Walking Two Dogs

[Guest sophiesmum]

Hi all, I know many of you walk mulitiple dogs at a time and I was hoping for some advice.

 

I have recently started walking Sophie (our Grey) with our neighbors dog (a small fluffy terrier type dog) and Im looking for ways to make it easier for me. Sophie walks like a dream and has since we adopted her however the little dogs pulls like anything. He pulls on the lead so much at the start of the walk that he appears to choke himself a little and starts heaving and breathing heavily (on a regular collar, not martingale, obviously). Once we get to the park he calms down, but still pulls at every tree along the way and home. He's also a totally firecracker and can walk steadily for 45 mins without a hint of tiredness, whereas Sophie slows down after about 20 mins.

 

I would like to keep walking them together as Sophie loves his company and our neighbor has been really good to us with helping care for all our pets (2 cats also) when we were on holiday.

 

Do you have any tips for how I can make this easier?

 

We are also considering a second Grey in the future and would like to learn to walk two dogs effectively before making the decision.

[Guest sja5032]

Sounds like there is no problem with walking two dogs, it is just a problem with the second dog. Your neighbors dog just needs to be trained to walk on a leash, maybe take him on walks by himself to work on training if you feel you can't do it with Sophie there. I might also consider a harness of some sort if he is choking himself, a no pull harness could help the whole situation.

[Guest june]

Terriers are notorious for barking and pulling. A harness could help with the choking. If you can walk him by yourself, maybe just short walks with treats, and reward him when he is not pulling that could help. I'd recommend an obedience class but he isn't your dog and don't know how your neighbor would react.

june

[cleptogrey]

if the neighbor isn't going to put the time in training, and yes terriers can pull- big time, then a halti- head harness will solve the problem for you. i used to walk and do some training w/ a black lab who was young. the owner refused to use a prong collar but not the halti-lead so that's how she walked her and training was therefore minimal. the halti- doesn't help w/ training but it keeps them at your side. and yes a terrier will go strong for many many miles. my welsh terrier and scottie were always ready for a walk even after a 4 mile walk to town and back, that's a terrier.

[OwnedBySummer]

I agree, it's not a 2-dog problem, it's a problem with the untrained terrier on a leash. I'd also try a halti on it.

[Guest BrianRke]

I agree, a harness would be a great idea. I would also put the terrier on a longer leash.

[macoduck]

Harness would be good. Make sure he could slip out of it backwards.

Is this an exercise walk or only chance for going potty? If it's an exercise walk, I'd say keep them both on a short leash to keep him from zigzagging.

Have a plan when juggling leashes for when you have to pick up poop. I keep a carbiner clip on my belt loop, either for securing a leash while I have to do something with the other, or to carry the poop-filled bag.

[buddibear]

Harness did not work for me and a powerful dalmatian. She became a sled dog and pulled even more. I finally wrapped the lead under her front leg,that slowed her down . It took a weeek and plenty of stinkeyes but I could say slow and she got the message when the lead went under her front armpit.

[Guest KsFrets]

Harness harness harness! Makes a lot of difference with our little Cody monster. Also, one of the best tricks I've learned while walking multiple dogs, is tie the leashes together. This prevents confusion and leash dropping. And if there is ever a problem and they get away, chances of them all going in the same direction are zero. I walk up to 4 at a time, and doing this has prevented several amber alerts.

[Guest katethegreyt]

Yeah, unfortunately, the little terrier just isn't walking like he should on the leash. That's the problem, not walking two dogs at once.

 

All other solutions besides training are a temporary fix, unfortunately. I know people who have used pinch collars, harnesses, or head collars with some luck until they got through retraining. All of those are gadgets though, at the end of the day, and some people are vehemently opposed to pinch collars and head collars. I think both can be fine in the right hands but that going back to square one is the best bet and the only way to "fix" the problem.

 

Walking a pulling dog is a pain in the butt, and it's not always fun to retrain someone else's dog, so you'll have to decide what you want to do. Maybe you would enjoy doing some leash training with him? If so, there are a lot of good threads on here about it with a variety of techniques. I actually kind of enjoy leash training because it's pretty straight forward. It can be a lengthy process though, patience is a virtue, haha.

 

We have out of town friends that we visit from time to time that have a little terrier. I take him on walks with our grey and just deal with the pulling. He's better with her there, and he's not so bad as to be completely unfun. I keep him on the outside (the grey is closest to me) but still on a short leash. I have both leashes anchored in my right hand (wrist through the loops, hand holding the slack), with my left hand as the first point of contact. I usually separate the leashes in my left hand to keep them straight (outside leash in my whole hand, inside leash with the first 2-3 fingers through it to separate, and thumb and index finger pinching both - I ride horses, so I sort of treat the two leashes like when I ride with two reins, not that that helps non horse people...) That way I can shorten or slip each leash as needed. Different colors also help = )

Edited June 27, 2011 by katethegreyt

[GeorgeofNE]

Sounds like your neighbor needs to train their dog.

 

A harness will make it EASIER for the dog to pull you. Not more difficult.

[Guest iconsmum]

Yeah, dogs are strongest on their shoulders so if you use a harness you're going to help him pull. If no one wants to train him (and I'm not implying you should at all, it's enough you're nice enough to walk him), I'd use a little halti, but be sure someone helps you fit him correctly. they're just meant as a pre-training tool but if it's a choice between the benefits of leash walking and nothing, I'd use the halti.

[Guest sophiesmum]

Harness would be good. Make sure he could slip out of it backwards.

Is this an exercise walk or only chance for going potty? If it's an exercise walk, I'd say keep them both on a short leash to keep him from zigzagging.

Have a plan when juggling leashes for when you have to pick up poop. I keep a carbiner clip on my belt loop, either for securing a leash while I have to do something with the other, or to carry the poop-filled bag.

 

 

This is for exercise walks but I was struggling with the potty issue also, I seemed to run out of hands! The carbiner clip is an swesome idea!

 

Sounds like your neighbor needs to train their dog.

 

A harness will make it EASIER for the dog to pull you. Not more difficult.

 

yeah, I think you're right. I think the little guy mainly gets taken to the park in the car then let off leash to run. Where I am its illegal (and probably irresponsible) to allow your grey off leash at dog parks, even in enclosed areas- unless they are on private property or an authorised slipping track. It wouldnt be fair to let the little guy run and keep Soph on the leash just watching

 

 

I will persevere with him though, maybe he will get used to leash walking with some help.

 

Yeah, unfortunately, the little terrier just isn't walking like he should on the leash. That's the problem, not walking two dogs at once.

 

All other solutions besides training are a temporary fix, unfortunately. I know people who have used pinch collars, harnesses, or head collars with some luck until they got through retraining. All of those are gadgets though, at the end of the day, and some people are vehemently opposed to pinch collars and head collars. I think both can be fine in the right hands but that going back to square one is the best bet and the only way to "fix" the problem.

 

Walking a pulling dog is a pain in the butt, and it's not always fun to retrain someone else's dog, so you'll have to decide what you want to do. Maybe you would enjoy doing some leash training with him? If so, there are a lot of good threads on here about it with a variety of techniques. I actually kind of enjoy leash training because it's pretty straight forward. It can be a lengthy process though, patience is a virtue, haha.

 

We have out of town friends that we visit from time to time that have a little terrier. I take him on walks with our grey and just deal with the pulling. He's better with her there, and he's not so bad as to be completely unfun. I keep him on the outside (the grey is closest to me) but still on a short leash. I have both leashes anchored in my right hand (wrist through the loops, hand holding the slack), with my left hand as the first point of contact. I usually separate the leashes in my left hand to keep them straight (outside leash in my whole hand, inside leash with the first 2-3 fingers through it to separate, and thumb and index finger pinching both - I ride horses, so I sort of treat the two leashes like when I ride with two reins, not that that helps non horse people...) That way I can shorten or slip each leash as needed. Different colors also help = )

 

I will definately try this with the leashes tonight. At first I tried to keep them on separate sides (with one leash in one hand and one in the other) so they didnt get tangled, but it didnt work anyway and we take up the whole pavement when doing this.

[moofie]

Sounds like your neighbor needs to train their dog.

 

A harness will make it EASIER for the dog to pull you. Not more difficult.

 

I think it depends on what the harness is designed for really, WWW harness helped a lot when Hector pulled on walks when we first got him, it made him more manageable straight away and after a while he was walking so well that i went back to using a collar again, so as a training aid it did its job. Maybe the neighbour just wasn't sure how to train him to walk nicely & would be willing to work together to fix it.

[Hubcitypam]

Guilty of being very tired and not reading earlier responses.

Having dealt a lot with greys and terrorists I'd walk the grey on a 4 ft. and let the terrier lead the way on a 6 ft.

He does rarely try to strangle himself, but that has worked well for us. Somehow they sort of end up next to each other.

[cleptogrey]

unless it's the gentle leader harness, a harness will encourage pulling and for a quick fix the head/halti will give YOU immediate gratification. what type of leashes are you using?? being a horse person you know leather is most comfortable, next in line and cheap are COTTON web leashes. they are easier to fold up in your hand and grip for a good correction. halti has a video online to show one how to fit theier head/lead/collar. it's pretty informative, don't even try to fit it w/ out watching. the crazy lab pup (9-12 months of age, but a rejected guiding eyes dog w/ fantastic temperment and confirmation)that i walked did well w/ the halti. her owner- a cancer surviver- could only use that on the sweetie and would not put the time in for training, i am no longer waking her- my choice.

 

terriers/terrors/+ lots of obedience work = a wonderful companion.....BUT NO ONE EVER PUTS THE TIME or money IN!!

Edited June 28, 2011 by cleptogrey

[Guest katethegreyt]

terriers/terrors/+ lots of obedience work = a wonderful companion.....BUT NO ONE EVER PUTS THE TIME or money IN!!

 

Ha! There's a reason I have a greyhound!

 

A couple of very good friends of ours have a welsh terrier... Even for the breed, he's a toughie. The boyfriend in the relationship got the dog before they were together. He swore that he had done the research, but he had somehow missed that most terriers are difficult. He asked us one time, "Sooo, did y'all know that terriers are supposed to be very difficult dogs? High energy and intensity?" I was like, so when you said you had done research, what you meant was you looked at lots of pictures to pick which breed you liked...

 

Anyway, one of our other very good friends started dating him, so she is now step mom to the little devil. Wowsa. She's tried a lot with him, but she's just got a naturally exciting presence to him (doesn't naturally project a lot of confidence but has kind of a nervous energy about her). 2 years later, she's finally starting to think she might be able to like him someday. It helps too that he's 3.5 years old now, so he's starting to lose a little of his puppy crazies.

 

I just got her a clicker training starter book, and she's been super excited working with him. He's an incredibly smart little guy, he just needs to be properly incentivized. I played around with him and a clicker a little while I was there, and I think he'll be super quick to pick it up compared to my grey. He's just much more naturally attentive than she is, especially if the reward involves a ball! I'm hoping this might be the thing they need to bond and learn to communicate.

 

So yeah, lots of time and proper work, and they can be very cool dogs. But without that, they are not the type of dog to naturally be a great pet. No sir! Like I said before, there's a reason we ended up with a greyhound, haha. I like to work with her, but it's not imperative that I'm constantly bringing my A-game in order for her to be a really good companion.

[Guest sophiesmum]

thanks so much for all your suggestions. I really dont think the neighbor would be into the idea of a halti though.

 

I have been trying the stop/start method, which requires no extra equipment and it seems to be working. As soon as he starts pulling we all stop and it gets really boring, really fast. He's a smart little guy though and seems to be getting it. Walking more often is calming him down a little as well.

 

Im using a webbing lead with them both with him on the longer one on the outside and I tie them together as advised and put my wrist through the loop and hold the other ends across my body sort of like horse reins which is helping to keep them untangled and in control. Ive got the belt loop too for when I need hands free.

 

So Im using a combo of your suggestions here and its getting much better- so thanks all!

 

terriers/terrors/+ lots of obedience work = a wonderful companion.....BUT NO ONE EVER PUTS THE TIME or money IN!!

 

Ha! There's a reason I have a greyhound!

 

A couple of very good friends of ours have a welsh terrier... Even for the breed, he's a toughie. The boyfriend in the relationship got the dog before they were together. He swore that he had done the research, but he had somehow missed that most terriers are difficult. He asked us one time, "Sooo, did y'all know that terriers are supposed to be very difficult dogs? High energy and intensity?" I was like, so when you said you had done research, what you meant was you looked at lots of pictures to pick which breed you liked...

 

Anyway, one of our other very good friends started dating him, so she is now step mom to the little devil. Wowsa. She's tried a lot with him, but she's just got a naturally exciting presence to him (doesn't naturally project a lot of confidence but has kind of a nervous energy about her). 2 years later, she's finally starting to think she might be able to like him someday. It helps too that he's 3.5 years old now, so he's starting to lose a little of his puppy crazies.

 

I just got her a clicker training starter book, and she's been super excited working with him. He's an incredibly smart little guy, he just needs to be properly incentivized. I played around with him and a clicker a little while I was there, and I think he'll be super quick to pick it up compared to my grey. He's just much more naturally attentive than she is, especially if the reward involves a ball! I'm hoping this might be the thing they need to bond and learn to communicate.

 

So yeah, lots of time and proper work, and they can be very cool dogs. But without that, they are not the type of dog to naturally be a great pet. No sir! Like I said before, there's a reason we ended up with a greyhound, haha. I like to work with her, but it's not imperative that I'm constantly bringing my A-game in order for her to be a really good companion.

 

man, Im also so happy that we got a grey. These little dudes need so much exercise and he's such a dominant butch little dog! Also he's very fluffy and we had a kinda "Hygiene" issue the other day during potty time, which is something Ive never had to deal with before

[gracegirl]

I'll trade you the little terrier for DBF's 95 lb Airedale. I love Jackson, but I cannot and will not ever walk all three dogs together. It's downright dangerous. Because of his size and strength, as well as his smarts (he can throw his collar in seconds!) I walk him in a pinch/prong collar. I am not a fan of them...at all...but it's the only thing I've found to work with him. He's 4.5 years old. Hopefully he'll grow up someday.

 

I would try a no-pull harness first with the terrier, combined with the stop/start method. I also recently bought a leash for running with my greys and it clips around my waist, like a belt. I LOVE it. I've been using it with Grace durring fireworks season so that I don't drop the leash and have her take off for home. This would give yuo peace of mind to work with the terrier, while not having to keep track of two leashes.

 

Once the terrier learns to walk nicely, your walks will be much more enjoyable. I used to dog sit a friend's two greyhounds....I'd walk all four together. I also use to dog sit a friend's two Boston Terriers, and they were by far the hardest dogs I've ever had to walk.

[BootsyCollins]

I had a westie that was off leash at the park when my grey wasn't. The grey didn't care one bit and the westie burned energy.

 

When I got the westie (long term boarder), he was walked in a regular collar on a flexi lead. I bought him a martingale and a 6ft leash. Both helped.