Walking your dog provides mental stimulation, physical exercise, opportunities for socialization, and opportunities for behavioral training, among other benefits. Having a baby does not necessitate a change in your everyday routine; rather, it necessitates some adjustments.
It may appear complicated at first to walk a dog while also holding a stroller for your baby. It may seem even harder if you have TWO dogs. But you’ll soon discover that it’s a lot easier than you thought. In this article, we’ll go over some tips for walking two dogs and a stroller simultaneously.
Ideally, you should train your dogs to walk alongside a stroller before the baby arrives. You can accomplish this by taking the steps listed in this article.
How to Walk Two Dogs and a Stroller?
You should start by walking on a loose leash, introduce the stroller, walk on a loose leash with the stroller, and have the proper equipment.
Step 1: Walk on a loose leash.
When getting ready to walk with a stroller, have your dogs practice walking on a loose leash first. Locate a leash that is at least six feet in length. This length allows your dog to walk at a comfortable distance while still providing you with the necessary control. You should also work on some commands with your dog, such as “wait,” “heel,” and “stop.”
You should give words of encouragement when your dogs walks on a loose lease and doesn’t pull hard.
Step 2: Introduce the baby stroller.
Introduce the stroller without the baby once your dogs have gotten used to walking on a loose leash. Allow your dogs to explore and sniff as much as they want. You can also give your dog treats while it stands next to the stroller to help it form a positive association with it.
Step 3: Walking on a loose leash with the baby stroller.
To begin, take your dogs for a walk while someone else pushes the stroller alongside them. This will help your dogs become accustomed to the way the stroller moves.
You can teach your dog to walk with the stroller once they are more accustomed to its presence. My most important tip for teaching your dogs to walk with a stroller is to keep the stroller moving, even if it bumps your dogs.
Doing this teaches your dog to pay attention to the stroller to avoid getting in its way. It is also critical that you do not attach the leash to the stroller, regardless of whether your dogs are well-trained. You never know when your dog will react and unintentionally drag the stroller with your baby in it. You can wrap your dogs’ leash around your wrist or use a waist leash instead.
Step 4: Get the right equipment.
Check that you have the proper harness and leash for your dogs. Consider purchasing a leash that is neither too long nor too short. I advise against retractable leashes because they tend to tangle your dog with its surroundings. A simple four or six-foot leash would be ideal for stroller walks. Also, make sure that your dog’s harness fits them properly; you don’t want your dog’s harness to be too loose or too tight.
For walking two dogs, I suggest you use this 2-in-1 dog leash pictured below.
Now that your dogs understand how to walk with a stroller, it’s time to move on to the real thing. This time, you’ll have to walk two dogs as well as a real baby in the stroller. The following are some things to keep in mind as you attempt this feat:
Be prepared.
Before you begin the walk, make sure you are entirely prepared. Pack your baby’s stroller with anything you might need for your walk, whether it’s baby gear or bags for dog feces. The best thing about strollers is that they have a built-in compartment for storing your belongings, eliminating the need for an extra bag on your shoulder.
Walk on the right side.
You may notice that you are taking up a lot of space on the sidewalk with two dogs and a stroller. To address this, try walking on the path’s edge and keeping your dogs away from people. You can use the stroller as a sort of barrier for your dogs, as they will understand that they must stay away from it to avoid being pushed by it. This allows enough space for people to pass by while also allowing you to control your dogs better.
If you’re a new mom debating whether to continue walking your dogs yourself, I strongly advise you to do so. As you walk your dogs and allow them to explore the outside world, they form a stronger bond with you. They will also form a stronger bond with your baby as they realize they are now in the adventure together. While it may appear complicated at first, I am confident that you will enjoy it once you get used to it. Good luck!
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