Getting dogs to walk alongside a pram.

iguana

I'm hoping for some tips from people who've had a baby while already being dog owners, especially if they have two dogs. I've just gotten my pram but am not due 'til November so have quite a few months to go and I want to spend that time making sure the dogs learn how to walk with the pram before I put a baby in it.

They don't walk on lead a lot as we live right on a riverpath where there are no restrictions on dogs being off lead. But we may be moving house before I'm due and if we don't we'll still be moving at some point in the next year or two, so the odds are that they will eventually need to walk by the pram daily at some point. So teaching them while it's not urgent makes sense. When we do have them on the lead, for walks in different areas, vet visits etc, I put them on extendable leads. This is because one of my dogs is a 3-legger and needs to set his own pace. (I know this adds to the difficulty of walking by the pram.)

I don't quite know where to start. I can't see how I'll be able to have them on an extendable lead and push a pram. I'd need at least three hands. Would a double lead work? I could hold that in one hand and push with the other. Or do people use leads that clip to their belts. That might make sense but wouldn't really be a goer for ages if I end up having complications in pregnancy, a c-section or am pregnant again.

What do other people do?

TooManyDogs

I found it difficult to push my buggy with 1 hand so i used a spare collar to gather all my lead handles on, then looped the collar on my arm. That way if need be i could drop all leads instantly without any danger of buggy being dragged around. Thankfully I've never needed to for that emergency dog stop but it scares me when i see people with the lead tied onto the buggy. Extendable leads are a nightmare while trying to control buggy,same for extra long leads. It would be very easy to pop an extendable lead into a buggy pocket so you could put your dog on it if needed when you stop.

Mine already had nice heelwork so that was a great help, I'd start there before introducing the buggy, do they're happily walking on only one side of you to a command. Suss out if either dog is nervous /excited about the moving buggy, particularly the wheels. If that is the case then strong arm someone to push buggy in the same direction as you but at a distance while you do some training with the dog. If mine tried to pull past the buggy I would give a verbal correction while closing the gap by turning the buggy gently into the dogs path, never touching the dog and then asking for them to heel. I wanted them to learn quickly to have some respect for the buggy.

I also used a baby sling quite a bit, still do cos I can't bring my buggy up the fields Mind you my 'baby' is 2 and a half now so insists on walking and holding a lead 'mine self'!!

iguana

They can walk to heel, though just to be odd, they are better at it when off lead than on. (It's like they feel like they have to pay more attention when there is no lead to control them.) It's very, very difficult for Toby though, as with a front leg missing he propels himself from the back in a way that means he has a lot of trouble walking at a pace I set. I think it's going to be a lot of work getting this right for him. Dougal should be easier and I'll definitely try the exercise you suggested with him.

Would working on one dog at time be best in your opinion? I think I'll have to try Toby out by himself with it at first anyway so I can gauge how to set a pace he is comfortable with.

I'll definitely never tie the dogs to the pram. I can see why some people are tempted to do it, as it's a deceptively easy solution. But one cheekily tempting squirrel/cat could result in real disaster.

Dirk Gently

I got a couple of carabiners and clip them onto the loops on my belt, one each side of my waist. I walked them on very short leads for a while first so they were use to walking at heel. works well most of the time, unless they decide to chase a duck or something and then you could end up with your trousers on back to front. It mostly works though and you can corect them easy enough as your hands are free and it's easy to react when needed.

First thing I'd do though is get them walking at heel on a short lead.

TooManyDogs

I'd get them used to heeling on lead individually first without the buggy, then together without the buggy, then individually with the buggy and finally both with the buggy.

I found it much easier to have a good individual heel command before adding them to the pack. I never clip them on to my belt when I'm walking the buggy cos I have so many!!!

You might end up picking up your pace to match Toby's but I'd say he'll find a pace with the buggy that suits him and he can get a good stride going

LucyBliss

I don't have any advice on this but I just wanted to say congrats on the pregnancy & best of luck to iguana with the dog training. It's so nice to see someone actively including their dogs in the preparations for a new arrival and being practical about it. Hope the next few months go well for you.

This thread actually reminded me that over the weekend, I saw a woman walking her dog on lead while pushing a small toddler in a buggy AND carrying an older child who seemed to be in need of some Mum TLC. I thought, hats off to you, Missus, because she was carrying the child with one hand and her other hand held the lead as it pushed the buggy along! The dog was walking along quite bouncily, obviously well used to the set up.

iguana

Turns out I had completely underestimated my Tobes. I took him out for a few minutes last night while my husband went jogging with Dougal and it was a lot easier to set a pace with him than I thought it would be. We just walked along with him on the lead and after about a minute of me working out his pace we were fine together. I brought the buggy out and there were a few seconds where he seemed nervous of it and sat down as if he was waiting for me to take it out of his way but once he realised it was going to be pushed along ahead of us he just walked along slightly behind me and it. I'm so proud of him!

We'll do a little walk a few times a week for the next while until I'm sure he has gotten the hang of it and then I'll swap over and start trying Dougal. Then in a month I'll start doing them both together. I'm really relieved so far because I really was worried it would be physically very difficult for Toby to do this. And I'm going to get a good pair of leads as the non-extendable ones I have are too short for me to hold at the buggy handle and still be comfortable for the dogs. Last night I had to use the extendable one with a short slack on it which meant I was pushing the buggy one-handed, which is fine for a few minutes training, maybe not so much for when it's actually in use.

catherine1984

I don't have children but i do a lot of running with my 2 dogs and what I do it i use a belt and it around my waist with the leads attached. This means your hands are free and if they decide to take into a sprint they wont pull the buggie. Hope this helps

aaofa2

Have u considered harness and leads? Wen I went walking with my staffs n d buggy I put one dog each side n set off.few false starts n stalls but with encouragement they got d hang of it.baby staff even hitched a lift home in under basket of buggy whilst other staff walked to heel longford my baby son n licked his hand every few yards.walking was a joy....til son decide that now being 2 he doesn't need d buggy he'll walk d.latest addition.....a 9 month old saint bernard....hilarious site