12/04/2025
I wholeheartedly agree. 🔥 - I tell everyone how much work it is having a multi-dog household. Everyone gets Individual training time, play time, affection time, and exercise time. PLUS Group training, play, affection, & exercise time. - and in the beginning with a new member, it's not even WHOLE group time; it's 1 additional member at a time, then eventually add another 1, eventually add another 1, etc. as they're ready for bigger distractions.
How much time does that take up, you ask? All of it. Absolutely all of it. 😂 BUT it's worth it to do it right and give them what they NEED and DESERVE. - None of my animals, signed up for a new housemate. That was ALL me. It is not their job, or their responsibility, to raise, teach, or even like the new member I bring in. It's a BONUS that they all get along, and will play and snuggle together. However, it's MY job to do all the training, all the teaching, playing, loving, etc. It's MY job to advocate for my other pets, and ensure they feel safe and secure in their house too! They shouldn't be getting bullied or used as a chew toy by a new puppy, and feel the need to defend themselves. It's MY job to step in and ensure they're comfortable in interactions.
Completely related side quest - Keep in mind, even if you "do it right" there's potential to end up in a "Crate & Rotate" situation - NOT ALL DOGS GET ALONG. THERE DOESN'T HAVE TO BE A REASON. You don't like everyone you meet, sometimes it's not even for any particular reason, and animals can be the same.
Anyway. Multiple Dogs = Lots of work. Lots of time. 😂
Multi-dog households… this is going to be a can of worms, but it needs to be addressed.
It wasn’t even a decade ago that it was normal to have one or two dogs, but anything more was considered excessive. Fast forward to modern day, and it doesn’t seem to be uncommon for homes to have 4+ dogs. Now, the kicker is that also within the same decade, we have, as a species, become more stagnant.
I personally blame technology, specifically social media, for both of the above problems. It’s hard to say no to a feed that is constantly pushing either people seemingly enjoying life with a pack of dogs who all magically get along all the time or the constant sob stories of so-and-so needing to be adopted. It’s like every time you log on, there are these emotional little seeds planted that hijack our critical thinking, and we react impulsively. I’m guilty of it, and honestly, I don’t know a single soul who isn’t when the algorithm finds out you’re an animal lover. In the same scroll, you are clearly not being active as you continuously sit looking at the cute videos that keep you hooked. Again, I’m guilty of it, and again, I don’t know a single soul that hasn’t done such.
But let me tell you, as a person who owns a pack of dogs, it’s A LOT of work. And it’s not just work when you want to; no, it’s work around the clock. On cold days, rainy days, and days when it’s ungodly hot, because when you said, “Hey, yeah, I can add another dog,” your workload didn’t double; it tripled. Because guess what? You need to do individual time and group time. So I always say, with every additional dog, multiply your effort by 3. And I hate to break it to you, but if you don’t, because everyone is like, “Yeah, they entertain each other,” you will quickly find out that the pack develops a mind of its own, and your opinion is no longer needed. You don’t have to look far to see it in the news; I just saw one in TN this morning. Or if you ask anyone in the pet industry, they will have an endless amount of stories about a person who got in over their head with their pack of dogs. It’s all over.
And let me tell you, it’s not cute, and those people who portray it as such on social media are probably stressed the hell out off-camera. Because work doesn’t stop just because the camera did, and dogs don’t care if you’re tired. So what I’m trying to say is that the average person really struggles with one or two dogs. There are really not a lot of exceptions. So when you want to add that third, fourth, or fifth as a collection but don’t want to work with them individually, you really create a toxic environment where everyone, including humans, is stressed and anxious.
Multi-dog households are a lot of work—like a stupid amount of work. So please, please, please think about the dog before adding them. If you can’t provide that dog with purpose and maintain your current dogs' needs, then it’s probably best not to add. For everyone’s sake…
Picture of my pack who says, 'Down time? What is that?' 🤪
