# the teathering debate



## AutismDogGirl (Oct 7, 2010)

so there is a LOT of debate on the subject of tethering and I was wondering if anyone knows/ has any links to articles or does that cover it and present both sides of the argument?


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

Both sides? No. You really can't make the argument that tethering is a good thing for a dog's mind or psyche. The best you can say is that it's not that horrible and some people don't have a choice. In fact, many states and municipalities have laws against it. 

Overview of State Tether/Chaining Laws

(By the way I'm talking about leaving a dog tied out unattended for most of the time. I have no issues with tethering an adult house dog out for potty breaks.)


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## AutismDogGirl (Oct 7, 2010)

Emoore said:


> Both sides? No. You really can't make the argument that tethering is a good thing for a dog's mind or psyche. The best you can say is that it's not that horrible and some people don't have a choice. In fact, many states and municipalities have laws against it.
> 
> Overview of State Tether/Chaining Laws
> 
> (By the way I'm talking about leaving a dog tied out unattended for most of the time. I have no issues with tethering an adult house dog out for potty breaks.)



i think we a reffering to two different practaces, the one I am reffering to is that of using a s3rvice dog as an anchor for a disbled child, as in tieing a child to the dog to pervent them from bolting, running off and wandering


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Why not have the parent or responsible person use a child tether? I understand that people sometimes worry about a child thinking the adult is treating them like a critter, but if I had three or four toddlers and had to get them from point A to point B on foot, and that area included a busy roadway, tethering may be a safety thing. If you have a child with special needs, that can be like having a handful. 

At the end of the day kids who are alive and well do a whole lot better than kids that were smooshed in the road or lost somehow.

But tethering a child to a dog. I guess I always worry about a dog being a dog no matter how much training and how solid they are. Will they still stand still if a bear or moose wanders up? How about a deer -- more common. Can a dog be rock solid with cats, but still chase a deer or a rabbit? I do not tether my dogs to me. I hold the leash in my hand but do not wrap it around and affix it to me. It is not very dangerous I suppose, not like tying yourself to a horse. But I don't know that I would want a kid tethered to a dog, because if that dog gets attacked by another dog, well, that kid is likely to get dragged and injured.


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

ASDogGeek said:


> i think we a reffering to two different practaces, the one I am reffering to is that of using a s3rvice dog as an anchor for a disbled child, as in tieing a child to the dog to pervent them from bolting, running off and wandering


My bad, I now see this is in the therapy and service dogs section. A mod can remove my comments if they so choose. :blush:


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## AutismDogGirl (Oct 7, 2010)

Emoore said:


> My bad, I now see this is in the therapy and service dogs section. A mod can remove my comments if they so choose. :blush:



I dont mind it  I found the link to be useful  thank you


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## ILGHAUS (Nov 25, 2002)

Thoughts on this topic:

_It is never safe to put a dog in charge of a human child. Dogs work on a strict hierarchy. If a dog controls a child by keeping him or her from running away or by making him or her stop doing something, then that dog has been put above the child in the pecking order. A dog has a right to bite an underling to enforce control. He or she does not have that right with a superior. In any dog/human relationship, the human should always be the leader. That means the human must be in control of the dog, not the reverse. _
_~ _Service Dog Central


1) For a dog to anchor a child it is only common sense that the dog would have to be heavy enough that the child could not drag the dog. 
2) A child 6 years old needs a dog weighing XX(?) lbs to anchor the child.
3) A child 10 years old needs a dog weighing xx(?) lbs to anchor the child.
4) Dog able to anchor the child at 6 years old may not be large enough to anchor the same child at 10 years old.
So do the parents then get 2nd dog for their larger child? What happens to the 1st dog?

Some people claim that a SD will give a child independence. How so? Dog keeps child from running off? Child is not able to make decision on where to go. How is this independence?

One rule that is very common in general obedience classes - don't wrap leash around wrist or hand. Could be dangerous. So having a leash wrapped around the hand of an adult is dangerous but having a dog tied to a harness of a small child is not? I'm not sure but I really believe that I could undo a leash around my hand faster then grabbing hold of a child/dog or both and undoing a snap to release child from a dog especially if events are hectic.

Child on tether line attached to dog, dog on leash held by adult = dog in middle. 
Child wanting to go one direction, adult is commanding dog to go in a different direction = dog in middle.


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## AutismDogGirl (Oct 7, 2010)

ILGHAUS said:


> Thoughts on this topic:
> 
> _It is never safe to put a dog in charge of a human child. Dogs work on a strict hierarchy. If a dog controls a child by keeping him or her from running away or by making him or her stop doing something, then that dog has been put above the child in the pecking order. A dog has a right to bite an underling to enforce control. He or she does not have that right with a superior. In any dog/human relationship, the human should always be the leader. That means the human must be in control of the dog, not the reverse. _
> _~ _Service Dog Central
> ...


thank you I love this do you mind if I quote you on my autism service dog awarenesss page?


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## ILGHAUS (Nov 25, 2002)

> thank you I love this do you mind if I quote you on my autism service dog awarenesss page?


No problem, just please give all credits as some material is used on other sites and possibly in both an upcoming booklet and book.


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## AutismDogGirl (Oct 7, 2010)

ILGHAUS said:


> No problem, just please give all credits as some material is used on other sites and possibly in both an upcoming booklet and book.


would you mind setting up a proper quote with credits for me?


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## RCFmom (Jul 17, 2012)

I don't have links, but a personal thought. We are requesting my son's dog be tether trained after trying him out with a dog who was. He reacted much like I thought he would. He pulls on a harness that I hold. When tethered to the dog, he wants to stick by the dog. He doesn't pull the lead taut. The dog makes him more comfortable and less likely to bolt, just by being there.


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## JeaneneR (Aug 22, 2012)

Here is a link to a study done with Autism service dogs and their new handlers. It isn't directly related to tethering but it does touch on the subject.


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