Fencing vs. tie out for a dog

I believe that controlling/confining/protecting the dog and the community is far more important than the method used. I have kennels for my small dogs, and a cable run for my lab, inside of a fenced area. The lab hated being in the kennel, would sulk and was miserable, he's very happy on his cable run, and has a 50x25 foot area to run. Its shaded and he has two dog houses. That said all are house dogs and get inside time and attention and sleep inside. If someone loves their dog and pays attention to it and cares for it properly what does it matter how they control it and keep it safe? Some breeds have to be physically restrained somehow, their just too powerful, or resourceful, or too driven to remain inside a fence or kennel. Huskies come to mind, just try to keep one inside a fence or a kennel without a secure cover. They(huskies) will find a way out somehow, I had one push a fan and screen out of a window to get out to run. Look at the breed first before making a judgement.

well said honorine.

I have four dogs two are pit bulls five and six years old.
Best dogs you ever wanted to meet. But the six year old is a hudini.
We put sheet metal down two feet; around the perimeter of his kennel so he couldn't dig under. He has a ten foot high kennel with a line of barbed wire at the top and the kennel is covered in chain link with rebar running through it to keep it sturdy.

he will stay in his kennel while we're home. Soon as we leave he's out.
Can't figure out how he does it. But I can tell you there is not a latch or knob he hasn't figured out. He can let his self out of the house unless I remember to deadbolt the door.
I have no choice but to tie him up.
He's a great dog and worth the extra effort .

Just curious some of you folks must be city people. Cause I do get a occasional dog skunked. Skunked means no inside time for at least a couple of months. Now we all know dogs pout. I have to tie the recently skunked up too or they get into all kinds of stuff, because they are upset at the loss of house privalages. Pout chew things , chase the cats and run off to the nighbors to see if they maybe don't mind skunk smell as bad as thier mommy does in the house.

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WVPEACH (paula)

My dog is tied when I catch him chasing cars--which he does unpredictably, but not all the time (he's getting better.)

Also, he has to be tied if he's outside when my girls get on the bus (he might chase or try to get on the bus with them.)

I'm at home with my dog most days; he's allowed in our cabin and sits by me when I do laundry and dishes.

I do tie him in different parts of the yard, not always in the same spot. Sometimes under the bird feeder, sometimes on the porch, etc. Most of the time, he does not have to be tied and seems to be less hyper as he's aging.

I think it's okay if you exercise you're dog by walking them, etc. but any sort of confinement where they are in a small cage and lonely is dog neglect. I see this a lot. I don't know why some folks have dogs when they have to be away from them all day; especially large dogs. Dogs are pack animals and their family of humans is important. Hug your dog today!

We moved from the city where we kept our dog on a leash outside... this was done only when we were home. We never left her outside when we were gone. Every once in awhile she would push open the door and bolt. It scared me to death that she would get hurt, she is so fast.

I was afraid that she would take off and not come back (she's a huskey/shepherd mix) once we moved to the country.
After just a day or two of tying her up I decided to let her run. We have 16 acres. She ran and was in pure heaven. Of course I was outside with her calling her back. Now I just let her out when she needs to go out and she knows she will have her time to run... and she really needs to run.

Each dog is different though, I wouldn't let any dog loose.

I never tie my dogs, but I am home all day. I had a lab/german shepherd cross that I just put down last summer from old age. He was almost 12, arthritis really bad & was deaf. I was afraid he would bite someone because he couldn't hear them coming. He was great. Never left the yard except to cross to the field to do his duty. I now have another german shepherd. She stays in the yard all the time too. Unless I or one of the kids goes for a walk. Then she will go along. Both of mine were fixed which I think has a big impact on if they will stay at home or not.

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I can't believe I deleted it!

Howdy Paula:
Those West Virginia skunks must be really foul. I've had dogs skunked about 5 times in recent years here in Pennsylvania and the longest the bouquet was too strong to deny them house privileges was a couple of days.
I'll admit that my wife and I spent most of our waking hours post-skunking cycling through all the supposed odor removers. Perserverance must be the secret.
Actually I grew up in Fairmont and the skunks really could blanket a huge region with anti-breathing gas. Maybe they are different.
rr

One of the 'neighbors' owns two dogs, both on chains and neither is ever interacted with. The female was getting bred constantly up until this last fall when they finally moved her behind their trailer. The male is by our road and each time we drive by he lunges at our car at top speed until he's jerked back by the neck. One time he did this and his chain had broke, so the poor creature plunged directly into the front of my car. I don't know who was more surprised that there was no end to his chain this time, him or me! He didn't suffer more than a few bruises.

It surprises me after all this time that people still fight over whether something like this is appropriate or inappropriate. It's no different than every other aspect of life, if someone handles it in a responsible manner with an eye on welfare there isn't a thing wrong with it, and if they're negligent and cruel about it then those people should be held accountable for it.

I'll tie my BC only if we're somewhere new and she needs to be out for some fresh air. I used to tie her a few times when she started wandering further than she should have, but now she is better behaved and only strays on the very rare occasion. I'd definitely rather have her tied than have her in the road or scaring children or getting attacked by another, larger dog.

Just to clarify - I work and volunteer outside the home. Both my big dogs can behave themselves - while I'm away they are indoors. They are never tied out.

I'm surprised that nobody has brought up the issue of the dogs preference.

Our husky Taz generally prefers to be tethered out front rather than running in his fenced in area out back. He likes being able to see what is going on in the street. He has made his preference abundently clear.

Mike

flannelberry,
Our Pyr is currently in a fenced back yard with a hot wire around the bottom to keep her from digging out. Our two cattle dogs are each on a long chain. They get a chance to run every day for exercise. For those of you who think tying a dog is abuse, think about the alternatives. Dogs who chase cars are a danger to themsevles and car passengers. Our cattle dogs would be trying to herd our livestock and the neighbor's livestock if not kept tied. One of my pet peeves is people who don't like to keep their dogs tied but let them run the neighbor's livestock and kill the neighbor's poultry. Keeping a dog on a tether is not abuse as long as the dog gets a chance to exercise daily. The first thing the vet will ask if you take a dog in who has been hit by a car is "Do you keep your dog confined?"

Spend a bunch of time and a bit of money and install invisible fence. Your dog will never escape, and the fencing never needs fixing. One new battery every six months is all you need. I drag the wire into the ground using a special hook attached to a compact excavator, but there are many ways to do it. I’ve installed about 20 of these systems. My dog has been on the system 24-7 for four years now, including two weeks alone every summer when the family is away on holidays. Zero escapes. E-mail me if you are serious about it and want more info.

Okay, fine. Come pick up Shadow, who I've been trying to find a home for over 6 months now because she was dumped on the farm we're caretaking. We sure aren't going to let her run loose with a 65 MPH road a few feet away. The property owners aren't responsible for the dog, either, as it was, again, dumped here, and aren't going to put up a kennel for a dog that is not their responsibility in the first place. What am I supposed to do with her as the local no-kill shelters are full, the Humane Society charges for animals brought in (and if I had cash for that, I'd have cash for a run), and I WILL NOT drop her off at the local pound where they'll pretty much immediately put her down. Anyone in the SW MO area want a very pretty, intelligent black lab mix, PM me.

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My dog is usually tied during the day, unless I have a goat pen empty to put him in, and he isn't the least bit abused. He loves to be outdoors, hates to be in the house (unless it's raining, when I bring him in), and chases bicycles if he isn't confined. I'd like to get the yard fenced securely enough to keep him in, but it takes time and money to fence a big yard (an acre, and the place doesn't belong to me -- and I've had the dog longer than I've lived here), and it would be irresponsible to just let him wander around loose. He's the smartest dog I've ever had about leashes and tie-outs, and has never gotten tangled or hung up on anything. He always has water (though he usually waits until he comes in at night to drink -- I don't think he likes the taste of the black rubber pan his water is in, but I can at least knock the ice out of it in the winter). He does come in the house at night, and sleeps in my room (which is also where his food is). My autistic daughter long ago decided that dogs were only okay if they were outdoors, so he has to go out first thing in the morning (if you haven't lived with an autistic child you aren't going to understand how important it is to keep them on an even keel). He is never really alone, as his tie-out spot is between two goat pens, where he can see everything that goes on -- he and one of the bucks frequently play through the fence. (And it is just play, you can tell they are both enjoying the interaction.) There are loose ducks who come to visit, also. And my outdoor cats aren't the least bit afraid of dogs, and will go visit him. He's never been aggressive towards anything or anyone in his entire life, and loves visitors even when he's tied out. I do use goat pens to kennel him if I can, but sometimes they are all in use. Like others have said, you can't make assumptions -- some dogs probably ARE being abused by being tied out all the time with no human interaction or care. But for a lot of them, it's just what works in that particular situation, and the dog isn't being hurt at all by being tied some of the time. Mine does go for walks with me, too, by the way -- leashed.

Kathleen

we have a lab that has to be tied. We have a fenced yard for him but he can get out no matter how we fix it. We made it 5' high and he dug under it, we took more wire and stopped him from doing that so he climbs it. We put a 6' wood privacy fence up everywhere we could and then he started climbing out over our deck. So unless we are outside he is chained. It has actually calmed him down. The kids can go out and play with him without him going haywire now. When he was getting out he would kill any cat he could, tear into the neighbor's trash, and the last time he was gnawing on their siding. NOT good! He will also chase motorcycles. so he is safer (and so is everyone else) when he is tied. And although he will listen to me in the yard once he started running that was it. He has a dog house, is close to the house and has his own pool to play in that gets fresh water every day. Our golden is loose in the fenced yard...the only time she gets out is when it thunders and then she goes and hides under my van.......once the storm is over she comes to the door to be let back in the fence.

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Dunno redneck... I have a aussie/heeler mix.

When I used an electric underground fence he'd run through it after rabbits, etc. then sit on the outside & whine because he couldn't get back in! Too funny!

One silly, single-minded dog.

My neighbors set traps, so I now have 3 large dogs who are in a run attached to the house with a dog door so they can get into the kitchen when I'm gone. Tying a wolf-dog is an impossibility.

Also, when they're in a run or tied away from the house, someone can break into the house... Everyone has a job. My dogs are to love and protect.

I'm so glad that in my area we don't have animal-correctness devotees determining how we manage and take care of our pets and livestock. We've got a few, and people just smile sweetly at them. Some do some good personal rescue work.

The neighbor has a coon dog. It's only about a year old. They have a full acre fenced, he thought that would be plenty for the dog to stay in. He also takes his dog out to run the fields & play every day. This dog gets a lot of attention. You would think that would be enough for the dog to behave. It's not! This dog climbs fences any fence. The neighbor even tried putting the dog in a kennel, he escapes everything! This dog is over here every day. He is great with kids and lovable, but a real menace to our animals. Constantly going after chickens, rabbits (domestic), harassing goats, and pooping all over our yard. Tonight he got one of our cats and ripped up it's face, then he pooped in the garage.

I don't have a problem with the neighbor because he is really working with this dog. He shuts him in the garage when he is at work and even began using a shock collar to train him. It is helping some and he is bothering the goats less, but the neighbor can't be watching him all the time. I wish he would go ahead and tie the dog up when they are not outside with him.

rr, I can still smell the skunk on a dog for a couple of months doesn't matter how
well they've been deskunked. The oil from the skunking is still there and comes out again as soon as they get wet. My dogs are finally learning to leave the skunks alone, so I'm hoping we've seen the last of that. But can't have the dogs ruining the rugs and furniture every time they get skunked. Can't afford to replace it.

I tried one of the underground fences. Cost me $700 supposed to be on sale.
Didn't work at all on my dogs. They quickly found out they could run straight through it keep going get out of range of the transmitter and be okay. all thewhile shaking thier heads and running as fast as they could. Didn't work for my batch.
even watched them pacing up and down on the edge of the yard wanting back in but knowing they were going to get zapped and didn't want in that bad yet.
Felt sorry for my boys and turned the fence off to let them back in.

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Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take but by the moments that take your breath away

WVPEACH (paula)

When I had a dog, many years ago, the dog was where I was. When I was at work he was in the house. When we went outside for a potty break, he was on a leash. I never left my dog out unattended because if he is in a yard or on a tether he can be stolen and sold to laboratories (which happens A LOT more often than people imagine). I believe that it is the owners supreme responsibility to keep their pets safe at all times, whatever it takes.

Donsgal

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Life is what happens while you are making other plans. (John Lennon)

I keep my dog with me at all times. I wouldn't leave my kids unattended and I feel the same way about my dog. If I have to go to an appointment or somewhere where he will be in the car for more than a half hour or so I let him hang out on the couch at home and watch TV. I'm thinking about an invisible fence so he can be left alone in the yard when it's nice out. He doesn't run away but I'm afraid he might bother the neighbor's chickens.