walking two dogs

[Jeni D]

For those of you who have two or more dogs, how do you handle walks? Do you walk them separately, or together? If together, how do you keep them from getting tangled? I'll be honest, Dudley is a terrible leash walker. He pulls like he believes he is a sled dog and, I'll admit, it's really my fault because I never really knew how to break him of it. We have been working really hard on it lately, and he is getting much better, but a long way from great.
I was thinking about getting one of those things where you can walk two dogs at the same time and they supposedly won't get tangled, but what would you do if they walked at different paces?
Sorry for all the questions lately. As I'm sure everyone call tell I'm super nervous/excited about bringing home Maya (the new pup's name) and I just want to make it as smooth a transition as possible for everyone--most importantly Dudley and Maya.

[darci]

I tried the coupler and wasnt very pleased with it. Egan was so much smaller than Darci and she ended up just draging him all over the yard in mid pee sometimes.

I always walk them together.

I use seperate leashes and it keeps you on your toes and sometimes you cant help but get tangled but its few and far between now.

Now that they are closer to the same size I may try the coupler again, not for potty breaks, but for their longer walks.

[Dillydoodle]

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[love2corgis]

Walking alone with two dogs and two leads we do get occasionally tangled but I find it easier than when another person takes one dog and you take the other. We always get tangled up and when we meet one of the doggie friends a lot of tangling occurs

I sometimes end up with, when using the extension leads, one arm extended one way and the other arm outstretched the other way. It doesn't help that Sooty loves to walk and will go on for hours whereas Cindy,having done her toilet duties wants to go home as fast as she can( hates traffic)

Two leads are fine until it is raining ( and you know it rains a lot in Wales) and then an umbrella comes into the equation and then poop bags too!! I have solved it this Winter by buying a nice hat that I wear when it rains.

[darci]

I never use an umbrella, I always wear a rain coat with hood.

I find when hubby and I walk the dogs together we have just as much tangling as when one person walks them both.

Darci is a much better at walking on a leash than Egan but hes improving.
A work in progress.

[disraeli]

I actually use a split leash. I do sometimes have the "Rhys pulls Andy around" problem, but most of the time it's ok. It's certainly better than my luck with two separate leads - they always ended up going different directions and wrapping me up.

Like Jeni, I admit that my two should be better trained on a leash - especially Rhys, as he really pulls hard.

[Checkers]

The other answer is to train both dogs to walk on a heel. There was a point when we actually had four dogs two dalmatians, shepard, and a cocker-spaniel mutt (long time ago, on the farm) and I had two dogs on one side with the coupler, two on the other side with a coupler. All four dogs knew I was the leader and we walked when I walked. No tangling because we all had the same purpose. Now.... at that time I also did not permit pottying on lead because we had a big yard they were turned out in prior to the walk for that... and I still only allow Checkers to do his "I need to go" pee when we first leave for walks, but I do not permit stopping every three feet to "mark territory". When we are walking... we are walking... not playing. There is a difference, and with a little work the dogs will quickly learn what to do, and when. Most of it has to do with your own body language. I admit I am not as strict now because I just have Checkers, but if/when we get another dog, I will probably start being more strict again. Now, I still practice times when Checkers must behave and walk calmly at my side every day just to reinforce the behavior and my status as leader.

-Cheryl

[Jespah]

Hi Jeni,

I was one of the folks in the other thread who said they didn't like the splitter. It's especially difficult when there is a big difference in size between the two dogs.

I would definitely walk them together - unless you have nothing to do but walk dogs all day. You get used to it and so will Dudley. Let's put it this way, walking them at the same time on separate leashes will allow you to develop the balletic side of yourself you never knew existed! I spin, pivot, twist, leap leashes with grace and generally get yanked around! Seriously though, it is different, be wary and careful.

I do recommend not wearing mittens until you are used to having two leashes in your hands - get a really good pair of gloves. Even then, you'll be surprised how you think you have two in your palm only to discover one dogs seems awfully far away for the length of the leash.

Deb

[Dillydoodle]

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[love2corgis]

Other obstacles we encounter are
lampposts,
the mail service's box they have put on our street where the mailman in his van leaves the mail for his colleague to deliver on foot,
trees,
bollards that are on a path to stop cars going along,
a low fence around the park, low enough for corgis to go under
--any of which at least one dog gets caught on once every walk.

[milles2]

Yes... Umbrellas are a thing of the past. It's rain jacketr and hood these days. Balancing 2 dogs and picking up poop gets to be an art form.

I always walk the two together. Even when it was just Tucker, I let him walk and sniff, mark when he wanted. As I read the posts about pottying before the walk..... I wish I had gone that route. My feeling was Tuck is cooped up in the house 3 days a week when I'm at work, sso let him sniff the great outdoors. So walking him takes forever.

In Obedience class both dogs learn to heel and do it well. Part of our walks they are in heel position but I also break and let them go at their own pace. They walk ahead of me but really don't pull.

Lulu wlks great onleash. She has places to go and people o see so she keeps mpving. Wlaking them together, Lulu had got Tucker walking more sniffing less.

I have a coupler leash with each dog having about a foot on the splitter (I have thise smaller 6 inch deals and they are problematic). I like the coupler leash when I am taing them in crowds, I feel I can keep them under control.

As for tangling leashes, I'm also very efficient at untangling as we walk.

You do develop skill w/two leashes no matter how awkward it feels at first.

[Cheetah]

I have a coupler, but I have learned not to use it until both dogs have expended most of their energy. So I'll take them to the dog park or something, and then walk them on the coupler afterwards. Any other time, I just have one leash in each hand.

[Michael Romanos]

When I walk two Corgis on leash, I chop and change according to the circumstances. On straight walking they walk together on either my right or left. Usually one of them will take a lead ie be slightly in front of the other. I suppose with two or more Corgis one is always the boss or leader.