A relationship with a dog can enhance one’s life in many ways. The dog can be playmate, protector, friend and companion. Dog ownership can improve the quality of our lives...but what about the quality of the dog’s life?

The natural life for a dog is in a pack, with others of its own kind. Therefore, can the number of dogs one owns make the dog happier, make the behavior and personality of the pet better, or make pet ownership more or less of a challenge?

Dr. Michael Fox, a renowned canine behaviorist, points out that if an animal is raised in a deprived environment, such as isolated in a pen, its development may be greatly affected. It may become dull, unresponsive, obese, infertile, self-mutilating, hyperactive, or over-reactive. On the other hand, if caged with other animals, crowding stress can develop. The animal may become more susceptible to disease, develop infertility, withdraw emotionally, or become excessively aggressive.

As a dog owner, you have the responsibility of providing for your dog’s social needs. If you do not, then you may have to endure the personality or behavior problem which result. Your animal’s reaction to being home alone a great deal my be excessive barking, destructiveness, or becoming unhousebroken.

Today’s busy lifestyle commonly results in smothering the pet with attention part of the day, then isolating it the rest of the time. These two extremes are such a sharp contrast that the pet is on a constant emotional roller coaster. Long, unstimulating days can cause a pet to be either hyper or dull. Obesity is common, damaging his health and shortening his lifespan.

An easy way to provide your pet with the stimulation, exercise and company it needs is to obtain a second dog. As a behaviorist, I have often found that adding a second pet can magically solve numerous pet dilemmas. When I suggest this as a solution, the common response is “Two dogs! Are you kidding? I have enough trouble with one!” These same people call back a month or two later, and rave about how wonderful it is having two playful buddies in the house, instead of one demanding troublemaker.

Two dogs require more food and they produce more stool to pick up. However, they keep each other company and are usually so busy playing that they have no time to create problems. It’s a pleasure to watch their antics and you will feel less guilty about leaving them “alone.”

However, it is important to choose a compatible companion. When selecting a second pet, consider sex, size, age, temperament and energy level. Two animals of the same sex will be more likely to fight. If your pet is too old, it may not take kindly to an intruder on its territory. It is best to arrange for a 48-hour trial period. Make sure that you can return the new addition if it does not work out.

The introduction of the animals must be handled appropriately. Let the dogs become friends on neutral territory, away from the home. This is best done off-leash in a fenced yard, or, if necessary, on a slack, long leash. A short, tight leash often stimulates aggression in dogs because it makes them feel trapped. When it comes to the natural defensive “fight or flight instinct,” the leashed dog has only one choice...fight! It may also feel a need to protect its owner from the strange dog.

When you get home with both animals, give your original pets lots of extra attention so it will feel that life is better since the new pet arrived. Don’t show much attention to the new dog in the presence of the senior dog for a while, or a jealous rivalry may develop.

When Dr. Fox was a practicing veterinarian, he noted that the happiest, most confident, most stable, healthiest-looking dogs usually come from multiple pet homes. Their play stimulates vitality, keeps them thin, continues long into maturity, and seems to keep them young. Witnessing this healthy interaction is a satisfying and often entertaining experience for the owner.

One concern about having more than one dog is that they may bond to each other to the point where they should be less responsive to the owner. If the owner gives each dog daily quality time, this should not be a problem. Individual training sessions, walks, or one-on-one games, such as fetch, will create a healthy relationship between the owner and each pet. One could get a new puppy after the first is at least six months old, and has bonded with the owner.

If owning two dogs is a good idea, would owning more than two be even better? Three dogs often create the constant strife of rivalry. Two of the dogs will frequently gang up on the third.

Too many dogs become a pack in which the individuality of each dog becomes lost in the crowd. If becomes increasingly difficult to maintain control, a good relationship with each animal, and the same quality of life that fewer numbers would permit. When too many animals are kept, there is often a tradeoff. Maintaining order and cleanliness may require excessive crating or kenneling, resulting in many of the detrimental effects of isolation or overcrowding discussed earlier, and diminishing the quality of each dog’s life.

Too many animals can have adverse effects upon the entire neighborhood. There may be too much barking, or unsanitary conditions. Because this is often the case, many areas have legislation, covenants or restrictions that limit the number and kind of animals that residents may own. Such restrictions vary from one municipality to the next, but two to three fur-bearing animals seems to be the common maximum allowed. Enforcement officers state that they will cite a resident with a violation if they spot too many animals on their property. However, the most common cause for being cited with such a violation is that the neighbors complained that the number of animals created a nuisance.

Breeders, trainers, and other canine professionals usually need to own more than the allowable limit of dogs to effectively accomplish their goals. Many of these people do find it a job providing for the social and emotional, as well as physical needs of their animals.

However, we have recently seen in the news horror stories of breeders who keep large numbers of dogs in cramped, filthy quarters, and give these animals little attention. A few of these instances constituted downright cruelty and neglect, in the apparent interest of a higher profit margin.

Breeders and other dog professionals should be required to have a special license that allows them to have many dogs. A high fee would be counterproductive, as the most responsible individuals make little profit. Instead, regular inspections should be a must for maintaining a “kennel” status, to ensure that the animals are provided with proper living conditions that will enable them to mature into healthy, emotionally stable adults. Those first few months of a puppy’s life are crucial, and puppy buyers should be concerned that they are not subsidizing mistreatment, purchasing an inferior “product.”

For the average pet owner, owning two dogs seems to be the ideal for providing the animals a more natural, stimulating life. The busy owner will reap the benefits of a more trouble-free and rewarding experience.

*Copied from the NADOI NEWS January, 1995
-NADOI is the National Association of Dog Obedience Instructors