Life With Three Dogs: Our Favorite Household Essentials
One dog is a pet. Two dogs is a pair. Three dogs is a household system, and the system needs supplies.
Our crew is Cassius the Doberman, a German Shepherd, and a mixed breed. Big dogs, big personalities, and a lot of hair. Here's what helps.
Feeding time without the drama
Mealtime is where a multi-dog house shows its cracks. A few things make it smoother:
- Separate feeding spots. Give each dog their own space, with enough distance that nobody feels the need to supervise anybody else's bowl.
- Slow feeders for the fast eaters. If one dog finishes in ten seconds and goes looking for seconds, a slow-feeder bowl can buy everyone a little peace.
- Raised feeders for tall dogs. Some owners of large breeds like them because the bowls stay put. Ask your vet whether a raised feeder makes sense for your dog.
- Real food storage. Three large dogs go through kibble quickly. An airtight bin with a lid that latches keeps it fresh and keeps curious noses out.
The hair situation
A Doberman's short coat still sheds. Add a German Shepherd and you will find hair in places you didn't know existed. You can't stop it, but you can stay ahead of it.
- A rubber grooming brush pulls loose hair from short coats and most dogs treat it like a massage.
- A reusable hair roller for the couch, because keeping three big dogs off the furniture is a nice idea and nothing more.
- A rubber broom gets hair out of carpet corners between vacuums.
- Brushing outside, when the weather allows, keeps a lot of it out of the house entirely.
Cleaning up after three
Muddy paws times three. An enzyme cleaner is the one product that gets used for basically everything: muddy prints, accidents, and the mystery spots nobody will admit to. A stack of old towels and a paw-cleaning cup by the back door help too.
Keeping track of everyone's stuff
Three leashes, three collars, three sets of tags. A row of hooks by the door, one per dog, saves a lot of tangled-leash mornings. If you use different collar colors, it also makes "whose is this?" an easy question.
Car rides with a crew
Three big dogs in a back seat is a lot of dog. A back seat hammock cover keeps hair and nails off the upholstery and blocks the gap between the front seats. Always follow your vehicle's guidance and use a crash-tested restraint or crate if you want to secure your dogs while driving.
A space for each dog
Even dogs who love each other need a break from each other sometimes. Each of ours has a spot that's theirs: a bed, a crate, a corner. Having somewhere to go when the wrestling gets to be too much makes a real difference in a busy house.
Looking for more? The full Life With Three Dogs collection has everything in one place, and our favorite everyday dog products covers the basics we use daily.
