Maybe no. 3 dog in my house?????

Living in a multi-dog household (currently 4 Shelties of my own), plus the revolving door of fosters, I have lived with 8 for a short time. . . and I work fulltime.

I think the key is bringing the dogs into the household one at a time. If I had tried to introduce 8 dogs at one time, I suspect I would have had some real trouble!

My youngest is 7, and they have not tolerated the puppy fosters well, but your young Callan may need a puppy playmate to keep him occupied.

Since I work full time, I like to think the dogs keep each other entertained while I am gone . . . but they probably sleep all day so they are refreshed and ready to rock and roll when I get home.

I only walk 2 dogs at a time. Fortunately I live across from a park, and have a fully fenced back yard.

Good luck in your search!
 
ahhh Barb, So excited for you. I wondered when you said that if your breeder has a puppy coming. It would be more work but would be fun for Callan to have another youngster and give Indy a break.
I have friend who had 3, she just lost her oldest and she would complain about 3 being a lot of work but that is her personality and they live in a town home where they have no fenced yard and have to go up and down stairs to go out.
I think you have gotten great feed back. So....the other question is what color?
 
I only have one and a kitty here, and I'm home full time - sometimes I think about getting Hanna a buddy but then I come to my senses :winkgrin:
 
Well, apparently I'm not not going to get a lot of people trying to talk me out of this.....

It's always been my dream to have a bunch....and now that I'm single and no longer have the cottage shlep to worry about, its actually doable, I think.

Plus 3 shelties against my new neighbour's loud mouth Airedale terrier should take him down! Don't you think? Ok.....getting a little pumped here!
 
BarbV said:
Well, apparently I'm not not going to get a lot of people trying to talk me out of this.....

It's always been my dream to have a bunch....and now that I'm single and no longer have the cottage shlep to worry about, its actually doable, I think.

Plus 3 shelties against my new neighbour's loud mouth Airedale terrier should take him down! Don't you think? Ok.....getting a little pumped here!
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Barb, I apologize in advance if I'm totally wrong, but it sounds like you might be going through a break up? Puppies can certainly be a great distraction, but as you know they're a lot of work and 15 year commitment. When I had 3 dogs, I felt overwhelmed and that was just for a week.

I suggest taking some time and really think about if a 3rd dog is something you truly want and can manage or if something else is influencing your decision.
 
take4roll10 said:
Barb, I apologize in advance if I'm totally wrong, but it sounds like you might be going through a break up? Puppies can certainly be a great distraction, but as you know they're a lot of work and 15 year commitment. When I had 3 dogs, I felt overwhelmed and that was just for a week.

I suggest taking some time and really think about if a 3rd dog is something you truly want and can manage or if something else is influencing your decision.
Click to expand...

The break up happened in November.....I've had many months to think things through. And my own experience as a pet store owner dealing with people coming into my store dealing with similar issues.....i.e. when is it time? I deal with that every day. And of course I ask the same questions of myself.

Your post is a little insulting, actually. Sorry but true. I have taken 6 months to think about this.
 
Just a note to think about...
Not sure what your local city ordnances are ...
You might want to check as some cities only allow 2 dogs!

It would be terrible to have to give one up...

A friend of mine had 3 shelties and the person next door called and complained about the barking. The police came out and gave her a ticket and said she would have to give up one of her dogs!

Lucky her mom lived close and took one... She ended up moving to a different city that allowed 3 so she was able to reunite her pack. Would hate for you to go through that trauma!
 
I have three. I love them dearly but would I do it again? No. Emma has not really accepted Natalie - they do have issues. Emma is definitely top dog. Liam gets along with both.

I find it much more expensive with three, more work, more to pick up. I don't take them with me when I go out just because it is difficult to handle the three now that I have developed arthritis in many joints, including the hands and ankles. Mine are still relatively young - two are five, one almost four. Their love and companionship has gotten me through some very difficult times, but sometimes I feel I have not been fair to any of them by having more than one.

I would suggest, as you have been doing, that you clearly and closely weigh all the pros and cons of having more than one. Working full time and looking after a house does make it more difficult to have time to spend with each one on an individual basis, and they do need this.
 
While Callan would probably love a little playmate, I don't know if I personally could add a new puppy with him being only a year old. Obviously it has been done before, but at that age they still have maturing to do. They still have moments of puppy brain - add in the work of a puppy and the dreaded teenage years... :gaah A couple of questions I would ask myself before adding another....

Are my current dog(s) where I want them to be training wise? If not, will I be able to continue working towards my training goals WITH the addition of a new pup? I think I remember you wanting to do agility with Callan. We train 2-3 times a week with Cruz - this would definitely have to be cut down if we added a new pup!

Will I be able to provide equal, quality attention to all 3 dogs? On top of a full time job, some days I find it hard to give Cruz the attention he deserves. This means playing, hiking, training, etc. and not just sitting on the couch with him beside me. With the added job of puppy raising, your current babies would probably lose out on some much needed mom time.

I'm sure you will do what's best for your pack. Good luck!
 
Here's something totally unexpected . . . My Shay (shepherd) and Melli (tri old mill momma rescue) never really took to each other. Not hate but just a bit of jealousy to each other (usually over me) and much snarkiness between them. Along comes Cubby puppy and Melli took to him like her final puppy in life. She tolerated that little bugger and loves him with all her heart. When he grew a bit Shay figured out he can't hurt him and they have become best buddies. They play, they romp, they make funny noises and play the hungry hippo mouthing game. Shay loves him with all his heart. As Cubby as grown, he is a bridge between the two. He will get between them, put his paw on Melli if she looks maybe mad, he will draw them apart if the energy is wrong, and even during feeding or treating when Melli is most likely to go after Shay Cubby will pull her tail or something.

Instead of odd man out, I got a bridge. They BOTH adore him and in doing so they get along better with each other.

However, I don't walk dogs because I have a bad knee and live where wildlife is wild on top of a very very steep hill. If we go somewhere my husband handles the shepherd and I handle the two shelties. I could handle three shelties. The shepherd is just a strong boy.

You can do it Barb, only this time you won't get me catching puppy fever from you! But thanks for the puppy fever last year because Cubby is my delight.
 
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