Bad Idea: Can I Use a Coupler With Prong Collars?

This is easily the most cringe-worthy gear combination I've seen so far, though fortunately I don't see it often. Using a coupler to walk two dogs in prong collars could be no problem at all, or it could be so terrible that it causes lifelong behavior problems.

So what's the big deal?

A prong collar is a training tool designed to communicate a clear signal to the dog via the leash. When the collar is pulled tight, the prongs pinch the dog's neck, causing discomfort or pain depending on the dog in question. A lot of dogs are bred to be insensitive to pain in order to do their jobs, so prong collars tend to have less of a dramatic impact on gun dogs and bully breeds than they do on herding breeds. 

They are staying in this picture, I wouldn't let them move in this ridiculous setup.
Photo by Erin Koski

Though prongs are meant for giving corrections via sharp jerks, the majority of people seem to use them as a device to discourage pulling. It's true, most insensitive dogs will pull hard enough to pinch their own necks a bit. These dogs do tend to respond to collar corrections as well, so the feeling of just casually pulling on leash wearing a prong must be significantly less than a hard collar pop.

For placid adult labs who don't tend to make sudden moves but do pull when not wearing a prong collar, connecting them together with a coupler is probably not the end of the world.

However, the whole picture changes when one of the dogs in question makes a sudden move. If one dog on a prong collar lunges or bolts suddenly, they will give themself a hard collar pop when they hit the end of the leash. If they are attached to another dog via a coupler, they will both feel it. This essentially means both dogs get punished if one moves too far from the other. If one of those dogs is excitable or reactive, they could both get a severe correction when that dog lunges.

It gets worse...

Constantly getting pinched for your buddy's bad behavior would make anyone feel less enthusiastic about him. But what if he does it whenever he sees something specific? Take a dog that gets overly excited or stressed at the sight of other dogs, coupled to a dog that doesn't care about other dogs. If both are wearing prongs, it would only take a few incidents of neck pinching before the second dog also thinks strange dogs are bad news.

A prong collar on a fairly resilient dog is not a huge concern for me, and I'd rather see that than a choke chain. Throw a second dog and a coupler in there though, and you have two dogs getting random punishments that they may learn to associate with each other, or just about anything in their environment. You wouldn't randomly punish your dog if he were on his own leash, so it's wise to leave the coupler and home and not randomly punish him for the movement of another dog. 

Couplers are for trained dogs on dog-friendly collars or harnesses. It's a bit more work walking two dogs on two leashes, but it's far kinder if you are using prong collars. You can leave one dog at home, enlist a helper, or just walk with one leash in each hand if you must take them both out.

Product Review: Hamilton Leather Coupler

Made by Hamilton, this leather coupler is made for walking two dogs with one leash. It is double-ply, stitched, and extremely sturdy. It also appears to be currently out of production. Mine is a nice dark brown. This is a short coupler designed to keep the dogs close together and moving as a pair.

Photo by Erin Koski

Couplers...
I picked this coupler up at a thrift store several years ago because it was leather and pretty and had a manufacturer's mark on it. It spends a lot of time in a drawer, but sometimes makes it into my training bag for use as a safety device. See, it's basically a short strap with a snap at either end. This makes it a perfect safety device for escape-artist dogs, as I can clip to to a head halter, harness, slip collar, or to the snap on the leash.

Unlike this completely ridiculous three-way coupler, the Hamilton leather coupler is short enough to keep two dogs relatively close together. It keeps either dog from stepping over their leash, but it also means they need to move well together. The first time I actually hooked two dogs together with this coupler, it was foster puppies Darla and Hellin. We were headed for some off-leash recreation and I just needed to get them from the car to the fenced area of the park. Neither was particularly good at walking on leash at that point, and I figured I'd simplify things a bit by hitching them together so they'd cancer each other out.

Physics!
Know what happens when two dogs on one short coupler run to the end of their shared leash? Their bodies attempt to occupy the same space, the coupler swings them together, and their heads knock together. (I'm told the same thing happens when you buckle two kids in the same seatbelt and the car stops fast...) If these are particularly goofy puppies who are overly-excited, they may repeatedly bounce to the end of the leash and whack their heads together over and over again until separated.

With less ridiculous dogs, couplers can be ok. I used to walk a friend's totally chill older labradors on short couplers with no issue because the dogs did nothing but plod along and stop for an occasional sniff. They were also pretty untroubled by their coupler-buddy stopping or starting or moving suddenly, and I coupled them together in pairs that tended to move at the same speed since they needed to coordinate a bit. Brisbane and Sisci walk very well together, but I do not use a coupler with them because I like to be able to communicate individually with them via their leashes. They are both sensitive dogs, and would be unhappy having another dog randomly pulling on their collar or harness. My dogs are also somewhat prone to sudden movement, which can be unpleasant for their coupler-buddy.

Pros: Short enough to keep two dogs close and prevent leashes from getting underfoot. Ridiculously strong with relatively light hardware. Totally pretty. Works great for attaching gear to other gear to prevent escapes.

Cons: Short length means it can only be used to couple together two dogs of similar size, speed, and activity level.

Bottom Line: Great as a safety tool, also great for well-trained, predictable, relaxed dogs.

Have you used a coupler with multiple dogs?

Product Review: Guardian Gear 24" 3-Way Coupler

The Guardian Gear 24" 3-Way Coupler by Pet Edge is a leash accessory for walking three dogs at one. It consists of three 2-foot leashes attached to a central ring, to which a regular leash can be attached. This coupler is currently available in eight different colors and also comes in 4" and 12" lengths.

Photo by Erin Koski

I'm not a huge fan of couplers for anything but sedate walks with well-mannered and slightly-oblivious dogs of similar size and strength. I just don't like the idea of dogs walking other dogs, and the last thing I want is for one dog to move suddenly and give the other an inadvertent leash pop. I've started seeing stretchy couplers recently, and I like those a lot better because they insulate the dogs from each others' movements a bit.

My good experiences with couplers are mostly limited to walking a friend's pack of senior Labradors along with my cocker spaniel. Four of these dogs could be coupled together with minimal issue because none of them pulled hard or was prone to lunging. The fifth (and sometimes sixth) dogs were never walked on couplers because they tended to pull hard and needed feedback from my end of the leash. These days I only attach couplers to harnesses because I like to be able to use very small movements to communicate when the leash is attached to a collar.

Photo by Erin Koski

I found this super-long three-dog coupler at a thrift store and immediately thought "well there's a terrible idea!" So of course I bought it. I can walk a whole bunch of dogs on individual leashes without too much trouble because I can remove a single leash to untangle someone. With this coupler I can't do that nearly as easily because the leashes are permanently attached at one end.

Pros: Sturdy, well-made. Available in a variety of fun colors. Long 24" length gives dogs plenty of independence from each other.

Cons: Lots of length for dogs to get wrapped around their legs or my legs. No easy way to untangle them if two dogs decide to spin circles around each other.

Bottom Line: The only three-way coupler I've ever seen work really well was one with 4" stretchy lengths attached to a 4' leash and three miniature dachshunds. It never dipped close enough to the ground for them to step over it, and they could just sort of swarm along together. I did see this weird leash handle thing recently that seems pretty useful, but it's $40 and I can do the same thing with my giant carabiner.