Debunking Myths About Having More Than One Dog

Are you contemplating adding another furry friend to your household? Join me, Dale Buchanan, on this episode of Puppy Talk as we examine the pros, cons, misconceptions, and truths about owning multiple dogs. Discover whether an additional pup could bring joy and companionship to your current dog or if it might just add to your responsibilities. We'll discuss common myths like the idea that an older dog will train a new puppy or that dogs need another canine companion at home to be happy and relaxed. Through real-life examples, like my own dog Dixie who thrives solo with the help of daycare, we’ll debunk these misconceptions and offer a realistic perspective.

Managing a multi-dog household isn't all fun and games; it comes with its own set of challenges. From financial responsibilities to time management and training difficulties, you'll get practical tips on how to navigate these hurdles. Learn why you must train each dog separately and how to handle the logistical aspects like walking and transporting multiple dogs. If you're on the fence about adding another dog or struggling with the ones you already have, this episode is packed with insights and strategies to help you make an informed decision and maintain order in your dog-loving home. Tune in and equip yourself with the knowledge to create a harmonious multi-dog household!

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RESOURCES:
Podcast Website: http://puppytalkpodcast.com
Sponsor Website: http://www.topgundogtraining.com
Dale's books: https://www.amazon.com/author/dalebuchanan

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
I'm Dale Buchanan and this is Puppy Talk, the podcast
that offers free advice andtips for raising a happy,
healthy and obedient puppy.
For more information on thispodcast, visit us online at
puppytalkpodcastcom.
Welcome to Puppy Talk, episodenumber 101.

(00:22):
I'm your host, dale Buchanan,and on this episode I want to
talk about whether you shouldget another puppy or not, or
another dog, whether you haveone dog already or two dogs.
Maybe you've got three dogs andyou wanna get another dog.
I'm not gonna tell you what todo in this podcast.
What I will do is I'llhighlight the pros, cons,

(00:45):
misconceptions and the facts ofowning multiple dogs.
Before we get started, makesure that you refer to the last
podcast that I did regardingfinancial responsibility for pet
ownership.
I go into the cost of owning adog and also touch on owning
multiple dogs and how expensivethat can get.

(01:07):
Also, consider the podcast thatI did in January 2024 right
here on Puppy Talk about littermate syndrome.
This episode highlights theimportance of being well
informed about getting twopuppies at once.
Let's get started with thisepisode.
There are two pros to getting asecond dog when you already

(01:30):
have one.
The first is that your currentdog will have a playmate, a
friend and a companion.
This is usually the number onereason why most owners get a
second dog.
The next pro is for personalreasons, that you will have the
love of multiple dogs.
This is very comforting to alot of humans to have affection

(01:55):
from more than one dog.
This is another reason why alot of dog owners get more than
one dog.
Let's talk about the cons ofgetting a second dog.
First of all, consider thefinancial responsibility the
food, the vet bills, equipment.
Refer to the last podcastepisode I did discussing this in

(02:16):
great detail.
The second con is the time ittakes to manage and train
multiple dogs.
Most people think you can trainboth dogs together, but in the
facts that I list at the end ofthis podcast, I will explain
that you have to train each dogseparately.
You have to walk two dogs atonce and this can be challenging
for most owners.

(02:37):
Most of the people that I trainhave multiple dogs and they
don't know how to walk two dogsat once in a civil manner to
where they are following themand not playing all the time.
The next con is that you haveto think about transporting two
dogs at once and this can be achallenge.
One dog may be bigger than theother dog.
One dog may be in the back ofthe SUV.

(02:58):
One dog may be in front seat.
You might put both dogs in theback seat and they might play
all the time.
And dog may be in front seat.
You might put both dogs in theback seat and they might play
all the time.
And this can be verychallenging, very frustrating to
the owner and also a liabilityif you are driving and this
could be a safety hazard.
So you have to think about that.
The final con to owningmultiple dogs is that they will

(03:22):
always want to play, even whenyou want them to be disciplined,
and 70% of my clients arepeople that have multiple dogs
and all dogs are out of control.
No dogs are trained, they justdon't know what to do.
Everything is chaos is chaos.

(03:45):
So I have to go in creating aplan and structure, train each
dog separately and teach themhow to use management techniques
to keep each dog calm andrelaxed while in the house.
Some of the misconceptions ofhaving multiple dogs One dogs
will not necessarily teach otherdogs.
A lot of people get a dogthinking adult dog will teach my
puppy how to go potty outsidebecause I'll let them both go

(04:10):
together outside and the puppywill watch the older dog go
potty in the grass.
So the puppy's gonna go pottyin the grass and never have an
accident in the house.
That is not true.
It's the owner's responsibilityto train a puppy to go potty
outside, not your other dog.
Misconception number two Dogsneed a companion at home.

(04:34):
This is absolutely false.
I have Dixie.
She's four and a half years old.
I've had her since she was 10weeks old.
She does not have a companionat home because when she's at
home she's relaxed, she's on herbed, she's chewing her deer
antler, she's always calm andshe has a daycare that she goes

(04:54):
to three to four days a weekwhere she can have play,
enrichment, socialization withother dogs.
This is her outlet and shedoesn't need a companion at home
because she's getting plenty ofcompanionship at the daycare.
The final misconception is thatyou can train one dog and the

(05:14):
other dog will follow along, andthis is absolutely false.
You cannot train one dog andexpect the other dog to watch
and learn.
Every dog is different.
Every breed learns differently.
The age of the dog will learndifferently.
Training a puppy is completelydifferent than training an adult
dog.
Adult dogs have brains that aremore developed.

(05:36):
They can learn faster.
Puppies need to learn verysimple, foundational things
first and foremost, such asstopping the jumping and the
play, biting and beingrambunctious.
Adult dogs are going to be muchsharper, much more focused, so
you don't want to have one dogteach the other dog or train one

(05:57):
dog and think that the otherdog is going to be able to be
trained.
No-transcript.
And finally, the facts of owningmultiple dogs.
Like I've already said, eachdog will need to be trained
separately.
70% of the clients that hire meare people that own anywhere
from two to four dogs, and Iexplain to them on the phone

(06:19):
before they hire me each dogneeds to be trained separately
and then we can start workingwith them together once they
have a good level of basicobedience and discipline.
The next fact is owningmultiple dogs is a lot harder
than it seems.
This is always true.
People think that if I raiseone dog, I can put another dog

(06:44):
into the mix and raise them both.
It's going to be as easy as onedog.
It's not.
It's not double hard if youhave two dogs.
It's 10 times harder if you gofrom one dog to two dogs.
There's so much to do with twodogs that it's almost borderline
stressful to most people if youdon't have good leadership

(07:04):
skills and have everything setin place with management and
have the dogs be trainedimmediately once you get both of
them into the house.
The third fact is that all dogsdo not get along.
The first thing you want to dowhen you bring a dog into a
house where you currently have adog is to make sure that they
get along.

(07:24):
For example, let's say you havean adult dog that's four years
old and you want another puppy.
You're thinking if I getanother puppy, this puppy will
be the companion of the adultdog and the adult dog will
mentor the puppy and teach thepuppy a whole bunch of good
stuff.
Chances are that's not going towork very well because you've

(07:45):
got an adult dog who's calmerand more laid back and the puppy
is very rambunctious, veryoutgoing, overstimulated all the
time, has ADD just all over theplace and this puppy wants to
play and romp around and theadult dog wants to take naps.
So how well is that going towork out?
You've got to think about this.

(08:07):
Naps, so how well is that goingto work out?
You got to think about this Ifyou get a three-month-old puppy
and a four-year-old dog, the agedifference is going to be, in
human years, about 30 years oldto about four years old.
That's a big difference.
What are those two going to dotogether?
Not a whole lot.
In review, having an older dogand getting a younger puppy

(08:28):
usually does not work very well.
In review, having an older dogand getting a young puppy
usually does not work very well.
Like I said, most of the calls Iget are people with multi-dog
households and they don't knowhow to manage it.
They don't know how to traineach dog separately, they don't
know what each dog needs basedon their breed and so on and so

(08:48):
forth.
And finally, I'll just say thatif you're going to get another
dog when you already have onedog, put a lot of time and a lot
of energy into thinking aboutthe exact breed, the age,
everything about the dog thatyou're going to bring into the
house.
When you already have a dog inyour house, everything can go

(09:10):
wrong very quickly.
Very rarely does it work out100% perfect and smoothly from
the get-go.
I hope this information washelpful to you.
If you have any questions, youcan contact me through my
website, puppytalkpodcastcom.
Have a great day.