Anybody ever used one of these?

[nancy in AZ]

Walking three dogs at once is always a bit of a challenge, especially with one that will lunge at cars and a juvenile that is still learning the ropes. I was considering getting a coupler and the ones here look very interesting. I like the idea of the swivel attachment. Does anyone use a a coupler/connector and what are your experiences?

 

http://www.patchworktreasures.com/muleco.html

[red dog fan]

I use a 2 into 1 with the boys and i like it

forces them to walk shoulder to shoulder most of the time

 

i did shorten them a little though

[bc4ever]

I saw a guy on a walk recently walking three greyhounds on one and it seemed to be working, if that's any help.

[monicah]

I have used one on my two dogs (one adult and a puppy), and I think I have to train the puppy to walk on a loose leash first because they both started to pull. I think I'll use it again when I have taught Keira to walk properly.

[SoloRiver]

I use separate leashes for my three and they work fine. I would rather not tether them together because I don't think it's fair for one (usually Solo, who has perfect leash manners) to be punished for the misdeeds of the others (ahem, I will not name names but their initials are F and J).

[NRhodes]

Depending on your dogs they work pretty slick. I buy most dog supplies from Nite Lite, much cheaper, here's their page with couplers: http://www.huntsmart.com/hunt/Dog-Training...ouplers_56.html

You'll see they use swivel snaps.

[nancy in AZ]

I buy most dog supplies from Nite Lite, much cheaper, here's their page with couplers: http://www.huntsmart.com/hunt/Dog-Training...ouplers_56.html

You'll see they use swivel snaps.

 

Sheesh--Those sure look short!! Doesn't that turn them into doggie numchucks??

[flrpwr52]

This one is much more adjustable for only a few extra dollars. I have this one and like it very much.

 

http://www.sporn.com/product_info.php?products_id=30

[NRhodes]

Sheesh--Those sure look short!! Doesn't that turn them into doggie numchucks??

 

No, not at all, those are made for leading hounds (Nite Lite is a hound hunting supply catalog) which on average are much larger than a border collie. Also, I think the idea is you're walking the the dogs and if they're on leash they shouldn't be running and pulling anyway, hence not pushing or bouncing off each other as you suggest.

[nancy in AZ]

Perhaps they shouldn't be but the reality is different. Also, they do take potty breaks on our walks, hence I'm dubious at using so short a coupler for practical reasons. I like the idea of the one you use, Linda, but I'm not a fan of nylon, too rough on the hands. I prefer cotton or leather. Thanks for the feedback.

[Alaska]

I could not live without my beloved leash coupler. Okay, maybe I could, but for me it's the best thing since sliced bread. The one I much prefer is small and light: Mini SoftWeb Coupler by White Pine Outfitters. Yes, I know 10" seems awfully short, but it actually works much better for two height-matched BCs than a longer one which droops and gets wrapped around legs etc. Mine got left behind on a trip recently and I had to replace it locally with this: Knot-a-Coupler by RuffWear (small size). Sure enough, the damn thing was always getting in someone's way (and if you want it, I'd be glad to send it to you now that I have my White Pine coupler back).

 

Believe it or not, 10" is long enough for one to be marking a bush while the other is still sniffing it, and still no one gets peed on. It's long enough for each dog to be sniffing the opposite side of a post. It's long enough for one dog to stand while the other one sits down for a scratch. I'm often surprised by what they can do with 10" of freedom. Wait, let me dig up a picture of my two coupled together while they waited for me in a campground (Biko, on the ground, is on the yellow 6' leash, which is carabinered [mini carabiner, of course] to the leg of the picnic table; Kepler is attached to the black 10" coupler that is itself clipped so it can slide freely along the leash - I left them standing side by side and this is what I found when I returned):

 

 

Also, I can't say enough good things about White Pine's SoftWeb. I personally prefer the things I hang on my dogs to be lightweight and unobtrusive. How would you like a stiff 1" wide strap of leather or nylon wrapped around your neck? It doesn't sound comfortable to me, so I was ecstatic to discover White Pine's SoftWeb collars and leashes. In contrast to the unnecessarily heavy hardware on the RuffWear coupler (and most other leashes I've ever seen), the White Pine coupler is light enough that it isn't forever trying to reach the ground where dogs can step over it. Nonetheless, it has many times with stood the pull of two highly determined BCs lunging for some forbidden prey item (which we will, ahem, leave unnamed).

 

So why do I prefer a coupler over two leashes?

 

1. Assuming it's short enough, it NEVER gets tangled. I can drop the leash end and pick it up again and still no tangles to deal with. I can be carrying a huge stack of groceries or mail or whatever and just have a single leash end looped over my pinky...and drop it by accident...and pick it up again...and still no tangles to deal with.

 

2. The dogs tend to each other. Say I'm in the airport struggling to put kennels together and not paying that much attention to their royal highnesses and the leash end gets away from me. No problem - they don't go far because one acts as an anchor to the other. And they NEVER take off in opposite directions because that's just physically impossible.

 

3. We do a lot of long distance backpacking. There are times when both dogs need to be on leash. One leash reaches from my sternum strap down to two coupled dogs walking side by side on the trail in front of me. My hands are completely free. It's awesome. (I actually use the teeny tiniest Flexi for this, the 10' one made for 10 lb dogs, and it works incredibly well, better than the larger flexis whose springs struggle with heavier and longer cords or straps. It's really awesome.)

 

4. A White Pine mini softweb leash and mini softweb coupler is the smallest package I could come up with that allows me to maintain comfortable, 100% control (when needed) of two 40 lb dogs. It's small enough that I can always have it stuffed in my pocket where it's available the instant I need it. I've been using these two items for almost 5 years now and they both look and function as though they were new - mini does not translate to wimpy.

 

5. If I have a sudden need for really tight control (e.g. inconsiderate mountain biker appears out of nowhere at 40 MPH and goes screaming past on a single track trail), I just grab the coupler and hug the dogs to me until the danger passes. One thing to grab, only a few inches and they're glued to my body. Can't beat that.

 

My dogs walk together okay. Neither one is perfect, but neither is being punished by having to put up with the other's bad walking habits. Now and then they even teach each other a bit of good habit. And they totally understand that it's their job to both point in the same direction. If one gets pointed the wrong way, they both know how to duck under the coupler to get reorganized without my intervention.

 

Your mileage, of course, may vary.

 

ETA after Nancy's last post: SoftWeb is really nice and soft on your hands. And "potty breaks" while coupled are doable for my two, though I'm happy to uncouple someone for a short stop as needed.

[Allie Oop]

I tried using a leash coupler, but it really didn't work out so well. Rusty is a "stop and pee on the roses" kinda guy and Allie likes to keep on truckin'. She kept pulling poor Rusty over everytime he stopped to water the bushes and he was miserable. I went back to the individual leashes and we have a system worked out pretty well.