If you own multiple dogs which need to be walked with a leash, you know how difficult it can be to keep them under control, especially if you are using more than one leash.
Walking more than one dog at a time is quite daunting, so it is understandable that there have been some innovations made to make this process easier!
One such innovation is a double dog leash, the leashes will essentially couple two dogs together with a mini leash between them, and then this will attach to a longer leash meaning that you only have one leash to worry about.
While this is how some of these leashes work, there are others which work slightly differently.
This of course seems like a great idea and a perfect idea for people with multiple dogs which need walking at the same time, however, the design of these leashes are not perfect, and if you plan to use one, you need to keep some drawbacks in mind!
So, if you want to know what the issues are with a double dog leash, keep reading!
Why Should You Avoid Double Dog Leashes?
Some of these issues may be mitigated if you are using a specific style of double dog leashes, but it is unlikely that you will find the perfect dog leash which does not have at least one of these problems.
There Is Not Going To Be Enough Space Between Your Dogs
When it comes to most standard double dog leashes, they will only put about a foot or two of space between your dogs, which may be fine for some dogs, but for others this is not enough room. This distance can be even more cumbersome for your dog on longer walks, but you can even see it will affect them on a shorter walk too.
For some dogs who prefer some extra space, you should consider a Double Extendable dog lead.
Some dogs simply do not want to be that close to each other, even if they live together and are comfortable with each other, but especially if they are not that familiar with each other.
If there is anything which leads to the dog getting aggressive or excited, sometimes this can be misdirected at the dog next to them.
Using A Coupler Can Be Inconvenient For Some Dogs
Using a coupler will be very inconvenient especially when you are working with differently sized dogs. If you have a large dog next to a smaller one, there are very few ways to ensure that they will be comfortable when attached to each other.
It will be incredibly exhausting for the smaller dog to keep up with the longer and faster steps of a bigger dog. As well as this, if the height gap is significant enough, there will be a constant tugging on the leash of one or sometimes both of the dogs.
You Do Not Have As Much Control When A Coupler Is Being Used
One issue which will affect the owner is the lack of control you will have when walking your dogs with a coupler.
Since both dogs are attached to each other, it is very difficult to control where they are going, and you will often end up unnecessarily hurting one of the dogs while trying to control the other.
This is why it is often recommended to only walk dogs using a coupler if you are confident that they are well behaved enough.
Some people assume that having both dogs on the same lead will give walkers more control, but instead you will be left with less than you had when walking with separate leashes.
What To Do Instead When Walking Two Dogs?
As you can see from the previous points, we have had some issues with couplers, and these negative experiences have led to us not wanting to walk our dogs using these devices.
This is why we recommend not using a coupler as the problems with this solution often outweigh and become more inconvenient than walking without one.
While the process of dealing with two separate leashes can be very annoying, especially if they are always getting tangled, you at least know that you have a good level of control over each dog.
This makes it easier to ensure that your dog will stay safe which should always be the priority when you are walking your dog.
We are not saying that you should never even consider using a double leash for your dogs, but if you are not entirely confident that they are well behaved when using a standard leash, you will usually end up with more issues than you started with.
If you want to use a coupler, we also would recommend only doing this with dogs of a similar size and height as the discomfort a dog feels when attached to one of a significantly different size can be a pain.
If you want a good way to keep your dogs busy, if you want to walk them separately, consider making a dog nail scratchcard!
