Is it better to walk dogs together or separate?

Owning two dogs doesn’t mean spending twice as long on everything, and when it comes to exercise the two dogs are apt to tire each other out faster through play than if you walked each of them alone. However, it is also important that each dog you own gets walked individually sometimes too, ideally two to three times a week for each dog. Each dog needs one on one time and your full attention When you have two dogs and walk them together, your attention is naturally shared between the two dogs and this is absolutely fine as long as you can control them both too. When you walk each dog separately a couple of times a week, you can give them your full attention and spend quality time with them. Your dogs will behave slightly differently when apart As mentioned, the dynamic in a pack situation dictates the dog’s roles and relationships to each other, and they will both behave slightly differently when out on walks without the other party. Regular separation helps to avoid separation anxiety Dog owners often mistakenly think that separation anxiety only occurs when a dog is parted from their owner, but if you have two dogs and they never spend any time apart, they are prone to become anxious and make a fuss if and when they ever do have to be parted from each other too. Tailoring walks to each dog’s needs Finally, even if you own two dogs of the same age and breed, they’re not going to be identical in terms of their needs and preferences. When you separate your dogs for their walks, you can tailor what you do on those walks to suit each individual dog, rather than having to find middle ground that might not be 100% perfect for either.

Walking one dog is much easier than two — as you may have noticed, our pack walking group only allows one dog per handler for that very reason. For some of us, walking two dogs at the same time can be a challenge or even seem downright impossible. A great way to first walk two dogs together is to recruit a friend to be the “secondary walker” of one of the dogs. I recommend choosing the dog with less reliable loose leash walking skills. If one dog is rock solid on certain walking equipment, it’s not worth sacrificing that for uniformity with the other dog. Your first few multi-dog walks might just be up and down your block, and that’s okay. Dogs are not going to learn to walk together with you if you don’t walk them together. Even if just one of the dogs you are walking has solid loose leash walking skills, you will be in much better shape than if both of them have only mediocre loose leash walking skills.

Sometimes the answer is no. Would you be out-matched in strength by two large dogs pulling or lunging. In the worst case scenario, maybe being charged by a loose dog, could you hold on to your dogs safely without being pulled down and injured. Or dropping the leashes. If you’re not sure, walking your dogs together might not be in the cards. That’s ok, it’s better err on the side of safety- both your safety, and the public’s safety. Many people try to walk their dogs together, and are disappointed. All the training they did with their reactive dogs seems to have fallen apart, and their other dog is pulling and barking more too.

The answer is both. I need to know that my dogs can handle walking together without overwhelming me but I also use individual walks to provide my dogs with the particular outlets they need for the day. I try my hardest to walk them twice a day but if I am honest it tends to be once a day so I try to alternate between duel and individual walks. The obvious benefit of this option is only doing one walk for both dogs as well. If I don't have a long while to give them then this does the trick for getting the dogs out and mentally stimulated so they are ready for some sleeping alone time. Ultimately this comes down to customization for their walks. I can make sure I am refining their behavior on leashes and rewarding good behavior with undivided attention. Walking them independently also solidifies their bond with me. Specially if you have a puppy, I really recommend doing both types of walking to really make sure your dog is ready for the world.