How many is too many?

I can personally handle up to four. I enjoy having two performance dogs - three is at my limit and then a pet dog or two. I currently have three dogs (two performance, one dabbler that prefers to be a pet) and am also working Jason's Border Collie in performance. Jason has 4 dogs, with a 5th we just added as a foster. Since we work with dogs for a living now and are able to bring our dogs to work and train/exercise intermittently throughout the day, things are a lot more manageable than they otherwise may be. I never feel like I have too many dogs. I sometimes wonder if Jason enjoys having as many as he does but he seems to be happy and says he likes it. I am happy with my crew right now. I think once Eden is older, I will probably add another performance dog to get started but right now my dogs are young. There is a really lovely Koolie puppy that I would love - but not a good time

I had 5 at one point; Rottweiler, 3 JRTs and a lab mix. It was fine because there were 6 people in the house & the dogs got plenty of attention. Then Shadow died and there were 4 when my brother and I moved out. Then my sister and other brother moved out and the house was left with my parents and 4 dogs. They are/were overwhelmed. They now have three and would love if I took Jack someday and my brother is taking Micki in the near future. They'll probably only have 1. Three is fine, four was fine, five seemed a bit much.

I think OH & I will have a limit at 2. He has fallen in love with Jack (who lives with my parents) and wants him to come live with us and we'd like another younger more active dog. He tells me that we can have a many as I want (which is awesome considering when we first got together he didn't like the idea of indoor dogs and wanted one under 10 pounds - he's evolving or loves me or something).

I do love having a huge pack to take ridiculous group pictures of!

It depends a bit on the size and personality of the dogs for me. One or two Squashes or Maisys is plenty. I could probably have ten Pips if I had room for them.

Really, though, two or three is best for me. If I had small dogs OR a team of Alaskans I mushed with I could maybe see myself with 4. No more than 4 and no less than 2, though, pretty much no matter what.

I'm not sure if I have a number that's too many. In Texas at one point I think we had 10 in the house and I didn't feel overdogged, though rarely were they all out together. A lot of it probably helps is that we run like clockwork, so it's not all hectic chaos like most people think it is when they hear I have five dogs.

I would like to get down to a lesser amount of performance dogs. They are all 8 and under and the younger ones haven't yet started trialing. But that's most from lack of time and money than anything. I'd like to get down to having just a few that are performance dogs vs. retired housedogs/puppies.

I like two, my two are so comfortable. If I could bring Missy here, I would have the perfect 3. I think a permanent three would be doable for me if it was the "right" one - but higher than that unless I had someone helping me (like a SO or even a sibling *glares at brother* LOL) I wouldn't want to do it, I would feel like I wasn't being fair to my own dogs.

One. Two if my husband/SO wants a dog one day.. so I guess two in the household but one for me personally.

I've always been a one dog person. The situation of me having a dog and my so having a dog would be perfect for me because I do think it's great for dogs to have somebody of their own species to hang out with but I would have one dog that is MINE
but otherwise? I'm a renter who only wants to live in major cities (which already makes one a big number) and my life is just suited for one dog..from sitting under cafe tables, to travel (not to mention finding a dog sitter) to riding the train.. everything is just easier with one (and one person can't bring two dogs on the train.)

I always say I want one of my own and then I can foster! Two is too many for me right now. I'm so busy making money to afford them, I feel like I don't get to enjoy them enough... and then when I do see them enough, I don't see my friends or Tim enough. I think I just need a house-mate willing to live with my dogs, not just coexist.

For the household, the four we have are great. They mesh well, can go on walks either all together or in any pairing or solo. Just a fun and active group of dogs. Heck from a "household" standpoint, we could probably take on a couple more if they were good fits. Though to be honest I wouldn't want to.

For competing, though, I think two is my limit. I would gladly have more but there is just not enough time and money.

My ideal really would be to have two-to-three across a range of ages. One retiree or near-retiree. One in her prime. One up-and-comer. Perfect number so they can all come along to everything without getting overwhelming, and "only" one-to-two sets of entry fees!

Considering the age range currently in my household and future plans, it'll be a while til that ideal is possible. And there are definitely days that I think having one and only one would be pretty awesome lol. But if my current dogs could be with me forever, then all would be perfect.

For me, I'm pretty certain two is my limit. Three MAYBE tops but that would be really depending and the dog would have to be very very special. But yeah two is pretty much my limit, which is why I'm being so picky and specific with choosing my second dog and trying to get timing and breed right etc. Because I won't be adding any more most likely until one passes.

I totally forgot about the entry fee part of it. That's the other reason I can only have two performance dogs, can't afford the entry fees! Not to mention seminars and everything else I want to do with them.

I think it depends. Right now I live with my parents and even though we have a big house the layout is kinda odd and it makes it hard even with my old dog and the new puppy so right now two is more than enough so I don't actually see myself right now with more than two dogs, and this puppy is more like an overlap, because my boy Rocky is getting older by the day and we all missed having a puppy. Being said that, this is going to be my last puppy for a while. When I move out from here, hopefully in four years max (hopefully less) I will move out with my Aussie (and Rocky if he is still here) and probably get a second dog but not a puppy. I have plans on going to Agility classes with Skye once he gets older but so far he's been very different from what I expected so I will just have to wait and see. Living with my parents makes it more difficult, but I can see myself with two young/adult dogs easily with no problem.

Once Zinga gets up and running too you will never forget it again lol

I think, in the next few years, I'd like to have two performance dogs. Being a young, in/right out of college person, two is a good number. Right now I've got one performance dog, and there are many times I wish I had two. More time spent training, dogs with different strengths, etc.

I'm a one dog person. I love having one dog. I love the one on one time with Yoshi I just love everything about having one dog.

That being said I have juggled the thought of getting another dog when Yoshi gets older. I have no idea what I will do when I lose Yoshi. There are days when the only reason I get up is because I have to take care of her. I think having another dog would help me keep going and keep me in routine.

But really I don't know if I'd ever be able to convince myself to get another dog while Yoshi is still alive.

We have one... my parents will always only ever have one, and after their kids are gone, and Rosey is gone, I would be surprised if they had another. My dad would really like a pug later... my mom says no more dogs. She loves Rosey and loves having a dog, but she knows if it's just my dad and her, the dog would be 100% HER responsibility when my dad gets bored of it after a week, and she just doesn't have time for that to be fair to the dog.

I'll likely have multiples, but spread out so they're not all dying on me at the same time. Or, at least, stack my odds so it works that way.

We have six, but to be fair, Ginger and Newt are hardly real dogs (they really choose to sleep or sit in their little bed about 23 hours a day, by choice) Four is our ideal, 5 is doable. But we have very laid back dogs. It is a lot easier to have multiples when they just happily hang out at your feet most of the day. It would be different if they were go go go types. But, I choose dogs who aren't that way. (I'm not a go go go person )

I think it depends on the situation. With no birds and socially compatible dogs (don't want to crate and rotate) I could do 4 at most. I could totally see having 4 labs (DH would never go for that), or 2 whippets and 2 labs, or a GSD, a couple of labs, and a whippet.

With 4 birds though 2 dogs is a good number. I really try to stick to one dog class at a time-it just gets too crazy otherwise. I don't compete with my dogs though.

There is a woman I know through dog classes who has 3 goldens, 2 GSDs, and 30 birds--from parakeets up to a blue and gold macaw. I don't know how she handles it honestly-just the cleaning involved with 5 hairy dogs and that many birds would eat up a significant chunk of the day.

I technically have one. Though 3 days a week I deal with my landlords dog. Feeding him, letting him outside and having him play with Chase (mine). When I move out, most likely I'll get a second dog, but I could see myself having 3 dogs at some point. Most likely after my cats have passed.

Well...there are 8 here..occasionally we have a 9th foster and we've had up to 12 at once with foster puppies (WAY TOO MANY. GOOD LORD.). But, I live with my mom, and we've both said we would never have this many dogs on our own. Honestly the only problem I wish I could fix is some alert barking...they don't constantly bark but they do when someone comes in the door, it can be overwhelming to guests.

On my own? No more than four. Preferably two 'sports dogs', a pet, and a foster/something different. If I owned a home, maybe the 4 dogs and a small dog? Something like that. Right now 'my' dogs are Zoie, Skye, and Romeo...they mesh really well together, I like their dynamics, and although I've been thinking of a fourth...I think I will wait.

As of right now I can see 3 being doable. This spring, I will be (human and dog Gods willing) adding a 3rd dog to the house. But mine are also 15 and almost 8. Its time to add before the soon to be middle (Ivan) is too old to play.