One of the most hectic parts about multiple dog households is the down time when the dogs are playing and entertaining themselves. In order for dogs to be integrated into our lives, they need to be able to entertain themselves for a small period of time. This should not be the primary source of stimulation they get though, otherwise you can run into fence running and barking, resource guarding of rooms and furniture, and dogs that just don’t seem very attached to you.
The first thing to do is assess the number and variety of toys that are out. It also requires you to know your dog’s play habits.My variety of toys is having many different types of Nylabones laying about with all different shapes and textures. Since I know Shimmer very well,she will chew to pieces any Kongs, tug ropes, or stuffed animals I give her to play with. And like any good lab, she will eat them. These toys might be appropriate for your dog though, so experiment, with supervision of course. This will dictate what sort of toys you have down for them. I like to have about 3-4 toys per dog. To me, this prevents resource guarding and aggressive behavior around toys. If one of my dogs take a toy, they just move on to the next one. There are too many toys to guard so the stress of guarding them will make them give up easily.
Using toys that have food filled centers are not toys that dogs should have without supervision. This is once again to prevent any potentially aggressive behavior from forming. Most dogs also naturally put a high value on food which also makes it necessary to watch them. If you see snapping, hackles raised (hair on the back), or very stiff body posture, it’s time to remove that food stuffed toy. Deer antlers and other real animal bone products should also not be given without supervision. If I get deer antlers, my dogs are in their kennels chewing them, just to keep everyone safe and happy. A lot of people complain about the chemical treatments in rawhide bones, and while they are chemically treated all to hell, my beef with rawhides is that they are messy and make my dogs dirty.
Because most of your dog’s stimulation is coming from interactions with you and not this community play time we’ve been discussing, it’s not entirely necessary for your dogs to be free roaming. I’ve listed so many problems that can come with free roaming dogs that it almost makes it harder to let them free roam than it does to keep them contained. Consider using a kennel if you can’t directly watch your dog. Put a toy or two in with them so it is less like going to sleep and more like a different type of play time. I know most people still feel guilty about the crate (get over it!), so teaching your dog to lay down on a mat and stay there is another good alternative. Put some toys on the mat and now you have safe, unsupervised play time.
I would not consider it the end of the world if a multi-dog household had dogs that were not very attached to their people. Like most problems a dog is perceived to have, well intentioned people have actually taught that behavior. What two dogs being attached to each other more than people shows me is that those two dogs are not receiving enough stimulation or attention from their people. They receive more attention from one another, encouraging the bond. The easiest way to counteract this: do some more training and playing. Tug-of-war is my favorite team building exercise with dogs. You can even get multi-way ropes with three ends. This is a simulation of tearing prey apart, a group activity designed to make food easier to eat. Now, modern house pet dogs are not wolves and we should not attribute wolf or pack mentalities to house pet dogs. Tug is simply a relic from those thousands of years of breeding. Tug is not a dominance behavior and will not encourage your dog to “show dominance.”
This entry is shorter than the rest because it’s rather simple. If you trust your dogs unsupervised in the house, make sure there are enough toys to occupy them. If they make too much noise or they are untrustworthy, have them in a kennel with toys or on a mat with toys.
Know your dog. Just because you have an idea of what a dog should be doesn’t mean your dog is capable of that. Be honest with your reality and accept what your dog can do.
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