Is having 3 dogs mad?

[WillowLowery]

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Hello,

I currently have a lovely working line Male English Springer Spaniel. He’s very obedient, and participates in agility courses. We currently don’t have any kids, although plan to within 2-4 years time, he’s amazing with other dogs and kids, only bad thing is he has a desire to shower any kid he sees in kisses. He’s currently about 2 and half years old, and gets at least 2 hours free running in the fields/parks everyday, and weekends are spent at national trust places, or at the lake or beach. Me and my OH have our hearts set of two breeds of dog, a border collie and some sort of small/medium lurcher (I know, not a really a breed). We would like to get both breeds of dog at some point in the future, both would be about 2 years apart from eachother. However, we have some questions. Is having 3 dogs mad? Especially with hopes of having children in the future, although of course, they will either both be before the children, or one of them after having the first child. I am fully prepared to have 3 dogs along with a baby, it’s just whether it’s a mad idea? I believe we are able to have all these dogs and meet all their requirements, however want confirmation that we wouldn’t be put in a case of having to return one. I know it’s hard to generalise, but do these breeds typically get along? Would it be better to have 2 females and 1 Male, or 2 males and 1 female? Are lurchers obedient? Which one of the two breeds would be better to get first?

 

[Kara 1]

For the past 10 yrs we have had 5 dogs and sometimes a foster dog ...and grandchildren
Its been hard work ...had lurchers and jack russells for the past 30 yrs ...some lurcher mixes are obedient some not ...two of my three have very high prey drive and unless you can walk them in parks where no deer are you may not see them for a while ...all 3 of my lurchers wear muzzles whilst offlead as we have alot of deer around here ....they are amazing with children ...my favourite of the lurcher crosses are the bull lurcher...we have had our bull lurcher from a 12wk pup discarded from ireland ....
When our lurchers depart (they are 11,9 and 8 ) i will not be getting another ...
We will stick to 2 smaller dogs ....
I have 4 dogs and 1 bitch ....if i were you i would have 2 dogs and a bitch but i know people who have 3 bitches and 3 dogs ...
Are you thinking of getting pups or older rescue dogs ....i dont think it matters which breed you get first. .

 

[JudyN]

Are lurchers obedient?

Ummm, it depends what you ask them to do.... Ask a lurcher to sit, then stand, and he'll think 'What a waste of time' and go off and have a snooze instead, and who can blame him? They do like their comfort (i.e. sofa and your bed).

And herein lies the biggest difference between lurchers and collies. Ask a collie to sit and then stand and he'll do it, then say 'Gimme more! That was easy! Can you throw in some simultaneous equations as well?'

Training also takes different approaches. Collies generally want to please and will look to you for direction and approval, which makes training a lot easier. Lurchers are much more independent and you need to work at their level, finding what is rewarding for them and, because they can be very sensitive, not push them hard. You need to be very aware of their differences - often they aren't comfortable in a sitting position. If I ask mine to sit he will, but his bum comes straight back up again once I get the treat out and that's fine by me. I used to ask him to sit before crossing roads. Using the same approach on both is like sculpting in marble and in clay - if you use your hands to shape the marble and a chisel for clay, you're not going to get great results.

Plus, 'lurcher' translates as 'thieving cur'. However well trained, don't expect to leave your dinner unattended and for it to be there when you get back. And though there are lurchers who can be recalled off a deer/rabbit/squirrel, they are few and far between, so you have to learn to spot that moment when their head lifts and their ear twitches and you know you have 1 millisecond to get them on lead.

Now, if you got a collie x lurcher, it would be more like a collie - but it might just be able to hatch incredibly cunning plans for solving the combination lock you've had to put on your fridge door.

Some lurchers do do agility & flyball, and can be very good at it. But they can also get overexcited, belt round the course in whatever order they feel like, introduce themselves to the judge and ask if he has any treats, jump out of the enclosure and head at 40mph for the burger van. They might not get many points but the crowd will be a whole lot more entertained!!

Lurchers on the whole (depending on background) are good with other dogs, though they often tend to be reserved - a quick friendly sniff, then back to mooching. Though they often love playing chase - particularly being chased as then they are generally in control of the game. And if they do play, they often enjoy 'bitey face' and nipping the back of the next, which other dogs (and more so their owners) can be rather unhappy about. They love their own as well - they can ignore every dog they pass, then spot a sighthound - anything from a whippet to a deerhound - in the distance and really want to go over and say hello like long-lost friends.

Can you tell I'm a lurcher person? I wouldn't want a collie myself - too intense - but yes, you can have both. You just need to be very sensitive to the different approaches they need. (Sorry if I've gone on a bit)

 

[Biker John]

Can only echo what JudyN said about sight hounds. We have had Border Collies in the past and brilliant dogs they were but they NEEDED to do something, Sight hounds only realy need to run then rest in the most comfortable place their is. I had to quickly learn that training a Whippet was totally different to training the Collies. And yes I think thieving any food is in their DNA, I think most sight hound owners have often said 'Where has that gone' when looking where some food used to be. With children in general they are good.

 

[Kara 1]

My lurcher girl is deerhound x bearded collie x saluki whippet. ...
She would have done well in agility is the most obedient lurcher i have had ..has Never stolen food even when left beside her. ...has little or no prey drive ...she is loving and loyal and is one of my only lurchers that can sit when asked (the others go into the lay down )
I must admit i would always have more than one lurcher as they definitely know there own kind and play differently to all other breeds ...

 

[merlina]

I've had a lurcher (lab x whippet) who was obedient...up to a point. Hares or the scent of deer- forget it. Just wondering though. Two dogs plus baby buggy are doable...though I remember my sister and small nephew progressing at speed not always voluntarily. But pushchair and three dogs? Hmmm...

 

[Teddy560]

I have two small children and an 8 month pup. I know you can babywear etc. But the reality of watching just one dog and children is difficult. I have my hands full with both toddlers and the dog and definitely couldn't safely have another on walks etc.

 

[Barnyboy]

Hello,

I currently have a lovely working line Male English Springer Spaniel. He’s very obedient, and participates in agility courses. We currently don’t have any kids, although plan to within 2-4 years time, he’s amazing with other dogs and kids, only bad thing is he has a desire to shower any kid he sees in kisses. He’s currently about 2 and half years old, and gets at least 2 hours free running in the fields/parks everyday, and weekends are spent at national trust places, or at the lake or beach. Me and my OH have our hearts set of two breeds of dog, a border collie and some sort of small/medium lurcher (I know, not a really a breed). We would like to get both breeds of dog at some point in the future, both would be about 2 years apart from eachother. However, we have some questions. Is having 3 dogs mad? Especially with hopes of having children in the future, although of course, they will either both be before the children, or one of them after having the first child. I am fully prepared to have 3 dogs along with a baby, it’s just whether it’s a mad idea? I believe we are able to have all these dogs and meet all their requirements, however want confirmation that we wouldn’t be put in a case of having to return one. I know it’s hard to generalise, but do these breeds typically get along? Would it be better to have 2 females and 1 Male, or 2 males and 1 female? Are lurchers obedient? Which one of the two breeds would be better to get first?

If you have the plenty of space, plenty of free time, plenty of money and you can definitely handle 3 dogs and have children then why not...but why do you actually want three dogs? I have one, a 5 year old English Cocker Spaniel and sometimes think I would love another because I love dogs but my boy is so good in every way I wouldn't want to rock his boat.

 

[leashedForLife]

.

Like everything else in dogs, it depends.

As above, they are all different breeds in their typical flaws & strengths; the dogs should accommodate one another pretty easily, barring any individual dislikes of one another, the challenge IMO / IME will be for humans to recognize that they each differ in how they respond to events, persons, situations, etc.

Most gundogs are highly sociable; most BCs of working lines are indifferent or stranger suspicious; most lurchers love their families, & are slightly shy of strangers (once out of puphood; 99% of pups under 12-WO, any breed or mix, adore any human who isn’t acting like a scary monster — they are wide open to meeting strangers).

Money is a definite consideration; I would urge U to get vet insurance early for every dog, even if U stop at 2. Unexpected bills for an accident or a chronic issue can be steep, & multiple pets mean lots of day to day costs; food, time, space, grooming... Boarding & any other “extras” are more costly per pound of dog, so that’s a possible factor to consider, too. Even Rx meds cost more for a dog who weighs more, as dosage increases.

What will U plan for vacations, trips to visit family, etc?
Are all the relatives dog-friendly? Will U do staycations? Is there travel for work?
Pet sitting multiple dogs is often less costly than boarding them, especially if the sitter can stay in the house.

- terry

.

 

[malwhit]

Three dogs are great as long as they get on together and you can give them individual time.

Four is madness though, at least for me. Although I do say I could live with ten Lotties but one Teigan is too much

 

[Whippylove]

I have 3 whippets, my kids are all old enough to look after their self except my son who needs help being disabled. Being honest i spend nearly all day with my hounds, training individually and i do separate walks with Rolo being so young. Its hard work but i enjoy it. We will add a 4th when Rolo is old enough at 2 years.
If you have the time, energy and remember vet costs then it would work, but if im honest it will be hard work with a baby as well.

 

[Jon Roff]

As long as you have the time and motivation, why not have three dogs.