....many times I've read that it's important to restrict your dogs' access to each other so that they don't bond more strongly to each other than to the owner. I'm not sure I buy that. I'm sitting here watching my three male dogs basically sitting on top of each other taking turns licking each others' faces. Earlier I watched Nikon teach Pan how to "dive" his head into a water bucket to retrieve a ball b/c Pan was too chicken to try at first. Now I suppose I am lucky that all my dogs get along and can be together when I am around (they are separated when I'm not here, not because we've had fights but because they get into too much mischief!), but to me there is something really special about DOG relationships, something I don't feel that I can or need to micro-manage, something I don't feel I can replace. If my dogs don't respect me or mind me, I think that would illustrate a breakdown in our relationship, but not necessarily indicate that I need to segregate them from each other. I enjoy having multiple dogs and observing the behaviors and dynamics of three or four dogs at a time. I don't think that being loyal to the human or loyal to the other dogs has to be mutually exclusive. The dogs provide for eachother something that as a human I am incapable of providing.

Agree/disagree?

Very much agree with you. I've never restricted the dogs' access to each other. All my dogs (and cats) were and are very much bonded both with me and with each other. The older, trained dogs teach the younger, and help with the training. They enjoy each others company. Also a dog with a work ethic has that work ethic no matter what, it's not 'only if and when'.

How good a relationship is, be that between a dog and a human, or for that matter between two humans, is between them, and not dependent on excluding other friendships. How sad that would be otherwise. Friendships enhance each other, and make everyone more happy

agree!!!

I agree with the disclaimer that some people really do let their dogs bond way too much to each other...I'm thinking the first time dog owner who gets a second dog to keep the first "company."

Mine have more or less free access to one another, but we have an xpen and crate set up for Medo, which is mainly used as containment when we can't have a close eye on him (although he's getting over the "snatching everything in sight and running off" phase) and to give Elsa some peace and quite every once in awhile.

agree!

I have never bought into that either. I love my dogs to be buddies.

I think it depends on the context.

I bet that that advice is meant for the owner that spends little time with their dogs, and gets two young dogs of the same age, and throws them in the backyard. LOL, there's all sorts of things that are wrong with that, I wouldn't know where to start....

I do think that it's important to spend individual time with each dog, working with them, but I guess some folks might not agree with that.

Actually, there are quite a few "working" people who adhere to this principal as well. Some of them being people on my SAR team and the TF of the French Ring club I go to. I just smile and nod "yeah, ok. Uh hu. Sure." And go home and let me dogs "make out" later.

Yup, I've been told to keep the working pups segregated, only allowed with the other dogs for short, supervised periods. OK maybe if I had a huge house and/or kennel on acres of land but on a postage stamp, I don't think so! It's imperative that the dogs DO bond with each other and sort things out among themselves, otherwise what? one gets the 4x6 bathroom and one gets the breakfast nook? What kind of life is that? There are a lot of things I am picky about and do micro-manage with respect to their training and how they act around the house but keeping them apart hasn't been one of them. Now if I had two that didn't get along, that's just common sense but I honestly do not see what I would gain by keeping them apart. I like observing their pack dynamics. I like how loyal they are to each other but completely ignore other dogs. I've seen them show what looks like genuine concern for each other.

My situation is unique...have two girls that live at my parents and come to my house a few days a week and my young male who is with me all the time. When we travel, all three are together for days on end...and they LOVE it.

I think there is nothing like seeing a balanced pack of dogs...their interactions together are fascinating to watch.

On our family vacation, it was really interesting because I had my three, plus my hubby's old Cairn for most of a week. They are so synchronized. Then, my Aunt arrived with her two dogs and my grandpa with his. We had 3 GSDs, the Cairn, a Shih Tzu, a beagle mix, and a yorkie all together. What I found really interesting was how my pack maintained "togetherness" even in the mix of all those dogs!

The only time I separate my dogs is to give them a break from a young pup/dog, aside from when I am gone from home and some are crated.

Lies, I think you and I run things in a similar way and the dogs absolutely know the expectations. That knowledge for them means things go really smoothly IME.