Debby McMullen will be meeting and talking to dog owners and signing books at Joseph-Beth Booksellers, 510 South 27th Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15203, on Saturday, September 4, 2010, from 2-5 p.m.

If you are like most multiple dog owners, you are a dog geek, participating in a variety of dog related activities. In the case of a multiple dog home, activities done with one dog probably are not the same as activities done with the others.

Those of you who already foster dogs for rescues or shelters successfully can probably skip this. But if you have any issues with foster dogs and your own crew or if you are thinking of taking in fosters, get comfy, this is for you!!

In any multiple dog household, odds are there is a crew member who resource guards in some way. Whether the guarding is minor or major, it can be a problem. To resolve this, establishing yourself in the role of benevolent leader is more important than anything else. A leader creates boundaries for behavior that should be respected. Establishing a pattern of these boundaries will help your crew know what is and isn’t appropriate.

Raw feeding can be a volatile subject in any circle. There are firm believers in the benefits and there are those who are equally firm about its drawbacks. I am in the benefits firm believer camp. What if you are in the middle? Maybe you are interested but terrified at what the cost or the logistics would be with a multiple dog household?

Recently in my hometown, there was a very disturbing incident involving three Pitbulls that jumped their fence and attacked a policewoman known for her animal rescue efforts, along with her five year old daughter (who was not harmed) and two of her dogs that they were walking.

Does your dog’s breed make a difference in home alone set-up?

The answer to this is, it depends. As discussed in the book, sometimes you have dogs that you will always have to separate for safety’s sake when you are not around to supervise their interactions. This is especially true when you add a new housemate to your crew. More info on the details of this can be found in the chapter “Since You’ve Been Gone”.

Spring is also the season where it seems that many dog owners have forgotten their manners. I see many things that I either have to avoid or comment on, to prevent incidents. Just today, I was on my favorite weekend trail when I noticed a man rapidly approaching me from behind with a large black bear-like dog. This is typically the type of dog that many dogs will have a reaction to so it is better to be prepared.

Welcome to the Website for the book, How Many Dogs?! Here you’ll find lots of information to help you manage your multiple dog home using positive reinforcement training methods. You’ll also be able to view some sample pages of the book, and we hope you’ll take the opportunity to buy the book. The book actually began shipping to our customers on April 24, 2010.