We have 4 and have to admit they are now our lifestyle!.We fit around them !Our priority with them is exercise.They are extremely well exercised,and in my opinion,it is the key to their behavior.They never,and I stress never,have mad moments in the house,as they are always calm.It does depend on individual dogs,and our are not super hyper,Sass is probably the most lively.
We have a fairly good sized house,so are not on top of each other,and we have a double integral garage,which is the best thing ever.When we come back from walks,if they are wet and muddy,that is where they stay until I clean them up. It does help if you are not too worried about dog hairs and we have rules like no going upstairs,so I 'm happy with that arrangement.
We are a big family,so they are rarely left alone,the most they are left for is 1 hr 30 mins a day and that is only 3 days a week.They are never destructive,never crated and we have no problems feeding them,they rarely squabble and are really well behaved in the house.
The hardest part for me is exercising them on my own.My hubby can walk all 4 at a time,and he runs with all 4 too.I have to get a couple of my girls to come with me if I take all 4,or I can only take 2 at a time.(I am small and weigh about 8 stone,2 have pulled me over 4 times this year so far!!) .We also live in a rural area,so we have great places to walk them,just 10 mins from our house,so again this helps.
Also it is expensive,no doubt about it,last year we had a spell of going back and forth to the vets on a weekly basis for one thing or another,and nothing much could be claimed back from the insurance!!
In our case,we have put the time and effort in,and it has paid off.But it is a huge commitment and one that we are now bound to for the next 10/15 years.But first and foremost ,they are our beloved pets!
My hat goes off to anyone coping with more than 4( [MENTION=7947]tracey8[/MENTION] comes to mind!!).How do they do it!!?