[NAGDU] Two dogs in a one-bedroom apartment

Tue Sep 12 01:59:28 UTC 2017

Hi Janell,
Growing up with dogs and cats, I'm not as concerned with how well the dogs
will get along, as much as I am about the practicality of the space in a
one-bedroom apartment. Honestly, I hope that I'm not turned down for my dog
because we're not in a 2+-bedroom apartment or house. I'm hoping that
through evaluating and utilizing the advice received here and careful
planning on our part, that I'll be able to demonstrate that I have thought
of as many scenarios as practically possible prior to adding another dog
guide to the family.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and tips, and have a wonderful week!

Best wishes, Miranda

-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Janell via NAGDU
Sent: Monday, September 11, 2017 11:28 AM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Janell <nellie at culodge.com>
Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Two dogs in a one-bedroom apartment

I have my guide and we also have a family pet lab.  They get along great and
adjusted very well.  I was a bit nervous because Maggie is 10 and a bit
territorial but they did great right off the bat.  I only used the crate for
Sully for about a month or so.  He was never using it day or night and if he
needs a puppy time-out he gets a 5-10 minute tie down and in my situation
that works better than the crate.  Both dogs have their own bed but they too
will share one more often than not.  One thing I do is use stackable
containers for winter stuff, extra toys, his information binder etc.  I also
have a tote that fits under our bed.

Try not to stress out over having 2 dogs, I think they will get along great!

-Janell

-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Nancy VanderBrink
via NAGDU
Sent: Monday, September 11, 2017 7:03 AM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Nancy VanderBrink <vandyvanderbrink at outlook.com>
Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Two dogs in a one-bedroom apartment

Both my husband and I have dogs and they get along great! They are both
males and clearly one of them is in charge. They actually cuddle together.
They sometimes play with each other but for the most part they kind of do
their own thing. They each have their own bowl and they each have their own
dog bed but sometimes they will swap. We found that having The beds in
different locations seems to work better for us. Their beds are more like a
pillow and so we found that they would drag them out in the middle of the
floor and we would go tripping over them at 2 o'clock in the morning on the
way to the bathroom. So your idea of having a crate in different locations I
think is a good idea. I think you are concerned about something that really
is not terribly a big concern. I am not meaning to be patronizing I am
simply saying that these guys are around other dogs a lot and they spend a
lot of time with other dogs sharing the same space when they are in training
so I really think once they establish the pecking order of who is in charge
then they will be absolutely fine. Now, when it comes to food and toys
luckily we were able to put our dogs on the same food. The one dog has
stomach issues and we have to avoid certain things with his food but the
other dog could frankly live on just about anything and be absolutely fine
so we definitely lucked out in that instance. I was told him many years ago
that if you are going to switch your dog to something lamb and rice is a
good formula but that was what I was told probably about 15 years ago so I
don't know if that is true or not anymore. 
We have a bucket that we put our toys in just to get them off the floor and
out-of-the-way. One dog thinks it is a lot of fun to pull all the toys out
and scatter them everywhere so we do have another container that has a lid
and I will use that sometimes.

Please forgive the typos as this message was most likely generated using
voice dictation Nancy Irwin

> On Sep 10, 2017, at 10:53 PM, Miranda B. via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
wrote:
> 
> Hi everyone,
> 
> My husband recently received his first dog guide, and I'm planning to 
> get mine in the next 1-2 years (hopefully during the summer of 2018, 
> if possible). We live in a larger 1-bedroom apartment. I believe it's 
> just over
> 900 square feet.
> 
> Our current plan is to rearrange our bedroom to make room for a second 
> dog crate, and we plan on taking turns with play time in the main 
> living space, as this works with our general schedule and prevents 
> over-crowding. Our other current plan is to share as many supplies as 
> possible. For instance, if the two dogs eat the same food, we'll only 
> have one Vittles Vault. We'll also share the larger supply of pick-up 
> bags, ETC. Of course, we won't share the dogs' gear, toys, ETC, so 
> they'll
each have some items of their own.
> 
> 
> 
> I'm writing to get any tips regarding dog supply/toy storage (these 
> tips would help with only one dog too), or overall tips regarding 
> having two dogs in an apartment. We are not in a position to get a 
> 2-bedroom apartment, so this is not a viable option for us. If you 
> have any storage products you use and recommend or other helpful 
> advice,
please feel free to share.
> 
> Thanks, and have a wonderful week!
> 
> 
> 
> Best wishes, Miranda
> 
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