Introduction
(Warning: This is a little like visiting Wolf Park!)
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A serious breeding program generally requires ownership of a fair number of intact dogs of both genders, and that situation demands a kennel management system - both to prevent accidental breedings, and to allow each animal to develop both the confidence to deal with the "human world" and the full canine personality dictated in large part by his DNA.
Breeders of large dogs generally reach a point where they realize for totally pragmatic reasons that a traditional kennel facility, with secure individual indoor/outdoor runs and large common excercise areas, is the best solution. It's a time-tested system, and with sufficient early socialization to prevent "kennel-shyness", it works well.
For small or Toy breeds, as numbers grow beyond the original pet or two that the breeder started with, the answer is generally a battery of small crates stacked on upon the other and a common excercise area (usually a large single fenced yard), which in our experience only works to a point.
It is an unfortunate axiom of small-dog breeding that the greater the numbers, the more time each little dog ends up spending crated. (This is why judges often comment upon the lack of muscle and condition so prevalent in the Toy ring.)
Crates, although great for travelling, are really a form of social isolation, and the amount of time dogs spend in them should be limited, as the dog is an extremely social animal by definition.
And it has been known for years that a single large yard does not encourage excercise. Kennel runs, which are traditionally significantly longer than wide, are called "runs" for a reason - they actually encourage exercise as dogs chase up and down them, building muscle as they go.
Here at Bydand, we've put a lot of thought and a significant amount of money into our kennel management system, from both a practical maintance viewpoint and with an eye toward what is best for the dogs themselves, both psychologically and physically.
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Our dogs are not individually kenneled, but allowed to live in "packs", which is a much more natural state of affairs for canis familiaris, who is, after all, a pack animal through and through, even if he only weighs ten pounds.
The boys, for purely practical reasons, are a pack unto themselves, and the girls are divided into two packs, the Sharks and the Jets. (Splitting the girls into two packs as numbers increased over the years simply allowed those with a strong desire for a leadership role more "opportunity for advancement", which tends to keep conflict at a minimum.)
As a result, rather than individual runs, our outdoor area is divided into three large runs, with each pack having its own "territory", toys, and furniture. These runs are all accessed from a large square and securely fenced "patio" area opening directly from the dog room. There is a gate leading to the lawn from the patio area, but dogs are only loose on the lawn when they are supervised, as the hedge surrounding our property is hardly secure. (When puppies are in residence, the patio becomes their outdoor play yard.)
Our entire dog area is fenced and cross-fenced with 4' chain link and surfaced with pea rock. The patio area is protected by a large retractable Sunsetter canopy in inclement weather, and when it's raining, the three packs simply take turns using the patio for excercise rather than their own runs. (This breed is seriously opposed to going out in the rain!)
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At night, and when they are not outdoors or loose in the house, all of the dogs have playpens in the dog room where they keep their own "stuff"- favorite squishy beds, stuffed toys, chewies, etc. Each playpen is approximately 3' x 6'.
The reason for this is simple - as with all large families, we believe each dog in a multiple dog situation needs "personal space" where one doesn't have to share one's treasured possessions if one doesn't feel so inclined. And we think in all fairness to dogs, that space should be significantly larger than a VariKennel.
The boys each have individual "bachelor pads", while the girls each have a roommate, which, being girls, they prefer for social reasons. (This also keeps things quieter for some reason.)
Each of the girls' pens also includes a litter pan for emergencies. (The boys, being males and therefore carrying higher levels of the hormone vasopresson, generally outgrow the need for a litter pan early on, while the adult girls, being female, are more likely to have to get up and pee in the middle of the night all their lives.)
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In the evenings the three packs rotate having the run of the house, watching movies and generally hanging out. We've learned the hard way that a dozen dogs all running loose at the same time quickly degenerates into something a lot like a preschoolers' birthday party...it's far saner to rotate smaller groups, and fairer to the dogs, who get more individual attention that way.
So around here, after dinner, it's either the "Boys' night", the "Sharks' night", or the "Jets' night". (Unless we happen to have company, in which case everybody's on their own in the dog room, as a courtesy...) During the day, depending upon what we happen to be doing, there are usually a couple loose dogs running around the house, one of whom is invariably Panda, the Queen Mum. The older dogs have free access, while the younger ones are confined to the family room and kitchen by baby gates.
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All the Bydand dogs in residence are pictured in their respective packs, more or less in order of self-importance. You can visit any or all of them by simply scrolling over Our Dogs again, and then clicking on the pack you wish to meet on the drop-down menu.
Panda and Punkin (our resident ancient Pug) both getting on in years and spayed, are Emeritus members of the Sharks, but they wanted their own page, so we gave them one. They pretty much do whatever they want anyhow.
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