How many dogs is "normal".... and how many are too many?

[Carlosmum]

We have 3, one each. All different shapes & sizes and with varying degrees of manners. Sometimes 3 is 2 too many particularly when the lurcher & 7 mth puppy (Romanian immigrant) start playing in the sitting room. Little cocker spaniel stays well out of the way on her dad's lap whisper growling if they come too close!

 

[Moobli]

Interesting question - "what is normal". Normal depends on your situation I suppose. I have three GSDs and a working sheepdog, my hubby currently has six working sheepdogs so between us we have ten dogs. That is a lot of dogs compared to most people but it is "our" normal as we need dogs for work as well as my companion/pets. We have had as many as 13 before but that included retired dogs (two now sadly gone) and pups coming into training. We live on a large sporting/agricultural estate with plenty of land for working and running the dogs and the majority of our dogs live in specially built kennels/runs. Ten dogs in a two up, two down in the centre of a city might seem less normal.

My personal ideal is probably one trained dog and a pup coming on, once the adult is starting to age. I like having a one to one relationship with my dogs and under which my breed seem to thrive. Not to mention training, travel, holidays etc are all easier with one dog.

 

[Moobli]

I do admit MoC I am currently debating swapping my car - now I am horseless and dont need to tow it seems mad to have a Discovery, but then there is the question of which car will easily fit 4 pointy hounds! I've had 4 in a Renault Clio before but it was very snug

I recently swapped my Toyota Hilux truck for a Volvo XC70 Estate, going specifically for a car with off road ability (needed where I live) and enough boot space for two adult GSDs. My hubby has a Landrover Defender and we have had multiples in the back before.

 

[Moobli]

We have 2, which suits us. We had 3 for a few weeks after Bo came and before we said goodbye to Aled. Having 2 much closer to age makes life a lot easier. Aled and Luna were being walked separately for quite a while as she needed far more exercise than he could cope with for the last few months. I also felt guilty taking her to the horses etc and leaving him at home to go out for a much shorter walk with OH.

Obviously, I would have been so happy to have 3 for much longer than we did, and if a 3rd desperately needed a home at some point in the future, and would fit in with these 2, then I wouldn’t hesitate.

I will say my life has become a lot easier going from 3 horses to 2, and not sure I would get a third again. Much as I miss my old boy, the reduction in work, as well as costs suits me.

So sorry to hear about Aled I have been away for too long. It's going to take me ages to catch up. You must take comfort from the fact you gave him a wonderful life in his twilight years x

 

[Moobli]

I am interested that your whippets would dispatch a mixi rabbit Levrier. Neither my whippets nor lurchers would touch them.
Clodagh, I was out riding with my lurcher who set off after a muntjac. I found her standing on a track, no deer to be seen, but the whole of her back was ripped open looking like raw meat. It was hell getting her home. I thought she had ripped it on wire. When I told the vets , they thought she must have caught the muntjac by a back leg and it turned round and sunk it’s teeth in her. Apparently they have two very long jagged teeth. The vets did a brilliant job , so much stitching but she was broken coated so the scarring never showed.
I was always terrified of muntjac after that and my next dog was a Flatcoated Retriever that could be trained not to chase things!

The GSDs and collies here will quickly kill (and often eat) rabbits - some with myxi, some not.