What's your strategy for walking multiple dogs?

Do you use a coupler or a double leash with a swively bit? Hold one leash in each hand? What if you have more leashes than hands? Do you hold them all in one hand and let them braid together? Train everyone to walk nicely in a specific position? What about when they are vastly different sizes/temperaments/strengths/speeds? Do your dogs walk nicely together as a team or does everyone try to do their own thing?

Short but honest answer: I don't walk them together unless the 2nd is off leash. It's a hassle otherwise. I'd prefer to walk twice as much.

One leash per dog and we walk. No strategy behind it. I think I usually keep both leashes in one hand. They don't 'braid' though.

I have 4 dogs. Walking them together makes me want to shoot myself. Even my dogs that are good at walking on leash are terrible in group walks. Having 4 dogs try to pull your arm out is not fun. On top of that I have reactive dogs as well and I can't really easily manage that in a group walk. I tend to walk everyone separate or in groups of two. I don't use couplers and all my leashes are in my left hand typically. From working at the last kennel I worked at I used to walk 4-5 dogs at a time together on slip leads. I would hold all the slip leads in my left hand so that my right hand would be free to pick up their poop along the way.

I used to walk Cobain and Rigby with a coupler attached to a 2ft leash.
I had originally started using it just because Rigby would often lag behind me and I wasn't comfortable with that. With the coupler Cobain slowed down a bit and Rigby sped up, which was nice.

Until my so-and-so of a mother decided one day to use it by making some monstrosity of a coupler, attached to a leash that had frankenstein clasps on it and put them in the car attached like this. Ruby freaked out being tied to the other dogs like this - and with the uneven distribution of weight and slack. And chewed through my coupler.
My mother brushed it off like it was no big deal, and now I don't have a coupler because I can't afford another one.

/rant


Anyways.

If I opt to walk all 4 of them.
Cobain and Rigby are typically in one hand, whilst Oz and Ruby are in the other. Occasionally I'll put Oz with the other 2 and just walk Ruby alone on the other hand. She rarely gets leash walked and has issues with pulling, lunging, and overall reacting.

One leash in each hand, one dog on each side and one looped around my waste and walks to one side/slightly behind. Two of them are often off leash anyways, but I hate walking the three of them at once, two or one is ideal.

I walk Tucker and Phoebe together sometimes and when I dogsat my neighbors golden I walked all three together. I find walking Tucker and Phoebe together to be a chore. They each have their own leash, sometimes I do one in each hand, sometimes both in one hand and I don't care if they get twisted. They NEVER stop at the same time, ever. When one is sniffing the other wants to keep going and, unlike Tucker, Phoebe doesn't understand that if I'm not moving she can't be pulling to try and make me move. I never realized how often Tucker crosses behind me, it's super annoying because I have a leash in the hand on the other side so I can't just switch hands easily. Feeding treats is a little annoying. Tucker needs treats when we see a dog and Phoebe is very disrespectful about letting Tucker take treats. I give her some too so as not to be mean but when I go to feed Tucker a treat she literally tries to suck it out of my fingers as my fingers are entering his mouth. She's lucky he isn't food aggressive. Tucker on the other hand would NEVER try to take a treat I'm handing to Phoebe, he's learned to take his turn. Tucker also gets treats for randomly heeling on walks which Phoebe very quickly figured out so now she randomly heels too which is sort of annoying because I don't care if she heels but I feel bad not giving her treats so I do and then have two dogs heeling for large stretches of time when I really don't feel like focusing on training, I just want to walk.

Oddly the addition of the golden makes no difference. She and Tucker walk perfectly together so their leashes go in one hand and Phoebe in the other. She never crosses behind me. She wants treats but isn't rude and isn't bright enough to figure out she needs to heel by watching. I bet if I just walked her and Tucker together it wouldn't be bad except for Tucker crossing behind me all the time.

Back when I had 6 dogs occasionally they would all walk together. 3 leashes and 3 couplers.

I do train my dogs to walk out in front and slightly to the left. They should take up the slack in the leash without pulling. Ever since I moved to the city I really like the out in front. Its easier to make sure they don't pick up/eat something if they are in front.

We recently tried 1 leash and 1 y-splitter with 24" legs and swivels. They walk together most all of the time. This does not tangle which was a surprise to me. They are usually pressing together or bumping affectionately as they walk. It looks cute and they really seem to like it. No learning curve at all - I was amazed. If they get wrapped around a table leg or something these guys usually freeze so it isn't too difficult to unwrap them.

-Mark.

What's your strategy for walking multiple dogs? Don't.

Or, prongs.

I really don't walk multiple dogs together, but once a year or so... They walk in front on prongs, I hold all leashes in one hand so that I can use my other hand for my phone or whatever.

Everyone has their own leash. If I have the youngsters I usually clip them each separately to my skijor belt so I'm hands free and can manage tangles or wrap arounds. If I have all three, I generally have Pip's leash in a hand or we're somewhere that he can be off leash.

Yes.

No, seriously, I hardly ever leash walk my dogs. When I do, it's never all four.

Preferred is papillons off leash and Hank on a long line but that only works in a few areas. Across the street is a lit walking trail around a college and we walk it most days (till now because it's freaking cold). I usually either walk all 3 in one hand or both paps in one hand and Hank in the other. I like all 3 walking on the same side of me. Generally Hank is in front, then Mia is right with him and Summer walks at my heels behind me.

I wish I could just let Summer off leash because she just stays right at my heels when I do but it's not allowed there and it's busy on that trek.

I walk Dance and Ripley on my right. Dance trails behind a bit naturally and Ripley walks beside me on a short leash. Journey walks on my left by herself because she needs more reminders to walk politely, plus the red dogs are a bit insecure and I don't want her feeding off of them as much as she would if she were right next to them. When I had Keira I used to walk her and Journey together on my left beside me.

When I had four I usually used a leash on either Dance or Keira that wrapped around me so I only had to hold three leashes. Now that I just have three, I generally just use three leashes that I hold.

One leash in each hand normally. With Lily on my right and Scout on my left. When they are "free" out in front they normally keep those positions and have different cues for directionals and going past things as I don't really want to be dragged willy nilly by dogs trying to mark everything we pass. They are super good girls with me, but if we have someone else with us they will test and see what they can get away with.

I can loop both leashes in my left hand and have them heeling or whatever, but it is more comfortable and fair to separate it out by sides. Lily has a lot less frustration that way. I also have Lily jump on landscape features and walk along stuff to get more mental/physical stimulation, so often she'll be out front and Scout will be by my side. Always just use their everyday flat collars and leashes, they are good walkers for me.

Being forced to never leave Scout because of her SA (I can if I have someone to sit with her... which I do a few times a week normally) can be really frustrating at times. I feel it is important and do see a positive difference when each of them and I get quality one on one time. So I work to finagle that somehow. It is a lot more relaxing and bonding to have one on one walks with each of them. Its gotten much easier since my bf is around and Scout's really bonded to him.

If Chicago is visiting, I walk them in shifts. So first Scout and Chico, then Lily and Scout. She is so closely bonded with both of them that... yeah its just easier. Unless I can commandeer someone to help or if my bf is home.

Even years later, when Lynley visits I am fine walking him and both the girls all at once. I usually have his prong on him, but its not needed as much these days as he is getting older.

Adventures with my parent's BC... well its always out on our property so everyone can be off leash safely. Lily huskies, Scout zooms or follows me with her stick, and Will normally walks at my side. He and Lily love to play, so I usually play stick fetch with Scout while they do. Or at least make sure she has a stick in her mouth so she can't get overexcited and bark mindlessly annoying them.
Chico does well out there too. He does the hound thing having to run waaaaaaaaay out, especially since he never really gets to really run at home. If he gets cranky I get him a big bone out of the freezer for his crate.

I don't really let my dogs off leash anywhere but home or very safe areas of the woods (like the huckie patch) anymore. Not because of them, but because of the huge amounts of other people and usually unfriendly animals. Figure we'd best set an example and I feel better having them close where I can protect them.

I've only really ever walked two at a time. They each have their own leash. The more naughty dog walks at my left side, the less naughty dog either also walks on my left side, just farther off set, or on my right side. If we're in a non-populated place, they can walk wherever they want as long as they aren't idiots that keep tangling themselves. (My childhood dogs knew how to walk as a pair. Cynder makes life so difficult because her leash manners are horrible and she wants to constantly circle.)

I can't do three at a time unless they're all good and we're in a non populated area. Tried it once with my childhood dogs (Blackie, Rose, and our foster Sadie) and had instant regret. LOL

Flexis.

But if we are walking in a populated area everyone is in harness or head collar and everyone has their own leash. I can take all three out at once but it isn't my favorite. Buzz and Bailey walked well together because they'd done it so much. Gabby and Diego don't...

I guess I don't really have a trick or anything. I walk all 3 of ours (my dads 2, plus mine) occasionally. It's not horrible, but it IS kind of annoying because Buddy walks really slow, so sometimes it's easier to have him on a flexi and put Lilly and Jackson on 6ft leashes. So Buddy will be in my left hand and the other 2 on my right.

I used to dogsit and usually had Jackson with me and walking 2 was never a big problem for me, of all different sizes too. The Rottie and Jackson probably walked the best together. It's a little bit more annoying to pick up poop with two+.

How do you walk multiple dogs on flexis? :yikes: Every single time I ever have two dogs that both have flexi leads, I have to lock them up short or the dogs end up a tangled mess around each other and everything else.

I used to walk Pen, Bubbles and Kimma together a lot when Pen was here. I just did 2 leashes in the left hand, one in the right. Kimma and Pen walked nicely together and Bubbles was fine on the other side.

I have done Jari, Kimma, and Bubbles together, and I do a leash in each hand (Jari walks on my right, Kimma on my left) and Bubbles on the waist leash (she walks in front). It works OK but not my favorite thing to do with Jari's reactivity still being an issue.

I much prefer to do 2 dogs then 1 dog. Kimma is the floater since she walks great everywhere.

All leashes are regular 6' ones except the waist leash which is more like a 4'.