ASK THE TRAINER
1. Ask the Trainer Video Channel
2. Topic 1: Walking Multiple Dogs
Learning Portal subscribers can submit questions to info@petsandhelpingdogs.com Nathaniel Lukas will periodically respond to selected questions here. Check out the multiple videos in the "Ask the Trainer" video channel (below) as well as the single video lesson topics below.
CONTENTS
TOPIC 1: WALKING MULTIPLE DOGS
If you have more than one canine in your home like I do, it can be tempting to save time and walk more than one dog at once for exercise and socialization purposes. However, if the quality of the walk suffers because of adding an additional packmate to the activity, it is best to walk only one dog at a time.
Before adding another dog to your walk (whether by yourself or with a human companion guiding the additional dog), make sure that you have completing this training checklist with the first dog and also with the dog to be added:
1) Your dog can walk with a loose leash at heel position or slightly in front of you.
2) Your dog can be redirected from a stimuli into a replacement behavior, such as "look" (at me).
3) Your dog is not reactive to stimuli typically encountered along your route.
4) Your dog can walk on either side of your body equally well.
5) Your dog knows these cues: sit, stay, come, look.
See the video below where I show a 3 dog walk. The dogs were added one at a time, following achievement of the 5 training steps above for each dog individually, then in groups of 2. When walking multiple dogs, I start with using a "finger lock" in each hand to hold the leashes. I only move to tethering one or more dogs to my (sturdy) belt when I have the level of control shown in the video. A leash should only become tight momentarily as a dog reaches the end of it: at that point, the dog should fall back easily into position in response to your gentle feedback through the leash, or the dog should auto-correct. At that point, the leash becomes loose again.
Click to the left to see the instructional video.