Episode 11: Working On Impulse Control In A Multi-Dog Household

Hello and welcome to another episode of Let’s Go for a Walk. Today we are out in the field, so my dogs may be running around a bit more than usual, but I will do my best to keep the camera on them.

Today’s topic is how to work on impulse control in a multi-dog household. This applies if you have multiple dogs living together. As most of you know, dogs in multi-dog homes naturally compete for resources. I am not talking about serious resource guarding here, but everyday competition. This can include who gets closest to you while you are preparing food, who crowds the counter, or who reaches the door first when guests arrive.

You may notice that when your dogs are together, these behaviors increase. When you take one dog out alone, suddenly the behavior disappears and they seem like a completely different dog. This is why working on impulse control in a multi-dog household is so important. It makes daily life much easier, helps prevent conflict, and gives you more control when situations become exciting.

Some dogs show mild resource-related behaviors such as blocking another dog’s path or giving hard looks. In other cases, resource guarding can escalate to more serious behaviors like charging across the room or jumping off furniture to defend space. Teaching impulse control early and consistently is critical.

There are many ways to teach impulse control around other dogs, but I want to focus on methods that are simple and practical to implement at home.

When you first start, do not make things too complicated. If your dogs are used to being together all the time and rushing toward resources, you cannot jump straight into advanced stationing exercises. I like to begin by crating the dogs who are not actively working. Keep the crates close to you and give those dogs something to do, such as a filled Kong or a long-lasting chew. This allows them to see and hear what is happening without becoming frustrated.

If you have a dog who is not food motivated or dislikes the crate, you may need to adjust your approach. However, for most households, this is a good starting point.

With the dog you have out, begin with simple obedience. Keep it calm and low intensity. Practice sits and downs without adding a lot of excitement or play. High-energy play at this stage often causes the other dogs to become overstimulated. After a short session, rotate. Put that dog away with something to do and bring out the next dog.

Once your dogs are comfortable watching without reacting, you can remove the chew items. Keep sessions very short and continue rotating dogs.

At the same time, you should be teaching a place command or stationing behavior individually. This can be done with the other dogs crated or in pens. Dogs should also learn to respond to their name individually, not as a group. This helps them understand that cues are directed to specific dogs, not everyone at once.

After these foundations are in place, you can begin stationing exercises with multiple dogs. Keep dogs on leash while they are on place. You may reintroduce chews initially to help them succeed. While some dogs are stationed, work one dog at a time with calm obedience exercises.

Once the dogs can handle this, remove the chews and work on letting them simply observe. Rotate dogs frequently so they learn that everyone gets a turn. The goal is for each dog to understand that their turn will come and that waiting calmly is expected.

As progress improves, you can drop the leashes. If a dog breaks position, calmly return them to place and continue. If a dog struggles significantly, return to an easier step. You may tether them or have someone assist.

As the dogs become more reliable, you can gradually increase difficulty by adding more exciting rewards, higher-value treats, or mild play. Progress slowly.

Another simple and effective exercise is simultaneous obedience. This means multiple dogs are working at the same time, but each is responding to individual cues. For example, one dog may be in a sit-stay while another performs a down and recall. You reinforce each dog individually without movement from the others. This teaches impulse control, focus, and clarity.

Having another person help during early stages can make this much easier. Over time, these exercises become far simpler to manage alone.

Once your dogs can handle impulse control during training, you can begin applying these skills to real-life situations such as guests arriving, mealtimes, or going outside. Introduce these scenarios gradually and systematically.

It is also important to remember that impulse control training will only be successful if your dogs’ other needs are being met. Adequate exercise, enrichment, and mental stimulation are essential.

That is all for today. If you enjoyed what you heard, please like and subscribe to my channel. We will be back again soon. Thank you so much.