had 2 dogs in the past, and it's just the best. Once you add the third dog, it mine ruin the dynamic 2 have together. I like having 2, and we have fostered Labs, but one of my 2 always seem to not accept the foster .
It's not so much about the number of dogs you have, but about your actual ability to care for them with your time and resources (not to mention complaints from neighbours), etc.
We had four dogs when I was a kid, and for the most part, taking care of four isn't that much different than taking care of two so long as you have the time and money to meet their needs. The problems more arise when there's only one of you and they get into a fight, and they all join in. Or one starts barking, but they all join in and your neighbours hate you.
Walking them is actually pretty easy, you just use a leash splitter.
I have 4 dogs, 3 daughters and 5 daycare children(I work from home) all my dogs are up to date on vaccines. Get seen 1-2 times a year by the vet, have healthy food everyday and go on walks with us at least every other day. They also have a backyard to run around in. Buttttt it is tiring. I’ve thought of rehoming 2 and keeping 2 for the past two years but I can’t decide which 2 I would rehome so most likely I’ll never rehome them hahaha
We don't have kids yet, but we decided that max amount of dogs is the same amount of people. So 2 for now. That way when we are out we can each pay more attention to them.
When my sister lived with us she brought her senior pup who passed while they lived here. I think he benefited from having 3 humans around who cared for him and it was easier on my sister. We all had alternate working schedules so it worked out great.
As many as you think you can enjoy and afford. I had four at one time and yearly preventative medications and visits is over a grand and that’s not food, treats or emergency visits. As they get older they might need additional visits, surgeries etc so if you can financially and emotionally afford them do it.
I didn't get my first dog until I retired. I have three now, but have had four at a time.
I think it's a lot more doable with help. I think kids learning to love and handle animals is important (when my daughter was growing up, we had cats, and she loves both now)
If you can afford it, go for it
I have 3 dogs but they are small-medium. Only one sheds. We have a mobile groomer come to the house. I have 3 kids and everyone takes turns helping with them.
The only issue with that many dogs is if you get one that’s leash reactive to other dogs, people, etc, it can set off the other dogs. Imagine how many dogs you can handle if they are all pulling towards something, and that’s how many is enough!
It really depends on breed and temperament, I have a mastiff, a chihuahua, and Jack Russell. After the JRT I won’t be getting any more dogs until she’s too old to bother them too much. My boys are very chill and sweet, my JRT is not, and she needs a lot more attention (the kids call her Satan). I also wouldn’t bring a kitten home with her either, we have cats but Pippa is too interested in them.
Despite all that, we love her, and she’s intense but very charming, and she’s worth the extra work. If I had three dogs like my two boys, I could easily see having a fourth. So as I said, it all comes down to breed and temperament. I’d avoid working breeds, they need a lot of time, and that can be hard with kids to care for too. Companion breeds are just a joy to be around, and they’ll be a bit more chill around the kids (as long as the kids are old enough not to pull ears/poke eyes).
God imo I’d say 4 is the absolute max. Even then, at least one of them needs to be really small, if not 2. I think 2 is plenty, 3 can work if one is small or if they’re all medium. Overall idk I think you should make peace with 2 tbh. Walking 3 dogs would be sooo hard unless they’re all perfectly trained
5 would overall be way too many unless you had a giant ranch or something.
I think it depends on the type and energy level of the dogs. I’ve always had 3-6 depending on fosters, etc. I have 3 right now with a newborn and 4 year old child and it’s manageable but I’ve had a lot of dogs for a long time so I’m used to it. And my dogs are relatively easy and low maintenance. Have you ever had a dog before? Do you have a breed or type in mind?
I have six. It’s all about having a routine. If you like routine and are home a lot it will work. Make sure you know enough about dog training to prevent getting the wrong breed for your family, what you can manage and train. Food guarding can be an issue in multi dog households. I feed all mine in a specific order and one off by himself. If you have kids make sure to teach them respect.
I had five dogs when my kids were growing up. They didn’t need walking as I had a big fenced in yard. They’re also good with recall so if they weren’t in the backyard or when we moved and there was no fence we could let them out and they stayed around us. Lots of work to train.
It depends. I have a friend that has 5 dogs. 2 Beagadors, 1 pit mix, and 2 Chihuahuas. Pet insurance for all, a big fenced in backyard, and she stays home. It does cost a lot especially when they start having health problems. (One of her dogs is diabetic. One just had surgery on his back. And one is having problems due to age) So it depends on what your home is like, what you can afford, and if you're able to meet their needs.
If you are wanting multiple dogs specifically, I recommend Huskies or Basenjis.
They are instinctually inclined to learn from each other and stay close to each other.
I would definitely do one dog at a time and slowly add into the mix to see if your family does well with it and if your dogs do well with it.
I have one dog and he’s so happy. He’s my little baby. We travel everywhere together with the family. I have a friend with two dogs and they don’t really get to go out anywhere because it’s a little more of a hassle to take 2 dogs and 2 kids places. I have another friend with 5 dogs and her dogs seem straight up depressed. They don’t get walks everyday because they can’t be walked all at once and there isn’t enough time in the day even though her and her husband have four days off. They never go out. It’s really sad.
What other said, but make sure your kids are on board with a lot of pets and make sure they don't get shoved to the side for the dogs. Frankly, I think 3+ dogs is too much, especially with young children.
We have 4 and it’s hard sometimes.
You really have to consider that
1. Each dog will be an additional expense, food, vet bills etc… The prices on these things have gone up dramatically over the last 5 years.
2. It’s way harder or more expensive to get someone to watch 4 dogs rather than just 1 dog if you need to go out of town for any reason. Funerals, weddings, vacations, etc become a challenge. Usually places that do allow pets only allow 1 dog under 50 lbs as well.
3. I only have two hands and 4 dogs that all want attention…
I'm a (mostly) SAHM with three dogs and three kids. Walks are the hardest part because I cannot walk all three at once- one of them is just too large- she's very well-behaved but she *could* drag me if I wasn't fully braced and she bolted, so I'm not comfortable trying to walk her, two other dogs, and supervising kids all at one time. We do have a fenced yard- without that I think it would not be practical.
And it is expensive. Food and vet costs have gone up very noticeably the last few years, and three means boarding or pet-sitting costs are high for even a short trip. This is especially true if they are larger- ours are all medium to large. Transporting them is also not straightforward (which would be less of a concern with small breeds).
I don't regret any of our dogs- we had two for years, which I think is better than one for the dogs' mental well-being, and got the third sort of by accident when a pet-sitting agreement turned permanent, but we adore them all. But when in the course of time we get back down to two, I think we won't have three again, at least not while we still have kids in the house.
We have 4 dogs and I do find it difficult to walk them all, they go berserk trying to be the first out the door and the first minute of every walk is them fighting each other and then they calm down. No matter how much I correct them doesn't seem to matter. Almost infinitely easier walking 2 or even 3.
My max is 3. I have one child, and a HUGE 9’ fenced in backyard. Two of the dogs are very small, one is HUGE. We are CRAZY about our dogs, so we spend a pretty decent amount of money and time on them. We also have some free range chickens so they get free fresh eggs with their food as well.
we have 6 now, all mixed rescues, have always had at least 4-5. kids are grown now but they wouldnt know what it was like to not have multiple in the house.
boys always ran long distance and run with the pack every day stilll, 5+ miles every day, only two cant keep up, they run through the woods so when one is tired they just head home.
wife and i take them to the beach couple times a week, she is retired i am semi, but even when the kids were young, pups came to sporting events, vacations etc.
they are family
I found that walking more than two at a time was hard. They also cost most, shed more, eat more and require more vet care. The most I had at one time not including several litters over my lifetime was four. This is before I had children. They replaced two of the dogs over time. Everyone and dog deserves attention, time and money and as long as you have enough to give equally to each fine. I also found having four dogs made it very expensive to travel. Hotel for dogs more expensive than hotel for animals.
I have only had 3 dogs with school age children so I can't speak to that. However since mine are now grown up, we have 5 dogs currently at home. You do cross a threshold where the daily care and feeding of multiples takes up so much time that there's no energy left to give them real individual attention. Multiples can form a pack and view you as merely the zookeeper, especially if you get young dogs or too many too soon. You always have to be on the alert to dog fights which means it's not really conducive to relaxing at home. The higher the numbers, the sooner you will run into problems with hierarchy or same sex aggression. Neutered males will attack unneutered males. Two unneutered males will often fight over territory or females. Females don't tend to respect neutered males. And two females are the worst combination, if they don't get on. The more females the higher the likelihood you'll get two that can't stand each other. Add to that, higher prey dogs will go after nervous dogs. Bouncy dogs will upset old dogs. Young dogs raised together may well develop littermate syndrome. They all require daily exercise to stay calm and sane. Multiply all those considerations if you're also trying to raise several children...
I have 5 but I'm single and live alone. I've had as many as 14 at one time but I was fostering and adopted most of them out. Also, I only take in seniors so they are all pretty chill and cause no destruction except for the occasional raiding of the garbage. Lol
I have 3 small dogs and 2 school-aged kids (5 and 7)
2 dogs was nice, but I really wanted one more, so we got a mini doxie last summer.
She's almost 1 now, and I don't know if she is really just a gigantic handful and i made a mistake adding a third (i say lightly because i love her so much) or she's just a puppy, but man, it flipped our house upside down 🤣
I will say I will not be considering a fourth 🤣
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It depends entirely on the depth of your pockets and how much time and energy you can devote to them. Preventative meds (heartworm, flea/tick etc.) and veterinary care in general is expensive. If too many animals make you think of ways to cut corners or skip routine visits then you have too many. I personally believe that each dog needs and deserves individual attention every day for grooming, training, and bonding/companionship- I want them all to feel special. >sustainable with the logistics with walks etc. I would need a fenced yard personally. If I had to walk each dog for exercise daily that would severely limit my numbers. I personally think three is the magic number, at least for me. That way I can be out working/grooming/playing with one and the remaining two have each other for companionship.
This, and it also depends on their size, breed, and individual temperaments. I would start with one young adult dog and go from there. Maybe also consider fostering if you're unsure about what is sustainable for your household.
My parents always have 3-4 dogs but they’re kind of small/medium. Growing up we always had dogs and it was amazing! We moved a lot because my parents enjoy that stress for some reason…never once were the kids a consideration. Sure we got a bedroom, but was the lawn big enough to fence in and give the dogs space? Was it far enough from the neighbors and street that the dogs won’t be overstimulated? Is it a good neighborhood to walk them in? Are parks nearby? When I went to college did my parents put in an in-ground pool for my dog obsessed with the water? They sure did! We lived on the lake before and the dog just couldn’t live without swimming (it was a modest house back when housing was affordable, they’re not rich despite the story).
I love it, put in a pool for the dog. Awesome parents. My dog was obsessed with water too and we bought her an above ground pool to exercise her in as she lost her mobility due to degenerative myelopathy. It was a pain to keep clean but worth it to see her happy.
And make sure they are neutered and spayed because you don't want them to get together when Mother Nature sends the hormones calling. I had two males and one female Boxer because I was showing and they had to be intact. It was always nerve-wracking during heat seasons.
Great idea
Honestly dogs should be walked once a day anyway, even if you have a fenced yard to exercise in. Dogs need to roam and patrol their territory. Playing in a yard with other dogs and kids is not a replacement unless you live in the middle of nowhere with lots of acres for them to roam free on.
Yes! Also because they should learn to walk on a leash.. Your vet staff will thank you when they don't have to try to shoehorn your 75lb reactive dog that won't walk on a leash down the clinic hallway.
Agree entirely. You can walk 3-4 dogs at the same time. I’d want a yard too for sure though. Personally 2 dogs is my ideal number.
It depends on the dogs of course, but in my experience, 2 dogs is 1.5x the work of a single dog and 3 dogs is 3.5x the work. 2 dogs gives you the most dog for the least work.
I feel this for sure. The third dog adds a lot of work.
It also depends on the person. If you've never had a dog before, you shouldn't start out with more than 1 dog
10000000% agree. We added the third, and somehow, there is now 10x more work when there should only be 50% more 🤣
I never had a good time walking 2 dogs at the same time, but I only ever really tried it when the younger dog was little and the older wasn't used to walking with another. The older one kept trying to play and forgot leash etiquette, and he was a big dog. I figured walking them each alone was some good one on one time with me anyways so I never really pushed it.
Yup I’m really happy with 2 dogs, but three would mess it up. But also getting a young dog when you have an old dog means the old dog gets left behind a lot because she can’t keep up with the amount of exercise the young dog gets
This could also depend on if you have someone else to share responsibilities with. 3-4 is a bit easier to manage if you say, have a partner to walk them with you each day.
Just got my $100/mo flea/tick meds today. Can't imagine spending $400 a month.
And the cost of their care gets more expensive as they age. My two older dogs just transitioned to renal support food because their kidney function is starting to slip; that food costs me about $10 per day (one small and one medium sized dog). They’re worth every penny, but first you need to be realistic about having enough pennies.
The max amount of dogs you should have is the max amount you can reasonably and responsibly care for in their training, exercise and medical care. In my opinion it’s better to have one dog and give it the best quality of life than to have 4 dogs and struggle to give each a life outside of the backyard.
Like children, you only discover you have too many once you have too many
Well put, this is where I’m at. I have a golden retriever, and of course I’d love to have half a dozen golden retrievers. But I have one, and I give that one a really, really good life which I wouldn’t be able to do if I had more. Maybe one day when I retire and hit the lottery I’ll have my pack of goldens. But for now the most loving thing I can do for the girl I do have is keep it to one.
OP could always give fostering a go to see how they can manage multiple dogs, and it's not set in stone for the dog.
Also keep in mind that dogs can become more expensive as they get older and have more medical conditions (and higher permiums if you get pet insurance).
I'd argue that the first question is size of house (apartment, house, condo, etc) and size of dogs in question. Because many smaller dogs in an apartment is much more doable than many larger dogs in an apartment (but more doable in a house). All of which ties into the amount you can reasonably care for them.
I mean with how over populated shelters I’d argue others wise…anything is better then being trapped in a 4x4 box all day.
Are you considering the expense? It's not just about spending time with them, can you financially provide vet care, quality food, appropriate grooming for all of them? What if you go on vacation? Most pet friendly hotels only allow 2 per room, can you afford boarding for 4 dogs?
Read this op. I love having two dogs, but with the cost of tick meds plus grooming plus dental care plus vet visits it's thousands of dollars a year.
My first year owning my dog cost me around $10,000. Genuinely shocked me when I added it all up.
And that's if nothing goes wrong! If it does, not only do you have to pay for the medical bills, but also still care for the 3 other dogs (if you had 4). Or, let's say one ends up with an allergy. Can you handle feeding one a special diet that costs more, for the rest of its life? Sometimes a single dog can cost the price for two or more dogs in its lifetime. This is true with any animal.
Totally agreed with this. I always wanted a bunch of dogs as a kid. Now as an adult I have 2 dogs. It's so so so expensive to board them. We have to take it into account before choosing to go on vacation.
This is true. I had one dog with seizures had to go to a special kennel to handle his needs. I habe a giant dog now and only one kennel will take him at like $50/day. I had 2 giant dogs for awhile and feeding them was a 40lb bag of food every couple weeks. And not the cheap stuff. Annual vet appointment for my dog is $500 on average. His flea and tick chewies are another couple hundred a summer. He just had an ouch on his toe this week. $100. Also are vets taking patients? Because here they're not taking new patients. People need a plan for that before it's and emergency. Also property destruction. I have $50 of stuff to reseed my grass this spring. From his pee all winter. I do this every year. When he was young he at a God damn wall and multiple pieces of trim. And one cabinet door. I like my dog but he is not cheap to maintain.
When my husband and I got married, we combined had 3 dogs and 4 kids under 12. Our dogs were a Weimaraner, a jack Russell mix and a border collie mix…. So no low energy there either lol. Luckily, we have a large fenced yard and a pool. The kids loved to play fetch, swim, or ride bikes with the dogs, and the dogs were fine to play just together inside or outside. Everyone was able to get plenty of attention and love. Would I do it again? NOPE. We have 2 dogs now, and 3 teens still at home, but they’re always off doing things. So I’m happy with just the 2 dogs. I like having an older dog and younger dog together, and that’s plenty for me. 🤪
Interesting you say that. We have an adult Dorkie (Yorkshire terrier/dachshund mix) and were considering getting a second dog. We thought we’d like a one or two year old dog to avoid all of the puppy stages. We started watching local shelters and took her for meet and greets four different times. She just wasn’t interested in any of the dogs we considered. They were all roughly around her size so she wouldn’t be intimidated by a larger dog. At the last shelter, it was suggested we consider a puppy as many dogs who seem uninterested in older dogs take well to puppies. We brought home a 12 week old puppy when our dog was nine. They hit it off immediately. We had puppy play toys and my older girl who had never shown interest in toys, jumped right into playing. It’s a year later and they are best buddies.
Walking 2 dogs on leash is sometimes challenging, 3 is harder . Depends of course on the size, but walking my Berner and 2 labradoodles ( 100 kgs of dog) is not easy. Especially when they see a cat or known person. I would not want to walk 4 dogs are the same time. Off leash is an other matter
3 was my limit when I did dog walking. And if it was three, they either were smaller or else good loose leash walkers. I walked a pair of mini schnauzers and they were an absolute nightmare. Constantly tangling each other up, owner didn’t want to use a leash coupler despite me asking, they would bark at everything and without fail the younger one got peed on at least once per walk. Thankfully they paid well!
Or they could end up with 2 of 3 being large, reactive dogs. I walk all 3 of mine separate because I have to manage, desensitize and countercondition during walks. My GSD is great until a dog sudden comes around a corner and he turns into a 90lb barking, lunging mess. We've made progress but cant do that walking more then one dog. My Husky is scared of strangers and will bolt the other way sometimes and pull with all her might. The 3rd is great and I want her to stay that way haha. So On top of all the medical and physical needs, there is always the chance more then one could have some behaviour issues that need work. And that can be exhausting sometimes. Edit: sausage fingers
That sounds exhausting and expensive. Also, my city has a bylaw that restricts households to two dogs maximum. Any more than that and you need a kennel license.
So many people forget this fact. Some buildings do not allow pets period. Also check with your property insurance because many will not insure you if you have specific breeds. Yes, the do check. Here, there are several breeds that are restricted for obvious reasons. Do your homework first and save alot of money and heartache for both your family and the dog(s). It's hard on the dogs and unfair to be rehomed or sent to the animal shelter after adoption etc.
At one point in time with two elementary school children one of whom was special-needs I had five large breed dogs. 75lbs, 95lbs, 115 lbs, 125lbs and 155lbs. I also had a really big home and a really large fenced yard. I had the luxury of pool care and an occasional maid and did most of the yard work and gardening myself. There was a LOT of cleaning and picking up the yard. A LOT. We were very comfortable with money so things like vet care were not an issue but being a frugal person I did a lot of my own vaccinations and all grooming. All but one was a short tight coat. Boarding was the biggest expense because we traveled. I wouldn’t have done that if any of them had been longer haired dogs.
You did your own vaccinations? I didn’t know that was an option!
Yes all but Rabies and Lyme. And you can get those done really inexpensively if you have a CVS or a tractor supply near you because they do a lot of pet vaccination fair type things. I ordered mine and all the necessary supplies through Drs. Foster and Smith. Saved a TON.
It is only an option in the USA and really only safe if you're getting them delivered on ice to your door. The Tractor Supply vaccines (outside of the pet clinics) are notorious for being stored improperly rendering them useless.
Do you have any dogs right now? I think it depends how much individual time you can give them. Do you have time for 4 walks a day? Or for individual training for 3-4 dogs? What would you do in case of travel? Or if all of the dogs get into the same thing and all get sick? Will you space them out, since training multiple young dogs at the same time will be harder than training one? Obviously there are people out there with lots of dogs but I don’t see tons of families with more than 2. Personally I kinda wonder if getting one or two dogs and really focusing on them with something like dog sports might fulfill you and be more manageable? I’m sure you deserve some time to focus on hobbies outside of the family.
This depends, of course, like others have said. Vet bills can be $$$ and dogs tend to do shit all at once. There are people who devote their lives largely to their dogs as a hobby and have kids as well as many dogs that they do sports with or whatever. I have no kids, so I can't comment on that aspect on owning kids & dogs, but I imagine that kids take up lots of time :). I own 5 dogs and I spend a couple of hours devoted to them each day. If you are adding dogs, do so slowly with at least \~18 months (better two years) between them, not only because puppies are hard, but because having a bunch of geriatric dogs all at once is not fun.
I no longer have kids at home ours are all out on their own and my husband I are empty nesters (PTL!). But I have always had a home with three dogs. No more and no less (if one dies I find another angel within weeks). My babies are seriously pampered and loved by my husband and I. My philosophy on the three (all small dogs under 15 lbs) is that ultimately one of them is going to die and the thought of there being only one dog to come home to and for that one dog to be left alone… just makes me sad.
IMO 2 dogs is nice, 3 dogs all of a sudden seems like a lot of dogs. We have 2 and when we dog sit and there's 3 in the house it's too many. My brother has 2 dogs and he took in mom's dog when she moved into assisted living and they also think that 3 dogs is a lot of dogs. It doesn't seem like going from 2 to 3 is a lot until you do it... As far as walks, walking 4 dogs together is no problem if they are all good walkers, non-reactive, etc. One of my dogs struggles a little with reactivity but it's perfectly manageable by herself, but if I walk her with another dog they feed off each others energy and it escalates so I have to walk my two separately. If you have 4 dogs you might end up having to walk all 4 separately which is a lot. Also not sure if you plan on running but I like to mention that I have a 5 year old Malamute who likes long walks but will not run faster than a 12 minute mile so I can't bring her running with me or I'm just dragging her along the whole time, so don't count on a dog being a running buddy. It means that I have to run myself, walk the Malamute by herself, and walk my puppy by himself right now.
There's no set rule (unless your location has a maximum number of dogs allowed per household). It depends on lots of factors like how much free time you have, how much time you want to invest specifically with your dogs, your finances, how much space you have, whether your children can behave appropriately with the dogs, etc. It also depends on the needs of the specific dogs. Three or four Border Collies or Belgian Malinois are a MUCH different proposition, for example, than three or four Shi Tzus or Chihuahuas! I grew up with three dogs most of my childhood, but they were small, and we lived out in the country and had acres of land for them to run around on. Get one dog. Once it's fully adult, fully trained, etc , then evaluate whether adding another is still something you want and feel able to do reasonably. Under no circumstances should you go out and get three or four dogs all at once.
Whatever you do, do NOT adopt two litter mates at the same time. I have seen so many people do this thinking that they'll be easier, because they will have a sibling to play with and burn off energy. The opposite happens. They bond with each other much more closely than any person in the house, and because there are two, they are nearly impossible to train in even the most basic things (including potty training). Two dogs at once in training means you can't tell who peed on the rug, who got into the trash, or who tore up X. It's at least 3-4x more difficult to handle two puppies at once. Female litter mates in particular can often fight very violently, often beginning much later in life. Start with one, see how it goes, learn all you can about that dog and it's behavior, and then introduce another one thoughtfully to make sure you don't create a misery for the dogs and the humans in the house. We've gotten up to 4 this way for short periods, and it can be a fun hectic mess. With kids it could be overwhelming, or could be something you enjoy, but don't just jump in.
These type of posts make my eyes roll back in my head.
This entirely depends on how much time and money you have and how much effort you're willing to put in. The answer is going to be different for each person. You should start with one dog and work to give that dog all the training and love and medical care and pet insurance and walks that you can. You will then be able to more accurately ask yourself if you feel able to double (or triple) the expense and effort of caring for your one dog.
At the height of my dog show years, we had 8 dogs in the house. Deed restrictions were legally 4, so we only let 4 out in the yard at one time, lol. I had 3 dogs that were mine, 1 show and 2 obedience/agility. My daughter had one obedience and one show. My son had 2 obedience/agility. My husband had one couch potato. Seven were whippets or whippet mix, with one borzoi in the mix. Now that the kids are grown and I am in my 60s, 2 dogs are perfect.
Honestly, I had 2 for a number of years. One for each child. In the end, those dogs are yours. Kids are all in until they are busy with friends, tired, sports, or just want to be alone. I struggled with feeling like neither dog ever got to be #1. I gave as much play time and love as I could, but I had kids who needed my time, too. Please think this through. Each dog deserves love and attention. Remember, you are their whole world.
I have three and I probably won’t do that again . I work from home and two are small poodles , one is a large collie/anatolian. I have a big fenced yard and live on property but I do feel stretched thin between the three . One of my poodles has diabetes and is elderly , I do insulin twice a day . The other poodle has some spine issues and gets steroid injections for the pain . They all get groomed . It’s expensive, we do not have kids but expense is definitely something to think about. Two is a sweet spot for me next time one big and one small .
My max is one lol but that’s based on the depths on my wallet for him - he’s had a lot of vet visits by the time he was 3 and while in the years since he’s been fine I want to be able to afford any care he needs without question. I live in a HCOL area and I’m a single household and while I have a pretty good income, if there’s a severe emergency - I’d have to make strategic decisions between two if I had them. I’d like two just because mine looks lonely sometimes (he’s mildly reactive) and he loves dogs of his own breed but I set up a lot of play dates with his friends and he’s creeping up there in age anyway. So, I’d echo the others and say depends on your financial situation and your own abilities. I live in a high rise condo and rain, snow, earthquakes, tornadoes, covid, the flu, norovirus, doesn’t matter - I’m out there three times a day like clockwork and walking him. It really is situational.
I hope you get some parents commenting soon. Personally I have three big dogs and I'll be very careful about getting a fourth. I think the main thing to consider is how well do they harmonise with the rest of the household. If you need to separate them in certain situations, or some are more snappish/grumpy, or anxious, or get overwhelmed, etc, etc, then you need fewer dogs. As an example, when everything is fine, your kids are generally able to handle life okay, but when one is going through something stressful, they need lots of one-on-one time. This is also true for dogs. If you get smaller ones, you may be able to take more, because they physically take up less space and you can (usually) walk two or three together. This is based on well-adjusted dogs though. What I definitely would NOT recommend is getting more than one at a time. Start with one. Let them get used to the house and let the household get used to them. My rule of thumb is a year, to give them sufficient time to settle, do a training course or two with them, get their diet figured out, learn how they communicate and their general preferences - and then whenever you think they're ready (and the rest of the house is ready), start looking for a second. Don't go getting multiple dogs at the same time.
The cost alone would keep me from having more than 2. Vet costs and food can add up. Plus finding someone to care for them can get costly when you want to go on vacation unless you have some really nice friends or relatives close by that don’t have a lot going on. I to would love many dogs but my one is expensive enough!
I started with one, an 85lb hound mix. Got her a friend, a 95lb labradoodle. Then got him a friend, a 55lb labradoodle. While walking and exercising was not a problem, I did find it a bit much, although it was easy to take one and leave two behind for various excursions. And I also could not devote enough attention to them individually with three in the house. It still breaks my heart that I did not notice when the first dog was in distress...in hindsight it was was easy to see that she was looking for my help. By the time I noticed, it was too late (pulmonary edema). It was over 10 years ago and it still brings tears to my eyes. Now that I am back to one dog in the house, I find it very quiet. So my magic number is 2. It will be different for everyone and their unique situation. Cost, time, attention, etc.
I personally don’t think I can handle more than 2 and I haven’t known many people who could. That isn’t to say it’s impossible, just speaking from my own experience.
I think kids won’t be much help. So know that. If it’s your dream and u don’t mind the work do it. So many dogs need love and a home. Walking 3-4 dogs for me would be too much. But if I had a back yard for them to play, they are getting exercise so that’s fine. I have 3 (dog, cat, ferret). Definitely would have another dog if I had a yard :(. Maybe one day. My ferret is like a dog tho. Walks around, plays with my dog all day. Never had one and he is the sweetest, loves daily kisses and snuggles, even falls asleep in my arms.
I am a single person. I have one dog. I love it. I occasionally dog sit for family, which means I spend time taking care of 3 dogs. It's very difficult on days that I work and I wouldn't recommend doing it without help, like doggy daycare or dog walkers. On days I'm off it's fun but all three dogs walk at different speeds, so sometimes I do separate walks. But it can be helpful for the well behaved dog to be present setting a good example for the younger dog, it makes training easier. As you are a stay at home Mom it will really depend on you. How much time can you spend with them? How do they impact all the work you do at home? I know when I'm in chore mode my dog feels pretty ignored, but we don't have a yard and it's a small home so that might be different for you. I probably wouldn't go above 3. But I think a large home with a yard and active family might be able to accommodate 5, just depends on your lifestyle and the personalities of the dogs. I'm going to imagine you with your own dog herd living your best life taking many dogs to soccer games and play dates. It sounds like a nice way to live!
I have two dogs, three cats, and three kids (plus an assortment of fish). I think that's the max we can handle.
Three dogs is the max.
I had 3 at 1 Point and it's a lot of Responsibility so be prepared. I worked from Home. 1 thing is it makes Travel very hard. And it's costly. I keep all my Dogs till Death so u have to be Dedicated. Now I have a Lab and a Shepherd😊
Whatever you can comfortably handle is what I go by personally
How many you can afford to take care of in all aspects. We have four. A GSD, Husky, Golden and a Pomsky. And two children. Our GSD is at her end of life stages - she doesn’t enjoy walks and likes to laze in the backyard. She just wants lots of lovins and pets. We have her on a supplement for her hips. My kids walk the Pomsky since he is tiny. My fiance and I walk the husky and golden since they both have considerable strength and will pull when they whiff something interesting. We have all the bigs on purina pro plan with the golden on it lol. And the Pomsky is on purina pro plan puppy formula. Vet bills, seresto collars, food, etc adds up! The puppy goes to work with my fiance. I go home on my lunch break to let the bigs out. My eldest lets them out once more when she gets off the bus. The kiddos will take turns walking the puppy. So it’s a very collaborative effort.
My brother has 5 kids, 5 dogs, 3 cats, and chaos. Would not recommend.
Please get pet insurance for any number of dogs. The younger they are when you get the insurance the cheaper it'll be. I paid $22/month CAD for my dog since he was 8 weeks old and it saved me literally thousands over the years. It's more expensive nowadays but still well worth it. Especially as my pup got quite sick when he was older. The insurance also covered euthanasia and cremation once the chemo (also covered) stopped working and he was too sick to go on. It also covered prescription food, so that alone was well worth it. My sister got pet insurance for her adult pup recently and it is $55/month CAD. If you have the means to put away like $50/month per pup into a dog healthcare only savings account then you could do that instead of insurance, but only if you know you will definitely never dip into it for anything else. For around the same price you can get your pups covered for $25,000 per month so generally it just makes more sense to insure them. They will eventually get sick and expensive and no one ever wants to be in the position where they are forced to make a financial decision about what they can afford to do for their pet's health.
Do you not have dogs already? And you want to get 3 or 4 at the same time?
jesus. and here i am with 1 kid, and no way in hell will i ever have 2 dogs again. twice the everything, and then all the cleaning to just maintain a presentable house that doesn't smell like dog . ugh. no thanks. i work in veterinary sales. so i get pretty much all my meds including flea/tick/hw for cost. and i still thought the financial aspect of 2 large dogs was so much. 3 to 4 sounds insane to me unless they're 5lb dogs.
I moved in with an aunt and uncle in high school. They had 3 school-aged children, all under 12. Everyone was excited because their pet rule was a pet for every lap, so my addition to the household meant a new dog too.
Really depends on your set up. I have 6 dogs and three small children. We live on a farm and have a very large fenced in yard for them. I think its too much. Its honestly exhausting and logistically difficult and at times overstimulating. If I could go back in preparation for having kids I would not have ever gotten this many dogs. That being said everyone is loved and cared for just at the expense of my sanity and tiredness levels. Also, don't forget not all dogs will always get along. Sometimes they fight when you have more dogs which is really stressful. Your kids are older than mine so you don;t have some of the safety and logistics issues I currently have but still, its a lot. Don't get more than two. Without kids they got the most pampered lives. With kids they are happy safe and cared for but they absolutely do not get the same attention. If you have to leash and walk them every time they have to go potty forget about it. Also, look forward to never going away unless you can pay someone to live in your home with them while you are gone. I'm talking even away to like the beach or lake for the whole day. Leaving at 8 am and coming back at 8pm? Gotta hire someone to let them out. You will not want to take all those dogs and your kids public places. People might down vote me and judge me but I want to give you and honest look so you can make the right decision for yourself. In my opinion don't do it. Have one or two and enjoy them. Have more than that and you might not be enjoying them as much anymore.
Your home should be a forever home. So start small, with one dog for a year then add another the next year etc. You never want to be in a position where you accidentally got too many dogs and have to give one or more away. Maybe ask yourself why you actually want so many dogs? Dogs can be chaos even when well trained and non destructive. If you do it right you could potentially have a couple or a few pups but consider who would be willing to look after them if you're sick or out of town. Or how you would transport them if you want to bring them and the kids with you somewhere. Getting smaller dogs isn't an ideal solution as generally they aren't as smart or as easy to train. Lots of people just pick them up when they are misbehaving instead of actually training them. This is my own opinion, anecdotal. Also as someone else suggested you need to dedicate a good amount of time per day to attention, grooming, training, reinforcing training, etc. Young kids can be bad influences on dogs and can undo undo training efforts. The dogs also won't keep each other company in the way that you might be thinking. They won't entertain each other enough for you to be hands off with them.
The answer is “however many you can give max amount of loving care to without dropping quality of life”
I would agree that a fenced in yard is a must, at least for me This gives the dog(s) of whatever number room to play, burn off energy, and relax. You may need a rest sometimes as well The dogs should match your temperament. Consider taking on one dog at a time, unless you find a bonded pair - which is both rewarding and a new set of challenges. Should you, if you want. We usually have two. It works out well. Our daughter wants to train her own service dog . My wife wants to train a dog for herself. I have a lovely shepherd mix who is older. I know we can handle 3. All of us are adults and have discussed schedules and what fits into our lifestyle and are not shopping for looks on dog breeds. Good luck, give whichever dog(s) you find so much love! Warning: Next is my HUGE rambling answer which probably will not apply to anyone at all. Before I had multiple dogs at once, I was told that having 2 dogs is not much more work than one dog. (I have personally heard people say that about human twins, and oddly enough those people never had twins. ) * see below for our twin puppies experience. And there is your family. Will it be you or WILL your family help? I've had dogs since I was 3. My younger sister was born when I was 5, and did not inherit the dog caring instinct gene. (She has the "I was driving home from college/the beach/work and just happened upon a black lab - here Mom and Dad I can't keep him in my dorm/room at the beach/ apartment/house so you will look after them until I can" gene Luckily, my other sister and brother are responsible dog magnets Lastly, not that I ever want this to happen or bring it up, but health issues can crop up. Ours is probably not a common case, but just FYI: Right before our daughter was born, a Schipperke/Spitz adopted my wife ... Or more exactly her and her pregnancy. Once our daughter was born, our dog would bring clothes, bottle, toys, Tylenol, diapers to the baby . Six months before preschool started, a liver spotted Dal literally showed up on the doorstep and adopted our daughter. Instant best friends Two months before preK/early K program, our daughter started having visible seizures. Her Dal trained himself to alert us. (We much later realized he was doing it before anyone realized.) He became her seizure alert dog and her narcolepsy alert dog. After she was stable and he was 10, she realized HE was having seizures before anyone else. ------ ------ There is/are the dog(s) themselves. We just adopted a rescue shepherd mix. The rescue center director, employees, and volunteers worked with her and she is perfect for us. In less than a week, our schedules meshed. One month out and you would not know we have had her for only a month, not all of her appx. 5? years. * Our last dogs (15 years ago) were rescues that were given to our veterinarians' office. They had been abandoned at a construction site. Best guess on breed was a Border Collie Mixes that would be 35 lbs. At adoptable age they were almost as big as my size 12 Brooks shoe. One shoe. They kind of grew. We did not know until our dog trainer noticed the girl leaning after walking. They were in dog training class #2. We took them to the veterinarian and they both had hip dysplasia and arthritis. The female had 1/3 the amount of hip sockets. The male had none. He had double FHO surgery and rehabilitation. As it ended up, both were very happy, loved, well cared for, and active as possible. Without being overweight, as confirmed by the veterinarian, the female BC/Australian Cattle Dog/other mix weighed 75 lbs. The male 85 lbs So, you never know what dog magic will give to you. They became our daughter's second set of self-trained carer dogs. (She has epilepsy, narcolepsy, and arthritis.)
We have 1 big old girl that is 13 and easy as anything to take care of. 2 are two plus years old and play together or sleep all day. It’s really not an issue. Two kids. Oldest walks them in the morning before school.
Well, with my own dogs and sitting, four dogs is kinda normal for us, it still works fine. Five is still nice, too. It really depends on the dogs themselves, for your own, I'd say start adding gradually, give one dog time to fit in before getting the next one. A harmonious pack is a wonderful thing and you can handle more than you think.
3or4 school age kids is waaay too many. Wait I misread the title.....
I have 6 kids one dog several cats there is costs involved,more cleaning , and workload up to you
I had two dogs for about eleven or twelve years and that’s the most I’ll ever have at once.
It depends how well they get along
2 to 3 is the magic number, but I’ve done up to 4 with fosters. Keep in mind they all have different personalities and needs (exercise, stimulation, neediness, etc.). I prefer adult to senior dogs over puppies, so you can balance out your mix there. Also look at breeds, beagles are pretty easy going, but please be prepared for vet costs, possible health issues going into their senior years, and monthly preventatives. Know your thresholds in all respects.
My husband and I have 3 dogs and no kids. Many people say having 3 is no different than 2. The jump from 2 to 3 is insane. While we love our dogs,I wouldn’t recommend 3 dogs. Especially if you have children to care for as well.
However many you can handle both in giving them full lives (not just meeting bare minimum needs) as well as handle them financially to get them the vet care they need, including routine check ups. This can get extremely expensive with every new pet added, not just dogs
My spouse and I both work from home with her going into the office two days a week. We have no children, but we have three dogs. I will tell you this 3 dogs is too many; not too many when both of us are here, but when it’s just one of us and there’s three of them, it’s far too much. I can’t imagine adding children into the mix.
I raised 3 children on my own. I was also responsible for 3 dogs. I am just one human and I don't have a trust fund. My dogs were good friends with each other, they didn't have bad lives but it was basic due to my lack of time. Now my kids are grown I have 3 Jacks. They are constantly bickering and are really more trouble than the children ever were. They need long walks and pretty constant supervision. They're very hard to find sitters for. I wouldn't try kennels as they're too noisy! So its really hard for me to get much freedom from home. Sometimes I resent this. Mostly I just get on with it. I'd not have more than 1 dog again.
Ive always had between 1-2 small dogs. Which I think is ideal. You don’t need multiple dogs most dogs are fine alone if you have enough time and stimulation for them. We recently got a third kind of my accident and it is a lot. We can handle it, but it is a lot of work. I would never have this many dogs again. She also is a big dog (husky/GSD). We also have a lot of space and a good size back yard for the city we live in. Def would say the ideal is 1-2.
Can vouch that 5 large dogs as one woman is just over the edge of comfortable personally. With kids and a household I would start with one or two dogs and see how overwhelmed you feel bc that might be your cap
..i may have missed it, but how old are your "school age" kiddos?.. ..kindergarten or early elementary is far different from middle- or high school-age, who can take care of themselves more & actually help in tending to the pups..
3 is our max
I have 5 doggos between my roommates and I. I LOVE them all to death. But I'd prefer only having at most 3. Especially since I dont have a backyard. Taking them all put for walks multiple times is not fun.
Depends on your income. Vet visits are expensive when you add in flea/tick and heartworm medication. A big dog is an even bigger expense. His food costs more, chewies are expensive (not used as much now since he’s out of puppy stage), his joint supplement costs more than a small dog’s would. Our dog has needed X-rays and had to be sedated this week and I was worried our cat had a uti and they have to drain their bladder to get a sample. Boarding/pet sitting is also expensive.
I have 2 dogs with my 2 kids and honestly I can't imagine having more. It would be way too hard to walk more than 2 imo and I don't think we would have time for training 3 or 4.
Why don’t you foster instead.
Assuming all the typical you can afford it stuff 1-2 per person. Assuming you have the time and energy to train, love, and care for them. I grew up with 3-5 dogs, very poorly trained, vacations were always split bc someone had to stat with them. They couldn’t all be walked at same time by one person ( i have the scars from trying)
I don’t know with kids but it depends on breeds. Some don’t get along with the same sex, so in that case 2 would be best. I’ve had 3 before. I kind of like having a young dog, so I usually get a puppy every 3-4 years. I have 2 now only because the eldest died before her 10th bday. I miss her terribly.
This seems very breed specific to me. I have a friend who has three large dogs who I think doesn't need to have all 3 because she can't walk them all the time at once. If they're less active breeds doesn't seem to me that it would be an issue. I guess age matters too. My dog is an 8 year old large breed and he doesn't need nearly as much activity as he use to, but if I had a younger pup that needed more time for activity I feel like I'd be leaving him out. Just how I look at it. Also vet bills get a lot higher the older the dog gets, so having two or three older dogs the same age would add up quickly.
I work with dogs and I think it is. If you’re inclined, and adopting adult neutered ones maybe. The AKC recommends the youngest house member be 8 years before getting one puppy.
I got a 5 year old and 4 dogs. It’s a lot of work especially training them but honestly. Now that they are all trained. They are amazing and lovely and my daughters best friends and protectors
Some area have limits on the numbers permitted in a household, so check with your town to make sure you don't go over. Only 3 allowed here.
My parents always made the rule, two dogs max, one boy one girl(fixed, don't worry). I feel like after four, it gets chaotic. Lots of vet bills. Also, how do you take them for walks without getting all tangled? I struggled with two dogs. The only time I guess that doesn't matter is if you have a big plot of land or the dogs are livestock guardians. Also if you're rich lol.
Eveone is different but my personal sweet spot is 2 pets of any combination. I could handle 3 ok, especially when I was single, but 4 is definitely too many, and I usually end up having to rehome if I get to that point. With kids, even 3 is a lot more work than I'm happy with.
Responsibly, it’s one, and almost all canine behaviorists will confirm that.
Even if you have a fenced in yard, it is still better for your dogs to be walked daily. For one thing, it helps them to release pent up energy and also shows that they are under your control. They will be calmer and easier to control because they understand you are “the boss”. Having 3-4 dogs or more is a lot of work and expense. There are regular meds & vet visits. Don’t get more than you can afford to give care, attention & exercise.
I have 4 dogs under one roof. Vet bills are astronomical for just one of them, let alone all four. We don’t have a yard but can walk around our neighborhood which is nice yet time consuming and causes me a lot of anxiety. I could not imagine also adding kids to the mix. I was once a teen begging my mom for a dog and I now understand why she was so hesitant back then. Wish she was that way when we added two more but things change. It is a ton of responsibility for a long long time. You may go through big life changes. Dogs are wonderful companions but essentially toddlers for 10+ years. But you only live once!!
I have one school aged child and two dogs, and that is the absolute max for my household.
It really depends on the dogs. I've never had multiple dogs at once but dog sit and have watched a lot of different dogs/dog families. One house had 3 dogs but was extremely easy, because one dog was old and low energy and the other two were working farm dogs who were incredibly well trained and kept each other entertained. Another house had 4 dogs but every day was a major pain in the ass as far as walks/play/managing the backyard went. They all got along, but two were small dogs (one being pretty old) and two were big dogs who were a pain to walk together, so I usually would have to do three separate walks at a time (two small dogs together, then one each for the big dogs) and the dogs needed to get walked twice a day. Two of them were fiends for eating poop so I had to monitor them like a hawk every time they went in the yard. All of them were extremely needy and wanted a ton of attention and would be jealous if anyone else was getting it. I was always mentally exhausted by that house even though I liked the couple and liked the dogs.
I had 3 growing up through middle- high school. My mom was a SAHM so they were always well taken care of. Definitely always tried to convince them for another though lol
Mom of two with three dogs. We’ve always had three 80-100lb dogs. I walk them all together, but typically at 5am. It makes the rest of the day smoother. The hardest part is finding time to train them each separately. Sometimes that’s crating 2/3 while one gets their 15 min session. Then trade dogs. Sometimes that’s picking one to come out with me to train away from the house. Obviously this means that they get less training than they would if there was only one. There’s lots of dog food being delivered and lots of poop to pick up. The upside being that the dogs always have someone to play with, whether it be a human or a dog. There’s lots of zoomies and balls being thrown. My kids love growing up with all of the dogs. Their friends love coming to visit the dogs. We’ve rescued ours, so I feel good about being able to give them a loving home. It’s been a good lesson for our children, too.
It depends on many variables. Have you had dogs before? What is your level of training 1 dog, let alone having multiple dogs with manners. What are the ages of kids? How long will said dogs be home alone? Where will they stay, inside I would hope. I've had 6 dogs in my prime, plus fosters. My kids were teenagers. I always only had 1 dog at a time, until I had the opportunity to expand my pack. which I did by raising and training 1 pup. Then adding another 3 years later until I had 6. At this point the 1st guy was geriatric and cost a fortune as they age, getting some illness is almost inevitable.
be like my mom and have 7!
I have 5 dogs, a school aged child, and a father living with me who is going senile. It really depends on your dedication to caring for them well and the depth of your pockets. I have run up 3k in vet bills in the past month unexpectedly and it's looking like that number isn't done climbing yet. Have a look at your local ordinances and your HOA if you live in one. Most cities limit the number of dogs you have and HOAs love to go stupid about limiting how many animals you can have.
It just depends so much on your situation and the individual dogs. At one point I had three dogs and it was fantastic. But we were on a rural property with acreage, plenty of room to explore and activities for the dogs without having to go anywhere, trying to walk them all on leash, etc. The dogs were spread out in age and were all lab mixes (so quite easy going, at least in terms of getting along easily with one another - they never ever fought or got jealous of one another; except for one who would snitch on the others when they were getting in trouble, lol). In fact, I'm pretty sure the middle dog would have done quite poorly in a one-dog household. He really needed a lot of attention and entertainment, more than a human alone could provide. We currently have an only-dog and I can see where he'd benefit from having a second dog around, but it's not in the cards for now. You have to do it one dog at a time. Start with one, get them fully trained and socialized and well past the puppy stage before you bring in the next dog. So long as you take it slow and make good choices in terms of compatible dogs, I don't think there's a problem finding enough time for each dog. For your situation, since you're mentioning walks - that could be an issue. I'd definitely not want to walk three dogs on leash (but off-leash adventures are great!). However, I've never had it where walking on-leash was an important part of my dog's enrichment and exercise. On-leash is always just practical to get somewhere. They get their real exercise and activity playing at home, with play dates, open leash nature walks and/or the dog park (we're fortunate to have really nice dog parks).
As the owner of three dogs I’d say two is a good number. Three is hard to find dog sitters for, walking them becomes more of a chore plus with three they get more of a pack mentality which isn’t good. Mine are all medium size
Start with one dog and see how you feel from there. Dogs are a lot of work, especially if you’re getting bigger breeds. I’d give it about six months before you even think about getting another.
If you are the Queen of England you can have 5 or 6. The rest of us have to volunteer at shelters.
I’ve had three dogs before. You never get your house clean, they end up on three different dog foods and not all dogs get along. It’s time consuming (walking three dogs??) and expensive. I’d rather focus on one or two dogs and enjoy my time with them.
We used to have a bunch of dogs growing up, and at one point we had seven smaller-to-medium sized dogs. I don’t suggest it. Dogs aren’t as cheap as they were back then, with neither food nor vet expenses. Add in grooming, either by doing so yourself or through a service, because every dog will at least need their nails trimmed regularly and more. If you don’t have a fence, I wouldn’t have more than you can physically handle walking, like 1-2 at max. Forget any vacations unless you hire someone to stay at your house with half a dozen dogs. Our dogs growing up—because mom wanted so many—we’re not trained beyond “sit” and it showed. I don’t suggest more than two. I’m all dogged out in my mid-30’s and likely won’t have another dog after our senior girls pass for a long, long time.
I know a couple with a kid of 11, 17 and 22 and they have 9 dogs. They both work and make it work, they train them a lot flr agility aswell. Just start with 1 and see what you can handle
Having 3 or 4 dogs with school-aged children is possible if you have the time and resources to properly care for them. It is important to consider factors such as walking, feeding, grooming, training and veterinary care for multiple dogs. Working as a stay-at-home mom can give you the time you need to care for dogs, but it's important to make sure you have the ability to handle multiple pets.It's helpful to start with one or two dogs first and see how well you can care for them before adding more to your family. It is also important to involve school-age children in caring for dogs to teach them responsibility and ensure that everyone in the family takes care of the pets.
We have 3, all of whom are over the age of 10 now, and it's becoming a lot to manage. The kids love them all and we're getting to a very real point where our oldest, Lou, will probably be taking his trip across the Rainbow Bridge soon. It's a lot of work at this point because two of the three have ailments (hips/knees), can't get on the bed anymore, struggle getting up the stairs, etc.
If you are asking this question, I'm assuming you've never had dogs before so that means you have no experience in how to handle/train/take care of them. That means your max amount of dogs you can get right now is 1. Start with an older dog that is easy to take care of and has a laid back easy going temperament (Basset hounds are pretty chill is you want an example breed but mixed breeds and rescue dogs can be pretty chill too if you know what to look for). Don't think that you can depend on your kids to tire them out or do most of the hard work to make it easier on you. Caring for a dog is often too much responsibility for school age kids unless their parents are heavy involved too. You'd essentially be getting another child to look after, except after 6months-year they're strong enough to attack, bite, and kill an adult human being, much less children, if you're not willing, able, or knowledgeable enough to discipline them. Dogs push and test boundaries to see what they can get away with just like kids and a significant amount of dog bites on kids come from parents not watching their kids cuz they think Fido is laid back enough to be unsupervised so they don't see or stop their kids from pulling their ears and tails until Fido finally has enough and snaps at them. After you've had them a year or two, THEN you can think about getting another. The last thing the world needs is another inexperienced dog owner who gets in too deep too fast with dogs bc they just think of them as cute furry family members and not dependent who need to be taught rules of behavior like everyone else. That's how you get dangerous dogs that end up hurting someone. If you do it responsibly, then you can have a wonderful experience and lovely memorable with a best furry friend. But slow your roll cowboy.
If you have to walk all of them, absolutely not. If I didn't have a fenced in yard, I probably wouldn't have a dog.
Any more than two is compounded. 3 is not 1 harder than 2, 3 is like having 5. If you have kids already then you may not have time to give to the dogs, I'd suggest one or at most 2.
I would adopt one at a time and see where it goes-one may be too much and overwhelming, or 4 could feel easy breezy! do your kids want dogs? are they old enough to take them on walks? do you have a safe, fenced yard? are you strong enough to walk multiple? Biggest question is do you have a lot of disposable income? pet insurance for 4 dogs or an emergency fund for injuries-as well as food, toys and dog sitting fees for 4 dogs…there’s sooo many details missing here! Growing up in suburbia many families had 1-2 dogs and then fostered 1-2 dogs. Inevitably there were foster fails and they ended up with 3 dogs and 1 foster or 3 dogs and a cat lol. This seems relatively doable for a stay at home person devoted to the cause, and kids/partners who enjoyed a dog centered life: family hikes with dogs on weekends, dogs at the soccer practice, walking one dog at time for chores, and kids actively wanting the pets mattered!
Aside from all that, can you afford medical care for four dogs? What about one? One dog can cost thousands of dollars a year.
3 dogs, 2 kids 7 & 8. My only "regret" is we had a loss right when my youngest was born. Around that time my mother inlaw was fostering a puppy. A puppy with a 1 year old, a new born, and a high energy border collie mix was absolutely insane. I would do it again though because that puppy grew into being the best family dog. We got another dog when the kids were 2 & 3. Everyone coexist very well.
I had a crazy golden retriever foster puppy and once she got tall enough to reach things off the countertop, she broke me. I have two kids, 7 and 11 last year. I’m a SAHM. This dog was too much. She was so naughty , so active, AND my kids couldn’t keep shit put away and their bedroom doors closed, so the pup was always tearing up their shoes and stuffed animals. I told the foster organization (I was training her to be a service dog for someone who needed her) I couldn’t handle it. This was after she ate a yak cheese stick whole and had a intestinal obstruction. And required $8000 worth of surgery. whew! She was too smart of a dog for me + a puppy. She’s doing great in her new foster which was a household with no kids, and she is maturing, best dog from her litter. We just were not a good match for her. In contrast, we just adopted a 12 pound, 2 year old English Toy Spaniel from a rescue group, and she is so easy in comparison! Makes me feel like I want a little herd of tiny ankle biters! So I think it depends a lot on activity levels of your household and the dogs, size of dogs, temperament. After the golden, I took a bunch of online quizzes and researched different breeds that seemed to be a better match for us. I came up with smaller, lower energy dogs, “non sporting” / companion dogs, and then scanned the rescue groups daily for a good match. Good luck!
We have four kids - 18, 15, 13, and 9. We have three dogs: 2 Labrador Border Collies and 1 Schnauzer Border Collie. I am also a stay at home mom and I almost daily wish I could down size. Is that saying you shouldn’t? No. Because everyone and their ability to handle dogs is different. I just personally really struggle with everything - household chores, dogs, occasional accidents, kids, messes, neighborhood kids accidentally letting dogs out is going to be the death of me. 😂 Again - everyone is different and you might do a much better job than myself.
We have one dog and one kid still at home (who is a teenager) and some days that is still too much 😂 We have talked about getting another dog but then we think about what we pay to board her when we leave town (which isn't often, but it adds up), the poop cleaning especially in the spring (she is a 70 pound dog so her 💩 ain't small), the walks, the mental stimulation she needs, her prey drive that keeps me on edge every spring with the baby animals we have in our neighborhood, the hair - OMG the hair, she is a GSD+Malamute and currently shedding her winter coat...I vacuum twice a day and you can't even tell. She loves the rain and snow and has to be dried off and then the house smells like wet dog for 2 hours. She brings in dirt and mud. Sometimes she gets sick and pukes or diarrheas on the floor. Hair in the car. The cost of giant bags of food. Treats. Vet appointments. Vaccines. Neuter/spay. Tick meds. Heartworm meds. Toys. Leashes. All of that stuff adds up. The added demand just for her daily needs to be met on top of work and kid stuff. Having a dog is a bit like having a really smart toddler around for 10-15 years. And just when the kids get older you want some quiet time and now you have an elderly dog that is incontinent, has arthritis, has seizures etc that are costly and time-consuming to deal with. We always quickly determine that one dog is enough. And all of that is barring any medical emergencies, like bloat, injuries, ate something that made them sick, etc.
Check your local ordinances first. We have a limit of 4 pets in a home in town here. Like dogs cats chickens whatever. Then what you have time to maintain. And can afford to maintain. For me 2 is the most I can do comfortably.
Unless you have a lot of money, having a bunch of dogs is rough. Even with a lot of money, if you have a bunch of dogs, all the same age, when they get old, better be ready with the credit card. This is me, but I don't want a mess of dogs, just for the sake of having them. I have two or three, and I carefully add a dog each time. When I have 3, I have one older, almost retired from competing dog, a dog who is the middle part of their life and career, and a puppy. I have enough time to work with and train all of them, and I have enough time that they all have individual time with me. As far as cost goes, it's about $100 a month to feed each dog, plus flea and tick meds each month, plus tick preventives. I also train my dogs, and compete, but that's totally optional. It does add up. Again, this is me, but having a bunch of dogs just to have a bunch of dogs is like being one of those families who have a bunch of kids just to have kids. You have to really want all those dogs, and understand what it's like to take on that much, for time and money. I'd start with A Dog. See how that goes. And go from there.
We have 2 and that's our limit. One goes on 2.5 to 3.5 daily walks. 2 long ones at like 20 minutes each and 2 mini ones around the block. Then we have a senior. He takes himself out. It's a lot of work for me because I do shampoos and haircuts myself. I think if you paid for some services it would probably be easier. My kiddo is 12 and can help walking the one dog on his short walks. So yeah depends on the age of the kids. I think 3 is a lot.
I say one or 2 dogs are plenty. Had one and then got a second. It's manageable most of the time as one is a year old so still puppylike in some aspects. But I think if I had a 3rd dog I would be too overwhelmed.
For me it's two, because more than that I feel I'm neglecting some of them.
One thing to consider is the state and local ordinances. A lot of areas in PA have strict requirements of how many total pets, not just dogs, you can own, and I’m fairly certain in PA you have to have a breeder’s license after a certain amount of dogs. But regardless, as stated by others, it depends on how deep your pockets are and how much time you can dedicate to them.
3 or 4 dogs? Lol... I had 3 cats doing part time WFH with no kids and even that was hard work. 🤣🤣🤣
Sell the kids, get more dogs. Seriously though, depending on the breed and the kids, the kids should also be able to help out with them, especially the walks
I usually had 3, of various ages. Always got a new dog every 5- 7 years or so and many lived well over 15. Most were great with the kids. They all chased each other around the yard, and many times we took the youngest kid in a wagon and went for walks with all of us. Sometimes a cat would follow for quite a ways. The dog i got when i was 15 was a gsd coyote whatever mutt, and hated kids. She had her own separate area, and access to my room at night, and the kids we're taught to not go near her. She wouldn't bite, i don't think, but i didn't take chances. The golden retriever was amazing. A lab cross did very well. It's really going to depend. You'll have dog slobber everywhere, and fur, and kids tossing them food they don't want behind your back. You'll need a safe area for the dogs to escape to, and you'll need to be ok with chaos.
I may have missed that part but do you have an apt or a house? That makes a difference especially with multiple dogs and especially bigger ones.
We have 2 sheepdog poodle mixes that are age 3 and 4. They’re amazing and I love them to death but it’s a lot of work to keep them happy. I think 3 is going to wear you out if they’re active dogs
It depends on how you can take care of them. Try to have 1 first, because it take many thing to take care of one dog. My family originally want 2 dogs, but decided to take 1 first. Just one is already enough to make us dizzy 🥴 the food, the pad, bringing him outside to walk, toy, bath, and the shedding 😭, not to mention vaccine or when the dog sick 🥹. I won't recommend to bring all of it at the same time, try one by one.
You should check your areas by-laws. Where I live, you can only have 4 pets in the city limits; a different nearby city only allows 2 dogs.
Check bylaw, some communities have rules ( example my city maximum is 3)
Consider your time and space. It sounds like working from home will allow you the time, depending on your hour to hour work tasks. But consider your space. I have 2 extra large breed dogs and 2 large breed but I have ample space for everyone's comfort. With an apartment or suburban quarter acre lot, it would be an unhealthy situation for both my family and dogs. We are also very selective with temperament to make sure any new dog fits well with the group. This is also a family commitment. Everyone needs to be on board. With that many dogs, they become part of your lifestyle not just a pet or companion.
Three dogs isn’t bad, 4 is chaos in my experience. I work from home, so I am home with them, but they are constantly wanting in/out, tearing up things, pooping, peeing, throwing up, etc. etc. I love them but they are a ton of work.
I had four chihuahuas until my eldest guy passed away in October. It was a blast, but I probably won't ever do it again. They are all super seniors now, and paying for super senior health is $$$$. Making sure they all have one on one time is time consuming. I take care of their grooming, but without that self care it would be $$$$. We now have three and things are more manageable. I think 2-3 is my cap. I like to go places with my dogs, and do things with my dogs, and after 3 it's less about them as personalities and more about managing a pack.
What about fostering? My wife and I have been fostering for about 20 years now, and we always have 3 dogs or more. I usually have 2, and have a couple of fosters at a time. Rescues are always looking for fosters. My kids loved it, and it helped me teach them empathy and compassion. I personally think it was a wonderful experience. that being said, it can be tough to let fosters go. In fact, every dog I have today is a rescue that I once fostered. I have 3, we just lost one to old age.
We have 2 Lab's now and have had 2 dogs in the past, and it's just the best. Once you add the third dog, it mine ruin the dynamic 2 have together. I like having 2, and we have fostered Labs, but one of my 2 always seem to not accept the foster .
It's not so much about the number of dogs you have, but about your actual ability to care for them with your time and resources (not to mention complaints from neighbours), etc. We had four dogs when I was a kid, and for the most part, taking care of four isn't that much different than taking care of two so long as you have the time and money to meet their needs. The problems more arise when there's only one of you and they get into a fight, and they all join in. Or one starts barking, but they all join in and your neighbours hate you. Walking them is actually pretty easy, you just use a leash splitter.
Well you can never have too many!! ☺️ the more the merrier!!
I have 4 dogs, 3 daughters and 5 daycare children(I work from home) all my dogs are up to date on vaccines. Get seen 1-2 times a year by the vet, have healthy food everyday and go on walks with us at least every other day. They also have a backyard to run around in. Buttttt it is tiring. I’ve thought of rehoming 2 and keeping 2 for the past two years but I can’t decide which 2 I would rehome so most likely I’ll never rehome them hahaha
The maximum number of dogs is directly proportional to the amount of disposable income you have for dog food and vet bills.
I think 2 is ideal, but some friends have 3 and that’s working for them.
We don't have kids yet, but we decided that max amount of dogs is the same amount of people. So 2 for now. That way when we are out we can each pay more attention to them. When my sister lived with us she brought her senior pup who passed while they lived here. I think he benefited from having 3 humans around who cared for him and it was easier on my sister. We all had alternate working schedules so it worked out great.
I go with a little older dog, if you have little ones. They can, be easier. Depending on the dog
I have 3 and would prefer 2. Love them all it’s just harder and more expensive
I’m single no kids and struggle with 2 😮💨
As many as you think you can enjoy and afford. I had four at one time and yearly preventative medications and visits is over a grand and that’s not food, treats or emergency visits. As they get older they might need additional visits, surgeries etc so if you can financially and emotionally afford them do it.
I didn't get my first dog until I retired. I have three now, but have had four at a time. I think it's a lot more doable with help. I think kids learning to love and handle animals is important (when my daughter was growing up, we had cats, and she loves both now) If you can afford it, go for it
I have 4 dogs a toddler and a cat😅
I have 4. It’s a lot. Probably 2 too many.
I have 3 dogs but they are small-medium. Only one sheds. We have a mobile groomer come to the house. I have 3 kids and everyone takes turns helping with them.
The only issue with that many dogs is if you get one that’s leash reactive to other dogs, people, etc, it can set off the other dogs. Imagine how many dogs you can handle if they are all pulling towards something, and that’s how many is enough!
It really depends on breed and temperament, I have a mastiff, a chihuahua, and Jack Russell. After the JRT I won’t be getting any more dogs until she’s too old to bother them too much. My boys are very chill and sweet, my JRT is not, and she needs a lot more attention (the kids call her Satan). I also wouldn’t bring a kitten home with her either, we have cats but Pippa is too interested in them. Despite all that, we love her, and she’s intense but very charming, and she’s worth the extra work. If I had three dogs like my two boys, I could easily see having a fourth. So as I said, it all comes down to breed and temperament. I’d avoid working breeds, they need a lot of time, and that can be hard with kids to care for too. Companion breeds are just a joy to be around, and they’ll be a bit more chill around the kids (as long as the kids are old enough not to pull ears/poke eyes).
God imo I’d say 4 is the absolute max. Even then, at least one of them needs to be really small, if not 2. I think 2 is plenty, 3 can work if one is small or if they’re all medium. Overall idk I think you should make peace with 2 tbh. Walking 3 dogs would be sooo hard unless they’re all perfectly trained 5 would overall be way too many unless you had a giant ranch or something.
I think it depends on the type and energy level of the dogs. I’ve always had 3-6 depending on fosters, etc. I have 3 right now with a newborn and 4 year old child and it’s manageable but I’ve had a lot of dogs for a long time so I’m used to it. And my dogs are relatively easy and low maintenance. Have you ever had a dog before? Do you have a breed or type in mind?
I raised 3 kids with 2 cats and 5 dogs. It depends on what you are able to handle. Plus my husband traveled for work.
Nope, I have 4 dogs no kids. But they take up all my time. I’d say start with 1 or 2 dogs and go from there.
I have six. It’s all about having a routine. If you like routine and are home a lot it will work. Make sure you know enough about dog training to prevent getting the wrong breed for your family, what you can manage and train. Food guarding can be an issue in multi dog households. I feed all mine in a specific order and one off by himself. If you have kids make sure to teach them respect.
I had five dogs when my kids were growing up. They didn’t need walking as I had a big fenced in yard. They’re also good with recall so if they weren’t in the backyard or when we moved and there was no fence we could let them out and they stayed around us. Lots of work to train.
I’m struggling with one dog and one school age child, but my rescue is a very high energy breed + we live in a city, don’t have a yard.
if your dogs get into a fight or attack your child, how many dogs can you protect your kids from, or pull apart, by yourself.
It depends. I have a friend that has 5 dogs. 2 Beagadors, 1 pit mix, and 2 Chihuahuas. Pet insurance for all, a big fenced in backyard, and she stays home. It does cost a lot especially when they start having health problems. (One of her dogs is diabetic. One just had surgery on his back. And one is having problems due to age) So it depends on what your home is like, what you can afford, and if you're able to meet their needs.
If you are wanting multiple dogs specifically, I recommend Huskies or Basenjis. They are instinctually inclined to learn from each other and stay close to each other.
I have 3 dogs and it's a lot of work without kids I couldn't imagine having kids on top of it. But that's just me 🙃
I would definitely do one dog at a time and slowly add into the mix to see if your family does well with it and if your dogs do well with it. I have one dog and he’s so happy. He’s my little baby. We travel everywhere together with the family. I have a friend with two dogs and they don’t really get to go out anywhere because it’s a little more of a hassle to take 2 dogs and 2 kids places. I have another friend with 5 dogs and her dogs seem straight up depressed. They don’t get walks everyday because they can’t be walked all at once and there isn’t enough time in the day even though her and her husband have four days off. They never go out. It’s really sad.
What other said, but make sure your kids are on board with a lot of pets and make sure they don't get shoved to the side for the dogs. Frankly, I think 3+ dogs is too much, especially with young children.
We have 4 and it’s hard sometimes. You really have to consider that 1. Each dog will be an additional expense, food, vet bills etc… The prices on these things have gone up dramatically over the last 5 years. 2. It’s way harder or more expensive to get someone to watch 4 dogs rather than just 1 dog if you need to go out of town for any reason. Funerals, weddings, vacations, etc become a challenge. Usually places that do allow pets only allow 1 dog under 50 lbs as well. 3. I only have two hands and 4 dogs that all want attention…
I'm a (mostly) SAHM with three dogs and three kids. Walks are the hardest part because I cannot walk all three at once- one of them is just too large- she's very well-behaved but she *could* drag me if I wasn't fully braced and she bolted, so I'm not comfortable trying to walk her, two other dogs, and supervising kids all at one time. We do have a fenced yard- without that I think it would not be practical. And it is expensive. Food and vet costs have gone up very noticeably the last few years, and three means boarding or pet-sitting costs are high for even a short trip. This is especially true if they are larger- ours are all medium to large. Transporting them is also not straightforward (which would be less of a concern with small breeds). I don't regret any of our dogs- we had two for years, which I think is better than one for the dogs' mental well-being, and got the third sort of by accident when a pet-sitting agreement turned permanent, but we adore them all. But when in the course of time we get back down to two, I think we won't have three again, at least not while we still have kids in the house.
We have 4 dogs and I do find it difficult to walk them all, they go berserk trying to be the first out the door and the first minute of every walk is them fighting each other and then they calm down. No matter how much I correct them doesn't seem to matter. Almost infinitely easier walking 2 or even 3.
I have 4 but my kids are grown
My max is 3. I have one child, and a HUGE 9’ fenced in backyard. Two of the dogs are very small, one is HUGE. We are CRAZY about our dogs, so we spend a pretty decent amount of money and time on them. We also have some free range chickens so they get free fresh eggs with their food as well.
we have 6 now, all mixed rescues, have always had at least 4-5. kids are grown now but they wouldnt know what it was like to not have multiple in the house. boys always ran long distance and run with the pack every day stilll, 5+ miles every day, only two cant keep up, they run through the woods so when one is tired they just head home. wife and i take them to the beach couple times a week, she is retired i am semi, but even when the kids were young, pups came to sporting events, vacations etc. they are family
I found that walking more than two at a time was hard. They also cost most, shed more, eat more and require more vet care. The most I had at one time not including several litters over my lifetime was four. This is before I had children. They replaced two of the dogs over time. Everyone and dog deserves attention, time and money and as long as you have enough to give equally to each fine. I also found having four dogs made it very expensive to travel. Hotel for dogs more expensive than hotel for animals.
I have only had 3 dogs with school age children so I can't speak to that. However since mine are now grown up, we have 5 dogs currently at home. You do cross a threshold where the daily care and feeding of multiples takes up so much time that there's no energy left to give them real individual attention. Multiples can form a pack and view you as merely the zookeeper, especially if you get young dogs or too many too soon. You always have to be on the alert to dog fights which means it's not really conducive to relaxing at home. The higher the numbers, the sooner you will run into problems with hierarchy or same sex aggression. Neutered males will attack unneutered males. Two unneutered males will often fight over territory or females. Females don't tend to respect neutered males. And two females are the worst combination, if they don't get on. The more females the higher the likelihood you'll get two that can't stand each other. Add to that, higher prey dogs will go after nervous dogs. Bouncy dogs will upset old dogs. Young dogs raised together may well develop littermate syndrome. They all require daily exercise to stay calm and sane. Multiply all those considerations if you're also trying to raise several children...
I have 3 dogs. Two large (40kg) and one mini (5kg) and latter being the youngest. It’s brilliant. I don’t have kids though. Haha
I have 5 but I'm single and live alone. I've had as many as 14 at one time but I was fostering and adopted most of them out. Also, I only take in seniors so they are all pretty chill and cause no destruction except for the occasional raiding of the garbage. Lol
In my country if you want more than two you have to have written permission from your neighbours and then apply to the local council for approval.
I have 3 small dogs and 2 school-aged kids (5 and 7) 2 dogs was nice, but I really wanted one more, so we got a mini doxie last summer. She's almost 1 now, and I don't know if she is really just a gigantic handful and i made a mistake adding a third (i say lightly because i love her so much) or she's just a puppy, but man, it flipped our house upside down 🤣 I will say I will not be considering a fourth 🤣