# Adding a 3rd dog? Pros/Cons help?



## Gilly1331 (Apr 16, 2011)

Hi all,
I just joined the forum last night and have been reading all the posts and getting wonderful information. My fiance and I have seriously been looking into adding other GSD to our family but really would like to know the pros/cons of having 3 large dogs in the home. For those of you who have 3 dogs do they all get along? Have you ever had an issues with 3? Is there ever a 3rd wheel or do they all seem to stay as a pack? Did it take a while to accept the newest dog? Any help would be great. 

Obviously its 3x the bills and expenses which is fine for us and we accept that it comes along with having them as our family. Our two dogs now 2yrs and 13 months (female/male) honestly love eachother and seem to be soul mates for eachother. They never leave eachothers side, never fight, share everything, and my female has def taught her younger brother alot. I am worried that by adding another to their tight nit pack may cause issues? We have daily play dates with my friends 2 dobermans (also male/female) and the only issue we have with the 4 being together is that both males are not neutered yet and both females are so my GSD tends to voice his opinion towards the male doberman but does not take that next step. We def correct him when he gets to vocal or looks like he is hovering over the other male and he immediatly listens and hasn;t started any fights just talks. Hence we were thinking of another female as my GSD is wonderful with all females.

I would really love all help on adding a 3rd to our pack. If we do we wil be adding a weaned puppy of 8-15 weeks old where as when we got Lexi she was 8 months and Zeus was 5 months. All help is appreciated. We are extremely active and do anywhere from 5-10 miles a day with both our dogs now and I take the both everywhere. We are excited to actually get a puppy this time. Thanks


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

I have had three dogs (usually two males and one female) off and on for about 20 years and it has worked out well. Three dogs are more work but I think bringing in a puppy ups the odds of success.

You need to be a little more diligent because if there is a scuffle it seems that BOTH dogs gang up on the underdog...

I am sure many others have more experience with even more dogs but three dogs is definitely more work. I am getting ready to add a third myself in the Fall or next year and am making arrangements to have some sepaarate run areas. This will be my first go with two INTACT males,but my current one is very ok around other male dogs. Female is spayed.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I started with one puppy female GSD Onyx and a senior mix breed female. 
On a whim I added a 21 month old rescue when Onyx was 5 months old. They were all female and got along great, except for Onyx trying to herd the others.
Then my senior passed and I fostered a young male while researching my next puppy for doing SchH.
After I found a pup and the foster was placed I was back to 3...two females and a male pup. 
They get along quite well, and really I like three dogs in my household. My young male will get exercise with both or go out separately with each female, so gets twice the fun! They all look to me as their "center" and would rather be with me than each other. Only Onyx hasn't got the 'pack drive' of the others, and can go off on her own just fine. I don't kennel my dogs, they have free run of the home, but are crated when needed and fine with it.
Each household has its dynamics, and your dogs may not accept a newcomer(though pups get a pass, but at maturity you may have some challenging ladder climbing issues) 
Your dogs are young enough, it may work, or it may not. Not much help, sorry!


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## Mrs.K (Jul 14, 2009)

I have two males and a female. 

My female was 12 months old when I added the male puppy and she fell back into a lot of puppy behavior. Most dogs are still "puppies" (at 13 months) themselves. 

But I do have to watch my 6yo male because he likes dominating the puppy and I don't like that. So sometimes I have to keep him separated from the puppy when the other two are outside playing with each other because he's simply too rough with Judge. 

Other than that, it works just fine. Three dogs are more work but if you have the time and knowledge, why not


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## zyppi (Jun 2, 2006)

I'd say enjoy the two for now and let them mature a bit before adding a 3rd.

I recently dealt with a mixed breed pup that I rescued from traffic ( never intended to keep him but had a heck of a time finding him a good home). 

My 3 almost 4 yr old male GSD is really just coming into his own - easy dog with people, children, and usually with all other dogs. He did not like having another male in the house... It was a nightmare supervising, separating etc...

I think the time and effort expands exponentially.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Two's company, three's a pack. 

It is a different dynamic, and your current dogs are all very young. 

What happens when they are all very young is that at some point, there becomes a question. If you bring in a pup that is less dominant of the current pup your have of that sex it might be ok. Unless something happens to change the dynamic for a while -- vacation, anything. Then things can get hairy. 

Usually packs work if the people are excellent leaders, and the dogs, are all well bonded with the people, well trained, plenty of mental and physical exercise, and well supervised. 

It is not like 33% more dog than you already have. Somehow mathematics once again just does not work. It tends to be a LOT more training and a LOT more leadership, and a LOT more supervision. 

All your dogs are very young. They will also grow up together and grow old together. Geriatric vet bills times three. And Losing all three possibly within months of each other. 

They say that the best bet is to have 4 years between dogs. Of course, I am one to talk. 

Good luck in whatever you decide.


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## Gilly1331 (Apr 16, 2011)

I def have the time. I only work 3 days a week and it is 12 hours overnight shifts leaving me home almost everyday. My dogs are my life. They go everywhere with me, grocery shopping, hiking, errands, play times, etc. The extra work doesn't bother me at all and I welcome it. Do you all see better 2 males/1 female or 2 females/1 male have better bonding? Both my dogs are very friendly, love other dogs, cats, horses etc, love the dog parks and private parks. We have never had any issues but the my intact GSD male and my friends intact doberman. I havent been to the dog park in a while the last time i was there there were a few dogs that kept starting big fights so I have found other play dates and my guys are happy. 

Keep all your help coming! The breeder is def going to make sure we have the best match but I just need some reassurance that my hope to add another is a good idea dog pack wise lol. I want them all to be happy that is my first priority as I see them as my children. Since I dont have any human children yet be will be starting to try next year for those I wanted to have my dog family settled first


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I would go with two males and a female. but the boys would be very close in age. You have to expect that they may fight at some point, especially since you have a female and you will want to be prepared for that possibility. You will not want to face rehoming or euthanizing one of them a year or two from now. 

Bitches are worse than dogs whether spayed or not. Dogs fight for breeding rights. Bitches fight for breathing rights. With good leadership, you can be pretty confident of the boys getting a long for the most part, bitches are a different story altogether. You have to have a plan if they start fighting. Because if they do, it is VERY hard to ever allow them regular contact again. And you will always have to separate when you are not right there. 

It is not the end of the world. It would be better if you had some more room between the dogs. 

I think they are all so close that it matters less that the boys will be even closer in age, bitches that are two years apart in age might make things even more sensitive. 

Frankly, I think it is unwise to add a dog to your group now.


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## Franksmom (Oct 13, 2010)

I have had 3 dogs at 2 different times, 2 males and a female and when my female died I added another male, so I now have 3 neutered males together, they've all done well together. 
My dogs are all 3-4 years apart in age, I dont' think I would want them any closer in age just because I like to have 1 fully trained before I add another one, but that's just me.
2 of my dogs are border collies so not as big as my GSD. but still good sized. If they get to playing in the house they can knock things over but other wise no problems with having 3 bigger dogs in the one house.


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## krystyne73 (Oct 13, 2010)

selzer said:


> I would go with two males and a female. but the boys would be very close in age. You have to expect that they may fight at some point, especially since you have a female and you will want to be prepared for that possibility. You will not want to face rehoming or euthanizing one of them a year or two from now.
> 
> Bitches are worse than dogs whether spayed or not. Dogs fight for breeding rights. Bitches fight for breathing rights. With good leadership, you can be pretty confident of the boys getting a long for the most part, bitches are a different story altogether. You have to have a plan if they start fighting. Because if they do, it is VERY hard to ever allow them regular contact again. And you will always have to separate when you are not right there.
> 
> ...


I totally agree!
I wish I had been in this group before deciding to add Sasha. Trust me,...forget the extra normal vet bills, it's the bills for stitches you have to pay for from dog fights, how you older dogs seem to change socially and all of sudden you don't have enough time to train/ play with them all. I adopted my Sasha, and she was 10 mon old, yet just adding that cute little face to my home completely upset the balance of my pack.
Of course, I have 3 females, so that might be my biggest issue. 
IMO, enjoy the 2 you have, master their skills and training.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

It is true that usally I had an older male when I added the younger one and it was fine. My current male will be 8 in August. Both of my dogs are within 6 months of each other but normally I had about 4 years in between dogs. That is a good separation.......Current male dog came in as a young adult though and at that time I had a 9 year old male.


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

selzer said:


> Two's company, three's a pack.


I agree. I had two dogs together and whenever I added a third (foster), they always showed a LOT more "pack" type behaviors (saw very few with just 2 dogs) and I had to do a lot more management and work on keeping the peace (even after the foster had settled in-- I had some for as long as a year).


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## zyppi (Jun 2, 2006)

I also think playing with other dogs is very different to sharing their turf.


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## Rott-n-GSDs (Jul 7, 2010)

We have three dogs: a female GSD (2.5), a male GSD (3.5), and a male Rottweiler (3). They are all very close in age, and all still very "puppy-ish."

We've had to deal with some minor fighting issues with the two males. Mostly the Rottie takes offense when the GSD wants "mommy time."

Recently my female GSD got a bit snarky (totally out of character for her) with the male GSD. The Rottie INSTANTLY decided, "woo hoo, this will be fun!" and joined in on the fighting. This is the biggest concern with three or more dogs... you usually won't have just two dogs fighting, because the other(s) will decide they need to join in, too. 

All in all, though, all of the issues have been relatively minor and I don't regret adding the third dog.


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## Sue Smart (Jul 12, 2002)

I've been toying with getting another GSD but I've got 2 females and often do fostering so I think maybe it would be too much. I've got Fia the Fiend (weim) staying at the moment and they all get on fine.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

I would say that it is best to go with 2 males and 1 female.

I would however, wait until your male is 2 years old before bringing in another puppy.


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## weber1b (Nov 30, 2008)

We have three, one female, 2 males. For us we figured out once we got to three that two was enough. Having said that, we are not turning back and overall are doing fine. Part of our issue is the two males themselves. Max is dog aggresive and Patton is what I call dog tolerant. He is OK with other dogs as long as they don't show aggresion, but if they do, he's more than ready to mix it up. We had some scuffles in the early stages of mixing Patton into the pack. Only one relatively minor medical issue until last fall. One Sunday morning they were all in the back yard together and something happened to trigger a fight and then all **** broke loose. Long and short of it, Max ended up with six stitches in his face. Holding a 90 pounder in one hand and an 80 pounder in another when they both want to kill each other is not an experience I would like to repeat anytime soon. They had been playing fine the day before and have been fine since, but we are also more careful now of certain interactions.

One important factor is the strength of the leader (YOU) which sounds like you have a handle on that. Clover in our case is of some help as she is definitely the boss. She defers in that she lets the boys bound through doors first and that sort of thing, but when it comes down to it, she will put either of them right on their back even though she is smaller than either of them. It will depend so much on just how they see each other and their underlying personalities. Given the age of your dogs, I might wait just a bit but only to give you a chance to create a better spread of ages.

Good Luck with whatever you decide.


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## Jax's Mom (Apr 2, 2010)

selzer said:


> I would go with two males and a female. but the boys would be very close in age.


Makes sense... Do you have any thoughts on how to repair the "void" if one dies and the dynamics are completely changed?
How easy is it to replace a pack member?
The reason I ask is because in a few situations of 3 dog packs, I've noticed when the alpha dies, the remaining two begin to fight... at that point, it looks like a bit of a challenge to replace the alpha.


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## Heidibu (Jul 22, 2008)

selzer said:


> Bitches fight for breathing rights.


Agree, intact or not. If you are going to add a third, might want to consider a male.

If you are adding a wee pup...you probably won't have many issues. Dogs know when a baby is a baby. What you would need to watch out for is when that baby grows out of its "puppy license." When it gets big enough and aggravating enough, it will be put in its place. That normal heirarchy behavior. 

There may be times when all three will want to try to nudge themselves up the totem pole and another will not allow it (likely). This is something they have to deal with on their own.

I have 3 and typically do. When I brought Heidi in as an 8 week old puppy I had two adult Labs (one male, one senior female). The female didn't want to have anything to do with the pup. The male was fine with her...in fact, they slept together. The female tolerated her until she reached that age, then disciplined her. I DID, however show the older female my dislike. I'm the disciplinarian, not you. BUT, it will happen.

Later when my senior passed away, I rescued Bruder. He was about 1 year old. Heidi was 2 years old. Buddy a senior now. This is more difficult and requires much more interaction from you. Heidi pouted for a while when she realized this newbie was staying. It took a while for them to eat together...had a couple of tiffs. It took a while before Bruder realized his place on the totem pole too. Now, they are inseparable. 

Easier to integrate a pup, IMO.


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## kiya (May 3, 2010)

I have 3 dogs, again. 8-1/2 yr old male, 7 yr old female and a 15 month old female. The 2 females are best friends always playing. The older male and the pup is now my concern. The pup is a dominant female and she has gone after my male who outweighs her by 45lbs. He seems to be ok with her wanting to be top dog, thank God. We've had a few incidents where she turned gremlin on him, I think she learned resource guarding from him and these incidents happened inbetween me or my husband and the dogs. Toys are a problem since he thinks they belong to him and she thinks they belong to her.
3 is definately a pack. I had 3 dogs a few years ago also. Then it was a 8 yr old female, 1-1/2 yr old male when I got Kiya at 14 weeks old. I didn't have any issues with thier behavior toward each other. Knowing what I know now, mostly from what I have learned here, I still would have taken the pup. Unfortunately I work full time, I am the only one who takes care of the dogs so it does get to be a lot of work. I can walk all 3 together, but they are all at different exercise levels so I have been doing individual dog time. Which I learned how important that one on one time is.
The absolute worst feeling is leaving 1 or 2 dogs home. I am lucky that my male hates going in the truck so sometimes I will ask him if he wants to go in the truck he'll turn around and go hide.
I will say when it was just the 2, life was much, much easier. 
Some day I would like to have only 1 dog (ha) hubby doesn't believe that for a second.


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

kiya said:


> The absolute worst feeling is leaving 1 or 2 dogs home. I am lucky that my male hates going in the truck so sometimes I will ask him if he wants to go in the truck he'll turn around and go hide.


That's true, it's hard enough with two dogs leaving one home but even more with 3... Maybe that's just me because I take my dogs a lot of places, and when I had 2-3 they all always wanted to go along so I'd feel bad taking just one.


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## Rott-n-GSDs (Jul 7, 2010)

kiya said:


> The absolute worst feeling is leaving 1 or 2 dogs home. I am lucky that my male hates going in the truck so sometimes I will ask him if he wants to go in the truck he'll turn around and go hide.
> I will say when it was just the 2, life was much, much easier.





Chicagocanine said:


> That's true, it's hard enough with two dogs leaving one home but even more with 3... Maybe that's just me because I take my dogs a lot of places, and when I had 2-3 they all always wanted to go along so I'd feel bad taking just one.


Agreed! It is difficult to think of leaving one home alone... and I don't even like it when I have to take one and leave the other two!

We like to travel with our dogs, whether it be just a weekend visit to my parents or a camping trip. It is a lot more difficult now that we have three dogs, plus all of their stuff, plus all of our stuff. We have a Chevy Blazer, but even then if we go on a camping trip not everything fits. It is about to become that much harder to travel with all three dogs because we're expecting our first child... so we'll have the dogs, the dog stuff, the baby, the baby stuff, plus our stuff (and the camping stuff if we're heading for the campground). If we could afford it, we'd get an RV!


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## Girth (Jan 27, 2011)

I currently have 3 with ages ranging from 8 to 1.5 years. The pack mentality is definitely evident. Most of my comments have already been stated by others. Food was the biggest thing I've noticed so be prepared for that cost. Overall it has been a lot of work but well worth it.


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

Jax's Mom said:


> Makes sense... Do you have any thoughts on how to repair the "void" if one dies and the dynamics are completely changed?
> How easy is it to replace a pack member?
> The reason I ask is because in a few situations of 3 dog packs, I've noticed when the alpha dies, the remaining two begin to fight... at that point, it looks like a bit of a challenge to replace the alpha.


It all depends on the remaining dogs.

When my bitch Neke, undisputed Alpha of the pack (then 6 dogs) died NO-ONE wanted to step up and be Alpha. Winnie, my corgi mix just sort of fell into the role.

When we brought Sasha home she and Winnie had a few 'words' but I let them work it out and they settled for Winnie being the Alpha Bitch ... for now. She's 12 so I can see Sasha stepping right into the stop when Winnie goes.

As for Alpha Male - NONE of my males really want the job. If I had to pick one I would say it defaults to Mauser due to his size (GSD versus Cresteds and a Cocker).

Speaking as someone with 7 dogs, everything depends on the dogs themselves. My two oldest are happy to run and play in the yard and go for a drive when the weather is nice. Sasha is afraid of anything new so staying home suits her just fine. She does like car rides and gets to go with when we do drive-thrus. Mauser and the 3 Cresteds are my Out and About dogs. they like to go and do and explore so I do as much as we can with them.


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## trudy (Aug 25, 2008)

You say you don't have human kids, YET, so that means it is in the plans, I would train these 2 tons!!! Over the top advanced training, skip getting a third until you have the human kids, too often when babies come with their demands time for dogs drop, behavior changes as time is pulled away and dogs suffer and then are often in the way. Find some tracking classes, agility classes, sheep herding, dock diving, obedience. What ever is your interest and the dogs ability, in a few years when your dogs are the pride of the county for listening, when you have your kid(s) and then have the time and $$, I will guarantee there will still be pups available.


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