Walking two dogs.

[Colin]

It's still another two weeks before Misty arrives and a few weeks after before I'll be taking her for walks. I've been trying to figure out a strategy for the best way to do  this...

At the moment Jimmy has at least an hours free running in the park each morning........Misty's needs will obviously be a fraction of this at first. I'll try and walk them separately as much as possible but this won't always be practical. How did the rest of you with more than one dog work this out ? Did you give 10 minute bursts for the pup and then carry it inbetween ? Also what kind of lead did you use ? Do you use one for each dog...I've seen double brace type things you can clip one lead onto....also something called the Supertwister

www.supertwister.co.uk

Is this just a gimic or does it look practical ?......It looks to me like there's no way to pull the lead in shorter if necessary.  

Any advice  would be most welcome.

I'm getting quite excited now thinking about all this.......16 days to go and counting.                    

[Katina]

Two is peace of cake, imagine having four   ..
All mine walk very nicely in their leads, no pulling etc at all. They all have their own leads and all leads are of the same lenght. They have been taught to walk on my left side while on leads. I have taken pups for the longer walks from 5 months ->. Before that they are left home when adults go for their walks, and are then walked separately (this is a good way also to teach the pups how to walk on the lead wihtout pulling etc).                    

[*Jay*]

Oh the fun you are gonna have Colin I walked Brook and Vegas seperately for the most part but, like you say, thats not practical all the time. I was lucky in that Brooks exercise needs werent as great as Jimmy's(what with being an old codger and all that ) so I was able to just give him his free running when he was on his own and he went along with Vegas's routine any other time ie short walks round the block.  They all have their own leads which ends up with all of us tangled up at one point or another  I have seent he super twister and think its great in theory but not sure if it will work practically :-                    

[cbabe]

Our girls have a split lead which took some getting used to but they are great on it now.

It is fab to see three cocker bums waddling down the road together!!!                    

[Loraine]

Hi Colin

Not long til Misty arrives now is is?  Oh the joys of two dogs!  :-

As you know walking two dogs is something that I have recently had to get used.  If anyone had filmed me on my first walk with the two of them, I think I would have ended up on 'You've Been Framed' I got in such a state.  

I take them out together once a week and walk them on my left hand side.  When off the lead, Georgia can't keep up with Candy so just stays near me (for now!) I keep them out for the same amount of time but as the weather has been good, I sit on the grass with Georgia to give her a rest while Candy goes off (I can still see her - the park isn't that big) so that she can have a good run.

The things I find hardest are pressing the button at the pedestrian crossing (There are 3 each way) and clearing up if Georgia decides to go before I reach the park.  I could do with another hand but I think I'm getting more skilled though!

For the rest of the week I take them out separately one day Georgia, the other Candy.  I am practising recall with Georgia otherwise she'll only come back when Candy comes back rather than when I call her.  Also I want Georgia to learn to be on her own just in case I need to take Candy to the vet or something.

When Georgia is bigger I'm planning to try out one of those double lead things.  I see two Staffs being walked using one of these and it looks good.                    

[Mike]

That was a very interesting link as i've never seen/heard of double leads before  

Colin, I took Daisy out on her own for short walks for the first couple of months, to get her used to the lead, walking on a collar etc, and took Jazz out separately so she could be let off lead as usual. Then I graduated to taking them both out at the same time and letting them off lead together, and like Loraine says, Daisy stayed very close to use so she wasnt over-exercised at that tender age whereas Jazz did her own thing.

I'm quite interested in why most people say they walk their dogs (even plural) on their left hand side - is this something you've been taught in puppy training? I've always walked with Daisy to the left, and Jazz to the right, that way I've never had trouble with leads getting tangled fortunately                    

[cbabe]

I'm quite interested in why most people say they walk their dogs (even plural) on their left hand side - is this something you've been taught in puppy training? I've always walked with Daisy to the left, and Jazz to the right, that way I've never had trouble with leads getting tangled fortunately

I KNOW THIS ONE
The cocker spaniel is a gun dog. You walk them on your left because traditionally you carry your gun over your right arm - ready to shoot. You would not have both on one side incase your gun went off by accident and shot your dog!
This has been known to happen and is not pretty!                    

[caroled]

I AM EXCITED FRO YOU. CAN REMEMBER WHEN LUCY OUR SECOND COCKER, ARRIVED.  I WALK THEM BOTH TOGETHER AND WITH TWO  LEADS.   IT IS EASY AT FIRST BUT NOW LUCY IS ALWAYS PULLING.  CASSIE USED TO PULL BUT HAS GROWN OUT OF IT.  I'M SURE LUCY WILL DO THE SAME.  I DO THINK IT'S NICE FOR THEM TO WALK TOGETHER AND PLAY.

CAROLE                    

[Jane S]

I'm quite interested in why most people say they walk their dogs (even plural) on their left hand side - is this something you've been taught in puppy training? I've always walked with Daisy to the left, and Jazz to the right, that way I've never had trouble with leads getting tangled fortunately

I KNOW THIS ONE
The cocker spaniel is a gun dog. You walk them on your left because traditionally you carry your gun over your right arm - ready to shoot. You would not have both on one side incase your gun went off by accident and shot your dog!
This has been known to happen and is not pretty!

Mmm - tough if you're a left handed gundog person then & carry your gun on your left side Obedience classes also always teach the heel command with the dog on the left too whatever the breed - have never really understood the logic of that. I can walk ours on either side & generally walk 3 at a time, 2 on one side & one on the other. I have tried one of those split leads in the past but for some reason I feel I have more control using individual leads.

Colin, I agree with the others who have said you should walk Misty & Jimmy separately to begin with - you will find it a lot easier to train Misty on her own & although you won't like the idea of leaving her behind while you take Jimmy out for his exercise, she will get used to this routine if you start it straight away.                    

[Pammy]

Just to support the advice that's been given - wish I'd had it when Bud was a pup If Jimmy is a puller - then get him well sorted before you walk him and Misty together. She's much more likely to pick up Jimmy's bad habits. It also helps with your relationship with Jimmy - he won't get so jealous - if he does at all. Then train Misty on her own so she is well behaved. You should then have two dogs that are a pleasure to walk. Mine are getting better but only slowly. :-

bet you're getting excited though - have you bought Jimmy a special " we still love you" pressie yet?                    

[cbabe]

Hello Jane long time no speak! Missed You!  

Anyho - Guns tend (especially in the past) to be right handed like at school when they used (not any more though) to push left handed people to write with their left hand. Traditions have changed though but the dog walking thing remains on the left.
Maybe the tradition has spread across the dog world due to the development of non sporting breeds from sporting lines (even the little Bichon Frise is a decendent of the water spaniel) (Dalmations were hunters before they became coach dogs)(great danes were hunters or war dogs). Or could it be with that most of the population is right handed and likely to carry items/sticks in their right hand, or use their right hand to open doors etc. It just makes sense to have the dog on the left.....i don't know.

But coming from a gun using family i'm going with that explanation.

I do agree that you should teach your dog to walk on a single lead first before moving to a split lead. They learn lead dicipline that way and tend to be better behaved on the split lead.                    

[Rosie]

You must be really excited about your new arrival.

I know that when I first started taking Ellie ( the baby) out I would do it separately as much as possible  - if time was a little too tight I would drag my husband out and send him home early with her.

As soon as Ellie was about 5 months old she started  walking at the same time as Charlie and it was certainly easier then.

Luckily I had just got Charlie to walk properly - it took him about 10 months to finally catch on!! and found that it meant that Ellie walked a lot better as soon as they were both together - she would tend to stay with him .

Now I walk one on the left and one on the right - although obedience classes taught me that they should both be on the left - I do agility with Ellie and she needs to be able to work on both sides - dogs that have only been walked on the left find it harder when required to run on your right apparently

As for a coupler lead - I found that it was a nightmare - one would stop and sniff and nearly strangle the other!!  But that is only my personal experience of having a cocker that will sniff and try to eat everything on a walk.                    

[Storace]

Hi Colin.

For what it's worth, as I do not consider myself "experienced" with cockers in any way whatsover.....

We got Perdie when Scooby was 2 years old.  We took Scooby to the park as usual, so he could have a good run around and I carried Perdie in my jacket opening !

Once she was allowed to walk (after her jabs) we made a special effort to both take them out, so my fiance Ian had Scooby and I had Perdie.  We did a mixture of Road walking and Park walking, but always kept Perdie on the lead, until we felt she had gained enough experience.  If Ian and Scooby went on ahead, then I let them, to teach Perdie to walk to heal, which she did quiet quickly.

I hope this is of some help, and good luck on your new arrival !!                    

[Colin]

Thanks for the tips everyone !

I do intend to walk them separately, just wondered about the odd occassion when I'd have both with me really. Don't want Misty to turn into some kind of lapdog by carrying her about. I'll just have to develop a strict routine I guess.

There's a small park directly opposite me where I can take Misty.........I intend to do a lot of lead work, don't want to end up with a second puller. Although Jimmy doesn't always pull I'm sure the exciement of having Misty there will make him worse.........I've got a few months to work on him before they will be walked together. I'm planning to take Misty to ringcraft in the hope that it will teach her better lead "manners" than the pesky Jimmy has !

After Misty's little walk I can then take Jimmy off to the big park which is about 20 mins drive away. I'm going to get so fit with all this walking !

From what you say it seems the split lead idea is best left for a good while yet, if at all. Individual leads seem to be more adaptable, with more control over each dog.

Loraine.....re the pedestrian crossing problem. I've seen a lady that has an assortment of about 6 snappy little dogs, she has to bend down and use her nose to press the button on the crossing, as her other hand is always full of shopping bags ! Wouldn't recommend it though as it causes much mirth amongst passers by !

Pammy......a prezzie for Jimmy, I hadn't thought of that !                    

[Gilly]

Not that I really have any experience on this subject. But after looking after my friends cocker this week..I now have one arm longer than the other....due to BUTTONS It is literally like taking a RUG for a walk because she walks/pulls so low to the ground . Generally she is a much more exciteable dog than Roana, who just trots along merrily by my side
They both have extending leads....not that I recommend them and I can usually manage them both on my left side. When Roana goes home from her holiday at my house, Buttons is going back to her normal lead. I would definetly never bother with an extending lead again, because it certainly does not help the pulling..they just learn to pull further ahead of you