From the Publisher
To get the information needed to write this book, the author sent a Letter-to-the-Editor to both Dog Fancy and Dog World magazines, asking people who lived with more than one dog to share information with her by sending for a questionnaire. The response was incredible, and the amount of information she received was overwhelming. She mailed out 1052 questionnaires and received 928 of them back! Combining her own experience of living with five dogs with the information received from across the country, as well as internationally, the author wrote this book on the topics that most directly impact a multiple dog household. A sampling of covered topics include:
Pack Behavior
Introducing a Dog into a Multiple Dog Household
Manners in a Multiple Dog Setting
Feeding Solutions
Vacationing and Traveling
Group Health
Adding to the overall appeal of this book, the illustrator, Susan Weir, does an outstanding job of portraying particular points in some of the most humorous drawings you will find.
From the Author
It is my involvement with dogs and their families that made this book possible. You only need to walk into an animal shelter or even know people who are aware that you are a "dog person" to become involved with dogs that need homes. This is where it all starts and Living With More Than One Dog can guide you through the addition of multiple dogs into your home, or help solve current problems.
About the Author
Carol Cronan is a dog obedience instructor, and owns and operates Canine Potentials on Whidbey Island in Washington state. Carol is a member of the National Association of Dog Obedience Instructors (NADOI) and is the Training and Education chairperson for that organization. Carol writes a monthly column on training tips that is published in four national periodicals. She is also a dog 4-H club leader and volunteers with Whidbey Animals' Improvement Foundation (WAIF) which helps support Whidbey Island's county animal shelter.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
From Chapter 1: To really understand your dog's behavior you need to understand his ancestry. All dogs large and small alike, probably evolved from the wolf. The wolf pack hierarchy is what you must deal with when you own more than one dog. As L. David Mech states in his book, The Way of the Wolf: "Wolves are not just wild dogs. Rather, dogs are domesticated wolves. Wolf behavior has been shaped and molded to make an animal that is more tractable and trainable and easier for humans to live with - to make the dog. In this respect, the dog is essentially a juvenile wolf, dependent on and dominated by its owners who play the role of parents and older pack mates. Nevertheless, the basics of behavior are the same for both animals."
The following is from Chapter 4:
Cathy has four female dogs, one Yorkshire Terrier (Bebop), and three Papillons (Emily, Katie, and Sophie). The food is left down all the time, but it seems they only eat when Cathy is at home. Her problem was Bebop. She was guarding the food so Cathy put down two bowls of food. This did not seem to solve the problem so she tried putting down fifteen bowls of food. Since Bebop could not guard all of the dishes, she now just guards the bowl she is eating from and the other dogs can enjoy their food.
