Walking a Schnauzer

I have come to the conclusion that Schnauzers are one of the hardest breeds to teach to walk on a loose leash. First and foremost, they are stubborn.  They want to do things their way and they like to be the boss. Secondly, they have such a strong prey drive that every scent becomes an obsession and they forget who's on the other end of the leash. Heaven forbid we come across a squirrel, rabbit or bird. They forget the world around them and zero in on that poor defenseless creature. 

I know you schnauzer owners are snickering because you have the same problem.  I'm sure there are a few exceptions to this rule, but out of my five, only one mastered the loose leash easily. Carly's laid back personality made her leash walking lessons really simple. 

I usually only walk one of my dogs at a time because they like to compete to see who can pull on the leash the hardest. They also enjoy a nice squabble if one is feeling dominant. I have never tried three or four......until....this morning. I must have been feeling very brave (or crazy).

I dug out my two double leashes, put harnesses on each one and attached my ultrasonic deterent to my pocket. These leashes I bought on Amazon are excellent for walking two dogs because they are made of strong rubber and your hand doesn't hurt and get leash marks from the pulling. It has tangle free hardware so if the dogs wind around each other, it turns and stays untangled. I also clipped my ultrasonic dog deterrent to my pocket to use if other dogs approach or if mine needed a quick reminder to pay attention. I use it sparingly, but it is a very effective attention-getter. Since it is silent to the human ear, I can get their attention without looking like a crazy dog lady trying to reason with her dogs to listen to her. One quick touch of the button and they are all looking at you and ready to listen.

This morning's walk wasn't too bad. After they got over the initial excitement, they did a pretty good job of walking together. I have to admit that it was unusually quiet in the neighborhood this morning and I didn't encounter any strangers or strange dogs. I'm sure that would have livened things up a bit. Bella did spot a squirrel but we moved quick enough that the other three didn't see it. 

I walked them about a mile and a half this morning so they are all tuckered out. Just the way I like them:

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