Dogs

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All about dogs - dog breeds, dog training and behavior, news affecting dog owners or handlers, puppy pics, etc.

Rules (Will be refined later on).

Don't be a dick. This should cover most things, just keep in mind that everyone started somewhere and try to be helpful rather than rude or judgmental.
No personal attacks based on training style or tools.
Discussion of balanced training including proper use of aversives is allowed here.
All breeds and mixes are welcome. You can criticize backyard breeding practices but don't pile on people because they own a specific breed or prefer purebreds or mixed breeds.
Do not support backyard breeders or puppy mills. Please do not link to or suggest buying from high volume breeders or those with an obvious lack of standards and testing.
Do not help or support fake service animals. Please do not encourage people to buy fake service dog vest or ESA letters to get around rental or other restrictions & do not give advice on how to misrepresent a dog as a service or support animal.

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Comment with a picture of your potato! (lemmy.world)

submitted 3 weeks ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 0 points 3 weeks ago (4 children)

I have two dogs. Charlie and Ghost. He is the outside of a potato:

And she is the inside of a potato:

[–] [email protected] 0 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Ever owned just on dog? How does it compare to owning two? It might be better if the dog has a friend to play with. But does the bond between you as a human and the dog "lessen"?

[–] [email protected] 0 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

I have owned just one dog. In the sense that it's less work and less expense, it is better, but I find two dogs so much more rewarding. I wouldn't say they play together though... Ghost is a mean old thing who hates everyone, but she will allow Charlie in her presence (most of the time) and does seem to feel more comfortable when he's around. Charlie absolutely adores Ghost and allows her to attack him whenever she gets in the mood to because he loves her so much. It's a very odd relationship. To make it weirder, Ghost loves to play but Charlie mostly just likes to cuddle. Since no two dogs (at least no two I've ever met) are alike, you get a mix of personalities, which is lots of fun.

But the most valuable part of owning two dogs is both selfish and helpful- When Lucy (the first dog) started getting old, I got the advice that we should get our next dog before she died, and that way we would at least have a dog to come home to rather than an empty house. It doesn't mean you aren't still devastated when it happens, but it really does help in terms of having the support you would have otherwise (or also) gotten from the dog who is now gone. We got Max only a year before Lucy died, which was too close. We didn't wait that long the next time when we got Ghost.

As far as the bond lessening, definitely not. It does help that I'm Charlie's favorite and my wife is Ghost's favorite this time, but my wife was also Max's favorite and stayed that way until he was gone. I will never get over losing Lucy or Max, but having Max to come home to when Lucy was gone (and in the case of Lucy, my wife and infant daughter were out of town and it couldn't wait so I really was on my own) and having Ghost to come home to when Max was gone, was such a comfort.

Now my mother, her housemate and how her housemate's daughter all live together and they have four dogs. They're four small dogs, but that's still way too many dogs.

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