The Cons About Living with Multiple Dogs

Don't get me wrong, I adore having a large pack! I wouldn't have it any other way and life with just one dog wouldn't cut it for me, but there are things I miss about having just Winry, the first of the pack, and things that are very frustrating about having more than one. Even more so than the obvious and first on the list, which is money. If one dog costs a certain amount, you can bet that a second dog will most likely double that! Now, over the years and with many foster dogs coming and going, I have plenty of supplies to where I can bring home a new dog or puppy and not spend a cent on things like bowls, collars, leashes, toys, etc; however, they still raise your cost in total with eating extra food and the big whammy—vet bills. Don't let that deter you, though! Having a second, third, fourth, fifth, or sixth dog is very rewarding and worth it in every way, but that isn't what this post is about, is it?

For me personally, I miss spoiling Winry. I miss bringing home a toy and watching her get excited and play with it all day. While that still happens, it's not the same. Perhaps she likes it better this way, but there's no way for me to know. Now, if I bring home a single toy, I have six wagging tails waiting for it. Yes, they are happy and yes, they play with it, but it's different. I can also do a toy per dog, which only works about half the time, as they usually drop whatever I gave them to try and take from someone else. This also raises the cost and goes right back to money. This applies for everything too, not just toys. I would bring home a bone, a bully stick, or a random snack, but now, I either bring enough for everyone, or she has to be locked away to eat it, which is rarely the case. I would say I miss my alone time with her, but we get plenty of that. I take her out, even if she isn't working, usually alone. Sometimes Juniper comes and a few times Bryer, but it's mostly just my girl and I and the other dogs don't seem to mind that at all.

I think my biggest annoyance with having multiple dogs is training. Obviously, you should do individual training and I did that; however, when you ask one of them to do something, they all do it. For example, if I say "Winry, come," then more often than not, Juniper and Bigby come too. If I release someone with an "Ok," especially if I forget their name before saying the command, everyone releases. It leads to a lot of confusion and frustration. I understand this requires more training and more obedience between each dog, as they have the ability to only listen if their name is called, but that requires a lot of work and a lot of time, which I am willing to (and do) put in, but that doesn't take away from the fact I wish it wasn't a problem in the first place.

Traveling is also much more difficult when you have more than one dog. With Winry, we just brought her everywhere and didn't worry about it. Hell, we didn't even put much thought into it, but with the pack... I need a bigger vehicle if I want to comfortably and safely bring them all somewhere. Usually, we have to take two cars, and even that can be cramped. This also goes for traveling without the dogs. Again, Winry would just come with us, but now we have to find someone to watch our zoo or pay for them to all be boarded, which would be a lot. It means we can't go places as often as maybe we would if we didn't have so many dogs and makes creating plans a bit more complicated. Despite it all, though, I wouldn't trade having multiple dogs for anything and I know Winry wouldn't either! I know I was born to have this many animals and while there are challenges, you learn to adapt and you figure it out!