Multi-dog leashes vs. separate leashes?

June 10, 2009 2:09 PM

Are multi-dog leashes easier than separate leashes? Please give me your thoughts on, and/or recommendations for, multi-dog leashes. [personal specs, and probably too much information, inside]

My family has three dogs of varying sizes and temperaments. I am the designated dog-walker, and I usually walk them all at the same time, using separate leashes, by holding the leash for the larger dog (a boxer) in one hand and the leashes for the two smaller dogs (a terrier/beagle mix and a terrier/poodle mix) in the other hand.

Last night, I held all the leashes in one hand because my seasonal allergies are acting up and I needed to be able wipe my nose while walking. While walking this way, I noticed that the two smaller dogs (who normally try to pull ahead and who get distracted easily) seemed more relaxed and focused, and they adopted the pace and attitude of the bigger dog (who is very calm and zen-like about his walking). It worked out pretty well, except that their leashes started getting tangled, especially while turning corners. I kept having to stop every few minutes to untangle them, but for the most part I really enjoyed walking them this way.

I decided to look up multi-dog leashes online and I found that there are a vast array of designs and prices, with each design being touted as "the best." They almost all promise to be tangle-free, but by looking at the designs I'm not so sure. Are they really significantly easier and more convenient than separate leashes? Most of them seem awfully expensive, so they definitely need to be worth it for me to justify the switch.

I did read this previous question, and it was helpful, but I'd like to get some more opinions before I make a decision.

posted by amyms to pets & animals (12 answers total)

The one we have for our two Italian greyhounds is a single lead that splits in two and pivots at the point where it splits. (It makes a Y.) It works well in terms of not tangling but our boys tend to meander (and stop to pee) at different paces, and the more active one will sometimes end up dragging the creakier one. And when we have to walk our third dog, too, well...generally it's just easier to have one of us take the girlie and the other take the boys (on two separate leashes.) But the double leash has its uses; I'm glad we bought it.
posted by Neofelis at 2:29 PM on June 10, 2009 [1 favorite]

I usually use a splitter (not that exact one, I don't know the brand, but it wasn't expensive) for my two dogs, 20lbs and 55lbs. It's nice, because it means they sort of regulate each other (can't pull too far, etc). Also, 5am walk demands a free hand for coffee.

That said, it is definitely not tangle free. Sometimes they get excited and start playing with each other and I have to untangle.

The only drawback (and I solve this by just walking them on separate leashes sometimes) is that sometimes I feel like their personalities are a little stifled during walks that might otherwise serve as sniffing excursions/free time (vs. more structured this-is-how-we-walk-on-leash-and-don't-step-on-peoples'-flowers). They have such different personalities that the lab-ish guy always has his nose very close to my thigh, constantly checking in with me, etc, while the beagle-y girl, if left to her devices, will have her nose constantly on the ground (I call her anteater).

But really, the splitter is awesome.
posted by Pax at 2:31 PM on June 10, 2009 [1 favorite]

I should note that my dogs are littermates and have pretty much the same energy level (yes, 30lb weight difference, different ears, muzzle, markings, etc).
posted by Pax at 2:33 PM on June 10, 2009

Yes, yes, yes to the splitter. The dogs regulate each others side-to-side action, and and pull back pulls them together. Really recommended. I did it most recently with a 65lb Golden Retriever and a 33 lb Border mutt and it went swimmingly.

We don't use leashes at all now...but that's for another time.
posted by TomMelee at 3:06 PM on June 10, 2009 [1 favorite]

Using a splitter sounds like a good idea to try. It would keep the two smaller dogs side-by-side and maybe make them less likely to tangle themselves in with the bigger dog's leash. Plus, it's much less expensive than some of the multi-dog leash "systems" I've seen online (some are over $100! *gasp*).
posted by amyms at 3:16 PM on June 10, 2009

I also have a splitter type thing that I use when I walk two dogs. The dogs basically learn not to tangle themselves and you don't end up being the splitter (with one arm pulled in one direction and the other in the other). It forces the dogs to work it out between themselves (it being the pace and the desire to stop or start) rather than pulling me in different directions. Also, if the dogs tend to pull, they end up pulling each other instead of me. It's fantastic.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 4:09 PM on June 10, 2009 [1 favorite]

Dogs that don't get along with each other, do, when connected by a splitter. Sort of like harnessing up a couple of horses or oxen to the same wagon. Some sort of psychological effect, I think.
posted by RichardS at 6:20 PM on June 10, 2009 [1 favorite]

I have three dogs, all of the 50-75 pound range, that I walk together. I used to only be able to walk two together/return for the third one and walk it alone because it was just. too. much. One wanted to always be first, one wanted to stop and smell the roses 3000 times for 4 hours, one wanted to BE ON THE NEXT STREET NOW NOW NOW and there's squirrels and kitties and this smell and that smell and this smell. Sheesh!

But then I discovered that as long as the leashes are all the same length, no one was trying to get ahead because getting ahead was impossible! And I discovered that if one chose to stop, she couldn't stop for long because she was one against 3. She would just get swept up in our forward movement! The same thing for the one who pulls like the dickens. She tries to pull but there are three of us she has to pull now, not just me. And I didn't buy a splitter. I just took the three 6ft. normal ribbon leashes with a loop handle I already had and looped the handles of two of the leashes through one handle with a lark's head knot. I walk them all holding on to the one handle. They might get a tiny bit tangled while walking but I just let go of the handle, hold on to the leash, straighten out the kinks and go on.

I will say this works for my three dogs of similar size. I added a fourth this winter in the shape of a very small, unbelievably hyper dog (seriously--"hyper" does not do this dog justice). she essentially braided all the leashes together by going over and under and over and under everybody else's leash. It didn't work so well with her added.
And if two decide to stop and dawdle we have to stop. We are our own little exercise in democracy.
posted by hecho de la basura at 8:23 PM on June 10, 2009 [1 favorite]

I tried a splitter with two of my Frenchies - a male and female, both a year apart in age and roughly within 5lbs of each other - and it was just disastrous.

The male likes to pull and the female likes to walk at her own speed -- until they reverse rolls and he wants to lift his leg and sniff everything in creation and she wants to bolt and meet new friends, like squirrels and cats. Well, let's just say that because of their fat little(big) heads and no necks, each one was stubborn enough to put their head down and have their collar come off at one point or another. Frenchies really don't have designated necks so much as a space between their ears and backs that is roughly the same girth, so you kind of stick their collars there. It's pretty easy for them to get them off if they really want to.

So, we just kind of gave up and went back to walking them individually.
posted by dancinglamb at 8:31 PM on June 10, 2009 [1 favorite]

Oh, and we also came to realise they like to 'play' instead of doing what they are supposed to be doing on their walks if we take them out together. One more reason for individual walkies.
posted by dancinglamb at 8:34 PM on June 10, 2009

Follow-up: Before tonight's walk, I decided to experiment with the splitter idea by knotting the two smaller dogs' leashes together about 2 feet up from where the clips hook to their collars (enough room for freedom of movement but not enough to tangle). At first, they zig-zagged and pulled each other sideways (and generally acted like a couple of comedic dingbats). Then, suddenly, it dawned on them: "D'oh! We're hooked together! Let's cooperate!" Once they got used to it, it worked perfectly.

The thing I noticed most during the walk was that controlling them was made much easier by having that fulcrum point between their leashes. I kept the bigger dog on his own leash, but I was able to walk them all with one hand much more comfortably than with three separate leashes (and it turns out that the smaller dogs' better behavior while being walked one-handed in conjunction with calm boxer last night was not a fluke, they were more focused and relaxed again tonight).

So, a BIG THANKS to everyone who responded, and especially to those who clued me in about the splitter idea. Because of your recommendations, a successful one-handed walk was enjoyed by human and canine alike. Best of all, I didn't have to buy anything!
posted by amyms at 10:56 PM on June 10, 2009

I like our splitter too, usually. The only problem with using one leash is if you accidentally drop one leash, all the dogs are free. If you're using multiple leashes and drop one, just that dog is free, and you still have control over the rest. This may not be a problem for you, if, unlike me, you have dogs that will stay with you, and not take a moment's freedom as an invitation to scatter to the four winds and visit everybody in the neighborhood. Still, running amok is harder to do when you're tied together, so I use the splitter.
posted by SuperSquirrel at 8:37 AM on June 11, 2009