A tangle-free multiple-dog leash makes walking many dogs at the same time relaxing for both the dog walker and the dogs. Multi-dog walking is mentally traumatizing and physically draining one step out of the house, if you don’t know what you’re getting into. The tangling, the pulling, the dragging and the having to pick up poop combined into a nightmare of an outing.
And yet, if you want to make a lot of money dog walking, you will have to walk more than one dog within the same time frame. If you don’t know what to use to walk multiple dogs, then the difficulty of earning sufficient income to justify your time dog walking will be hard to endure.
Seasoned dog walkers who enjoy walking half a dozen or more dogs at the same time, tangle-free, can tell you that if you are well coordinated and have the right tools, it can be a cake walk.
It Takes Time To Master Multiple-Dog Walking
If you are apprehensive about everything said above, we know where you are coming from. But even the most energetic and unruly dogs can be trained. Take it on. You see, dog walking is a skill that you need to learn over time to do it properly. So, if you’re just starting out, don’t expect more of yourself than is reasonable. Everyone starts at the beginning. Even if you follow all our instructions to the letter, you will not get it right the first time. In fact, you may need a little help learning how to walk dogs that especially like to pull. But if you persevere, you will be leading your pack in no time.
To increase your chances of success, start small. Start with one dog and take it on from there. Bring that dog under your control and then add a second one that you’ve yet to control. It takes a reasonable practice to master walking multiple dogs and not have them all in a tangled mess.
If you are ready to get your hands dirty, and you got the right kind of leash, let’s get right to it. We are going to divide the lesson on tangle-free multiple dogs walking into two parts:
- Choosing the right leashes
- Tangle-preventative walking techniques
Choosing The Right Leash For Tangle-free Multiple-dog Walking
What makes a tangle-free multiple-dog leash effective? When you buy your leash for use in walking multiple dogs, you must ensure it is known for its anti-tangle or tangle-free design. Leash design here is crucial. In this guide, we are going to share the features to look for and what you should avoid.
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Furthermore, apart from the traditional handheld dog leash, there are hands-free dog leashes that you can wear around your waist using a hands-free dog leash belt. This is useful in handling multi-dog walks that may require your hands to be free to bring any one dog under your immediate control without losing a grip on all the others that you’re also simultaneously walking.
When you choose to buy a leash that will not easily tangle up even when you walk multiple dogs, consider the following factors:
- Leash length
- Swivel bits and couplings
- Leash material (coiled or straight line)
- Leash retractability
- Hand-held vs. hands-free designs
To find out which multi-dog, tangle-free top-notch bungee-fun leash we recommend, click on the image below.
The Importance of Leash Length
Especially as it applies to tangle-free multiple-dog leash walks, a leash’s length is not an insignificant factor to consider before purchasing your equipment. Your ability to control a dog walk increases the nearer a dog is to you. This you control through the leash’s length.
A leash worn around the upper portion of the neck helps guide and correct more immediately than one attached to a harness closer to the back of the dog. With some dogs and under certain situation, it is best to require the animal to be immediately to your side. This is especially so when walking across large crowds or crowded streets and next to other animals or distractions. So, a short leash to the neck is more effective in this case.
What about longer leashes? A long leash can still maintain control of your dog but in an alternate way. When the distance between you and your dog is longer, you’re able to restrain the animal but not direct it except via verbal commands and signaling tugs. This may be sufficient with larger breeds when they’ve learned to obey to your voice.
A typical lengthy leash of 6 feet or so is usually enough to deal with a single dog. However, when you have more than one animal tethered to you, the length of your leashes will contribute to a more complex scenario of dog control. There are three key ideas to keep in mind here:
- Dog size and breed
- Dog leash experience
- Dog temperament
When it comes to the dog’s size and breed, let us consider walking two different sized dogs of varying breeds using a double-dog lead. Think of a Doberman and a Pekinese. See the picture? Ideally, you want the larger dog to have a slightly longer leash than the smaller one. First of all, their stride is entirely different. The bigger dog will advance faster than the smaller one with each stride. If you give the larger dog more lead, you allow it to have ample space to experience a relaxed walk without impinging on the smaller one’s space or rushing it to move faster than you.
More importantly for purposes of a tangle-free walk, if you deny them space, then they are likely to cross each other’s path and tangle their leads before you. You also want to give them distance between them to keep them from getting in each other’s way and provoking each other.
Some dogs have ample experience walking on a leash. But if you’re introducing such a dog to your pack and it has never walked as part of a group of dogs, then you need to keep it closer to you until it gets used to the way the other dogs walk. As the dog gains experience and confidence walking with the rest, you can lengthen the lead.
As to dog temperament, there are those that are more playful than others. When you are walking, say three dogs and one is more playful, adventurous and given to sniffing around, you should allocate him more leash length. This is one of those secrets to a tangle-free multiple-dog leash walk. As you walk them on the street, place that dog at the periphery with the slightly longer leash rather than in the middle where your more steady-forward dog should be. The leash length gives the more animated dog a bit of a license to roam more freely.
Tangle-free Walks Require Special Swivel Bits, Splitters, And Couplings
There are dog leads that have a secondary bit that connects the leashes to each dog’s collar clip. The way the swivel works is quite simple. It revolves whenever the dog leash twists.
Dog leashes that don’t have the swivel bit end up twisting over time until they become coils. In this state, they easily get tangled up together, especially if you are handling many playful dogs in the same walk.
When you must contend with two dogs or more simultaneously, you can choose to use:
- Separate leashes: They can be held separately in your hand or combined using a coupler or attached to a hands-free dog leash belt. A coupler is an extender that enables you to use a single leash to cater to two dogs.
- A double-ended leash: It’s a dog lead that, like a coupler, branches out at the end to accommodate two dogs.
A double-ended dog lead is a terrific option to minimize tangling. Because the leash is shorter at the ends where it is more likely to get tangled, a tangle-free multiple-dog leash requires this type of feature. Separate leashes, on the other hand, are prone to tangling.
Therefore, when you buy coupling bits and three-way splitters, ensure that they have a swivel bit to reduce the possibility of tangling.
Leash Material Makes The Difference In A Tangle-free Multiple-dog Leash
As you search for a multi-dog leash to buy a leash, consider the most popular materials in use and lead line configurations:
- Braided Nylon vs Leather
- Coiled vs Straight Lines
Another aspect regarding leash material to consider is whether the dog lead is coiled or straight.
Retractable Leashes Can Prevent Tangles At The Click Of A Button
Retractable leashes include a plastic case with the leash attached to a spring-loaded device embedded in the case. When a dog runs from you, the leash extends in length. Click a button, however, and you can reduce its length by taking all the slack using a line locking mechanism.
The downside to using a retractable leash as a tangle-free multiple-dog leash is that these leashes encourage and enable dogs to pull at them. The dogs get used to advancing without restriction. Unless you’ve taught them to walk on a loose leash, the constant pull will put some wear and tear on your equipment by these over-enthusiastic dogs. These retractable leads are better suited for packs of calmer dogs. With a couple of tame dog, you can lock the leash with negligible risk of having to face pulling and tangling of the lines.
As convenient as it is to be able to control leash length at the touch of a button, when you walk multiple dogs using a retractable leash, you are more prone to tangling the lines if the dogs are adventurous and playful. If you attempt to handle the leash lines using your bare hand, the friction can make you uncomfortable as these lines tend to be made of thinner cord for easy retraction. In fact, if you’re not careful, a thin cord wrapped around your finger pulled by a corpulent 100-lbs dog on a run can amputate your pinky! So, handle with care. Or better yet…
Instead of using your hands, you can wear a professional dog walking belt around your waist. It is better suited for handling overzealous dogs since your body core can handle their pulling force better. If your dogs like to pull on their leash, you can use a bungee hands-free dog leash. It is made of plastic or rubber and it stretches when pulled, giving the dogs more room to expand into without forcing you to follow from being pulled by them.
Hands-Free Leash Or Hand-Held Leash?
- Your walk is less likely to go awry because you have better control. You can space your dogs using your free hands to afford each more space. Since your hands are free you can quickly untangle any tangled leashes.
- You will face less strain and stress in your arms and shoulders. The stress of holding dogs moving in various directions gets distributed around the pelvic region that can handle considerably more strain than your hands, arms and upper torso.
- The belt frees your arms for important activities like eating, taking a phone call, writing or snapping photographs.
Tangle-Preventative Walking Techniques
Once you have the right equipment, namely a tangle-free multiple-dog leash, then the next step is to adopt a walking method to keep the entire pack tangle-free. Here we are going to cover walking techniques and useful tips that you can use to reduce tangling incidence regardless of the size of your pack. It is all about prevention.
Proper Dog Pack Training
To walk many dogs without tangling requires that they get along with each other first. They have to be well behaved during the exercise. To begin with, they should have proper leash etiquette. Train them on how to conduct themselves appropriately during a walk, separately. For instance, take one of the dogs out for a walk one day and the other the next day, and so on. Ensure that they can handle a walk alone before you walk them together.
Teach them how to deal with distractions in a restrained manner. If you can’t train them, hire a dog trainer. It’s a well worth investment because you will be able to charge the dog owner for dog socialization benefits if the dog has been problematic and cannot be walked except through a professional dog walker who, of course, you’re supposed to be! Once you have a socialized dog, it is much easier to schedule group walks because your clients will know that you are a specialist in walking packs and not just single dogs.
When your newly socialized dogs are ready, take them out in a calm environment first. There are dogs that need to be taught how to deal with anxiety first. In surroundings that are less busy, they learn how to coexist in peace because their aggressiveness often is rooted in fear. From there gradually introduce them to busier streets. If you still confront difficulties with an anxious dog, then follow some of these tips to handle dog anxiety symptoms.
Navigating Obstacles
As part of the training, teach the dogs to steer toward your side when you approach obstacles such as traffic cones, benches, posts, etc. and not around them. Otherwise, you’re going to find yourself wrapped around a pole with dogs going round and round around you. No tangle-free multiple-dog leash will ever save you from that!
To achieve dogs “flying in formation”, sort of speak, ultimately using your tangle-free multiple-dog leash, begin first by training each dog to walk by your side and past the obstacle but at a decent distance from it – far enough to keep the line from ever getting tangled with another dog if you were walking two of them at the same time. Reward him for walking by your side.
Repeat the process. But on a second pass, walk closer to the obstacle. If he tries to walk around the obstacle, stop and retreat. Start again but move further from the obstacle. In time, the dog will learn to stick with you and not walk around the obstacles no matter how close you get to the obstacle while still leaving space for the dog to pass it by next to you.
Using Multiple Leashes
Let’s say you use using multiple leashes whereby each dog has its own lead. There is a way easily to untangle them and prevent things from escalating. When dogs cross paths, don’t attempt to untangle their leashes at the splitter. Simply do it from your hands. Drop one of the leash handles and work the tangle with your free hand.
Walking Them On Opposite Sides
This one is an extension of the previous point and it works for two dogs. If your hands are free, the surefire way to ensure that the leashes don’t tangle is to walk the dogs on opposite sides of your body. Walk one dog to your right and guide it using your right hand and do the same with the other dog. This is especially effective for dogs that are still not used to each other or have different personalities. Since they are on opposite sides of your body, all you have to do is ensure that they do not cross your path. And while they learn to like each other, don’t forget our tips on how to calm aggressive dogs. Nothing will tangle up your tangle-free leads faster than dog-on-dog aggression! It ain’t no circus!! So, check it out.
Choose The Appropriate Leash Lengths
As we discussed earlier, different dogs require different lengths of a leash by size, breed and temperament. Ensure that they have the appropriate space to maneuver in order to reduce incidences of tangling. Observe your dogs’ demeanor to determine the length that you will allocate to each. More adventurous and obedient dogs merit more leash length than the less adventurous or disobedient ones. Pay attention to maneuverability. Even the most experience pack dog walker needs ample space to move when surrounded by dogs on both sides, in front and even those trailing behind.
Lifting The Leash High When Dogs Halt
When one of the dogs stop suddenly, lift the leash high as a signal for the rest to halt. This helps because even if straggler crosses paths with other dogs in the pack, you will keep the lines taut from above and they won’t tangle.
Ask A Friend To Help
It stands to reason that if you are walking in the same direction as another person heading your way, on the assumption that you know each other well and trust one another, then you can share leash holding duties. It makes sense to ask for help in handling one of the dogs since this can substantially reduce the chances of entanglement when one is moved far apart. However, ensure that the dog already knows this person sufficiently not to cause it problems.
In Summary What Features Make For A Tangle-Free Multiple-Dog Leash?
The best tangle-free multiple-dog leash is one that meets most of the following conditions:
- Consists of a swivel bit
- Non-Retractable cord
- Made of strong, tangle-resistant material
- Coil design
- Offers the right length for the size, breed and temperament of your dogs
Short of this, you can opt for a hands-free waist leash belt which are safer than hand-held leashes when dealing with dogs that pull hard. Now you’re ready to exercise your new found knowledge about tangle-free multiple-dog leash walking. Go out and try it.