Hands-free dog walking is a revelation for me as a dog owner who has always walked her dogs twice a day or more. However this can only be achieved once your dog is well leash-trained and knows what to expect on a walk with you.
The occasional jerk on the leash is still required but for the most part I find it more relaxing than holding one leash or more depending on the amount of dogs I'm walking.
I have also prescribed hands-free walking for some people who have strong dogs but also have to team the dog walk with another activity, such as pushing a stroller.
There was one case of a lady who was suffering terribly with her dogs. They would yank and pull on the leash which was hooked over her wrist/arm while she pushed the stroller. So I showed her a technique to tie her dogs leashes to a belt/bumbag around her waist. This way when the dogs pulled, they no longer caused damage to her wrist/arm but pulled on the weight of her body which didn't give way so easily. She was also able to reach down quickly with her free hand and give the leashes a jerk to correct any distracted behaviour. She was very grateful for this technique....and as any mum knows it's not easy to train your dogs when you have a young child around. Now she can enjoy walking her dogs several times a day while taking care of her little one.
Another example of a good use of hands-free walking is when you go jogging. Personally, I find it difficult to relax into a jog when my dogs get distracted and pull even just a little on the leash in my hand. But by tying their leash around my waist, they have no choice but to follow me as the weight of my body and my constant forward direction is pretty strong and overrides any distracted behaviour they might have. My dogs will follow me dutifully and we will all be satisfied after a jog around the block.
There are several tools out there that can enhance your hands-free walking experience. It really depends on how well your dog walks and how much control you want over them during the walk.
Personally I use a splitter for my 2 dogs which lengthens their usual leash. So it's easy for me to tie the whole leash around my wait and let the splitter do it's job.
The 3rd is available in short and long lengths which allows you to wrap the long length around your waist.
In conclusion, hands-free dog-walking can be a relaxing and enjoyable experience if you have trained your dogs and use the correct tools.
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