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Toby stays on the right while Lucy is on the left but sometimes they cross over or behind and I fear losing my balance trying to change leashes behind my back. I've seen some leashes on line for 2 dogs but I don't know how they work to allow a bit of freedom to not stay in assigned lane all the time. Does anybody have any recommendations?
I use a leash coupler. It attaches to a leash and if one of the dogs crosses over the coupler just readjusts. If one goes behind you all you have to do is step over the coupler as it passes below your feet. You only use one leash with it so there are never tangles to worry about. If one dog is smaller some of them are adjustable to make the lead for the smaller dog longer, to compensate for their shorter height.
great picture but don't both dogs have to be walking side by side and have synchronized pees and sniffs? Toby is 6 lbs and only 4 years old and moves much faster than 10 yo Lucy at 15 lbs. and do you have to hold the leash in front or can I still predominantly carry it in right hand in which case the left side of the addition needs to be longer than the right side----or am I trying to make it harder than it has to be?
I used a very short coupler when I had two brothers who were the same shape and size. I didn't really use it for walks to "do business," as they did that in the yard, but if one stopped, he stopped.
you can adjust the lenght so if youve got a tall dog and a short dog you can shorten it for the tall dog and lenghtn it for the shrot dog so the short dog isnt being lifted, its also great if youve got one dog who prefers to be slightly ahead and another who prefers to be slightly behind ect.
but ive found the key to walking 2 dogs together is them both having good leash manners in the first place.
Dozer is stil learning on leash (hes still excitable) so i walk him completly seperate. asper and ruby however are a nice matched pair on leash and will generally keep pace with eachother (and if jasper tries to stp to mark every leaf ruby is bigger than him and keeps going LOL) so ill walk them on a coupler.
ever so often youll get dogs "crossing" paths and will have to stop and untangle them with the adjustable lenght.
another option would be a belt system. each leash is attatched to your belt one on one hip the other on the other, the leashes need to eb short nough that th dogs cant cross infront of you and have a traffic handle (or a knot tied in) so youve got something to hold on to correct/guide if they try to change course, but with the belt system you essentially become the barrier.
You all do know that Cesar Milan does not reccomend these couplers because when one dog if he takes off the other dog will too and you are going down literally . I think he said it is just not a good idea period . I hope you all will consider getting another person to walk with you.
DH is out of town and I emailed him this thread. His retort?
"The dogs always stay in the right lane with me. I never have to worry about them crossing over. What are you talking about?"
Once again, even the dogs are better behaved for Daddy. I must not be doing it right!!
When it is time for that last pee of the night he takes them out the front door, stands on the porch and says "Go pee" and they do and come right back to him. When he is out of town and I do it, they giggle and run down the street. how do they know? So for the past few months I have to leash them up for a half block walk to get that pee.
phonelady...1: cesar is a quack...hes got some "good ideas" (like excersizing) but a coupler is no better or worse than ANY OTHER TOOL...he is not doggy god, hes not a dog wisperer...and unless hes stoped his whol "im the alpha" mentallity he gets about as much respect form me as dog poop on my shoe...
if your walking 2 dogs on 2 seperate leashes and one takes off its likely the other will follow and youll still get dragged if your not prepared or you and the other dog will get yanked ect...
and as nice as itsounds to have someone else walk your dogs with you...its not always possibe.
the key to walking dogs SAFELy on a coupler a with any other walking tecnique) is training and behaviour.
I can walk my 2 little dogs on a coupler and if jasper tries to run or go the wrong ay ruby simply stands till she has no interest in running after him and so its not an issue...thats called trianing, ruby is much better trained on leash (and has a natural inclination to stay close to my side) that i can trust her not to react if jasper does (and shes bigger than jasper so a good "break" system)
dozer is NOT good on leash yet and because of that id NEVER consider walking him on a coupler even with a wellbehaved og of simialr size because hes large and rmabunctious and COUPLE pull me off my feet if im not paying attention so i dont divide my attention wiht him...it would simply be unsafe...
its simple common sense.
assuming the dogs in question are relitivly well behainved on leash, not pullers and not prone to sudden attempts to bolt) and simply dont "keep position" then they would work fine on a coupler with swivel (so when they cross eachother it auto corrects)
if the dogs in question however had no leah manners pulled or were prone to trying to bolt then i absolutly woudlnt suggest it, but i also wouldnt suggest trying to walk 2 dogs like that together ANYWAY. Dozer is not well leash trained yet...so he gets walked seperate form my 2 small dogs who do have good leash manners (even if jasper does tend to stop random;y to pee lol)
but i can say form experience, not all dogs simply ebcause ther on a coupler are going to run just because the other dog on the coupler does (this is why onuntrained ogs especially of different sizes they are actually DANDEROUS...ive seen larger dogs drag little dogs along on couplers attatched to flexies (worst idea EVER) but for properly trained dogs, a coupler is no mroe likely to cause issues than walking a dog on a flat collar would...its all about basic training, dog manners and KNOWING your dogs.
That was great foxy. Once you mentioned the swivel I realized it might work. Neither one of my dogs is a runner on the leash. They do have good walking habits and manners. In fact when my toe was broken and I couldn't really walk them I found if I put them on the leash and let them drag it around they would not wander off the property and they came back to me promptly when called. It's just that they cross over for sniffs and Toby marks many many times while Lucy not so much. It's not that expensive so I'm gonna try it and see how it works.
I use to hook my female, to my male. In doing this, HE was helping to hold her with his weight and strength. It works well until they both want to run the same direction, then of course, he is not helping me at all.
At that point I am usually in tow, being dragged and wondering why I put the leash around my wrist.
I walk mine one at a time or with a second person.
So, I would put her leash on her, run his thru the hoop on hers, that way it slides and I just hold on to his. The leashes with the hoop by the clip and also at the end, work good so can a short leash, (on her) just depends on how much room she needed.
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