[Dailydrool] Walking multiple hounds

[Jane Hay]

I used to walk all four Houndettes at the same time and yes, I looked like I
was driving a chariot! One day when they were dragging me up the street, one
of my neighbors shouted "Hey lady! Ya' goin' huntin'?". I have since gotten
smarter (older!) and don't try and walk all four at the same time any more.
I feel like I can manage two at a time but three 60+ pound hounds and one
40+ pound hound is just too much. We discovered Holt No Tug Harnesses for
the girls a while ago and they are wonderful! You have to have an
engineering degree to figure out how to get them on but the Houndettes walk
like real trained hounds when they're wearing their harness. I honestly
don't know why this particular configuration inhibits them from pulling me
all over the neighborhood but it really works. I think that one thing that
any hound owner needs to remember is that our hounds noses dictate
everything they do. When we're going on a walk for the Houndettes, they're
allowed access to the grass and they mosey along at their own speed. If
we're going for a walk for us, I've found the best thing to do is to keep
them away from the grass and on the street so their noses aren't tormenting
them quite as much. I can't imagine having the sensitive nose that our
hounds have and having that compulsion to sniff and follow all the different
scents! We're very lucky and live in a neighborhood where we can walk in the
street and don't have to worry about a lot of traffic. We also use
traditional leashes. We got the flexi leashes at one time and we decided
that it was creating monsters out of our dogs. I really like the control
that I have with a regular leash that I can shorten and pull my dog right up
to my legs in a hurry if I have to.

We're sending heart healing drool mixed with prayers for all in need.

Jane & the Houndettes
Jersey, Shadow, Suzy & Ginger
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