# Walking two dogs



## Spottytoes (Jul 28, 2020)

I would normally put a two dog post in my “Bobby and Joey Journal” but thought a new post may get a bit more input.

So….basically would love some tips on walking two dogs. I think we are on the right track. Individually, Bobby is a pretty good walker and Joey is fairly good. Bobby is amazing at adapting to the situation when Joey is with. I tried a couple of times last fall but decided it was better to give Joey more training and practice and I really didn’t want to teach the two dog walk with so much snow and ice, for my safety in particular.

Today, while it’s messy due to melting snow it is a beautiful day so thought I’d try to walk them both. It actually went fairly well. There is a learning curve for all of us but all in all we had a good walk.
The walking itself wasn’t bad but it was quite challenging when Bobby had a massive poo that took two poop bags.
Made a note to myself to bring something to carry that in next time.😉

How do people who walk more than two do it? It seems to be quite the art form!
I did practice some sits with them during our walk and both boys did well. I’m sure we just need more practice and training. It just felt a bit overwhelming as we navigated some cars, puddles, other dogs walking and of course, poop clean up. I felt like I needed 2 more hands and eyes behind my head.

I tried to figure out the best set up. I didn’t really think I could manage two separate leashes, even when hooked to a belt, at least until we have perfected things. We do have a coupler but I thought the size difference would make that hard and I did read that there are disadvantages to that sometimes as the dogs are too connected.

I came up with this and I felt it worked very well. I was able to adapt the leash length for each dog as needed. It felt good in my hand too. It’s biothane.

Any thoughts and tips or sharing of experiences would be very appreciated.


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## reraven123 (Jul 21, 2017)

I always used something like this when I had two Giant Schnauzers. It doesn't keep the dogs as close together as a standard coupler, so the size difference won't matter, but it gives one handle for me rather than trying to juggle two.









Amazon.com : Dual Doggie Gel Rope Leash, Medium/Large Size, Black (dual large) : Pet Supplies


Amazon.com : Dual Doggie Gel Rope Leash, Medium/Large Size, Black (dual large) : Pet Supplies



www.amazon.com


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

I know many people like to use a coupler so they hold one leash with two dogs. In my situation I prefer to use two separate leases and bought two different colors so it’s easier to see which leash belongs to which dog. 

When I potty walk the dogs they like to track odor from other animals. They may follow different paths looking for the right spot to potty. Theo being male spends a lot of time marking. When Theo is lifting his leg to mark, I like Babykins away from him so she doesn’t get marked by accident. 

As for walking outside, I keep treats in a pocket to encourage good behavior outside.


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## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

I've always used two leashes. I can't manage poop bags plus leashes. I double bag the poop and stick it in the back pocket of my dog walking vest, leaving my hands free to manage the leashes.

These days I mostly hold the ends of the leashes in my right hand and use my left hand to manage the slack. I am am pretty strict about never letting a dog cut behind me; I don't want to get tangled up or clotheslined. I am also somewhat strict about each dog staying in his lane. What that means is that Galen must always walk on Ritter's left or else behind him. When we are walking along on a boring straightaway the two dogs are usually next to each other; sometimes Galen chooses to walk next to me on my left. Ritter almost always prefers to walk in front. When we get to a sniffy spot the two dogs will mill around checking things out. That's the most difficult time, as sometimes one steps over the other dog's leash and gets tangled. During these stops I usually keep Ritter's leash in my right hand and Galen's in my left. I shorten up on the two leashes and apply pressure to turn the dogs in a direction that will keep them from tangling leashes. Occasionally I will verbally order one of the dogs to move forward out of my way (Beep!), get next to me (With Me!), come along as we change direction (This Way!), or stop moving (Wait! or Whoa!) 

On the rare occasions when I've tried a coupler it hasn't worked out so well. The dogs either get tangled up trying to get around each other to sniff, or else they head off in the same direction pulling like a sled dog team.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I always use separate leashes for each dog. I use different color leashes so I can keep track of who is who. I strongly recommend separate leashes so you can let go of one or both dogs in the event you encounter a loose or other aggressive dog situation. Most people will try to protect their dog(s) in this situation but generally letting them go so that they can independently deal with whatever is happening on their own. If they are linked to each other they are both likely to get hurt because of getting tangled up with each other. If you are holding on while trying to protect your dog you can be badly injured too.

As to dealing with poop train your dogs to potty on command and make them go at home. I rarely pick up poop while walking.


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## MaizieFrosty (Apr 12, 2019)

I have found that couplers do not work for my dogs, and as I read the posts on this thread, I can actually see how dangerous they could be. I use a 6' leather leash on each dog. I put Frosty in a harness and Maizie in a martingale (but I plan on getting her a new harness as well). These two are strong af and if they see a squirrel, I need to use all my weight to pull them back. They can also be reactive early on in the walk when they are frisky. Therefore, I strongly prefer to walk them individually, and usually do


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## TK9NY (Jan 6, 2017)

I've started venturing out with the boys, too! We did walks together before winter, but Limerick was LITTLE then and it was pretty easy because he wanted to be either next to me or with Dublin. Now he's outgrowing Dublin and i swear he's got springs in his legs. The last walk we took he bounced almost the entire time - and i'm not talking little hops, but all four paws off the ground bouncing. Walk a few steps, bounce. Walk a few more, bounce. And then he would take off in the complete opposite direction as Dublin, or lunge ahead. 

Pretty sure the neighbors were enjoying the free circus act. My arms, not so much. 

Anyways, i use two separate leashes so i know who is who and i can use each leash to communicate with each dog separately. Sometimes i have to guide one or the other away from something, or one is spinning in circles while the other is sitting politely. Two guesses which one is doing the spinning. I don't do super structured walks but most of the time i TRY to keep them by my side, one on each side. They get loose leash sniff time every so often. Limerick is not allowed to sniff when Dublin is trying to pee - that's how we get peed on.

All i can think of when i see dogs on couplers is... what happens when they try to go in different directions, especially around an obstacle (mailbox)?!? It's also harder to direct, correct, address, what-have-you one dog when both are connected by the same leash. 

It just takes a lot of practice, i guess. We need a bunch of it too. Until then, at least i'm providing my neighbors with a free show!


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

I use a flexi leash for Beckie, as she needs to run and smell, and a regular leash with Merlin. The hardest part was teaching Beckie to not circle around Merlin and Merlin not to pee on Beckie…. I walk my dogs on the side of the curb, always, so they are never close to cars. I had to teach them that as well.

It took maybe 2 summers for them to be in sync. Now Beckie always walks and runs on the outside, and Merlin stays in the inside. Beckie has also learned not to get tangled in objects. She will go around them on command.

Basically what I’m trying to say is all it takes is consistency, time and patience.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I have always used separate leashes in different colours, for all the reasons others have mentioned above. It is so long since Sophy and Poppy were young and silly that it is hard to remember how I managed then - these days on the rare occasions I need to walk them on lead Sophy usually walks a little ahead of me and Poppy a little behind, both nicely loose. Introducing Freddy as a third leashed dog was ... interesting! His loose leash walking is still very much a work in progress, and for a while I ended up like a maypole with leads wrapped round me and the older dogs waiting with long suffering patience while I disentangled us all. Fortunately we mostly walk off leash, so Freddy can practice on leash for a bit while the others will stay close if I ask them to.


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## Tulsi (Jun 8, 2021)

I walk Jojo on my left and Rusty on my right. They each have a fleece harness and a double ended lead. I onlu use the top harness ring as neither pulls too much.

Rusty does go from left to right but generally walks slightly ahead of me with Jojo coming slightly behind me.


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## Spottytoes (Jul 28, 2020)

Thank you for all the good advice! I felt encouraged too so thank you all for that as well! 😊

Sounds like a coupler is not a good idea which I pretty much thought anyway. I can see many problems with that. Sounds like two leashes are the way to go and the safest. I think it would be very hard to communicate to each dog using a coupler. I do have a couple of rope leashes, each one a different color so that is what I used today. I do struggle with two separate handles so I twisted them in such a way that I basically have one handle but if needed they can separate easily if needed. I still handle each leash separately with Joey on my right and Bobby on my left. I specifically trained Joey to walk on my right for this reason.Yay! 

I definitely need to keep them fairly close to me most of the time to keep the walk going smoothly but that’s ok. Bobby tends to dawdle on walks but we actually walk with a nice pace when it’s the 3 of us. 😊Joey tends to pull a bit but we will keep working on that. He likes to walk fast, so different than Bobby. Joey does stay in his lane quite well so that makes me happy. Bobby has been a perfect gentleman so far. He actually walks better with Joey along. We practiced sits and heeling turns today and they did good!😊 I definitely have a pocket of treats for rewards. All in all I think we have made good progress and I think we will be a good 2 dog walking team with practice.


The handle worked well and it will separate very easily if needed.


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## Spottytoes (Jul 28, 2020)

lily cd re said:


> I always use separate leashes for each dog. I use different color leashes so I can keep track of who is who. I strongly recommend separate leashes so you can let go of one or both dogs in the event you encounter a loose or other aggressive dog situation. Most people will try to protect their dog(s) in this situation but generally letting them go so that they can independently deal with whatever is happening on their own. If they are linked to each other they are both likely to get hurt because of getting tangled up with each other. If you are holding on while trying to protect your dog you can be badly injured too.
> 
> As to dealing with poop train your dogs to potty on command and make them go at home. I rarely pick up poop while walking.


I have taught both of my poodle boys to poop and pee on command. Joey is much more reliable with this but Bobby still does pretty good when asked. Bobby enjoys going on his walks but I will definitely work on this. I didn’t even think of asking them to go before the walk. What a good idea! I had them go before our walk today so no poop train on today’s walk. 😉


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