Multiple dog owners--do you crate them? Advice needed.........

LauraMax

LauraMax

Cathlete
And if yes, how? Do each have their own crates or do you have one giant crate?

Our local pug rescue has an adorable 5 YO female (Roxie) who's housebroken. Her owner had to give her up b/c the other dog in the home mistreated her & evidently hurt her. I'm seriously considering adopting her b/c Max has been very distant since Cosmo passed & I kind of feel like he doesn't love me anymore. So I'm considering adopting Roxie so 1) somebody loves me & 2) Max has the companionship he needs.

My major concern is Max is crate trained & he really does seem to love his crate. Do I get a 2nd crate for Roxie? Or do I get rid of Max's crate & get a giant one so they can spend the day together? Or do I get rid of the crates entirely?

The latter doesn't seem like the best option b/c it's Max's space & he should keep his own space. On the other hand, the major reason I'd get another dog is so he'd have company since I'm at work so much, doesn't seem to make sense to separate them during the day. And I am concerned about putting them both in one crate--what if they don't get along & I come home one day to find they've bitten each other? The very thought petrifies me.

Maybe I could just keep Max's crate, leave it open & let them do whatever suits them best when I'm not home? That way he'd still have his "safe place" & the companionship too.

Also, what about the feeding thing? I guess they'd have separate bowls--I always kept Cosmo's & Max's food bowls in separate rooms b/c Cosmo would always scarf up Max's dinner. I'm wondering if I could put both bowls in the kitchen, just at other ends of the room?

What do you guys think? I really think we're both ready for a new dog, but I'm really worried about the crate thing.
 
Hi Laura,

I'd get them separate crates. I don't think it's a good idea to put two dogs together in one big crate unattended, just in case scuffle broke out, that could be really bad. I think it'd also be good for both to have their own space.

Definitely use separate food bowls. As long as the new girl doesn't have any serious food aggression issues (the rescue should have some info on that), you should be able to feed them in opposite ends of the room so neither feels threatened while they're getting to know each other. If the rescue doesn't have any background on food aggression/possessiveness, it might be prudent to feed them in separate rooms until everyone is more familiar.

Here's an article from the Canine Behavior Series on adding a second dog. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=2465&S=1&SourceID=47

Good luck on your new additions. We expect pictures!! :)
 
I think I would start with separate crates. The new dog won't know the boundries and will need her own place to adjust. Max may not want to share his personal space with her right way. With my two I have to feed them separately because Sunshine will push Breeze away and then they end up playing ring around the rosey with the food bowls.

Jean
 
We have always had 2 dogs and they have been crate trained. Each dog has his own crate and they are side by side in my bedroom. We would just leave the doors open when we were at home. But the dogs always preferred for the crates to be shut at nite. Their bowls are both in the kitchen and spaced somewhat apart but not at opposite ends. Can you bring your dog to meet Roxie before you actually adopt her? That is always a good idea and you can see what they think of each other. Good luck and I hope it works out for you and Roxie finds a good home and Max finds a buddy.
 
RE: Multiple dog owners--do you crate them? Advice nee...

I agree - definitely 2 crates and 2 bowls. I have three dogs and they all have their own crate, blankie, pillow etc... It's THEIR space. As far as the bowls, I have 3 bowls and believe it or not all three dogs know exactly which bowl is theirs and they know not to touch the other two. They do share the water bowl though:

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1622/8576065/15919604/263709627.jpg
 
OK, so 2 crates. I was leaning toward just leaving Max's crate & letting them both roam free, & hopefully eventually eliminating the crate entirely--they do take up quite a bit of space but I happen to have room right next to Max's crate. Maybe I just take the cover off Max's crate & get a big cover that'll fit over both so they'll still be hanging out together while I'm not there?

Max & Roxie would definitely meet before a decision was made on both sides. The rescue requires a home visit so it'd give Max the opportunity to meet her on his own turf. He, of course, has the final say. ;)
 
RE: Multiple dog owners--do you crate them? Advice nee...

My pooches aren't crated, but I can definitely see how two crates would work better, at least at first until they establish their boundaries and get to know each other. I don't free feed and my dogs each have their own bowl. They get fed once in the morning and once at night and I put their bowls right next to each other, which has never been a problem. Sadie cleans Gilbert's out after he's done. You know, just in case he missed any:p They share a water bowl.
 
RE: Multiple dog owners--do you crate them? Advice nee...

I would get two crates, so they have their own area if they want to. You will see how it works out and how they get along.

I have 3 crates but I have 5 dogs now. Scooter and Tuxedo were both pretty young when I got them and they are inseperable, when I do crate them, they usually run together into one crate and it has worked out well. The puppies are together in one crate as well. It may change down the road though. However, other than at night none of my dogs are in a crate longer than a couple of hours.

Are you going to post a picture of Roxie? We have to see a picture!!

Just one thing, you may want to have the first meeting on "neutral" territory, not inside your house, maybe in a park or outside your house. Most dogs are pretty protective of their territory and it may cause them to not get along initially. When I introduce a new dog, I always take them for a long walk together or take them to the park/dog park together. Didn't do it with the new puppies and I have had some problems with Scooter being a grump with the pups.
 
RE: Multiple dog owners--do you crate them? Advice nee...

For some reason I can't copy & paste pics on the internet. Try this link:

http://search.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=9029314

Now, she was just posted 3 days ago & I'm pretty sure I'll have some competition, but I decided to go for it. I think Max & I both need her right now.

Carola, I think I prefer the meeting be in Max's territory. I want to make sure Roxie is submissive enough for him. Max is definitely an alpha dog (or at least he thinks he is) & I can't disrupt his life any more than it has been over the last year. He is & shall remain king of our castle. :p If he reacts badly Roxie will have to find another home (which I'm sure will not be a problem, she is SO cute!).

But he's used to having another animal around & frankly I've never ever seen him be grumpy with any human or animal. He's very good natured, he thinks the world is his playground & everything in it exists to please him.
 
RE: Multiple dog owners--do you crate them? Advice nee...

What a cutie! I love the tongue. From her description, it sounds like she has a pretty sweet disposition.
 
Roxie is a cutie!
Max and Roxie : sounds like a good match!

I don't have dogs, but a close friend has always had multiples. New dogs are crated (in the middle of the living room, where they can be part of the action), but older ones aren't. If she had to crate more than one, they'd be in separate crates, but next to each other---so they'd have both their own private space and some company.

As others have said, separate food bowls are a must. Water bowl can be shared.
 
I would do seperate crates. Dogs veiw crates as their "cave"/own personal space. It might create friction between the two dogs if they have to share. My dog was a wreak when she was home alone before she got a friend. We used to crate her but once we got another dog she stopped chewing up the whole house. We also give our dogs seperate food dishes.
 
Laura,

As an animal rescuer for ten years who has introduced many foster dogs into a five dog home (a very intimidating situation for any new dog), I can unequivocally say that you SHOULD NOT introduce them on Max's territory. It is very intimidating and scary for a new dog to come into another dog's home. Even if Roxie is completely submissive, she will still feel intimidated, out-of-place and possibly scared. What you should do is have someone walk with Roxie on a leash in a neutral area. Then, you come walking with Max but on the opposite side of the street and do not make contact with Roxie. Let them see each other but no conotact. Let them walk like that for a bit. After that, start walking with the other person and Roxie but don't communicate (just have them walking side by side). Then, finally, let them interact. This way, the introduction is gradual. Then, take them both to Max's house (if all goes well with the introduction). It's a lot of work (easier just to bring Roxie into the house and see what happens), but it will be better for both Max and Roxie. I even brought a dog that at adoptions was aggressive with other dogs into my home using this method and everyone got along extremely well. THis dog would growl and lunge at dogs at adoptions, but the gradual introduction of my dogs on neutral territory made him feel he did not have to defend/protect himself.

As for crating, I don't think a housetrained adult dog needs to be in a crate all day. They don't get any exercise. Why don't you leave the crate open when you are home and see how much Max chooses to go in it after he realizes that the door will remain open? I think h is used to the crate but given a choice would rather have the freedom to decide where e wants to be. To me (and this is just my opinion), crating a dog for 8+ hours is just like boarding them. They are in a cage and not allowed to move freely. Especially with multiple dogs...they can't interact with each other. I have never crated my dogs (except when housetraining) and I don't crate my foster dogs.

Regarding bowls, I free-feed. None of my dogs are really motivated by food and free-feeding decreases the chances of bloat. I have numerous bowls for water and food and they eat from whichever one they want. They never eat all the food I put out and there are times I don't have to refill their bowls (five of them) for days. Of course, none of my dogs are big eaters or food-aggressive so it works.

These are the things that have worked for me.
 
Lorie - if I free-fed my two, Gilbert would waste away and Sadie would be fat as a tick:p He's not food-motivated at all, but she starts licking her lips as soon as you go near the kitchen or the closet where the treats are. It's hilarious.

Oops.... sorry to hijack!
 
I absolutely agree that there arae MANY dogs that free-feeding would not work with. In fact, some dogs will eat and eat until they get sick. I am lucky that none of mine are really food-motivated (although they are treat-motivated). I also think that if you start it when they are young and they figure out that the food is not going away, they will get used to it being ther all the time and not scarf it down. I do think "grazing" is better for them, but if they can't control themselves around food (like the way I absolutely can't control myself around sweets) then you shouldn't do it.
 
OK, thanks for the advice. I'll give in & maybe meet them in a park--there's one about 2 blocks away (of course it's illegal to bring dogs into our parks but I think I can get away w/it since I'm tight w/the police chief ;) ).

I typically don't crate Max all day. I crate him in the morning & when I go home for lunch I leave him out--usually he'll go back in on his own but I won't shut the door.

Oh well, we'll see what happens. I emailed the pug rescue yesterday & haven't heard back, Roxie might have already been adopted & all this could be for nothing. :-(
 
I'm writing without reading any responses - sorry if this repeats.

Get two crates, one each, the perfect size for each of them. Get two sets of bowls. That way, they each have their own space. You'll find that they trade off sometimes (I'd find the wrong dog in the wrong crate all the time), but they don't need to fight for a crate (generally) and have somewhere to go.

For the bowls, I'd feed them at opposite ends of the room. Monitor the first few days but then let them work it out. You might find that one eats the other's leftovers. It all comes out even after a while. My female used to grab her bowl and take it into her kennel so my male didn't bother her!

Unless they fight hard, just let it work itself out. Sometimes a little growling works out all the issues :)

Good luck!
 
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