How do you walk a dog if you use a walker?

You can use a hands free leash and your walker. They have ones that go around your waist or you can wear it like a cross body bag. I’m not elderly but I recently had surgery and this is how I walked my dog. I take care of my elderly grandmother so I come here to read the forums from time to time. A new one that’s super fancy with extra attachments sold separately for your phone and keys and poop bags was released on maxbone . A higher end dog brand.

I'm not sure if you have a yard out the front or back door, but I have a 20-30ft long plastic wrapped wire leash (Amazon) attached to a fixed object in the yard (deck post) and it stops stretched out at my back door. I let my dog out by attaching him to it and letting him go out and do his business, then he returns when he's finished. If I go out with him, he walks beside me or runs and pulls but he doesn't have a chance to make me be at risk. This may be helpful if you need a plan B for pp time and have a yard with grass, etc.

I am 81 & fell a few weeks ago, breaking my hip which I am dealing with. I have a large mini poodle that is 14. He is wonderful. I broke my hip several weeks ago. He walks to my left only: knows the word: halt; NO; lie down; . Sit, stay, come, etc. I am in pretty good shape as I exercise a lot with no fear that I will fall or be hurt in someway from my dog. He slows when walking as I do. Train him. He couldn't be better for my situation. He seems to know that I have troubles! Truth is, I do use a cane when unsure of myself, but most days I stand upright & move along.

I use a no-pull dog harness. The leash clips to the FRONT of the dog so if he pulls or lunges, the leash turns him around where he's facing me! He learned very quickly to keep a bit of slack on the leash...no pulling. They also have a face harness (not a muzzle) that works on the same principal for very aggressive pullers. HOWEVER, unless you have a very stable walker, I would advise against trying to walk a dog that could unbalance you. Even a well behaved, small dog can get under foot and trip accidently.

My daughter is young and she struggles with her pooch! She has a Siberian husky (my avatar) and he pulls on the leash. She has done obedience training. He’s young. She’s hoping that he will calm
down a bit when he gets a little older.

Certain breeds are harder to handle. I know that those leashes that expand are the worst to use. He broke free from one of those. Huskies are strong! They pull those sleds!

Now she wears him out at the dog park. I used to bring my dog (greyhound) to the dog park. He loved it. I definitely had the fastest dog at the park. Greys are so beautiful when they are running. He was really good on the leash though. I miss him. He lived to be 13. I rescued him when he was four and a half. The track tattoos their birthdate inside their ear! He was a champion in Florida. When they moved him up north, he hated the cold weather and wouldn’t run.

I was so happy to rescue him. He was the best dog ever! He absolutely loved my mom. He was funny. He was afraid of her walker! After he got used to it, they were the best of friends.

A small, older dog may be a good choice. A shelter will likely let you try a dog out.

Right now, I have a broken wrist. Why? Because last year when my beloved longtime dog died, I ran to the shelter and adopted Rocky, a 80-pound dog who is now 2 years old. I am almost 6 feet tall and weigh 165 pounds. Until I broke my wrist when he pulled me down, I was not frail. But here I am. I have recently purchased a choke collar, which helps when he goes wild for a car or a dog or squirrel (as I walk him with my arm in a splint. He still needs his walks.)
I think dogs can be sanity savers. But make sure you get the right dog for you. Rocky has been a lot for me.
Good luck!! 🍀.

There are leashes that keep a dog from pulling, I have never used them.

I walk my dog in the grocery store parking lot using the shorter carts. I put my forearms on the handle of the cart and my leash is long enough so she can go back and forth in front of the cart. Missy weighs 18 pounds. I am not feeble, I just have a very bad back, and I have to use a walker if I stand up very long.

bgillis: Do NOT attempt to walk a dog if you use a walker. That would be a disaster.

Hire a dog walker. It’s not worth risking an accident, to walk a dog. Your profile is empty. So, we don’t have any information to go on.

Dogs are great, but they are a huge responsibility.

If you have a dog park near by and can drive may I suggest you take your dog there?

I think that it depends on the walker. I have a Trionic Veloped which is an all terrain walker for the outdoors. I also have a Liberty Wristband that I’ve attached to the center bar of the walker that holds a double handled leash. When the leash is full out, my dog can move side to side to sniff and do his business. I carry poop bags in the zipper pocket of the large bin of the walker. If someone is approaching, I pull him in to use the handle that keeps him on a short leash. I hold it along with the handle and he heels beside me as they pass. The Trionic Veloped is a Swiss rollator that’s made to go up and down curbs, on trails, goes up and down hills (has good ABS brakes that I squeeze slightly when going downhill, and that lock when you need to lock them), has a seat, and goes through the snow like butter so it’s also an all weather rollator…even goes up a shallow set of 11 steps in my community. It’s definitely made for outdoors though and it’s expensive at around $1400 but worth more than twice than that because it’s given me back my outdoor freedom that I had mostly lost, as walking with a cane was slow and made for short outings. My dog knows the command “don’t pull” and knows his other basic commands. He will still try to take after a cat if he sees one but a sharp “no” and squeezing the brakes on the Veloped stops him in his tracks.

If you can afford it, and you like to be outdoors, I cannot recommend the Trionic Veloped enough. They also have regular walkers that are more indoor/outdoor that would probably do very well also and thus be of double use. I have a small Trust rollator that has a tray for indoor use that I bought for assistance when making dinner. I’m able to load the tray with all my ingredients and spices and roll it to the counter, and by putting a wooden cutting board on it, can even transport things from the oven to the stove and vice versa. I also use it to transport folded laundry to their destinations. It’s important to find the tools that help you continue to lead a “normal life” when disabilities suddenly appear as you age. I got over being embarrassed about it fairly quickly and now embrace every gadget and gizmo that can help me lead a better life.

Hire someone please for your safety. Even a neighbor kid to just come with you in the event you don't want to give the dog to them for a shiet period of time.

Even a small dog can pull a person off balance and cause a fall. I am very experienced with dogs, and I strongly recommend not walking the dog if you can't get around without the walker. Hire someone, please.

Find a Girl Scout or Boy Scout to walk the dog, you use the Walker. Don’t do Both. Safety for you and the dog.
good for you the dog likes walks

I see this often where my clients are, in a senior community development. The dogs seem to know or figure out quickly not to get in the way - similar to when a dog is in bed with you and you move - the dog moves and QUICKLY.

What's important:
* you are AWARE at all times where the dog is when / while you are walking with a walker;
* try different ways of walking, very slowly, to see what the dog does;
* be aware of proper placement of the lease - do not secure it to the walker as if the dog runs the other way, the walker goes with it (and down you go);
* how does the dog react to other dogs? If a dog is a 'bolder' (runs after other dogs), this could be a 'fall risk' for you as you will be holding onto the leash or it will be secured to something on you;
I've seen a dog 'walk' with a disabled person on a motorized scooter. I initially felt alarmed / concern although the dog seems to know how to walk with it. Of course, the scooter is going slow.
* KEY IS TO TRY IT OUT IF YOU FEEL CONFIDENT and BE VERY VERY SLOW. Try indoors (hallways?) first if you have room.
Be 110% focused / aware of what the dog is doing.
Gena / Touch Matters

We got my MIL a stuffed dog when care became too much. It worked well.

Probably not safe.
It is so easy for a dog to get frightened, excited, distracted and that might cause the dog to run or pull in another direction.
Not to mention is the person using a walker able to safely bend down and clean up after the dog?
The safest way to get the dog out to relieve itself would be to :
A) hire a dog walker and the person using the walker can go along for a more relaxed walk. The dog walker could be anything from the kid down the block, another older friend that is less mobility compromised or an actual dog walker.
B) get an enclosed area for the dog. There are runs that can be built or "play pens" or the dog can be staked out for a bit. (all of these under supervision as none are as secure as a permanent fence would be)

Even if the dog is well trained if they broke away the person using the walker would not be able to go after the dog and that could/would lead to increased stress and anxiety until the dog was found.

Doggy stroller if small dog .big dog no.

If the dog is extremely well-behaved, a rolling walker will not be a problem. I had a neighbor who walked her purse dog all the time around the block.

If you have a dog that is so well trained it doesn’t need a leash and your area allows that it can probably be done. Otherwise I don’t see how walking a leashed dog with a walker is safe for the dog or the human. As others have mentioned a dong not well trained is bound to pull here or there and a walker is wide, moves oddly and a dog on a leash may not be able to get out of the way all the time not to mention The time it will take for the dog to learn where to be…if there is a place to be. I like the idea of having a neighborhood child walk with the owner and dog, holding the leash and make sure the owner feels it necessary to go along as the person who knows the dog and whom the dog “listens” to. These walks may be as important for the owner as they are to the dog and that seems like an important thing to remember.

It depends on the walker as well as the dog. Most walkers are stable front-to-back and aren’t designed to be pulled from the side, so they may tip over. If the person doesn’t let go of the walker, they may tip over too. And if they do let go, they may fall down. ‘Dog on lap to park’ sounds good, so does ‘hire someone to hang on to the dog, go along beside them with the walker’.

That you have to ask such a question should indicate a person using a walker is in no position to be walking a dog! Anyone in need of a walker is mobility impaired to begin with and a dog is excitable on a good day. Put those two factors together and an ambulance ride is likely going to be in this person's future.

Put leash handle around your wrist & hold walker..dog will adjust & get used to it. You can always hire dog walker! 🐶🤗

When Mum had her knee replacement last September she hired a dog walker for his long afternoon walk. The lady loved LeRoy so much that she kept coming by to walk him on her own time for a few months. She still stops by to visit.

I have 2 smaller dogs, one is elderly, the other only 4. If I needed to use a walker, I would attach their leashes to it. This is what I do when I walk them and push my grandson in his stroller.

Reading the replies below: of course, there is nothing to stop the person hiring the suggested dog walker *and* going along for the walk too.

I also got to know a man who carried his (fat white and skinnier brown, not sure of the breeds) dogs on his mobility scooter - once they got to the park, the dogs jumped off and had their runaround. I've never owned a dog who could have been trusted to do this but those two seemed to love it.

Depends on the dog. It can be done, but I wouldn't try it with a young strong boisterous dog and a frail little old lady, for example.

Perhaps get someone first to practise with the dog who doesn't actually need to use the walker if things don't go according to plan. Is this for you or for somebody else?

I would never walk a dog using a walker. Hire a dog walker such as a high school student that is reliable and get references.

I’d say you don’t at all. We have an elderly neighbor who uses a walker. We’ve seen him several times out with his dog, and watched the dog become excited by another dog, or something else. It quickly puts this sweet man off balance and pulls him over. It’s a disaster waiting to happen

I am with Geaton here. This really depends on the dog. I would say it would have to be a very well trained dog. Maybe better to pay a responsible neighborhood kid to walk the dog. My daughter used to walk my friends dog for her for the exercise.

I'm assuming you are asking if there's a safe way to do this or if it should be done at all? I think it depends on the size and temperament of the dog and where they are walking. A very tiny dog (less than 12 pounds) who is more senior and very historically very calm and well behaved may be safe. Anything more than that would probably be a hard no for me.

My mom is 92, has a cast on her dominant arm from a break and has a 13 lb, 13-yr old Jack Russell Shorty who is fairly strong and muscular and I don't let her walk her dog right now, not on her quiet flat suburban street where the dog can dart after squirrels. Her dog is deaf so can't hear any commands.