So the conversation between my gf and I came up about what happens if we each got another dog. Currently I have Thane (husky) and I would like another and she has Juno (Rotti x Shepard) and she would like a purebred Rotti or Shepard. We currently don't live together and probably won't for some time. But we started thinking about what if we moved in together down the road and we each had our own 2 dogs. Is four dogs with 2 people under one roof manageable or a nightmare? I remember my dad having to take care of 3 alone and he loved them very dearly but said he would never do it again due to the fact it was just way to much to handle. I understand things like vet bills and food become expensive but if each person handles their dogs it should be fine but what happens to the little things like going on trips, driving with the dogs, walks, one person has to go away for a bit and other day to day things that could change when you have to handle 4 dogs? Does anyone here have experience owning 4 dogs at once? What are some of the difficulties you may face when having 4 dogs?

I don't have any say because honestly if I had it my way I would probably have a million dogs, but for practicallity we have stuck with two and maybe down the line have 3. But I would just ask you to think about it this way, do you guys plan on having kids in the next 15 years? If so would you really want 4 dogs and a child or two all at the same time? If you don't want children, then as long as its fincially affordable and you think you can handle 4 dogs then I don't see it being a huge problem, but I don't know if I could walk 4 at once. Does she take really good care of her dogs right now as far as walking and doing everything on her own? Cause once you live together, I feel like the sense of responsibility sways towards one person rather than the other, and you don't want one of you taking care of 4! Would one of you comprimise and either get a husky or shepard for right now and take one at a time?

But I think its up to the individual person, those would just be my concerns.

We have 3 dogs and have been sitting for a 4th for about 11 days now, and from 3 to 4 hasn't been terrible. The worst part for me has been one of them constantly being at the back door asking to go potty. I do most of the animal care in the house (we have the 2 cats too), but I really haven't been tearing my hair out or anything. If both of you guys are committed to sharing the load, I feel like it shouldn't be terribly difficult.

Probably won't have children in their lifetime (Thane and Juno) and if we do it will probably be at the tail end of their lives, still got some living to do XD. She takes very good care of her dog, she lives in an apt with her dad so she is always walking her dog, biking and going to the park down the street and really goes the extra mile. I care for Thane on my own because I enjoy it very much and I just like handling him myself because he's my responsibility and responds best to me XD. We go on walks together on the weekend and to the dog park when we can because I work days and she works nights. When we are separated we have our own walking, feeding and playing routines. With two it's not bad at all (we babysit for each other) so I am pretty certain I could handle two on my own which was my original plan before even meeting her a year ago. But it sounds like she had the same plan so just trying to get an idea of other peoples lifestyles.

I had four by myself for 7 years until my fiancé moved in with me and now we have six. It is very challenging at times and would never want more than two or three at a time.

If you feel you can financially afford them all and can give attention to them all, then go for it.

My in-laws have 4 dogs and would never have that many again. Financially they haven't been bad with the exception of traveling. They don't all fit in their vehicle well so they can't take them on long trips and when they have to leave them boarding that many is killer expensive. Space they are only bad when you have all of their beds in the room with you, then there's no floor to walk on. If you rent or are potentially going to be in a subdivision with an HOA ever you need to consider than many HOAs and rentals won't allow that many dogs. An oddity that I ran across when we were looking at homes. It may not be that way in your area but I would check before committing.

Interesting thanks for the insight and advice, boarding isn't a big problem I have plenty of family and friends that I can keep a few dogs with not all four in theory but I know I have a good group who can help me out (I'm not a fan of boarding and it's a last resort for me). I can see space being a bit of an issue though XD.

Is a HOA a Home owner's Association?

We are at 12 and it's just the two of us. Of course it's all about what you are comfortable with- if you feel 4 is stretching your limit it could be. We certainly didn't wake up one day and say lets get 12 dogs, but once we passed 4 it was a domino effect. The biggest adjustment was the food bill, but even that's not awful.

xredrainx wrote:

Is a HOA a Home owner's Association?

Yes, when we were looking to buy we had to read many HOA rules on houses we were thinking about and almost all had a set limit of animals you could have. Most we read were a max of 3 dogs and 3 cats, anymore and they would fine you.

When I was younger my ex and I had four. I was the primary caregiver, but it wasn't all that difficult because I had a pretty strict routine. And a king sized bed. I didn't have kids back then, so I had plenty of time to do things with each of them one on one. I didn't even think about having kids until they had all grown old and passed.

I've been thinking lately about getting our second pup in the next four months or so, when Layla will be eight months. I know a lot of folks say to wait until at least a year to get a second dog, especially a puppy, because who wants to go through both the teenage phase and house training all at once? I don't want to be irresponsible, but I just feel that the time is right. Layla has been pretty good for a puppy and though she hasn't become a teenager quite yet, we've built trust between us and I'm comfortable with where she's at in her training and behavior.

We have planned that eventually we will have three Sibes, all of which we will be able to care for financially and time-wise with training, attention, etc., since I work from home and have a pretty flexible work schedule, so that is not really a worry. We have plans to mush recreationally, both dry-land and sledding, hike and bikejor with our dogs. As of yet our yard is not fenced, but we plan on building one this April, before we would ostensibly be bringing a new pup home. The other thing is that we are also thinking about adding a two-legged "puppy" to the family starting this April or May, which will have its own challenges and expenses.

Is eight months old too early to get a new puppy? Am I fooling myself thinking that I can hack it and train a new pup while dealing with the older one's teenage phase? Again, money is not really an issue here, and we are not a family where both the heads of the household work full time outside the home, so there would be someone at home with the dogs at all times; however, I do have a way of putting a lot on my plate, thinking I can handle it, and getting through it but not without going a little nuts in the process.   Would love folks' thoughts on this!