4 or more GSDs in house - Page 1

Do many here have more than 3 gsds living in house not kennel dogs and how do you manage care, time etc for all .   Is there a dilution effect with this many dogs.

Not my dream....   Dirt, dust, hairs,.... no, kidding...

What do you want do do with your dogs? What is your goal?

I don´t believe in kennels for my personal dogs, but I don´t believe in crates, too.
If you want to train and title your dogs 2 is more than enough - one should be at least 3 years old and well trained, than you may think about a puppy.
Dogs that live together have their own pack order.
The younger or less dominant dogs may not develop well, this may cause a lot of problems during training.

If your dogs are  "only" pets, it´s possible, but still a lot of work....

a lot of work, a lot of hair, a lot of food, a lot of sh*t......
when u get 2nd dog work quadruples, when you get 3rd one you don't notice the difference when you get a 4th one some days it feels like you are herding carts.....

I do have 4 GSD, age 2 till 8, and a 20lbs Schnoodle living in the house. Until December also a Persian Cat, who passed away at age 16. Yes, they do build their own pack, and often bad behavior will swap onto the other ones. Yet all can settle down nicely, just lying around me. You have to bring in structure and routine. At night the 2 girls and the Schnoodle are crated, the 2 boys are free.

I have a dog yard where they can run and do their business. The poop is a lot, but when you have dealt with cattle and horses, its not too much. The dust and hair takes some work; a good vacuum and not too many visitors are helpful ;) It can get messy when its raining. Then its toweling off especially paws and belly, and you can still get splatter on the doors. A mudroom or sunroom is a must. Exercise....3 of them go to SCHH training 2-3 times/week, on top of some AKC training (Rally) and what I call "bush romping" with all of them.
My male, which is higher in drive, gets some extra time on the treadmill. My 8 year old is retired, and the Schnoodle is basically untrained. He was a rescue and has a mind of its own. I work 3 Nightshifts (12hr) per week, the rest of the time goes to the dogs and house/yard. Oh yeah, dont forget a good swiffer, mop and bleach, and steam cleaner.
With warmer temps and good weather the girls will stay outside in the kennels while I sleep throughout the day between shifts; just more room to move around than being crated. Overall its no more work than having 3 kids, I would say.

I agree the the above post regarding rainy weather when it comes to my 3- they get toweled off but still are wet and sometimes smell- oh well-- that is why my house is cleaned professionally twice a week.  You have to let somethings pass.

the secret is baby gates, crates, and loving to sweep and vacuum and do laundry and clean up poop and electrify flower gardens. Plus having a 2 acre yard, large fenced runs, and more acreage isn't bad either.

We did this for many years.

#1 crate training
#2 individual obedience and no toys in the house.
#3 feed in crate to monitor food intake
#4 do not show favoritism
#5 you must be the alpha and must always pay attention to your dogs - any dog showing alpha behavior must be cautioned - usualy i point and say no.
#6 the most hectic time is when husband comes home, all dogs rally around him and that's when tiffs most likely occur.
#7 good broom, vaccum, mop and wall cleaners - they are a total mess, and washing the walls from floor to 36" up was a daily chore along with keeping the floors clean - - no carpet.
#8 play fetch or tug with each dog individually.......


Now we have a kennle and only keep 2 dogs in the house, we rotate them so they each get quality time several times a week.

OH I forgot
#9 change AC filters evey 2 to 4 weeks or you will ruin your AC from the dander and hair that gets by.

I have 6-dirt, dust, hair-oh yeah, but so what.

They are well behaved and very muched loved.

We had 4, now have 3. They are a lot of work but are pretty good in the house. We have 1 girl with EPI that's pretty bad tempered, & must crate her if we're not around or she'd make trouble, which wasn't an issue when we had 4 'cause Kali kept everyone in line; but Beckett & Ansgar are best buddies! Every one gets crated at night, but we alternate whose crate door gets left open...funny thing is, they'll do the sentry patrol around the house on occasion, but generally return to their crates to sleep. That is their space, & they know it! jackie harris

Not 4 Shepherds, but we have 3 along with a Malamute and a Britney. We spend individual time with each dog and do single and multiple obedience sessions.