5 Simple Tips for Giving Your Dogs Equal Attention
Owning a dog is a big responsibility and a major commitment of your time. When you add a second or even a third dog to the equation, things get even more complicated. Aside from the practical challenges that come with owning multiple dogs, there is another problem that many multi-dog owners face – giving each of their dogs equal attention.
Related: 6 Advantages Of Living In A Multi Dog Household
Tips for Ensuring Harmony in a Multi-Dog Household
Even if all of your dogs get along well with each other, they still want to know that you care about them as an individual. Some dogs require more attention than others, so you’ll need to take the time to get to know each of your dog’s individual temperaments and personalities so you can provide for their individual needs. You should also employ these simple tips for making sure that none of your dogs feels neglected or left out:
- Make sure that all of your dogs learn basic obedience training. When you have multiple dogs it is even more important that you train them properly so you can control them when needed.
- Pick a “dog of the day”. Assign each of your dogs one day a week where you give them a little extra attention. Put the other dogs outside and engage your dog of the day in an individual play session for 10 to 15 minutes.
Related: 6 Sanity-Saving Tips On How To Manage Your Multi Dog Household
- At least once a week, take each of your dogs on an individual walk. If you can’t find time to give each dog an extra-long individual walk during one week, try trading off each week instead.
- Take turns bringing a dog with you when you run errands. We’re talking about walking-around type of errands. If you need to drive to get your errands done, make sure that your dog is allowed in the store with you – don’t leave him in the car.
- Make sure that you have enough to go around. This includes things like comfy dog beds, food dishes, and toys. Many of the problems that develop in multi-dog households are related to resource guarding so you can prevent the issue by having plenty of resources available.
In addition to doing these things, you should also make sure to spend time with all of your dogs together as well. You and your dogs are a family so it is just as important that they get along with each other as they do with you.
Be sure to include all of your dogs in daily play time and encourage your dogs to play with each other on their own as well. If one of your dogs starts to become more dominant and tries to push another dog away, remove your attention from both of them until they work things out. You don’t want to reinforce bad behavior.
As a dog owner, your main goal is to love your dogs. If you give them a chance, your dogs will become your most faithful friends and companions, loving you with no conditions – all they want is to know that you love them back. By putting some of these tips to work you can make sure that each of your dogs feels loved.
Kate Barrington is the loving owner of two cats (Bagel and Munchkin) and a noisy herd of guinea pigs. Having grown up with golden retrievers, Kate has a great deal of experience with dogs but labels herself a lover of all pets. Having received a Bachelor's degree in English, Kate has combined her love for pets and her passion for writing to create her own freelance writing business, specializing in the pet niche.
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