7 tips to walk two dogs at once

Are you looking to buy another dog, or do you have more than one dog in your home?

If the answer is yes to any of those questions, it can no doubt be a fun and exciting time to have at least two furry canines in your life.

Just think of the attention, affection, and entertainment.

But, we can assure you after that’s settled in, worry and panic may come into place, especially when it comes to walking 2 dogs.

After all, we only have 24 hours in a day, and taking two trips at a time is not always feasible, especially when you have a busy schedule.

Don’t worry though; it’s quite manageable if you know the tricks on how to walk your dogs effectively and today, we’re going to help you do exactly that.

To help making walking your two dogs a smooth and fun process, here are some top tips to help you:

1. Use one leash

You may have seen dog walkers using multiple leashes, but that’s not always the best strategy. If you use two leashes, they will most likely become tangled and can be difficult when you’re walking if cars, dogs, or other people are nearby. You might also wish to get a dog leash coupler that includes two short leads attached to a ring that makes one leash.

2. Train your dogs to walk together

Start by practicing short walks with your dog when walking together. Then make sure you instill basic commands like stop, sit, wait, and more so they know how to walk together. It’s important when doing this that your dogs get into the habit of walking to your side or just a bit in front of you.

Before you get them to walk, you will want to train them individually to know how to walk with a leash. Similarly, you might want to make sure they’re responsive and attentive. Once done, this will help build foundations for your dogs to be able to walk together.

3. Understand if both dogs are suitable for walking together

Not every breed of dog is best walked together. Some dogs are reactive and bark or try to get aggressive at other breeds. If both of your dogs do this, then it may be difficult for you to pull back on the leash, and it could cause you a lot of difficulties when walking. Moreover, they could redirect their aggression at you and make it an incredibly dangerous experience for walking.

4. Plan the route and time it

You must prepare these routes in advance when walking your two dogs. You never know when you could get outnumbered by other breeds and complicated situations. You may want to plan to avoid the morning or evening traffic rush hours, times school children walk, and more.

If you’re walking in the nighttime, you might want to plan walking with a headlamp, and when it’s so, there are few distractions to disturb your dogs. Finally, if you're walking your dogs under the rain, we have an article about this.

5. Make sure they keep focused

Walking two dogs at once can be successful by making sure your dogs are alert when walking. You can do this by slightly tiring them out before their walk and walk them when they’re slightly hungry. 

6. Provide feedback

To keep your dogs walking nicely, you will want to provide feedback to them with words of encouragement. Understandably, you can’t always give them a treat, so positive and encouraging words can help keeping them going. If you find your dogs speeding up and about to start pulling when walking, you will want to stamp loud on the floor to indicate to them to slow down. Then if they pull on your leash, stop immediately. Over time, they will understand that stopping can signify that not pulling and slowing down can show them not to speed up.

7. Keep practicing

Do you know the saying practice makes perfect? Well, this can definitely be applied to walking two dogs at once. If you’re consistent with applying these tips while walking your two dogs each day, then you can be rewarded with a pleasant and smooth walking experience.

Final thoughts

Walking two dogs at once can seem a difficult feat if you’re not experienced. The best way to start is by training them individually to have a solid foundation and know-how to respond to basic commands.

Following this, you should take them out together slowly so they know how to walk together. Remember it’s important not to walk two aggressive breeds together as it could cause you many difficulties as an owner trying to hold onto the leash, and they could become aggressive towards you.

Moreover, it’s best you plan the route and keep the walks short and sweet at first. Finally, provide words of praise and stamp your feet on the ground or stop when walking. Most importantly, keep practicing and repeat it over time.