Why Having More Than One Dog Is Good for the Family
Dogs can be the ideal pet, and for many, they are definitely a favorite animal. This makes sense; dogs are wonderful companions, they don’t ask for a lot, but they give unconditional love, and they can make a family feel complete.
Although many families are happy with just one dog, there are actually a number of benefits to having more than one. With that in mind, read on to find out more so you can decide whether you need to add another canine friend to your household.
Dogs Are Social Creatures
Dogs are social creatures by nature, and although they might consider you and anyone else in the home to be their companions and in their ‘pack’, it’s not quite the same thing as having another dog around to be friends with. With more than one dog, the two can play together, form a strong bond, and constantly have someone around them, even if you have to work or the kids are at school. In other words, you could get one dog for yourself, and then the second dog would be for the first dog to enjoy time with.
Having a companion around all the time not only benefits the dogs, but it can be helpful for the family as well. When you have more than one dog, they will be able to occupy themselves together, and although it’s crucial that you interact with them and play with them, if you are busy or sick or have another reason for having to be away from them for a while, you won’t have to feel guilty or push yourself too hard – they will be okay together.
Cost Saving
Although it will depend on what you buy, it might be possible to save money when you have more than one dog compared to just one dog alone. There are often special deals on bulk buys for food, for example, and there is certainly the option for multi dog insurance, which can save you money in the long term not just because it’s cheaper to insure more than one dog on one policy, but because this insurance can help with any vet’s bills you might have.
Since it’s more likely you’ll need to see a vet when you have more than one dog – it will be at least twice as likely, and perhaps more, depending on how many dogs you have – this cost saving can be significant.
Reduced Boredom
A bored dog is never a good thing to have. When a dog is bored, they can be destructive around your home, chewing things they should not chew and even trying to get out of the boundary and explore further afield. This can cause a lot of problems. Plus, a bored dog can develop mental health issues like anxiety, stress, and depression.
When you have two dogs, it’s much less likely that either of them will get bored. Even if you can’t be with them 24/7 – and no matter how much you might want to be, most dog owners can’t do this – they will have each other to play with and have as company, meaning their mental health and your home will be better protected.
Home Protection
The above point mentioned about your home being better protected above, and that was due to your dogs not becoming destructive because they are bored – they have each other to keep themselves occupied. However, more than one dog can help to protect your home in other ways too.
There are many reasons why a burglar would choose a house, just as there are many reasons they would steer clear of one. One reason to stay away and go somewhere else is if there was a dog in the house. Even if a dog is not a trained guard dog, as most aren’t, they still will usually make a noise to alert the homeowner that there is an intruder, and they might try to protect their family in some way. A burglar can’t take that risk.
Even if the burglar would be tempted to break in because they saw you only had one dog and decided to take a chance, if you had more than one, this would make this situation much less likely, and help to protect your home better.
