How Many Dogs?!: Using Positive Reinforcement Training to Manage a Multiple Dog Household

by Debby McMullen

Using Positive Reinforcement Training to Manage a Multiple Dog Household. Learn techniques for adding new dogs, group training and exercise, playtime, resolving issues with problem dogs, and all the other things you need to know to guide you through your life with multiple dogs. Do you enjoy living in a form of chaos? Do you have more leashes and collars than underwear? Do you have the vet, groomer and pet supply store on speed dial? Do you plan your wardrobe around which dog activity you are participating in that day? Then this is the book for you! It takes a special kind of person with an adventurous spirit to go past the two-dog mark. I will help you maintain your sanity. Would you like to bring calm to the chaos inside your house? Do your dogs wrestle and roughhouse inside when you’d rather they do so outside? There is no substitute for good training of course, but I’ll also help you integrate some new behaviors into your dogs’ daily lives. Every interaction that you have with your dog teaches them something. How Many Dogs?! will help you to always be in proper training mode without even thinking about it. Like a good parent guides his or her children in the right direction, you should provide good guidance to your dogs. But rather than considering yourself a parent to your dogs, I’d like to introduce you to the concept of the benevolent leadership. This is an important concept when living with even one dog, but it’s especially important when living with multiple dogs. To place yourself in the position of being the “GIVER OF ALL GOOD THINGS” is your most important move of all. Establish these two things in the relationship with your dogs and you will be able to retain the role of guidance giver through even the most difficult circumstances. You will find that many of the situations and routines that were difficult in your lives will flow more smoothly. This book offers the answers to the question, what is the best way to deal with many dogs in one house?

Genres: Dogs, Nonfiction

212 pages, Paperback

First published April 15, 2010

Reviews

[M Perry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is aimed at the average person who lives with more than one dog. For someone who has done a lot of reading about dog behavior, it disappoints. The section on training techniques--while well-presented--is a rehash of the same basic obedience techniques described in a million other positive training books.

I am a professional dog trainer who lives with 6 dogs: a GSD/Beagle, a Pug, a Chihuahua, a Sheltie, a Chihuahua/Italian Greyhound, and a Rat Terrier. The management techniques described in this book are ones I've been using for years. Other than a few short blurbs, I didn't come away with any new or ground-breaking knowledge. But I would probably recommend the book to my clients with multiple-dog households.

[Leanna Aker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the way a problem is introduced, the author gives her 2 cents, and then a couple of other real life examples are included. I both love and hate the narrative style of the book. This isn't so much a "how to" book as it is a story about the author's experiences with multiple dogs. I liked reading the stories, but I wanted things a little more succinct (I have a puppy and don't have the time for the extra) :-)

All in all a great book. Would recommend....

[Kellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that there was a lot of good, common sense information in this book, and I really liked that Debby McMullen frequently gives dogs credit for being smart beings!

[Thinmint29 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good information to help achieve some serenity in a multi-dog home.