Is 4 dogs too many?

Question

I'm supposed to move in with my girlfriend next month and I've got 2 dogs- a smooth fox terrier, and a terrier/beagle mix. She has a Yellow lab, and my friend who is going to be staying with us for a while has a boston terrier/black lab mix. It's a 4 bedroom 2 story house with a 1/4 acre yard.

Answer 1

Since I currently have 4 dogs myself, I would have to say that 4 dogs is NOT too many, as long as you, your girlfriend, & your friend figure out IN ADVANCE where & how each dog will be kept & cared for. The most important factors are whether the dogs get along with each other (or at least don't fight with each other), & how well the dog owners cooperate to care for the dogs, & to keep the house & yard reasonably clean. If at all possible, get all of the dogs together for some short, low-stress visits in a neutral place (a park, a yard that does not "belong" to any of the dogs, a dogs allowed beach, etc.), so that they can all get to know each other BEFORE you all move into the one house. Make sure that all dogs are up to date on their vaccinations, neutered or spayed, checked for parasites, & kept on flea, tick, & heartworm preventative, up to & including the time that you are all living together. Remember that food, food & water bowls, chews & toys, dog beds, & their favorite people are very valuable resources to dogs. When you put several dogs together, they may feel the need to fight or compete for these resources. They may also feel the instinctive need to establish "pack order." Remember, dogs are distant descendants of wolves, & in a wolf or dog pack, there are leaders & underlings, & rank matters. So, get to know all of the dogs, their temperaments, & any issues that each dog has, before you move in. Feed dogs in separate places, have plenty of water bowls around, & supervise when toys, chews, & other valued items are being shared. You will probably all be fine, as long as the humans remain calm & in charge. The best tools for multiple dog situations are crates / cages appropriately sized for each dog, a sturdy, high fence in the yard (if possible), sturdy leashes to walk the dogs, good basic training given to each dog (preferably before moving in, but be flexible, as everyone has different ideas on training), & phone numbers for a regular local vet & an after-hours emergency vet clinic, kept right by the phone. Don't worry, it will be OK!

Answer 2

Too Many Dogs

Answer 3

I have 3 dogs, and it is expensive!!! I have a big dog (Rott), medium dog (15" Beagle) and a small dog (Scottish Terrier) and I spend a lot of money on dog food, vet bills, bones, dog beds, etc! I thought I knew what I was doing getting a third dog, but its a big deal! Lol. I should have stuck with two, but I love all three and I'm obviously keeping them! I'm also a stay-at-home mom, and I have a lot of time. I can't imagine owning more than two dogs if I worked a lot. As planned, my dogs are getting quite old now and will probably be seniors sleeping all the time by the time I get ready to go back to work. I would just get one or two dogs and see how it goes. Trust me! Four dogs is a lot!

Answer 4

Have these dogs visited together before? Do they get along? Males, females? One of them is going to try to be the alpha. We have 7 (that's right SEVEN) dogs! 2 rotti's, 2 chihuahuas, a peke, a min-pin and the all terrible, vicious, human flesh eating PITBULL! 3 are male and 4 are female. The alpha male is one of the rotti's and the alpha female is the oldest ***** - the peke. They ALL respect her! We have an acre and a 4,000sf home, 5 kids and everything here is chaotic - but loving. Our house doesn't smell like dog - they are all trained and very well behaved, and the dogs aren't so bad either! (wink, wink). I'm home all day and I think that makes a big difference. Hope someone will be able to stay with them during the day as they need that attention! Good Luck

Answer 5

With that much space, as long as the dogs get along okay, it shouldn't be a problem, IMHO. Just make sure that you keep things cleaned up, both in the house and in the yard. The biggest concern IMHO would be the amount of hair, and the amount of waste in the yard that could kill the lawn if you don't keep it cleaned up.

(trying not to imagine the logistics behind a boston terrier/black lab mix...)

Answer 6

I'd have to go with a no on that one. I four dogs right now three Border Collies and Sheltie and they all get along fine in fact were thinking of getting a couple more. As long as they get alnog with each other you should have no problem. But i'll tell there will be alot of dog hair, vaccuming triping and maybe even a naughty word or two. But Good Luck. and have fun

Answer 7

I go to boarding school and right now we have 3. In a 2 bedroom 1 bath dorm. We barely have a yard! We have a little patio with like 3 yards of grass for our backyard. I don't think it is to many!

Answer 8

well in my opinion i think it is substantial to have 4 dogs if you have a 1/3 acre yard, 5 bedrooms, and a three story house..so basically in your situation no.

Answer 9

no 4 dogs isn't to many I have 4 dogs 2 large breeds and 2 small breeds..just remember it takes a while for the dogs to get use to sharing a new house and person, give them time and work with them daily.. Good Luck

Answer 10

"Too many" may depend on the size of the house, that of the dogs, and of you people living in there. If all of you and the dogs are gigantic, yet the house is too small, I suggest someone moving out (either a number of dogs or people) or moving to a larger house.

Other factors to consider:
Are you lazy for "poop removal"?
Do all of you get along well?
Is the noise tolerable?
(Etc)