I can not believe the number of households I work with at Heide’s Pet Care that have more than one dog. For those of you, I commend you as this is a lot of work and a lot of cares that need to be administered. There are some things I’d like to point out that I see happening in some homes that may affect the behaviors of your dogs.
Dogs like people have individual attributes
Sometimes these attributes are overlooked, especially if there is a hierarchy, dominant dog down to 2-3. Some households have a problem with negative traits, timid, aggressiveness, fearful, jealousy.
Some of you who are already clients of Heide’s Pet Care have heard me endorse spending time alone with one dog at a time. You may actually witness new positive traits and appreciate the different characteristics of each dog. On the other side of the coin, you may also recognize some negative traits that need to be corrected.
For those of you who have a significant other, take turns taking one dog for a walk while the other plays with the other dog and then rotate the next time. Do this a couple of times in a week and then take both the following week and stay with the program. Having each dog spending one-on-one time rotating with both humans, the risk of doggie and human favoritism should decrease.
If there is jealousy amongst the dogs favoring a certain human this exercise is very important. By rotating activities with your dogs allows you to realize that perhaps a certain dog may not enjoy being together so much with their siblings. Constant duo walks, play, cuddles, baths, doggie parks, sleep, eating and other activities may not be making this dog happy.
What are one-on-one activities?
The one-on-one activity of choice could be mind-challenging games, human contact, or a hike in the woods. Find out what each dog’s positive traits are, their likes and passions and capitalize on it. You may also find out with offering them one-on-one attention that the negative behaviors they may be demonstrating is because the multi-dog family is overwhelming for them and their acting out is not aggressive in nature but they may have no other way to release frustration.
Think of it this way… if your parent’s treated you exactly like your siblings or you had to be with your siblings 24/7 how would you feel? Also, keep in mind that each multi-dog family is different and each scenario is different AND the fun is enjoying different things with EACH dog.
Yes, this is not quicker and not always convenient but find what works and ask your partner to help. You may find another source of relaxation, new topics to talk about and new things to do!!! Get the family and some friends involved too!
Curious as to how Heide’s Pet Care solutions will work for you? Contact me for more information or scheduling.