Hi all,

I've arranged to go and see a 5 month old gsd boy tomorrow.  I know if I see him I'll end up bringing him home - he's a beautiful boy, good show prospects, from a fantastic kennel with a great reputation.  I know this all sounds fantastic but if we have him this will make him my 2nd GSD, and 3rd dog (I have ellie, the GR too), as well as Jack my OH's dog who stays with us quite a lot.  Jack has been castrated, Ellie has been spayed and Sasha is due to be spayed in a few weeks.

Am I totally off my trolley taking on another dog??   The house isn't massive, we have fields opposite and lots of parks within a short distance.  Sash isn't great with other dogs but she's fine with Ellie & Jack.

I know it'll be hard work, but I think he's worth it.  Just wondered if you all thought 3/4 dogs is manageable.
Paula

PS,  sorry this has all come out all jumbled up!!  It's how my mind is at the moment!!!

I have lived with up to 7 dogs at one time I currently have 3 ;) I think it mainly depends on the ages and attitude of the dogs. All of them. Some will live happily together, others won't. If you can give time to each dog individually so that you get the best behaviour out of each, then I'd say go for it :D The more the merrier, in my opinion :)

I think that in your own mind you will know if you will cope, a lady i know has 10, yes 10 they all live in doors and for them it works, it's quite funny because when i went to her house every room i went in there was another dog and all her door handles were upside down as some of the dogs have learnt to open doors. The dogs are her life, personally i dont know how she copes, but she does, and they are not small dogs either they are bernese, i have 1 bitch and i'm hopefully going to get another one soon so good luck to you hope all goes well

Hi Paula,

I've had 4 dogs at once - all house dogs.  A Yorkie, a Cairn (show dog & companion), and 2 GSDs (one a show dog and companion). It was not a problem for me. 

You do need to consider the expense, however.   Plus, the more dogs you have the more difficult it is to arrange for care if you go on holiday, need to be away for a night to attend a wedding .. and all that sort of stuff.   Plus, if you live in an areas with close neighbors you do need to consider whether or not they will bark a lot and cause a nuisance.  I know some people complain a lot about small dogs yipping - but a GSD at full volume is hard to ignore! 

I've got 4 dogs, 2 Newfies and 2 Yorkies, with hopefully another Newfie later this year. My Yorkie breeder has 12 doggies(not all breeding dogs mind!) More the merrier as long as you can afford the health care food etc! :D :D :D

Thanks for all your replies so far.  I'm sure I can afford the food/insurance/jabs, etc and my first instinct is the more the merrier.   I keep saying "we're just going to look" when really I know when I see him I won't be able to resist!! ;D

I think I might find 10 in the house a bit too many though

i have 3 gsd it is hard work but well worth the effot. i would love another one but my husband keeps my feet firmly on the ground unfortunatly( i would love to get into showing sounds like good fun)

I used to have 12 in the house - 5 Hamiltonstovare - 3 Pharaoh Hounds - 4 Chinese Cresteds.  I havent got the time or the energy (or the big house now!) to have that many again LOL.  And to think I used to take 8 or 9 to Ch shows all on the same day!! I must have been mad LOL.

I'm beginning to feel positively sane :D

Will let you all know what happens tomorrow when I get back from Newcastle!!

Paula

Well there is a couple who walk in my local park, they have 8 dogs. 1 Yorkie, 1 x Mongrel,  2 x GSD's, 3 x Cockers, and a lab youngster.
There is also a chap with I think 9 although he could have 10 they never stand still long enough to count ;)
4 labs (there could be 5 they are all yellow), a GSD easy to spot, a collie cross also easy to spot, and 3 border collies.

How many is to many is what you feel you can cope with I expect. Hope you like your boy.

Well i have one staff 12rs old and 5 chinese cresteds i cope quite well, the house is a mad house but i wouldn`t have it any other way. My freind has about 10 Cresteds (just a rough estimate as they never stand still long enough) but if it works for you carry on and have fun with your new dog.  Chris

I will keep my 4th from my new litter (and it is a coated breed!) My main worry is that OH wants to keep the boy and I want to keep the girl, so I hope its not 4th and 5th!!!

My friend's got about 8 at the moment I think, once I took my 2 over to visit when she had 9 and we took them all out together. There were 10 Cavaliers and 1 American cocker (sticking out like a sore thumb!) hurtling all over the beach! I wouldn't want that many myself though, 4 or 5 would be plenty! :-)

Well, that didn't turn out quite as I expected!!
We came home with a puppy, but not the one I thought I was going to - the breeder - who has been breeding since the year I was born had had a think about our situation and the dogs temperament, and decided that the 5r month old was not suitable for us.  However, she did let us have the pick of another litter - fantastic pedigree, lovely mum, because I wanted a dog to show. 

So here we are with Sasha the Basher dying to eat Gayville's Warro (pronounced Varro-we've decided to keep that as his name) but we're keeping them seperate for now - for obvious reasons :rolleyes:

We are delighted with our new addition, he is gorgeous and I'd forgotten how delicious puppies smell - I am in love!!!!
Mind you, I'm sure I'll remember what hard work having a tiny puppy is at 3am
Thanks for all your help and advice

Paula

Congratulations :) and hugs to the pupster - I soooo love the smell of teeny pups (sigh).  Enjoy - they grow up so darn quick!

Teri

Davy & Joan are great people & honest breeders. I  used help  to show an all black bitch in the same classes as one of their bitches a sable called Dixie & Star & Dixie looked like litter sisters same temperament etc except Star was all black !

Best of luck with your puppy

Back to the original question....Am I totally off my trolley??????

yup, absolutely :D :D   Join the club (9 Labs here) ;)

Congratulations.....I never saw that one coming

Enjoy :)

We started with 1 Weimaraner, then got a rescued Ridgeback, then a rescue Weimaraner, then a Great Dane puppy (now 12 weeks old and gorgeous!).  To top it all our Weimaraner bitch has just given birth to a litter of 12, so we have 16 dogs in a two bedroomed house!!!!  We are moving shortly though, to a bigger place with land so our brood will have a lot more room - just hope the hubby doesn't see this as a good reason to talk me into another dog in a year or two's time!

Thank you.  He is just gorgeous - funny and confident and not at all fazed by the madhouse!! :D

Sasha's very keen to get at him - I think she fancies him as a little snack :o so they're being kept apart for a while

Ellie is playing Mum beautifully and looking after him.  More news later!!

Paula