Hi, I have 3 cavi's at the moment - 1 bitch, 2 dogs, various ages - would absolutely love another one to make a nice even number.  They all sleep together flopped on top of each other .... adorable.  BUT is 4 dogs too many????  (My husband seems to think so).

cant see one more can make that much difference!!!!

I've got 4 (3 medium sized and a small dog) and am looking for no 5....so IMO ..NO...but it does depend on personal circumstances
Archer

Maybe you should show your husbands this:-

If I Did Not Have Dogs

1. I could walk around the yard barefoot in safety.

2. My house could be carpeted instead of tiled and laminated.

3. All flat surfaces, clothing, furniture, and cars would be free of Dog hair.

4. When the doorbell rings, it wouldn't sound like the NCDL kennels.

5. When the doorbell rings, I could get to the door without wading through dog bodies who beat me there.

6. I could sit on the couch the way I wanted, without taking into consideration how much space several fur bodies would need to get comfortable.

7. I would not have strange presents under my Christmas tree - like dogbones, stuffed animals or have to answer to people why I wrap them.

8. I would not be on a first name basis with three vets.

9. The most used words in my vocabulary would not be: "out", "sit", "down","come", "no", "stay", and "leave him/her/it ALONE".

10. My house would not be cordoned off into zones with baby gates or
barriers.

11. My pockets would not contain things like poo bags, dog treats and an
extra leash.

12. I would no longer have to spell the words B-A-L-L or F-R-I-S-B-E-E or
W-A-L-K.

13. I would not have as many leaves INSIDE my house as outside.

14. I would not look strangely at people who think having their ONE dog ties
them down too much.

15. I'd look forward to Spring and the melting of the snow instead of
dreading "mud season".

16. I would not have to answer the question "Why do you have so many dogs?"
from people who will never have the joy in their life of knowing they are
loved unconditionally by something as close to angel as they will ever get.

17. How empty my life would be...

Margot

Spot on, this made me smile and I think 4 dogs are great ! as long as 2 are not both pups Love Sonja

na 4 isnt to many i have 7 and i always say whats one more you probably wont even notice you have another one lol

Dogs are a bit like kids once you get past the point of more than one you tend not to notice.  I am back up to 5 and I have no doubt by this time next month it will be 6 as I have got some puppies in the pipeline ;)

i have 4 yorkies 2 aged 10yrs m/f , 1 boy 6yrs ,and 1 baby girl 5 mounths my pack is settled  and they all get on .there not saints though.
if you have 4 dog as long as they no you are the boss then i cannot see a problem with having 4 .i would love to have 5 or 7 yorkies but i feel my limitation are 4 .

Why own a dog? There's a danger you know.
You can't own just one, for the craving will grow.

There's no doubt they're addictive, wherin lies the danger
While living with lots, you'll grow poorer and stranger.

One dog is not trouble, and two are so funny,
the third one is easy, the fourth one's a honey.

The fifth is delightful, the sixth one's a breeze.
You find you can live with a houseful, with ease.

So how 'bout another? Would you realy dare?
They're really quite easy, but Oh Lord, the hair!

With dogs on the sofa, and dogs on the bed,
And crates in the kitchen, it's no bother, you said.

They're really no trouble, their manners are great.
What's just one more dog and one more little crate?

The sofa is hairy, the windows are crusty.
The floor is all footprints, the furniture's dusty.

The housekeeping suffers, but what do you care?
Who minds a few noseprints and a little more hair?

So let's keep a puppy, you can always find room.
And a little more time for the dust cloth and broom.

There's hardly a limit to the dogs you can add.
The thought of a cutback, sure makes you feel sad.
,br> Each one is so special, so useful, so funny.
The food bill grows larger, you owe the vet money.

Your folks never visit, few friends come to stay,
except other dog folks who live the same way.

Your lawn has now died and your shrubs are dead too,
Your weekends are busy, you're off with your crew.

There's dog food and vitamins, training and shots
and entries and travel, and motels cost lots.

Is it worht it, you wonder? Are you caught in a trap?
Then that favorite comes up and climbs in your lap.

Her look says you're special and you know that you will
keep all the critters in spite of the bill.

Some just for showing, and some just to breed,
and some just for loving, they all fill a need.

Winter is a hassle, but the dogs love it true,
And they must have their walks tho' you are numb and blue.

Late evening is awful, you scream and you shout
at the dogs on the sofa, who refuse to go out.

The dogs and the dog shows, the travel, the thrills
the work and the worry, the pleasure, the bills.

The whole thing seems worth it, the dogs are your life.
They're charming and funny and offset the strife.

Your lifestyle has changed, things just won't be the same.
Yes, those dogs are addictive and so's the dog game.

Author Unknown

4 dogs arnt 2 many i have 6 one would be lonely,and they arnt small dogs either the more the merryer (sp) i say

MAYBE 4 IS NOT ENOUGH!!!! :D
We started off with my OH not wanting any...he then said I could have another and so on until we got to4.My little shiba inu is the only one who doesn't go to the shows with me and so gets very upset when she gets left alone....OH said she needed another shiba to keep her company...and I'm not going to disagree!!!
Archer

I love the poem Starryeyes,just about summed my life up.My mum thinks Im crackers and so do my friends.The only visitors are likeminded people with multiple dogs.My friend has 17!!I have seven so she thinks my house is a doddle.All of my friends have lots of animals and all we talk about is dogs,dogs,dogs.That is definately my top number am totally adamant now that this is it.Luckily six of them are toy breeds and get along great together and the other which is my stafford is my best friend who goes everywhere with me so it works really well.I had two puppies in Dec and last week I actually let the boy pup go to his new wonderful home.My mum was shocked as she never thought I would do it,but I know my limitations and it was the best decision all round.

Same here, it ahs fgot to the stage tha most of my family just pop in to get me and don't come past the hall :D  Suits me, as I am not into entertaining.  Got 7 dogs lying around at the moment my five plus a honyemooning pair belonging to freinds (I live in the middle betwen their homes).

To those of you with more than 2 dogs,how on earth do you manage to walk them properly every single day? :)
What about vet bills etc. Hooly dooly i would have to win the lotto to keep that many dogs comfortably :D

hi rose i have 4 yorkies
i have a lady who walks my yorkies for 6yrs now she has 2 beardies and i must add a real dog person and gives me a break
all my dogs are insured for vet bills ect .as for the lotto i have given up hope of winning that but do the lotto hot picks have not had a win for a long time.

My husband walks two of the dallies on foot I put two of them plus beagle in the boot of the car and meet halfway along the route.  All my dogs are very well excercised and put a lot of the others in the ring to shame with their lovely rear ends.  Mind you I have to say we are very lucky where we live that we can do this and my husband is trying to say how will we cope with another one.  As for the vets bills we dont smoke or drink and I am sure people spend a lot more on both per week than we do on the dogs so we just treat it as a vice. ;)  Anything that is left over from the litters pays for that and if our stud dog is used once a year it pays for his upkeep. 

I came up with a good solution.I have a very large garden and I use to gaze wistfully at the field behind it.I asked the farmer if I could rent a bit which is about two acres and I walk them round there.My neighbours have also asked if they can walk their labs round as its fenced in and safe.My group of dogs works very well and I never feel that they are too much trouble.However I know that my dogs are quite abit smaller than others breeds.Seven does sound alot and I get a few raised eyebrows from people who think Im barmy.I dont want a show-house just a happy one!

I have 4 Great Danes & 2 Labradors. Hard work, but I wouldn't be without them.

Debbie

We take all four together (husband takes them 3.5 miles in the morning, I take them 2 miles in the afternoon), so it's no more effort than taking one. Luckily (either due to their genes or the way we treat them), barring accidents they only need to go to the vet for their annual MOTs.
:)

As there is a good age gap between mine walking one or walking five is the same, except you take up more pavement with five :D  With the visiting dogs being adults late at night have evn taken all 7 out at once (lead walking as I don't drive).

Mine aren't big eaters (15kg bag of food lasts two weeks) so cost me about £15 a week with treats to feed.  The expewnsive part is the vet and flea/worm treatments.  Luckily they are a pretty healthy breed and mostly not needing the vets in tehri youth.  another reason to ahve a good age gap between dogs the geriatric expenses are spread out a bit, as well as those accidents caused by youthful ignorance/hig spirits.

As I don't smoke or drink or go out other than dog shows, the odd cinema trip with kids or early bird meal out i can just about keep on top of the expense and use credit in emergencies for the vet )or what I have saved up for that as I can't afford 5 lots of Insurance).

Hi Rose,

I've currently got three but have had up to four and it's honestly not that difficult - even with quite a boisterous breed :)  As some of the others have said if there's a good age gap between them they should be all reasonably well lead trained (unless youngest is maybe just a pup :P ) and so it's pretty much the same as walking just two.  Depending on where they are exercised off lead I used to only let mine off in pairs - two eldest and then two youngest - mainly because in a public park it could be a bit scary for the average dog walker to see four huge (to them) hairballs hurling themselves around in rough play even if they are not headed towards them :D  Now that I'm down to only three they just get off together as the combination I currently have is particularly easy.

As to vet fees it's like everything else the dogs' need - (if the cash isn't in the bank there's always plastic  :D ) - my youngest two are now insured and we'll just see how that pans out for a year or so when we compare what the premiums have cost v. average vet bills.  That side is new territory for us!

Regards, Teri  ;) 

I find it a problem walking 4 on my own, mainly because I take them on different walks.

The oldest gets a walk on his own so he can mooch about, he also had an operation last week so it was just wanlks round the block, in afew days he'll be over the fields for alittle mooch on his own, not being pushed around by the others (his 11)

The youngest goes out for long on lead walks on pavement.  She has bad hips (shallow hip sockets) so is get to mainly on lead fast walks, hopefully when my fitness is back up she will be jogging along side me.

The middle two (boy and girl) go for long runs over the feilds.  I can only manage being dragged up their by two dogs and anymore is getting too risky if anything happends. 

luckily for the evening walk they go out together, one dog per person!

Hi teri
Havent seen you posting lately have you been away for the break?
see you have three dogs what breed are they?
Have to swop pics
i'll show you mine if you show me yours <<<<<so to speak>>>>>>

roni

Hi Roni

Travelled South for a couple of days over Sun/Mon to meet up with friends  - an enjoyable break (perhaps not so much for OH who drove the entire 700 mile round trip himself :D but he's an abysmal passenger!)
our lot are Belgian Shepherds - Tervueren variety (best kind :P )

I'll pm you our website URL and you can meet the gang, past and present.   Gotta see pics somehow of your Beardies too - saw the most adorable puppy at the services on Monday and was very tempted to swipe him <lol>

Teri :)

I have 6, now, but, I am lucky to be in a situation where I can walk my dogs off lead most of the time, and all are trained to walk to heel, and all bar the 2 pups are 100% recall.  Although a tremendous amount of hard work and effort went into training I am reaping the benefits (so are the dogs). :) When we go into the public park,(not very often) which is also a communal garden I take two at a time (adults) or one pup at a time.  When just walking locally, in the fields and woodlands, they all come. To be honest, 4 dogs are just as easy as 3 :D  As for the vets fees etc, I have a monthly standing order payable to my vet, and am usually in credit.