Having more than one dog is a wonderful way to live, surrounded by happy, waggy pooches. They make your mornings that bit brighter.
Over 25% of dog owners have more than one dog, and it’s a pleasure to be the human parents to these balls of fun, but there’s more to it than just more paws! You need to consider the behaviour of dogs as a pack; they all have different wants, needs, quirks and characters, and it's likely you’ll have dogs at different life stages, with different health needs.
So, how do you manage a multi-dog house, and what can you do to make it easier?
Managing multiple dogs - Keeping the calm
Sometimes, you’ll look around the room, and it’ll be a tranquil sea of snoozing dogs; other times…utter chaos. And sometimes chaos is fine, but if you have an older dog, or one with mobility worries, bolshy behaviour can be scary.
Maintaining as calm an environment as possible for your crew is key to preventing it from bubbling over and potentially making life difficult for your older dogs…and you.
Keeping calm in common stress areas of multi-dog households
Feeding Time
One wolfs it down, one is delicate and slow, so gets their food stolen, and another takes it away to hide. Dinnertime can be tricky. Feed each dog separately where possible, in different rooms, behind a baby gate, or in their crate, for example. This reduces competition between your dogs and makes mealtimes calmer.
Coming in and out
It’s time to go out to the toilet, and everyone is bouncing, raring to go. This can trigger aggression between dogs and be difficult for those with joint stiffness, as they’re likely to be pushed around.
Work on your pack’s “wait” training, so that everyone is sat calmly before the door opens. Take it a notch further by teaching each dog a release command, so that you let each one go separately and avoid the crush to get through the door.
Resource Guarding
Always ensure you have enough of everything to keep everyone happy. Multiple water bowls and comfy beds, toys, and snacks. Keeping things even helps to keep the peace. Try not to eat on the sofa in front of them, as they’ll be vying for the closest crumb-drop-spot, and where possible, don’t let them join you at bedtime, as you and the best snooze spot will become the resource to be argued over.
Bedtime
Although they’ll all settle down for the night, it's often useful to have dedicated sleep spaces for each dog. That may be by room, or by using crates. An older dog with joint stiffness may move down the pecking order and end up being pushed off the comfiest spots that support their joints. It's important to ensure they have a supportive, comfortable bed every night to help them get enough rest and feel comfortable for the day ahead.
The mobility gap - When one dog is full speed while the other is slowing down
In most multi-dog households, there is an age range, sometimes quite a large one if you add a pup to the mix with an older dog. How do you manage when one dog is active and needs lots of exercise, but the other has joint stiffness and needs to take life a little more slowly?
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Tailor your exercise
Stiff dogs still need to exercise. Keeping them as active and mobile as possible is one of the best ways to support them, but you need to be mindful of what they can manage and tailor the length of your walks. You may find you need to pop in an extra walk for your younger dog so your stiffer dog doesn’t overdo it.
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Brain games
Never underestimate the power of a brain game. Of course, physical exercise is vital to all dogs, but if your older dog has had a busy day and isn’t up to another walk, then play a game. Give them a snuffle mat, or play “find it”. Keeping their brain busy can be just as exhausting as keeping their body busy. Learn more about the art of play here.
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Book a dog field
Secure dog fields are everywhere now, and most places have one available to rent within an easy drive. For an average of £10 per hour, they’re perfect for multi-dog households. You can let all the dogs out for a run. Your older dog can potter around at their own pace while you focus on more intense play with the younger one. Most fields even have basic agility equipment for you to explore.
There are also plenty of ways to make your home more senior dog-friendly. Check out our 5 tips here.
A pack in the kitchen - Feeding different-aged dogs
Dinner time is probably your pack’s favourite time of day, but with dogs of different ages, it's great to consider what you’re feeding them and how.
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Joint stiffness isn’t always just in their legs, often they’ll feel it through their back and neck, too, so consider feeding your dogs from raised bowls to take some of the pressure off their spine. This is great advice for all your dogs, but particularly useful for your golden oldies.
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Speak to a nutritionist or your vet to check each dog is getting the right food for their situation. It’s easy to feed them all the same, but each life stage has different needs, and it's important that you’re delivering the right nutrients for each of your furry family members.
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To keep things calm and avoid lots of excited bounding into each other, it’s useful to feed your dogs in different areas of the house where possible. This stops them from crashing into each other in anticipation of incoming yummies!
Bridging the gap - Antinol for a multi-dog household
Keeping your older or stiffer dogs in peak condition will likely need extra support from a powerful joint supplement. But joint support isn’t just an old dog issue. It’s super important to maintain your dog’s joint health throughout their life to keep them mobile, active and agile right into their senior years.
AntinolⓇ Joint Care Pro supports dogs from 12 weeks old, right through their life.
Healthy joints mean a life of happiness and adventure together, so no matter your pack's age, a capsule each per day will support your whole pack's joint, skin, coat, and brain health.
Learn more about proactive wellness for your dogs here.
A pack for your pack!
Now AntinolⓇ comes in 360 and 720 capsule packs, perfect for your multi-dog household—it’ll keep them going for months! For an average 3-dog household, a 720 pack could last 4-8 months. Plus, with our hassle-free subscription service, you won’t need to keep reordering; it will be delivered on your schedule. Easy peasy!
