If you own a dog that loves to pull, you may wonder how that teen-ager which walks dogs in the summer may be able to manage walking three to four dogs at a time. No, that teen does not have the muscles of an athlete nor does she have Cesar Milan's magic willpower. The ultimate secret is the right use of equipment and perhaps a lots of individual training for each dog.
In order for an orchestra to play, each instrument must be fine tuned. Same goes with walking a dog pack. One on one attention will help you establish leadership with each dog until they are more controllable. You want a dog that is able to walk without pulling, heel on command and be able to pay attention to you even under distractions.
Each dog should be able to perform these tasks individually before being put together. Putting together dogs that are not disciplined to walk, may mean looking for trouble. It would take seconds for them to go into ''pack mode'' and pull towards other dogs sometimes even with not so friendly intentions.
LeadershipA dog that respects your leadership role will not pull. Dog walking etiquette therefore requires that your dogs walk besides you or slightly behind you. This means that if you are walking four dogs you should have two at each side and not all four in front of you leading the pack.
Also dogs should never be let out of the door before the owner. Owners come always first just as alpha dogs are always first when they lead the pack in the wild. The same applies to walking through tight passages, owners always first!
If some dogs are quite ''hard headed'' and still tend to pull, they should wear a head collar or what people call a ''halti'' which makes them much easier to control. These work by putting pressure on the head area when the dog pulls, therefore, the dog ''auto corrects'' himself everytime he starts pulling.
Safety FirstNever walk more dogs than you can handle. If every day turns to be a hassle, you are looking for trouble. Also, if feasilbe try to use only one leash leaving one hand free for emergencies. You want to have one hand free so in case of a fall from pulling dogs, you may be able to protect your face from hitting the ground.
No More TanglesOne of the most challenging parts of walking multiple dogs is the fact that the leashes tend to tangle. There are various solutions for this. The ''friendly dog leash'' consists basically of one leash to which is attached
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