![]() ![]() ![]() My daily motivation is to help first-time dog owners be better prepared from the first day your new puppy enters your home. (And just because I love animals so much, I also worked at a Zoo for awhile!) I’ve been sharing my best ideas with others by blogging full-time since 1998 (the same year that Google started… and before the days of Facebook and YouTube). Professionally, I worked at a vet and have several friends who are veterinarians - whom I consult with regularly. I’ve always trained my own dogs and help friends train theirs, as well. I’m a lifelong dog owner - currently have 2 mixed breed Golden Aussies that we found abandoned on the side of the road as puppies. I like to help Dog Parents find unique ways to do things that will save time & money - so I write about “outside the box” Dog Tips and Dog Hacks that most wouldn’t think of. Start doing this when your dog is a puppy, and continue this practice every few months throughout the life of your dog. TIP: From the first day a new dog enters your home, you should show them who’s boss when it comes to food! Pass your hands through the food pellets in his bowl while he’s eating to show him it’s okay for others to be in his food. (We use this gravity-fed 2.5 gallon dog water bowl.) Our current dogs have no issues - as long as there’s a “community water bowl” in between their two food bowls. Our first dogs had to be completely separated while eating and their food stations were in different rooms. Other times, it will be perfectly okay to keep them in the same room - just on opposite walls or something. Sometimes, it may be necessary to place one dog’s bowls in one room (like a bathroom) and the other dog’s bowls in a different room (another bathroom, bonus room, etc). To prevent food aggression from happening, dogs should have their food area and their own food bowls. More about this: What Can I Do About Dog Resource Guarding? #3 – Food Bowls Otherwise, you could face some food aggression during play time - which will likely get worse over time.īe proactive by teaching your dog to “drop it” and “take it.” This teaches a dog to give things to you and not claim them for their own. TIP: With “treat toys” (like Kongs), which combine playing with eating, always have a separate toy of this type for each dog in the house. (Here are some tips to prevent resource guarding in a multi-dog household.) Watch for resource guarding behaviors by the older dog. ![]() Chances are, the older dog won’t even be interested in the new toys because age-appropriate puppy toys will likely bore an older dog. In a short time, that dog will “allow” your new dog to play with these dog toys on their own - especially since these were never his toys to begin with. Give these to the older dog to sniff and approve first. The day you bring a new dog into your home, you should also bring home a couple of brand new (never before played with by other dogs) toys as well. More about this: How To Teach Your Dog To Sleep In A Specific Place #2 – Dog Toys If you are really dead set against using crates, set aside rooms or areas blocked off with baby gates or exercise pens. Even if you are planning on allowing the dogs to sleep outside of their crates or have the run of the home when you are away, crates are useful when dogs need a little “alone time.” It’s a good idea to start to condition your current dog to being alone in the crate with Kongs or other “food toys” so they start to get the idea that things can be good when they are alone. The little puppy still enjoys his pillow at night! The other two dogs use their pillows more as napping places during daytime hours.)ĭogs need to have their own “space,” which is why I am a proponent of crates: especially for multi-dog households. And the other, the largest, has completely monopolized our bed. (Okay, one dog has since given up the pillow for the cool linoleum floor in the adjoining bathroom. Now, when we tell our dogs to “go to bed” at night, each dog rushes to their respective pillow. After that, each dog gets their own dog pillow. (Actually, it’s usually closer to when they turn one year of age - when we can fully trust them to roam alone in the house). TIP: We crate train each of our dogs until they are housebroken. Whether that be a dog pillow, a crate, or a separate room, each dog should have their own personal and private place where they can retreat and be alone whenever they want to - and whenever you need to them. Each Dog Should Have Its Own… #1 – Sleeping Area That way, you will have a better understanding of your dogs’ behaviors and the way they interact with one another.Īfter that, there are a few things you can do to ease the process of introducing your dogs to one another, while at the same time fostering your love for each of them individually.įollowing are some quick tips for raising happy dogs in a multi-dog household. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |