Room mates, Any problem ?? - Page 1

What are the pros and cons of kenneling two dogs together, male and female, besides the obvious? How does it effect training? I know what I believe but I want to see if I'm missing something.

Oaklawn

You say kennling together do you mean in the same pen which is not divided and using the same house to sleep in

My Male is next to a female Pup but split off each have there own space and run and there own living kennel

The male is jealous of the Pup at the moment, but i think he will come round in his own time

I would not like two Dogs to live together in the same pen and living quarters if you are working them, That may not work out too well, Plus what happens when the female comes into season

And for the reason of working two Dogs living next door together,

mine can see and touch each other between the Bars but that it it

There will come a time when both are on the working field together and any socialisation then is forbidden

So i do not let them do it

They are happy and the only one who is boss then is Me, not one of them because one will try and dominate the other

Steve

I have been housing my working male with a spayed pet female for over a year now. The big dog run used to be for my 2 pets GSD's but my old male passed away a couple years ago. It was set up for 2, large enough and with 2 dog houses. When I started pouring a concrete slab, I had to remove my other 2, single dog kennels until the project was finished and concrete dry. I thought the move would be temporary but the dogs got along fine and my males work ethic hasn't changed at all. I leave them together for convenience now. Only 1 hose to turn on and off for water, 1 pen to scoop poop, one dog eats in the pen while the other goes to a crate in the garage to ensure everyone gets the food they were fed.

It just happens to work for the dogs I have and myself. Steve is correct 1 will dominate. Here it is my working male and the  pet female submits. He doesn't harras her or beat her up but if food is given he will take it and she wont try to get in his way, that is why they are fed sepperate. Though he is not so aggressive that a fight will ensue, I can give each a bone, the female will take hers to the doghouse or other end of the pen to enjoy. Never a fight, they play wrestle and that is it. Occasionally I will even play ball with them together. Baden always comes back with the ball, so in fairness I make him stay at my side a few times so the female can win too.  Again, not recomending for everyone but for these 2 dogs it works. Chances are it wont for the next dog I accuire, at least I wont try it for a few years until both dogs are mature and I know them well enough, to take a goog stab at the outcome.

It may work for some.   

The amount of space you have is very important, and the dogs your thinking of putting together is also very important.

I don't see where living conditions would effect training of the individual, except that sometimes a dog needs to be alone after training to unwind and think about that training afterwards.

I would not kennel two dogs together personally.

Two Dogs on the training field, or from the same house in a competition i feel is the wrong way to go if they live together in the same pen and play together every day

If you have one Dog working on the field and the other in a Long Down, i would not bet on the chances of  one messing up

The one in the long Down only has to stand or move and thats a lot of points gone, i am not willing to chance it happening, especially when the need to chance it does not need to happen,

THe best way to find out is for Oaklawn to put it to the test and find out, and let us know of the outcome

Steve

If your in a competition, on the field, why would the other dog even be in the same area?

I don't know how these things are done I guess and I am curious.

Two Moons

If say for instance  both my brother and myself enter a Dog for a Competition, just say for a ScHh 2 competition

There is a chance that we will be drawn to go together, So we walk onto the field together with our Dogs introduce ourselves and the Dog and say what we are there for

The Judge will then point to the long Down area and he will tell us which one he wants to work first

The other Dog and handler will take his dog to where the Judge has told him to go

He will then sit the Dog and on the command or a arm raised by the judge will then put the Dog into a long down. If it say is me i will then turn my back on the dog in the down postition and walk pass the next hide and face the field not my dog

My Brother will by then be waiting to start his Obedinace phase but he will be off the start position but be watching what i am doing as soon as he sees me stop and face the field

My brother will then go to the start spot  a couple of yards away and sit his dog and look to the judge who will tell him to start the programe

Now this will take around 10 minutes or so some are quicker some take longer

So my Dog is on a long down for the time my brother works, Now having never tried keeping two dogs together as is asked about, so in a way i am guessing but i personally would not take the chance of my Dog coming up from the long down,

He will know his room mate is on the field and i would not chance letting them live together the way Oaklawn talks anout doing  And remember it is not only my dog, My brothers dog will have to go into the long Down whilst i do my  obedinace work

Let us say my brothers dog has an outstanding round on the obedinace, and say you can guess he will be given around 90 to 95 points for it

He goes on the long down whist i do my obediance work

and then my brothers dog moves off the long down or stands up

that 90 to 95 points will then become 83 to 85 points, it simply is not worth the risk and i for one would not do it

The thing i have noticed not to do over the years i have kept dogs, is not to put temptation in there way

If i can avoid confict in any way between dogs i will do so, it makes life so much easier both for me and them

And i would rather not do it ,than prove that it can be done or otherwise

Steve

Steve

No roommating.   Several reasons.  Sport or no sport , a dog bonds to a dog first..Spending that much time nose to nose, I find a dog will be more attentative to the mood and the movements of his or her friend the other dog..

Steve1 said it all .  All dogs are different in personality, traits, eating , and mentality for learning..For personal observance you would never know who ate what, or whose poop is bad, or /and the independence of each dog by rooming together is compromised.

Do not recomment it.

YR

agree with steve and yellow,

my wife and i spend as little time as possible even taking care of each others dogs for the reason steve said.  i dont want my dog to listen to her if we are on the field together.  as yellow stated, they will bond to each other faster than they will bond to you and i have also seen dogs that will develope seperation anxiety when not with there "roommate".   our pups are seperated from each other around 6 to 7 weeks old for the same reason.   we start to imprint them to bond to humans and not other dogs.

john

Cell Mates!

You got your best answer from the bottom line of  Steve1;  eventually one will become dominate over the other, the same thing will happen if they are both the same gender or opposite gender.  Left long enough, it can cause one to be shy, and the other to be more dominate.  Not a good idea, considering all the out comes and problems you could cause.  Oh sure there is a chance none of the above will happen, but is it worth the risk if any of the above happens?  Care for high stakes Gambles, you have much more to loose than you have to gain!  A 100' roll of 12 Ga 2"X4"X72" high wire and steel posts make a nice big reasonable priced out door run 6' high 10' wide and 40' long, two rolls will make a 20' foot wide by 80' feet long run, where you would have lots of room to play and train un-hampered by outside intruders.  Sorry didn't mean to insult your math intelligence.

Just my 2 cents worth of common sense.  Thanks for the read