Dogs, Cats, and Other People by Matthew Margolis

When it comes to dogs, one isn't necessarily the loneliest number.

The "only dog" gets all the toys, all the turf and all of your attention. You may worry that all of your attention isn't enough, but dividing that attention by two, three or more only serves to shrink the only dog's piece of the pie.

For you, the dog owner, one dog means one mouth to feed, one series of vaccines to schedule and pay for each year, one personality to bond with, one body to exercise and one brain to train. Think long and hard before deciding to double or triple that. Multiple dogs mean more money, more time and, often, more trouble.

Have you ever noticed the domino effect of a single bark on a neighborhood? One dog barks, the dog next door responds, the two down the street chime in, setting off the one across the way… Now imagine all that under one roof — yours. Excessive barking is a common problem for the owners of multiple dogs.

Another problem is not having the time to give each dog sufficient individual attention. Whenever you bring home a dog, bonding is top priority. If you're starting from zero and decide to adopt two new puppies at the same time, that bonding must be done individually to be effective. Bonding won't work as a package deal. Dogs are pack animals. Given the choice, they'll bond with each other instead of you. That is their instinct.

With multiple dogs, multiply the work you have to do to establish yourself as the pack leader by the number of dogs. When people adopt dogs in pairs, one pup is inevitably more outgoing than the other. Shy dogs naturally gravitate toward their species, which means, if you haven't made the case for yourself as pack leader, they'll follow the other dog and all of his peccadilloes, for better or worse.

Two or three times the pooch also means two or three times the training.

You can't train them together because they'll distract each other. For example, if you have a responsive dog that is submissive to a stubborn dog, training will be that much harder because the responsive dog is more likely to follow his stubborn, dominant counterpart than your commands.

Food aggression is a common cause of dogfights in households with multiple dogs. This makes separate feeding areas for each dog a must. As with feeding areas, so with food bowls, water bowls, food and toys. Each dog must have his or her own chew toys, blankets, etc. Sharing, much like loneliness, is a human construct.

Taking all of that into consideration, if you are steadfast in your desire to own multiple dogs, there are ways to do it that will minimize the potential for regret. Here are a few:

— Adopt two dogs of the opposite sex. As with humans, dogs of the opposite sex don't have as much in common and, therefore, don't have as much to fight about. Owning dogs of the same sex increases the odds for dominance issues, particularly among female dogs.

— Along those lines, if you are going to get more than two dogs, go with one spayed female and two, three or more neutered males. Whenever possible, avoid having multiple female dogs under the same roof.

— Dogs should always be introduced to one another on neutral territory.

— If possible, space out the acquisition of new dogs by two or three years. This gives you the chance to bond with and train one dog at a time.

If you do it right, having a family that includes multiple dogs can be a source of enduring joy and entertainment. But it requires work and diligence to ensure that more really is merrier.

Woof!

Dog trainer Matthew "Uncle Matty" Margolis is co-author of 18 books about dogs, a behaviorist, a popular radio and television guest, and host of the PBS series "WOOF! It's a Dog's Life!" Read all of Uncle Matty's columns at the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com, and visit him at www.unclematty.com. Send your questions to dearuncle.gazette@unclematty.com or by mail to Uncle Matty at P.O. Box 3300, Diamond Springs, CA 95619.

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