How many dogs do you consider too many?
We have three "outside dogs", two Golden Retrievers and a Basset Hound. They sleep in a heated doghouse in the garage and spend most of their time outside chasing squirrels and barking at deer, though they have been known to lay around in the breakfast room from time to time. Our fourth dog is a small "inside dog" who spends a lot of time gazing longingly out the window at the other dogs
*I'm* of the opinion that "small inside dog" needs a "little sister" to keep her company. My husband thinks having 5 dogs is ridiculous.
Anyone out there have 5 dogs? Or more?
I don't see a problem with it. We care for and love all of them.
{And sheesh we have 5 kids! lol}
How many dogs you can handle and properly take care of. That's how many. It also depends what your local laws are - in some places, home owners are only allow 2-3 pets. If you husband thinks that 5 dogs is too many, then he can't handle 5 dogs - so you will need to consider your husband.
I have a small inside dog and he is a lot happier when I got another small dog. So, sometimes it does work out better for a small dog to have a companion dog.
It sounds like you and your husband really need to talk through this to decide what is best for your household.
Well, it really depends on how many dogs you can actually handle at one time. When I was younger my parents were known to have three maybe more dogs at one time. However, the older i got the more my family realized that caring for so many dogs could be a whole lot of work. So now we tend to only have two dogs at one time and no more then that. Both of our dogs remain primarily outside, although they do come in on occasion.
As for you problem with your husband. I think it would be a good idea for the two of you to talk this out. You already have four dogs would one more, and a small breed at that really make that much of a difference?
Personally, I think three dogs would be difficult to handle. I've never had more than one dog and that was hard enough just from keeping up with their daily activity. If you have a partner that would be willing to help out then the more the merrier. If you are the sole owner then it's best to have one dog. I can't see myself chasing after three dogs. I love them but they're a handfull.
What more when your husband meets my family. My mom has 5 dogs herself (and she lives alone!). My sister on the other hand has 10 (3 of which are personally mine). Fortunately for us (since I am currently staying with her), the place is big and wide. Some of them live in the third floor, others on the 2nd floor and 2 are at the ground floor. All of them are experts in climbing the stairs. The ones on the ground floor are the most well behaved ones because they know to come home and are well-mannered. The one in the second floor is my dog. She's well trained reason why she was placed in that area. The rambunctious ones are in the third floor (the bolter and the unpredictable aggressor).
It's quite expensive to take care of all of them. Most of my earnings actually end up being spent on them, but I make sure they're all in good shape as there's no point taking care of too many dogs when you can't afford it. I am just glad I'm not the only one who loves them. We have 2 other help who take care of other owner-related responsibilities which is why it's not as tiring as it should be. Financially, I and my sister, work the expenses out.
It depends on you, personally, and how many animals/dogs you think that you are capable of taking care of. It also helps to check your local laws about how many pets is legal, in your state, as Molly said. That being said, though? My household currently has four dogs, three of which are inside/outside dogs and one of which is a full-time outside dog, and we've never had a problem with keeping up with them/taking care of them. They're all very well loved and cared for!
Personally, I have had three dogs at one time and things were busier and messier for us. We have 4 people in our house, two of them kids who don't want to help with animals much. When our older dog passed, we just stayed with the two we had left. They are wonderful, but I don't see us getting a third or more. I want to be able to take care of their vet bills and everything else.
So you should really ask yourself if you can spend time with and financially care for all 5 dogs. Not to mention cleaning up after them. The flying fur in the house is the hardest for us to manage!
I've got four dogs, and it works out fine. I also have several other pets. Mind you, I also live in the country with a large backyard and house. The dogs go for a walk all the time and they all go into their crates when we have to leave the house. We simple say, "bedtime!" and they all cuddle up in their crates till we get home. We only have one large dog, the rest are small and therefore easier to manage. Its easy to fit them in the house, take them in the care, and walk them. We have no financial problems so we can afford to take care of all these pets.
How many dogs is too many? That depends on you. Some people think two are a handful. It also depends on the dog. Do you have three rambunctious dogs that make a mess and aren't very well trained? Or, do you have three large but well behaved dogs who aren't much of a hassle to take care of.
Obviously as most people here have said, it depends on the person. I agree that however many you can take proper care of should be fine, but definitely stop way short of being one of those crazy animal hoarders. Dogs need a lot of care, exercise, and attention. Please be sure not to take on more than you can handle. I just have one myself, which is plenty for me.
Famous dog specialist Cesar Millan has 30 dogs in his home. In my opinion it depends on how much space you have for them to run around as well as where they can sleep comfortably and hang out. You also need to be able to walk them daily for exercise so however much you can handle. Letting them run around is not the same thing, they need to walk with a purpose. Financially they need to be fed, taken to the vet and groomed so if you can support them in these ways it's really just your limit.
