Very often I have been asked: "Are all three dogs yours?" On my affermative answer they usually respond with: "Oh my goodness, how can you handle them? Isn't it a lot of work?"
As with anything else there are pros and cons:
- You have to take the time to walk your dog, either you have one, two or more dogs
- The dogs usually learn from each other, so if you trained your first dog well, the following ones will be easier to train
- If you are lucky, they play with each other and keep themselves company
- They might not miss you when you leave them alone at home, so less or no separation anxiety may occur
- A short hair dog is easier to maintain. Long hair breeds need a lot of grooming so that the fur doesn't mat
- As dog owner you have dogs hair all over. The more dogs, the more hair
How do I manage my dogs?
My first dog Perla is a rescued dog from Sicily. For about 5 years she was a rebellious girl. She troubled me whenever she could. Very often, after a walk (no matter short or long), she didn't want to be placed back on the leash. Calling, whistling, treats, yelling, hiding, walking in opposite direction - none of these training tips worked with her. She looked at me with a big smile saying: "I know what you are trying to do!"
When did she stop doing it? After I got my second dog Ciccio (Perla's son)!
Ciccio is so attached to me, that he, up until today, follows my heels closely. When I called Ciccio he came always happily to me. So Perla learned after a while that we both would "leave" her behind if she didn't allow me to put her on the leash.
My third dog Ringo
He is a rescued dog from the Caribbean, who was very independent, that as soon as he was off the leash he would simply walk himself alone.
He is used to cars and dogs, so he wouldn't put himself in danger. However, in Switzerland you get in trouble if authorities or other people see your dog walking alone. So I needed to teach him, how to stay close to me:
- I tried to bond with him, by playing, hand feeding, brushing his teeth or cleaning his ears
- By showing patience and no aggression! He is scared of humans caused by his bad experiences as stray dog, so intimidating him was not an option.
- During our walk I would repeatedly take him off and on the leash every few meters
- Show your dog that you trust him! If Ringo wouldn't come immediately, I waited patiently on him and eventually he came.
- Normally he wouldn't return to me if we did not do the whole round that he used to take. So I understood I had to first finish the round and then I could call him to put him back on the leash.
After a few months he bonded with me and my senior girl Perla, so he makes sure that he stays close to his new family.
- Are you thinking about getting a dog?
- Do you have more than one dog?
- Is your dog a trouble maker?
I am not a professional dog trainer, however since at an early age I have read dozens of books about dog training. So everything I put in practice was by book.
If you liked my story, don't forget to upvote and leave your comments below😉
What is your opinion? If I do not plan on breeding my male dog, should I get him neutered? He is a 7 months old Australian Shepherd. I also have a 1 year old daughter in the house and I fear my dog is trying to show her that he is more dominant. Will neutering him help?
Great post, and compliments on 3 well behaved dogs!
In my personal experience, it helps some to neuter a male dog when experiencing domination issues. There is no substitute for a firm hand, though. The dog needs to know his place; makes him happier and the family, too. You can figure out what to expect with a temporary chemical castration: It's a hormone chip that lasts 6 months to a year. That way, if it doesn't do anything, neither will neutering. Good luck.
Thank you, I was told that a firm hand is not the right approach because the dog then is scared of the owner, and the better way to train a dog is with treats, yet I do not see a positive outcome with treats to the domination issue. I do not plan on breeding him, and he has also started to mark his territory in the house. Therefor I believe the right action will be neutering him, even though I feel sorry for him. I think it will be better for him in the long run. Thank you for all your advice!
You misunderstood me completely. A "firm hand" does not mean cowing the dog by yelling, beating, and abuse. It means showing the dog in dog language what the boundaries are and who is master of the pack. There are books on this; read one.
Treats have their place, but you can't bribe the dog into being good. Often, it's this newfangled lovy-dovy snowflake bullshit that causes the problems in the first place.
A dog needs to be treated like a dog and not humanized. This is what the animal understands and thus it's what makes BOTH of you happier. Since the dog can't learn how to think like a human, you need to learn how to think like a dog. Do you see what I mean?
I agree, that is what all my vets said. Ciccio had no specific negative characteristics so the vets didn't want to neuter him. The issues came up when my second male dog came into the family. But I will tell the full story in another post.
I have 2 male dogs that are not neutered. I asked several vets opinion, in Germany, Switzerland and Italy. I wanted to neuter at least Ringo, but none of the vets said that it makes sense neutering a male adult or old dog. They usually do neuter females also for health reasons.
My personal opinion if I could turn back time? I should have insisted in neutering my little Ciccio, but back then I also felt pity for him 😬. He is now with Ringo territorial in the house and there is no way to change it.
With kids in the house it’s not easy. I always had an eye on them and would not leave them alone playing.
Thank you for the great answer. I also feel pity for my dog, yet I do worry for my daughter since she is not strong enough yet to stand up for herself against his dominating attitude (He is always licking her face, taking her toys out of her hands, bumping into her, etc..). What hurts me is also when I get loud and command him to stop! my daughter looks at me a little worried, not understanding why I am raising my voice to the dog. So it is a difficult choice I have to make in the next few weeks, but if it calms the dog down, I will probably go forward with the operation.
Super schöner Beitrag, ich bin auch total begeistert von Hunden. Leider hatte ich bisher nie einen Hund und aktuell lässt meine Lebensssituation das auch nicht(ohne Nachteile für das Tier) zu, ich bin aber fest entschlossen, sobald die Umstände das zulassen mir diesen Lebenstraum zu erfüllen. <3 Vor allem das Foto von Ringo am Strang ist unglaublich toll, hoffe bald mehr schöne Fotos zu sehen! LG
Mein Traum vom Hund hatte ich von Kind auf. Mit 21 Jahren, kurz bevor ich auszog, habe ich mir meinen Wunsch zufällig erfüllt, denn Perla fiel mir sprichwörtlich in den Schoss.
Ich auch, wobei er sich über viele Tiere erstreckt :) Sehr schön, dass er für dich wahr wurde! Wie kannst du das beruflich organisieren? Und wie „in den Schoss“ gefallen? 😊
Perla war in den Ackerfeldern in Sizilien ausgesetzt worden. Meine Cousine brachte mich hin und bat mich den Hund mitzunehmen, die Alternative war Hungertod oder durch Menschenhand getötet zu werden. Als ich sie sah, kniete ich mich hin und sie kam in meinen Schoss und bettelte um Hilfe. Da wars um mich geschehen...
Zu Hause war sie nach kurzer Zeit stubenrein. Morgens vor der Arbeit mit dem Hund raus und abends nach der Arbeit sofort nach Hause und mit dem Hund raus.
So eine herzzerreißende Geschichte! Da wäre es um mich auch geschehen gewesen. Das ist dann natürlich auch eine andere Ausgangssituation! Schön dass es auch so super geklappt hat! <3
Hmm, ich dachte immer das wäre schwierig. Wie lange bist du dann außer Haus ohne dass es für den Hund anstrengend ist? Nur so aus Neugier, in meiner aktuellen Wohnung ist die Hundehaltung leider verboten, man liest generell bei Wohnungsanzeigen nur zu oft "Haustiere verboten" Ziemlich ätzend!
Das kommt auch auf den Hund drauf an. Mein Weibchen hielt es stundenlang ohne Probleme aus. Jetzt im Seniorenalter müssen sie 3 Mal raus, vor allem der Kleine trinkt mehr und muss daher auch öfter raus. Die Wohnung sollte nahe der Arbeitsstelle sein, damit die Pendelzeiten so kurz wie möglich gehalten werden. Zeitweise bat ich Bekannte (Alternative: Nachbarn, Freunde, Kinder?) nachmittags die Hunde rauszubringen. Wenn man einen Partner hat, kann man sich das auch aufteilen.
Wenn man das nötige Kleingeld hat, gibt es inzwischen Dogsitter oder Hundetagesstätten, die sich tagsüber um die Hunde kümmern. Manche organisieren ein Hundetaxi, also an gewissen Haltestellen, werden die Hunde abgeholt.
Wohnung sowieso nur wo Hunde erlaubt sind. Da muss man dann halt Abstriche machen, da meistens nur alte Wohnung für Haustiere freigegeben werden.
Das sind viele hilfreiche Anregungen für die Zukunft😊👍🏽 Dankeschön! Ich neige generell dazu Dinge pessimistisch zu zerdenken ☺️
Freue mich jedenfalls mehr von deinen Süßen zu lesen/sehen! Lg
<3 Save all the dogs!!! <3
Thanks very interesting tipps. It's funny how they interact and even change theyr approach when together!
Indeed it is. My biggest challenge was Perla, I think also because I was inexperienced back then.
That challenge gave you the experience then ;D
More than 1 in 3 American families own a dog.
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