How to Train Multiple Dogs

There are dog lovers out there that have big hearts and want to take in as many other dogs as they are able to. When it comes to in home dog training Atlanta, I have visited and helped many multiple dog households. The situations have varied – some where only one dog out of a bunch was enrolled in training, or perhaps the ENTIRE canine pack was ready to be trained and to overcome their behavioral problems.

Training Multiple Dogs with Peachtree Dog Training

One common thing I see a lot in training multiple dog households in the different degrees of behavior problems for all the dogs. Even with cases where all the dogs are enlisted in training, there might be one particular dog whose problems are much more severe in comparison to the others. Many owners might want to take the approach of just pinpointing the specific issues, and solely work on those, rather than instilling the full structure and battling the problems head on. This approach might seem appealing, but most of the time, it tends to pass over the core root of the behavioral issues, which is typically some type of anxiety or lack of leadership.

Roscoe was king of the house, and known as “the problem child”. He and his two siblings started training with us and we have seen amazing results with all three dogs!

Training More than One Dog – Training Sessions Done Right

For example, say I have an owner that calls me to simply work on getting their dog to not bark and lunge on the leash when they see people. They say they don’t need to work on the dog at home, as the major problem is outside of the home and it occurs on walks. They say there’s no need to work on basic obedience and leash work in the home, rather there should just be strict and advanced leash work done with the dog on walks only.

When a dog has a severe issue, or an “advanced” problem, it is important to remember and to consider how the dog got to this stage. At one point, their dog was most likely at a more basic or mild stage. How did this problem go from small and somewhat manageable, to large and uncontrollable? With the aforementioned example of the leash aggressive dog, maybe the dog changed because they started off an anxious around strangers, and it developed into full on fear aggression. Of course I want to make sure this dog stops lunging and pulling on the leash, but shouldn’t I confront the fear first? Shouldn’t I work on building the dog’s confidence with no distractions (so they can better focus) and consistent structure first, and then heavily work on leash and distraction training?

Training Multiple Dogs – Dog Owners and Dog Trainer Involvement

Another important thing to remember with dog training is that we as the humans are supposed to be their leaders, and that we should, for the benefit of our dogs, always aim to set them up for success. Going back to the basics can help ensure your dog’s constant success, and minimize opportunities for failure and negativity. Once we know that those bases are covered and that the leadership role is consistently with the owner in the dog’s eyes, then combating the outside world with tons of triggers and distractions won’t be as difficult for the dog. Instead, the dog will be much more equipped and prepared to confront these triggers, and therefore learning quicker and succeeding more!

Now going back to multiple dog households – no matter how many dogs are signed up for training, it is always important to be consistent with a structured training regimen, and also to approach training with the idea of not only setting our dogs up for success, but also for us/the owners! Tackling several dogs at once for training exercises, especially in the early lessons, can be overwhelming. If the owner is not capable of properly training and staying consistent, then ultimately, they are wasting their time and the dogs will not progress at all.

Training for One Dog, Two Dogs, and Other Dogs

Recently, I had a couple call me to train three of their dogs – Roscoe, Iggy, and Jacob. All three were different breeds and all had different issues on different levels. For instance, Jacob the Mastiff was the dog they were least concerned about – he just occasionally would not demonstrate recall with the owners, especially when distracted. Iggy the Pit mix had some more problems, such as not being housebroken and for jumping a lot when she got excited. Roscoe the hound, however, was seen as the major “problem child”, with his potty accidents, running all over the house, zero recall, jumping all over the place, excessive barking, and terrible leash behavior. With all three of these dogs in training, we set up the same type of protocol that would bring more structure into the home and set the owners up as the leaders for all of the dogs. We weren’t going to cherry pick behaviors and only work on those external issues – all three dogs needed much more. Jacob may not have needed as much leash training as Roscoe for instance, but both of them and Iggy needed to be taught that the owners was in charge 100% of the time, whether they were distracted or not. This helped improve Jacob’s recall, calmed Iggy down and encouraged her to follow the rules and potty outside, and Roscoe learned how to step down from his throne and find the rewards of being a well-behaved dog!

Training multiple dogs is a challenge, but it can be accomplished! To create more success and to not overwhelm the owner and dogs, training multiple dogs is approached with a “divide and conquer” mentality. If it means shuffling dogs for training shifts so that they can better focus and learn the better behaviors, so be it. It may take a little extra time, but we must be realistic and work toward behavioral success, while also maintaining our own sanity and consistency! The owners of Roscoe, Iggy, and Jacob followed this attitude, and they were able to properly work with their dogs and set EVERYONE up for reward, including themselves!

Contact Us to Train Your Multiple Dogs Now!

If you live in a multiple dog household and need training for one or ALL of your dogs, sign up now! We will work together to achieve all your training goals with every one of your dogs that needs training! Call us to set up an initial in-home behavioral consultation!

We have training sessions for two or more dogs, we are very used to training more than one dog because most pet parents have multiple dogs in their home. We know pet parents want to have desired behavior and they want professional trainers to help them achieve that!

When you work with a dog trainer that has experience offering training session to one dog, two dogs, three dogs, and more you will get results. We offer helpful tips and teach you how to train your dogs.