Walking hands-free in a city

Hands free is not about carrying less. It is about where the force of a lunge ends up.

The first week with a waist lead is usually a little awkward. The line is where it should be, and the hand that used to hold it has nothing to do.

The waist, not the wrist

A belt puts the load on the hips, which carry weight without thinking about it. A line held in the hand puts it on a shoulder that turns, and a hand that is also holding a coffee.

The length you actually need

At rest the dog should walk beside you with slack in the line and no loop in hand. On a busy street, the lower handle brings them to your side in one movement, and gives the length back when the pavement opens.

The habit that keeps it safe

Take the traffic handle at every kerb, and again at every doorway. The handle is not for the whole walk. It is for the four seconds when the line has to be shorter than the pavement allows.

Two dogs, one waist

Two leads, one belt, and a swivel at each end. Without the swivel, a dog who circles twice has wound the line around their own leg before you have crossed the road.

Elastic helps here more than anywhere. A sudden stop on a wet pavement is absorbed before it reaches either of you, which is the difference between a stumble and a fall.