Just for interest how do people manage to walk their dogs? I either take out two dogs and then go home and take out the other two. If I take all four out I do not find it a problem until we see a cat, squirrel, rabbit etc if they are on leads. My main worry when I have all four out is a stray dog (staffie or jack russel) coming up to mine and having a go. I do not have the ground to let them run so I walk them on the beach or the playing fields and woods. How do other people cope with more than two?

i have 4 and walk them all at once but i let them off in pairs. which they are quite happy with,as for other dogs that may approach i have a gentle leader on sky her being the biggest to control. the others are quite good i just control with body blocking and my leg to make them move back behind me if we see things deers etc if things get too out of control or if a dog wont leave us alone i carry a pet corrector which is brilliant,stops them all in there tracks so you can redirect and it gets rid of unwanted dog!!!

i walk 2 dh and a lurcher on the leads not a problem till they have loose dogs come chargeing up to them and their owners are miles behind them, or they are on their mobile , then then shout its ok he or she is friendly but tell my lurcher that she has been attacked a couple of times and she does not take kindly to dogs she doesnt know running full blast at her.I live down a country lane and there are now labs spaniels collies now beeen walked off lead most choosing to turn adeaf ear when their owners call them it takes asplit second for adog to give chase to either cat ,rabbit etc,and they dont notice the car heading towards them then said dog owner shouts to driver of car slow down you could of hit my dog,i have seen this happen and the dog has needed to go to the vets with injurys i think to much of my dogs to let them walk off lead it my be a country lane, but if im correct your brakeing the law by allowing your dog off lead on the road, iwait till i get to the woods or park field to let mine run round .then back on leads to walk back home

If I'm walking them on leads on the roads I only ever take 2 at a time, the thought of 4 Deerhounds suddenly taking off with me in tow puts me off taking them all out at once. If I,m taking them to a friends for a run in the paddocks I drive tham there and then let them loose once the gate is shut. I would never let them loose on the roads or tracks as the hoons over drive like lunatics and the Deerhounds have no road sense.

Pam

I rarely walk my Deerhound and Terrier together on the road and when I have it's only been for a short distance. Deerhound is well behaved on a lead but terrier can be a big problem as he's just out to kill anything that moves and will tangle himself up with the Deerhound by running under his legs or around him.

I would never walk a dog on the road without a lead as dogs can be unpredictable and traffic can suddenly appear from nowhere down a twisty country lane. You need to take great care on many roads with a dog even when it's on lead. Although I find the vast majority of vehicle drivers very co-operative in that they slow and give me a wide berth there are still a lot of inconsiderate drivers who seem to think pedestrians have no place on the roads.

Surely no one walks their dog on the road without leads! Sometimes there are about 18 odd dogs on the beach and they all get along great, Deerhounds 4, whippets 2, lurchers 3, patterdale cross 2, bull mastiff cross 1, a couple of spaniels and collies and a good old cross breed. Sorry forgot the Westie. Both sexes, some spayed and castrated but all play together.

wallace wrote:


Some do where I live and I have to stop the car until they pass. I tell the owners that I think they are being irresponsible but they take no notice. The lanes are very narrow but all the same I don't think it's a good idea.

if you was to come to were i live there is more dogs off lead on the lanes then there is on leads, some folk think it is a good idea to go jogging with their dogs running free along side them i have even been asked why i dont let mine off on the lane my reply was my dogs mean to much me to do this and i would never forgive myself if they caused a accident or they got hit by a car they do have good recall when it suits them but if their focused on anything then they turn a total deaf ear so would not think twice about a car comming round the next bend so my answer is NO they stay on the leads, do these folk know pet stores sell leads has most people dont even have one with them when i have asked them to put their dog on the lead.

when we were walking 2 dogs my daughter and I took one each it was great daddy/daughter bonding time.I could have taken both ours together but there is no way my daughter would have had the strenght to control the "big guy"if he had decide he wanted to see someone.actually the big guy was a celb,he always had to stop and get patted by the doormen at the local nightclub,and all the patrons(ok drunks)loved him.However once when I was ill my daughter took him out and passing the nightclub he was "mobbed"disappeared in to a crowd of people wanting to pat him,he was having a great time whilst my poor daughter was trying to get him back.In the end two of the bouncers had to go in to the crowd and lift him out!!It seems no matter how respondible you are with your dogs its other people and their actions you have to second guess!

I see people out jogging with their dogs, but they are usually the kind of dog that is extremely obedient, ie Border Collie.
It is actually against the law not to be in proper control of your dogs in a public place.

There is a lady round the corner with 2 Rottie crosses, she wanted to teach them to walk off lead with her, why? I will never understand. Then one day I was walking past her house, on the opposite of the road and her dogs flew from her house, across the road, to have a pop at Murphy. Had a car been coming, they would have been dead and the driver possibly injured. Just seems silly to me, what is the problem with a dog lead?

I used to walk about 4/5 Lurchers, would not walk 4/5 Deerhounds though

I don't understand how people can jog with deerhounds. We do it for short distances but as soon as the dogs get bored with it, one of them will cut in front of me, much as they would when taking down a deer, and I go flipping over their backs.

Our walks are all about a bit of running, some stopping and sniffing, an amble along the water's edge - variation is key. When I see off lead dogs approaching I will usually come to a dead stop and make a bit of a show of checking my grip on each of the three leads - owners will immediately whip leads out of pockets and begin frantically calling Fido back!

Lurch, what is this "pet corrector" you mentioned? Think I might want one. Would love to hear more.

BTW as far as I can tell some dog trainers on TV, like the guy on End of the Leash, enourage off lead walking. My sister had her Westie trained by this very fellow (in fact it's her westie running in the pack at the start of the show) and when we've been on walks with her she merely calls out "sidewalk" and her dog immediatly veers back onto the sidewalk, neat as you please. Good luck doing that with a deerhound.

hi ironstone,it was me who uses pet corrector,and i do that whole making a meal of putting leads on !!!! but you always get the odd one that dosnt get the hint!!! it is a canister of air basically which lets out a loud hiss,not suppoaed to directly spray at dog,direct over heads,it has saved me from being on face in mud many a time when you get a dog that is causing trouble.

I have long been a fan of the pet corrector! You can buy in from most pet shops at a cost of about 6 - 6.50. A red cannister of air which emits a very loud hiss - dogs hate it! Very handy to take out on walks to deter unwanted dogs or to break up a fight

Do they run out? might be a stupid question, but I have never seen one!

yes they will eventually run out if you have to use them a lot. I only have to pick the can up now and the hounds leg it esspecially if they are playing too noisily and roughly in the house although I have now started to use a spray bottle filled with water and this has the same effect and it's cheaper

When I walk my dogs, I do have 170 kilo dog meat on the hook..
I would not have a chance if they decide to drag me off. They dont. It is a matter of reward and training, training.
Every time we encounter something that might catch their attention too much, such as a small barking dog passing, I catch their attention with irresistible goodies. Of cours it works better when the dogs havent just eat. But walking dogs with full somach isnt considerable anyway, with bloat in mind. The goodies themselves are quite small, I do not want to saturate the dogs, as it takes a lot of them (goodies) to do the excercise.
A bag with goodies that fit into a pocket is all I need.
I do not want to walk around with a load of cylinders with compressed air, remote controls, and all the other "useful small boxes" that the pet industry like to provide to us. Let Rambo and Terminator X keep their belts loaded with granates, laser guns, hooks, etc.
Cheese and sausages can be obtained almost everywhere, just learn to use it...

Usually I walk with my 4 far away from " civilisation " and they can all be off leash ( if not in heat or injured ) and I mostly worry about bears a.s.o.
When I walk in more populated areas I am extremely watchful and try getting them on leash very , very early on ( if they are not leashed anyways ) - also , like Kim , I work with the help of tons of really good treats - carry 2 varieties with me meanwhile , more regular ones for just being " regular obedient " and then the " biggies " , something special which they get when they come in " difficult situations " - at the moment the are going crazy for dried bananachips and I am happy to dole them out . Even just to get their attention when they focus on something interesting ( like barking/jumping little white dogs or similar ...) - so , I have them on leashes and ask them to just look at me and they get praise and a tiny treat - sometimes , when they are REALLY interested in something , I will all ask them to gather around me and sit for a moment - we also do this with the very few cars we encounter , stepping off the path and sitting and munching a good treat . I do give treats , too , at times just when they come up to me between their hunts , out of the sheer joy of seing them and they expect a little sign of aknowledgment then which I am happy to give- not always treats but always praise and a big " so happy to see you again ( and not limping /uninjured ) ".
All in all it is quite pleasant to walk my " bush girls " , who do not have the best leashmanners - like all walking on 1 side or heeling or simlar - but are willing to do their best every time and love positive interaction .
For me the key to all training has become " praise , praise , praise " ; when given just at the right moment and consistently it will speed up learning so much and make it soo much more fun - just telling them off , saying/yelling " no " doesn't give them any idea what we want them to do instead , they only start to avoid the discomfort , a bit like try and error for them I guess .
Standing behind a tree when they start paying is often parctised here , they neer seem to run tinto anything hard ...- just my soft and well padded body - something else that works is twirling the leash some to keep them away , my girls do notlike the movement and the sound and are quite a bit more careful .

i use the distraction with sausage also as i have 4 big heavy dogs!!works well,i use the pet corrector against other peoples dogs if needed !!!

Kim - I think the point of the pet corrector was more to use on other dogs. I also use cheese to distract. Everyone has their own way of doing things

It would depend on were im going, if im walking there - then i will take 4 of mine,
we have lots of fields 5 min walk from the house, so its not to bad, then its all off lead,
Laylas ok on meeting other dogs, even if they come charging up to us, she dosent react,
the ones i have to watch is the lurcher and one of my mutts, as both of them will chase other dogs off, but they have learned when i say - to stay by my side, if were doing the group walks, then i will only take 2 or 3, as there sometimes a large groups - if one dog reacts to a strange dog rushing in to the pack, they all will react - if i do decide to take 3, then bonnie will always go as i dont have to watch her at all,layla as she needs the group run, and then i have to chose which other one.