Keeping your sanity with multiple dogs

We've got close to eight acres here. Some day it may be more than I want to care for, but it's nice to have some breathing room between us and the nearest neighbors. It would be wonderful to have a couple hundred acres, both wooded and open fields, with no one in sight, but with a good perimeter fence all the way around it so I could pretend that the rest of the world doesn't exist, but that's my reclusive side talking. We are very fortunate to have what we've got.

That's Theo, at the gate that opens from the
dog yard into the pasture. A ball lies in front
of him as he waits anxiously for me to throw.

Most of the dogs go out to either a kennel or the dog yard for at least part of the day when the weather is halfway decent. They have access to good shelter even when they are outside. Rex is still confined to a kennel post-heartworm treatment and I've been putting Max with him during the days for company. They both come in at night. It helps to have several good sized spaces so I can spread out the 8-12 dogs we have around here much of the time. Theo stays in the dog yard most days, along with Trooper, Sparky, and even Gigi for varying lengths of time, but usually not all day. I've got a good sized dog yard, but sometimes it's nice to take at least some of the pack out to the pasture where they can really run. Carly is in the dog yard too, along with Toquima who is visiting again for a couple weeks. Maya and TJ don't go to the dog yard for containment reasons, but they do spend some outdoor time in the AC yard next to the house in good weather, plus their almost daily hikes. Vince is indoors most of the time, but he's one I can let out to wander around the yard on his own when the front gate is closed. It doesn't seem like so many dogs when there's only 2, 3, or 4 in most places that you look. There's at least 6 in the bedroom at night, but with your eyes closed you don't see them.

Fall color came in quickly this year, making a
nice background for this picture of Toquima.

Truly, the key is spreading them out and giving them enough exercise during the day so they are at least a bit subdued indoors at night. About 6 acres of the property is open pasture and I don't keep dogs out there, but it is fully fenced so we go there to run. It's an easy way to exercise multiple dogs at one time. Because they aren't out there all the time, it's a treat when they go and they make good use of the time by running around. These pictures are from a pasture romp on Wednesday afternoon with Theo, Carly, Max, Gigi, and Toquima.

I can't say I've made much progress with Carly
yet, but she's content in the dog yard and is an
easy keeper so I don't feel rushed. My shoulder
needs to heal before she goes hiking again.

Everyone played ball at the beginning, but everyone but
Theo loses interest after a while.

The pasture is sloped so the dogs have an easy
run downhill after the ball, but a more strenuous
trek back up to where I stand. It makes for good
exercise in a fairly short period of time.

Max started out with a stick, but when everyone else
was playing ball, he wanted to join in. Once he gets a
ball, he pretty much thinks the game is over and goes
on about his business by himself, but generally staying
near the rest of the pack.

Toquima is such a handsome dog in addition to being such a
good dog and an easy keeper. Seeing him next to TJ, I notice
some similarity in the coat, build, and ears, that makes me think
that Toquima may be part husky. Luckily, he didn't get any of
the bad parts of any breed, husky or shepherd. 

Coming back up the hill after a throw. L to R: Toquima, Max, Carly, and Theo.
Theo has the ball in his mouth.

Theo runs for the ball, the others run after him mostly just for fun, but sooner or later each of
them got a ball. Theo is the only one who actually returns the balls, however. The rest drop them
somewhere in the pasture where I may or may not find them before the mower does.

Gigi doesn't care about the ball at all and she's had
some kind of respiratory infection lately, but she
wanted to come out and nose around. She ran some,
generally in short bursts, but she mostly kept to
herself or followed me around.

Carly runs fast.

Carly didn't really return the ball, but she would
let me pick it up when she dropped it. 

Carly ran with Theo for quite a while
and would sometimes get a ball on a
short throw.

Toquima tired of chasing after Theo and began to explore an
overgrown thicket, hunting intently for something. He even
managed to get Carly interested although she didn't seem to
know what they were looking for. 

Only Toquima's big bushy tail is showing
here. Fortunately he carries it erect most
of the time so I could keep an eye on him.
Seeing his propensity to dive into thick
brush, it's easy to understand how he ended
up with a face full of porcupine quills one
time when he was on vacation elsewhere.

Toquima: If I could clone this dog, I could adopt
him out many times over, even to first time
shepherd owners, provided they passed the IQ test.

Theo with two balls, but keeping an eye on
Carly coming up on him from behind.

Carly, mid-run, mouth wide open.

Max (rear), Theo (front), and Carly

One of Gigi's bursts of energy.