The 6 Secrets On How To Walk Multiple Dogs At Once
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When it comes to learning how to walk multiple dogs at once, it may feel like a never ending battle. But, even though it might seem overwhelming to walk several dogs, there are a few easy ways to ensure that your walk is a stress free success.
It takes a lot of good energy, strong leadership and focus to walk multiple dogs at once, especially in the beginning stages.
The risks of not being able to do these things can result in many bad situations like being dragged around the street, losing control of your dog, etc.
The following advice will help you control your dogs and will allow you to enjoy walks and adventures with your dogs.
Ready to get started? Let’s go!
6 Steps On How To Walk Multiple Dogs At Once
1. Focus On One Dog
If you dog is not able to be walked when it is just you and them, then you will be playing with fire by bringing another dog on your walk (the issues will get worse.)
When you have other dogs to consider, it will be more difficult to control the dog who is not listening. This will result in pulling, and the good dog can even start to act out
If you find yourself in this situation, you need to start by leash training each dog separately. Make sure they are all aware of how to behave. You simply cannot skip the crucial step of teaching your dog good leash manners.
Each dog will benefit from your individual guidance as you work with them one-on-one to develop their appropriate leash manners. You want a dog that can walk without pulling, heel when asked to, and focus on you despite distractions.
2. Using Proper Equipment.
When it comes properly walking multiple dogs at once, a proper collar or harness and a dog leash are two essentials. You must make sure that each dog has a strong leash and the proper collar or harness (a strong collar works for calm dogs, while a harness is the best choice for pullers). You will also want to make sure the collars and harnesses are fitting tightly, where your dog will not be able to escape from the collar or harness.
You’ll want to avoid retractable leashes as they are more difficult to control. Consider purchasing a leash splitter which connects multiple leashes to a single handle.
You will also want to make sure you are well equipped with enough dog poop bags, water, and the other necessities you may need for your walk. When I would walk my Jack, we would always play fetch after, so I would always need to make sure I had plenty of water water and of course balls!
3. Avoid Getting Tangled By Using the Right Leash.
This was talked a little bit in the previous post, but it is very important. While walking multiple dogs at once, leashes have a tendency to get tangled. This is a difficult aspects of walking multiple dogs at one time, but luckily there are leashes that can help with this. You can look for a “coupler” that essentially consists of a handle that splits into two double-clipped leads attached to one leash. To walk more than two dogs, additional leads can be bought.
Our favorite leashes to use for walking multiple dogs at once include the following:
Coupler: Double Dog Leash
We are big fans of this coupler because of it’s strong, heavy duty carabiners, it’s 360 swivel splitter, and it’s heavy weight limit of 150lbs.
As for our favorite dog leashes and harness:
Ruffwear No Pull Dog Harness
The Ruffwear harness is a staple in our dog walks. It is strong and reliable. Additionally, it is excellent for preventing pulling.
The Ruffwear No Pull Harness offers more padding and surface area, which helps to distribute pressure more evenly and lessen back and neck strain.
This comfortable, adjustable harness is a great way for dogs with short necks or flat faces to transition from training to daily walks.
Tons of color options.
We highly recommend the Ruffwear dog collar for all dogs, especially if your are reading this article how to walk multiple dogs at once. This is because even a little pulling can be harmful when you walk multiple dogs. With the Ruffwear harness, it prevents pulling, helping you walk your dogs!
You can also check out our full best dog collars here.
4. Bring Many Treats
A backpack or bag loaded with your dogs favorite snacks is always a good idea and another thing we highly recommend when it comes to mastering how to walk multiple dogs at once.
On a walk, anything can happen; a leash could break, a wild animal could come close and make your dog chase them, or any other freak accident. Bringing a treat that will get your dogs attention and make them listen to you immediately is always a good insurance policy to have.
Another benefit of having treats on hand is by being able to reward the dogs when they follow commands or are walking properly. Treats play a big benefit on walks. For example, dogs should be singled out and calmed down if they become overly distracted or hyper.
5. Stay Calm
When it comes to walking multiple dogs at once, you need to make sure you control your energy. If you know anything about Cesar Millan (the dog whisperer) you will know he is big on this, and we could not agree more.
If you’re energy is all out of whack and you’re stressed, your dog will feel that. They will not fell comfortable and will be much more likely to act out. Your dog will start to get stressed out and can develop anxiety.
When you stay calm, control your energy, your dog will feel that, and they will feel comfortable.
6. Reputation
It takes time to learn how to walk multiple dogs at once. Prior to being a pro, yourself and dogs will need some practice. Dogs with behavior issues probably require more one-on-one time until they are easier to handle.
You’ll all get used to it as you take your dogs on group walks more frequently.
Fixing with Leash Tangles
No matter how well-behaved your dogs are, occasionally twisted leashes are to be expected.
Your dog will stop moving while you make the necessary adjustments if you teach them to. This all goes back to making sure you give enough one on one time with your dogs. Using commands like “wait”, can work (with proper training.)
Simply stop and command your dog to wait to teach it on the go. When your dog stops moving, signal it with a click or sound, then keep it moving. Give a treat to reward your dog and you will notice they will know exactly what is needed from them when you say the command. Once you have it down pat with each dog separately, try using it to untangle leash tangles.
Multiple Dog Leash Walking – Waling On Same Side or Different Sides?
When it comes to learning how to walk multiple dogs at once, you may have questions on which side should each dog be on. Choosing whether your dogs should be on opposite sides or both on the same side is really up to you.
It’s possible to hold both leashes comfortably with well-behaved dogs who don’t pull, which will encourage your dogs to walk closer together.
You can keep one hand free for delivering treats on occasion with this way. Remember that if you hold the leashes in different hands, your dogs may zigzag in front of you as they try to check in and keep up with each other.
Above all, enjoy your time with your dogs!
Undoubtedly, the most important rule of all is to have fun with your dogs!
Being great and mastering the craft of how to walk multiple dogs at once is not something that happens overnight. It will take time and practice to truly master this craft.
But we believe with proper training, and calm energy, walking multiple dogs at once can be stress free and enjoyable. That is why we devoted a whole section on our site to these tips. Our dog hub is a great place to start learning about these tips, info, and trendy content.
Take your time, start slow, don’t get overwhelmed and most importantly remember to stay patient and reward the behavior you want your dog to do.
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Take advantage of every day and opportunity you have with your dogs, because one day you wont be able too!
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