So say, to capitalize on time and with owners approval, you walk multiple dogs from the same neighborhood at the same time. How in the world do you collect them? Do you take stranger dogs into the house to collect the next dog? Thank you!
I only walk dogs in my apartment building which keeps me pretty busy. I never use retractable leashes.
Some dogs I take one-on-one, others I'd only walk with my dog and others can go in groups. I've tried 4 at a time but that was a disaster (granted they were all puppies and didn't know how to fully walk on a leash yet because they were too busy playing and trying to eat stuff outside). I feel comfortable with 3 dogs max and only with the owners permission.
I pick up one at a time and hook them on the front door so the guest dog is only in the entrance while I leash up the next dog and we leave immediately to the park.
It's pretty cool when I can connect dogs that aren't normally on the same schedule and then their owners get to know each other too because they've seen pictures of their dogs playing together on my page.
Thank you! This helps me out!
For walking multiple dogs a 2-way or 3-way coupler works well if the dogs are trained pretty well. My wife walks 3 untrained small dogs using the patented 3-dog UTurn handle that has 3 grips and 3 attachment points which allows one to untangle any leash tangle in seconds by a flip of the handle.
For traveling sitter service, I'd never mix dogs without owner approval. In my experience, the clients that need their dogs walked at their home, have dogs that although bonded and nice with my dog tend to be territorial. In my opinion, entering a home with a stranger's dog invites trouble.
For boarding service at my home, the answer is different because I'm introducing them at my home and they're spending time together and I'm observing their interactions. Still, for safety reasons, I'll often split up the dogs I'm caring for into many walks - and foregoing saving time. If I determine the dogs can walk nicely together And I can handle the pack knowing the many possible occurrences (other dogs and humans walking, landscapers working, etc.), I'll use different fixed length (not adjustable) leashes in different colors & textures and remove any waste bag dispensers that add to leashes getting tangled.
I mainly stick to dog walking in my own neighborhood. This also allows me to take my dog or perhaps a day care or boarding client with me on a walk (meaning, I walk from my house to all of my clients' homes). However, this is always done with owner permission. As a previous commenter mentioned, bringing a strange dog into a client's home can be problematic. I often bring my dog for meet & greets prior to beginning a dog walking relationship, if the owner thinks his or her pup is up for it. Some dogs aren't, and that's fine. I find it extremely helpful to take a high energy boarder with me on my dog walking excursions, as he/she gets a super long walk out of it and I am not worried about behavior in my home while I am away.
I have a No Tangle Dog Leash Coupler. These are great when trying to walk multiple dogs by only using one leash. In terms of how you do it logistically, you simply attach it and go.
I love the coupler-especially when i have two dogs who generally dont like each other. A side by side walk brings their walls down and by the time we get home they are best buds:)