Learn to walk your dogs side by side
Meet Bart and Gabe, four-month-old mini Australian Shepherd littermates. I recently worked with these pups on what we call “walking in brace,” or walking side by side. This can be extremely helpful when you have two dogs that are similar in size because it only requires one person to do the walking.
I typically work with new dogs on basic leash-walking behavior using my uniquely designed leash and my game-changing slip harness, the Calming Cord®. For multiple family dogs that are close to the same height, I walk each dog individually until both have acceptable leash behavior.
After I have worked with each dog individually, then I really enjoy walking them together with my leash and both dogs wearing their individual Calming Cord. Both cords attach to the leash clip and off we go! Note that one dog may prefer the inner position next to his owner. As you can see in the video, I discovered Bart preferred to be next to me, and Gabe then assumed the outer position. Just a few minutes of training and they are already doing great!
You can achieve this too. Follow these steps for walking two dogs at once:
Follow my lead and you and your pups will be walking side by side in no time!
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Take each individual dog on a walk using the Calming Cord.
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Once they demonstrate good leash behavior individually, try walking them together, side by side. Notice which SIDE each dog prefers to walk on.
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Use clear, concise criteria when implementing this new teamwork. Be consistent with your commands and if one dog makes a mistake, stop them both, and try again.
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Praise and variably reinforce their attentiveness and willingness to work together.
Some helpful tips for achieving your dog training goals:
- If possible, have someone video record you walking both dogs together. This will allow you to see slip-ups that are hard to notice unless viewing from afar.
- Relax—don’t overthink it.
- You need to be your dog’s LEADER, not his best friend.
- Keep your body, hips, and shoulders loose, keep your head up, swing your arms, and breathe.
- Your dog is taking every lead from YOU—consistency is key!
