# Thoughts on using a tie-out for a short period of time??



## MarleyGSD (Sep 29, 2010)

We will be going up to upstate NY for saturday and sunday of memorial weekend. Reguardless if we by a tie-out or not Marley will still be coming. My friends house has more than enough room to accomodate the dog. they have a very large yard on a remote street, but it is not fenced in. I live in an apartment as of now, so all his outside time is walks, going to a fenced in baseball field by my place, or a friends fenced in yard. I was thinking of getting a tie out for him so he would have some freedom to run around and play. He would be supervised the entire time he was out there. 
The thing i'm wondering about is, what if he sees something in the woods, bolts.....in my mind he will be seriously lynching himself. But on the other hand, now that i think about it, he would have self corrected himself and would repeat (hopefully)! 
Even with me supervising, could he get tangled badly in the wire/rope/whatever they use? 
Maybe these are silly questions, but i would feel better getting some input on the matter.
Thank you!


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## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

If you're going to be out with him I think a flexi-leash would be safer since you can stop him short before he hits a flat out run and hurts himself

Personally I hate tieouts, I've know two family friends who have had dogs hang themselves with them. Not a pretty sight for a child to find


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## MarleyGSD (Sep 29, 2010)

Shade said:


> If you're going to be out with him I think a flexi-leash would be safer since you can stop him short before he hits a flat out run and hurts himself
> 
> Personally I hate tieouts, I've know two family friends who have had dogs hang themselves with them. Not a pretty sight for a child to find


wow that's horrible! sorry to hear that.
yes he would be supervised, the stake would go basically in the center of their backyard so the only thing marley could reach is open grass, and the seats and table which are all on a slate patio (same level as grass)

What is a flexi leash like? what does that get tied to?


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## MarleyGSD (Sep 29, 2010)

ohhh, duh! just looked it up, we have one. maybe it would be a better idea. his doesn't go very far tho, 14 feet i think. i was hoping for about 25 ft.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

I've used a tie-out daily for years. Not sure what the big deal is. Just use common sense (don't tie the dog out where he can reach a fence, jump off a deck or balcony). My dog who gets tied out knows the boundary, so he never bolts and jerks his neck, but I had to help show him the boundary at first. You can get clips with a spring on them to absorb some of the impact but I haven't ever needed one. My tie-out does not reach the fence line and we don't have any other objects or trees in the way that the dog could tangle on. We have 6' wood privacy fencing and 6' 9 gauge chain link but I have an escape artist that is a digger so any time I'm not outside to supervise or it's too dark for me to observe out the window, he goes on the tie-out. Mine reaches inside the house so he's clipped and unclipped inside.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

I think it is good for a dog to learn to be on a tie out. You just don't go off and leave them that way and use some common sense.


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## MarleyGSD (Sep 29, 2010)

sounds good everyone, thanks. there will be no obstructions for him to hurt himself on. no trees, no deck that he could jump off.


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## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

Liesje said:


> I've used a tie-out daily for years. Not sure what the big deal is. Just use common sense (don't tie the dog out where he can reach a fence, jump off a deck or balcony). My dog who gets tied out knows the boundary, so he never bolts and jerks his neck, but I had to help show him the boundary at first. You can get clips with a spring on them to absorb some of the impact but I haven't ever needed one. My tie-out does not reach the fence line and we don't have any other objects or trees in the way that the dog could tangle on.


Both dogs died because they got the line wrapped their bodies and it ended up choking them both. There was nothing around that contributed to it, no trees or other obstacles

I'm not saying with supervision that they can't be safe, I just don't like them. I'd rather use the flexi


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## GatorDog (Aug 17, 2011)

I've used a tie out with my Beagle for the last 8 years with no problems. I just made sure that she can't reach any areas that she could potentially get caught up.


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## TimberGSD2 (Nov 8, 2011)

I do a lot of camping and have always brought tie-outs for the dogs. Again I'd never leave them out with it on, but I think being supervised you should have no issues.


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## Courtney (Feb 12, 2010)

jocoyn said:


> I think it is good for a dog to learn to be on a tie out. You just don't go off and leave them that way and use some common sense.


I agree with this.

We used one for the first time at a recent overnight hike and my boy was offended, barked & pulled but calmed down & was fine eventually.

I should have used one in the yard while we were doing yard work so he knew it wasn't the end of the world.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Shade said:


> Both dogs died because they got the line wrapped their bodies and it ended up choking them both. There was nothing around that contributed to it, no trees or other obstacles


How horrible  I guess all tie-outs are not created equal. The ones we use are not cheap and do not tangle. They're pretty stiff and Coke would have to be quite the acrobat to get himself tangled. He'd probably get hopelessly tangled in a flexi-lead line though because of the material.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

There was something that contributed though. The other dogs. It would be reasonable to anticipate they might interact with on another and get tangled. Common sense. Dogs should be watched closely the first times on a tree tieout because they have to learn not to get themselves tangled up. And I would NEVER leave a tied-out dog where I could not see/hear what was going on. 

Just last night a yapperdog puppy went under Beau on a meet and greet and before you knew it he was all tangled up (flexi-unghh). Of course I was there and held Beau by the collar and told the yapperdog owner to unclip her pups leash then we would untangle Beau which we did.


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## Courtney (Feb 12, 2010)

Shade, that is awful

When we used one we were right there but I didn't want him off lead, we were preparing our campsite, etc.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

jocoyn said:


> There was something that contributed though. The other dogs.


True. For as long as I've used the tie-out on a daily basis there's only ever been one dog tied out.

I don't think there's any reason not to safely tie-out a dog out of the way at a gathering but the main issue will be the dog's reaction, not the tie-out itself. If the dog is not used to it, he probably won't like it at all and will let you know. Coke does well on a tie-out because he's very independent (he's not a GSD). He likes to lie in the shade in the yard for hours and if I'm home, I'm happy to let him do it and check in on him, but I'm not going to stand there in the yard the entire time and give uninterrupted supervision in our own yard.


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## jprice103 (Feb 16, 2011)

I used a tie out for Cheyenne when we went on vacation to the mountains last year. We used it with a harness, not a collar, and she was supervised AT ALL TIMES! It was just nice to let her roam around and have a little flexibility while we sat on the deck. Again...I would never use a tie out with a regular collar for the choking risks...not that the lead can't get wrapped around their neck. But if you are there and the dog is supervised...it shouldn't be a problem.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

I see no reason to not use the tie out if he's going to be supervised the entire time. We use a tie out to let them out to go the bathroom. I hate flexi leads. You can purchase a 30' lunge line from Tractor Supply for about $17. Much cheaper than a flexi since it's not going to be a regularly used item.


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## Anitsisqua (Mar 25, 2012)

Wow, I've never heard of a dog dying on a tie-out. Cats, for sure, but never dogs.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

When I go to visit my parents in Kentucky we use what we call a 'runner'. It is a long cable that has a runner wheel on it. The runner is attached to a pole in my parents yard and runs the length towards our house (2nd house). The other end is attached to a pole in our yard. The dog can run the length of both yards (there are no fences). The cable that attaches to your dog is adjustable - so we ask the dog for a down and give him just that amount of length. Although it is tight, he is able to sniff the ground to relieve himself. 

Hondo will not poop on a leash. This works great for him. Depending on which house we are at, he'll go up the runner to the other yard and do his thing. 

Supervision is key. I would want all of my dogs trained to be able to use a runner - but so far Hondo is the only one that has ever needed it.


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## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

jocoyn said:


> There was something that contributed though. The other dogs. It would be reasonable to anticipate they might interact with on another and get tangled. Common sense. Dogs should be watched closely the first times on a tree tieout because they have to learn not to get themselves tangled up. And I would NEVER leave a tied-out dog where I could not see/hear what was going on.


No, there were two families and two dogs, they were completely separate cases that happened at different times. Sorry, I wasn't clearer. They both were on stiff leads, and they both using the tie outs for months without previous issues

Anyways, the point is supervision is key to safety


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

if your dog has a solid recall or knows "stop" or
"no" you should be able to control when off leash.
if you're worried about your dog hurting himself
on a tie out don't use one. leash your dog and walk
him. he'll be safer and you'll feel better. enjoy your
vacation.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

Shade said:


> No, there were two families and two dogs, they were completely separate cases that happened at different times. Sorry, I wasn't clearer. They both were on stiff leads, and they both using the tie outs for months without previous issues
> 
> Anyways, the point is supervision is key to safety


Ah, I do understand now. How tragic. To me the place for a tie out is I am working on something like in the front yard where I may not be paying 100% attention to the dog but I would know if something happened, or sometimes I tie my dog to my truck while I am loading/unloading things (usually when I am setting up my ramp)....but I never go off and leave the dog.

Yes your point about supervision is well taken!


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

My oldest dog(Non GSD)was out on a tie out with supervision and a hot air balloon came pretty low above her--low enough that the people were talking to her. Between the noise the balloon made and the people talking, my dog freaked so bad that she broke the tie out. My son was screaming, I flew out there and she was a mess. We got her in the house and she ran to the front window looking for this balloon. It took me about a week to get her back in the yard. I do not use them unless supervised and you would think that they would learn when the run and get yanked back, not usually the case


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## Whiteshepherds (Aug 21, 2010)

Do they even make a Flexi-lead for large dogs? 

I'd use a tie out. If you're worried about him seeing something and trying to bolt and hurting himself, hook the rope/cable/chain, whatever you use, to a harness instead of a collar.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

never use a choke chain or prong collar with a tie-out -- I read something about self-correcting and thought prong collar, so hope that is not the case.

Personally, if I was going somewhere unfamiliar with my dogs, somewhere out of state, my biggest worry would be the dog chasing something, and getting lost. Tie-outs can be broken, they can be wriggled out of, and if a dog is not accustomed the dog might do all sorts of things: bark, whine, wrap himself tightly up, hang himself, dig to China, and guard his territory. However, if you start them young, and stay right out there with them until you feel confident that the dog is comfortable in the situation, and then stay close, I think it would be ok.


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## SDChicken (May 6, 2012)

I have one, I don't use it that often, but I like having that option. I usually take him out off leash but sometimes I need the tie out (don't have a fenced yard). I personally wont do it for long periods of time. Long enough that he can relieve himself and that is about it. He's usually on it with supervision, but if we aren't out there we can still see him through the window. I do prefer the stiffer tie outs though.


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## MarleyGSD (Sep 29, 2010)

selzer said:


> never use a choke chain or prong collar with a tie-out -- I read something about self-correcting and thought prong collar, so hope that is not the case.
> 
> Personally, if I was going somewhere unfamiliar with my dogs, somewhere out of state, my biggest worry would be the dog chasing something, and getting lost. Tie-outs can be broken, they can be wriggled out of, and if a dog is not accustomed the dog might do all sorts of things: bark, whine, wrap himself tightly up, hang himself, dig to China, and guard his territory. However, if you start them young, and stay right out there with them until you feel confident that the dog is comfortable in the situation, and then stay close, I think it would be ok.


No prong collar will be used with the tie-out, sorry for confusion. By self correction, I meant he will hit the end of the line relatively hard and realize whoops, that's it, no more line! I have a harness that we will put on him. 

He has been on a tie out before, at my brothers house and was okay with it, a little whiny. I was curious about the tie out because it is not something I ever see mention on threads of any kind...... I wasn't sure if thre was something bad about them that I wasn't aware of.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

It's kind of taboo on a dog forum. Probably because of the many, many dogs who are tied out back and then forgotten about except for food and water, until they are just about dead, or dead. 

People prefer crating a dog all day to leaving them on a tie out. And a tie-out will not stop a critter or dog from attacking yours. And if you are not there, the dog can get in trouble. But you cannot go camping and put your dog in a crate. For one thing, a dog on a tie out can move with the sun and find a little shade. A dog in a crate will bake. 

I guess for me, if your dog is safer with a tie-out -- not going to chase a deer or skunk, then by all means. I personally don't care how good my recall is or how well-trained, well-behaved my dog is, if we aren't on familiar ground, my dog is not turned loose period. And if the dog trots up to someone in a friendly manner, and the dog is terrified of dogs, and decides he must defend himself, my dog is less likely to be hurt. It is all about safety.


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## Jo_in_TX (Feb 14, 2012)

I put Teddy on a tie out when I'm working in the front yard. She wants to be out with me, and "tied outside" is better than inside in the crate, imo.  (Backyard is fenced, so not a problem there.)


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## vicky2200 (Oct 29, 2010)

The tie out is fine, especially if you will be out there with them. They can't hang themselves if there is no fence (unless they jump over a tree branch or something crazy) but you will be right there. Daisy is on a tie out every time she goes out because if we don't do that, she will jump, climb, or dig to get out.


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## von Bolen (Mar 30, 2012)

I also have had no issues with tying/chaining up my dogs. I use it for when it's nice out but have no time to take them out myself. Otherwise, if weather is bad, their kennels are fairly large with room to move around. Honestly, accidents with tying are totally preventable, in my opinion.


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

I've often brought a tie-out along when I go on vacation if we were staying in a rental cottage/cabin, I usually figure I can use it for the dogs' early morning potty breaks if I don't want to actually be standing out there the whole time (I can stand in the doorway instead) but I always end up going out with the dog instead so I end up never using it anyway. 
I have used a Flexi though for this purpose as I've had dogs who would normally not go potty on a leash which makes it difficult when on a trip, so I used the Flexi in order to allow them to go a distance away and make them feel more like they were off leash.
If I just want to give them extra room to roam, in certain situations I may use a long line or a Flexi (I only use Flexis on a dog who is well-trained, and won't bolt, and I have an indication I use if they are nearing the end of it to avoid them getting stopped suddenly by the end of the leash.) They do make all-belt Flexis.


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## Halion (Apr 15, 2012)

I only tie out if I'm outside doing something and Koda is always within 20 feet from what I'm doing. I hate the idea of tying out and leaving for a while. I prefer to supervise everything.


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## Courtney (Feb 12, 2010)

selzer said:


> I guess for me, if your dog is safer with a tie-out -- not going to chase a deer or skunk, then by all means. I personally don't care how good my recall is or how well-trained, well-behaved my dog is, if we aren't on familiar ground, my dog is not turned loose period. And if the dog trots up to someone in a friendly manner, and the dog is terrified of dogs, and decides he must defend himself, my dog is less likely to be hurt. It is all about safety.


This is exactly why we used one recently when we went hiking/camping and will continue to do so.

I cannot & will not take that chance in a unknown area to me.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Another good use: last night we had a family over to see my foster dog. They have three girls. I had the foster in the yard because they wanted to see how he was with water, toys, etc. Then the kids asked to see our dog Coke. Coke is a digger so we have a tie-out we use for him inside the fence when we can't supervise, but I DH put him on the tie-out last night during the visit. Good thing since the kids kept going in and out of the house and the gate to the yard and Coke is also a door dasher! Easy way to keep everyone safe and not have to have eyes on the back of my head when we have company over that isn't used to making sure the doors and gates latch.


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

I have metal cables for tie-outs that I keep in the back of my truck. I have had to use them in many different places and have never had a problem. 

I am very careful that I set them up so that the dog cannot get tangled on anything and I also supervise them. I have only had one dog who I worried about on the tie-out (Basu) because he was very territorial. He had a special super strong collar just for the tie-out and I couldn't give him the full length of the cable but all of my other dogs have been fine.


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

I have used a leash as a tie-out of sorts when I am working on the garden in the front yard and my dog wants to hang out with me, but I don't really consider that a tie-out. I am generally within about 10 feet of the dog, it's just I need to be free to move around and not toss dirt on my dog so I attach the leash on the porch instead of holding it. Technically I could do without a leash but there is a leash law so I use it just in case (plus some people who walk past are scared of dogs, they don't even want to walk past if the dog is in a down-stay in the garden with the leash on.)


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## HeyJude (Feb 2, 2011)

This is a very interesting question since we too had to figure out a way to keep Harley on our lot where our camper is. We started with a tie-out with a stake in the ground, but he kept getting tangled and if he went by the kids too fast he would knock them off their feet. Then I saw another GSD with a cable tied from tree to tree with a pulley on it and a long leash to his harness, we went to the hardware and bought on right away. It works perfectly! I must buy him a harness though, putting it on the collar isn't gonna work again. He didn't get tangled up or knock down the kids after that. We are outside with him at all times. One thing though, he seems to be aggressive when he is tied up? He barked at every dog and adult that came around. I'm not sure if tying him up caused that, or just the different circumstances? I do know the shepherd on the corner attacked a little dog twice, but it was the kids that were walking the little dog that were at fault.


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## erricsimmons457 (May 21, 2012)

I think tying the dog will make him more aggressive in nature.He needs space to move around and play.The most important thing is the way it is trained.In what circumstances it should bark or not is the point and that can be achieved only through proper training.Though tough, it is not impossible to train him effectively so that it doesn't bark at kids who come in its vicinity.


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## Jersey 2012 (May 24, 2012)

i use a tie-out, have no problem with it, i use a harness with mine though. It actually what alot people use were i am from. Put your friend in an area were there is nothing they could tangled in and it should be ok. tie out is good practise when used correctly, and not leaving the puppers alone. I would not go out somewhere and leave the dog tied on outside.


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## GSDolch (May 15, 2006)

erricsimmons457 said:


> I think tying the dog will make him more aggressive in nature.He needs space to move around and play.The most important thing is the way it is trained.In what circumstances it should bark or not is the point and that can be achieved only through proper training.Though tough, it is not impossible to train him effectively so that it doesn't bark at kids who come in its vicinity.



I don't see how being on a tie out while everyone is outside is going to make a dog "naturally more aggressive". She's not asking about tie outs to keep the dog on, shes asking about tie outs for temporary use. THAT is not going to make a dog aggressive. Its no different than if he were outside with them on a really long leash.

Tie outs used correctly can be wonderful tools, just like any other tool, its all in the use.


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## Gharrissc (May 19, 2012)

I've used tie outs before and as long as you are close by to supervise your dog,I think he should be fine. I used to use them when I wanted to give one or two of my dogs outdoor time on nice days,but didn't have a fence yet.Most dogs learn to untangle themselves,but mine never did because I didn't put them on it too often.


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## MarleyGSD (Sep 29, 2010)

Just a quick update..... 

We went upstate NY for three days this weekend and brought a 15ft tie out. Turns out my friend now had a deck a few feet off ground with two entrances that both had gates. We had marley on the tie out for about 20 minutes and then realized the gates on the deck. Everyone was pretty much on the deck or in the house the whole weekend so it worked out perfectly (besides the money spent on a barely used tie-out). He was pretty great the whole weekend, a little whiny here and there but it was a new environment so that was to be expected. 

My friends son is four year old and says he's not scared of dogs, he is however just a little afraid of a larger dog. It took him some time to get used to marley. On the second day they were bff's! My boyfriend would be doing tricks with marley (sit, down, paw, roll over, treat on paws, treat on nose, etc.) and Taylor ( my friends son) came over and started mimicking the tricks!! Haha so we took a video with my phone (which I can't figure out how to upload not my computer) of them both sitting, doing a down, paw, and rolling over. Marley did it for is regular treats and Taylor did it for some Oreo cookies. 

All in all it was a fabulous time, I am still trying to upload the video though because it is so adorable!

Although we didn't end up using the tie out like i had assumed, I appreciate all the input, thank you everyone!


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## Gharrissc (May 19, 2012)

MarleyGSD said:


> Just a quick update.....
> 
> All in all it was a fabulous time, I am still trying to upload the video though because it is so adorable!
> 
> Although we didn't end up using the tie out like i had assumed, I appreciate all the input, thank you everyone!


 
I'm glad you had an uneventful trip. Be sure to upload that video


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