# On tie when outside; only outside when i'm out?



## Zim (Nov 12, 2015)

I saw on here a few times that having a dog tied up can cause frustration/aggression. Which instantly worried me because Ziggy spent her first 9-10 months tied up in a backyard. And she is still attached to a rope when we go outside into a lawn most of the time, because our neighbors have dogs that charge the fence constantly whenever we are out there; and led to Ziggy thinking they were playing. By keeping her around 6 feet from the edge of the fence on that side, but still giving her full-run of the rest of the yard, she doesn't get over her threshold. So instead of barking back, running up and down the fence line, or trying to leap OVER the fence (even if she's never tried it before, she can leap from sitting still to at least 5 feet, looking me in the eye when she's over excited...), she ignores them and we can play with toys and work on training. 

But, after reading the aggression thing, i can't help but being a little bit worried about it. She's only out on it for an hour tops; and i am always out there with her. She has around 25 feet to run around on, or i extend it to around 40-ish so we can hangout in the front yard with the gate open so she can run back and forth for awhile. She also has a plain thin 14 foot rope that just drags behind her so i can grab her incase she tries acknowledging them, so she can run around the full yard and we can play with her flirt pole. 

We're planning on getting vinyl slats to put into the chain link to make it so she can't see them, and they can't see her. 


My big concern is the risk that it's hurting her mentally, which is not an option. Her yard-time isn't the only time she goes outside, and isn't even what i'd consider 'exercise'.


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## Rosy831 (Feb 27, 2016)

IMHO I don't think you have anything to worry about if she is only spending an hour or so on a run with you out there supervising her. Where you can get the frustration/aggression is when a dog lives on a tether. I find the practice cruel.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I don't think you are hurting her mentally. If a dog is tied to an object, some of them see that as guarding. Then, if strangers commonly walk by a tied dog, the dog can become agitated or fearful, it knows it is tied so flight is out of the question so it must fight if danger arises. And some strangers will tease or even torment a tied dog. 

The way you are using a tie out is simply unlikely to cause any issues. Much better than allowing your dog to fence fight with the neighbor's dogs.


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## Sabis mom (Mar 20, 2014)

We used to keep Bud on a running line, basically a 40' rope stretched either between to poles/trees or staked into the ground at both ends with about a 4' lead attached on a ring that slid along the main line. In his case it was because he could clear a 6' fence in a blink. My only thing was that someone had to be home with him at all times while he was tied. It did him no harm and worked until I could get the dog run done, poor person here. We used it until he was to old to jump the fence whenever he had to be in the main yard. We still use it, shorter version, for camping and stuff. 
It has an advantage over a regular line in that it is almost impossible to tangle.









Tying out a dog causes aggression usually because the dogs are tied and left, allowing them to be frustrated by out of reach things, taunted, threatened, etc. It offers them no protection and leaves them vulnerable. It impedes the ability to chase or to flee, which leaves them aggravated or afraid and the tugging on the neck aside from being potentially harmful, can build that frustration/aggression in a similar way some people agitate the collar to amp up aggression.
None of this should be a problem if your dog is supervised.


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## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

You are there with her. It is fine. Problems come when dogs are chained out for hours on end.


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## Zim (Nov 12, 2015)

Thank goodness! It's a huge relief to know it's okay for her! I am very happy to know the lead will work untill we can get the vinyl slats (I'm in the being-poor-people group with Sabis). Luckily the barking dogs don't seem to faze her much anymore; other then she thinks it's a game... It's still something i don't want her to engage in though. 

Thank you everyone for the fast replys! I'll definitely be stealing the running line idea Sabis! We needed a clothes line anyways...


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## Sabis mom (Mar 20, 2014)

_"Thank you everyone for the fast replys! I'll definitely be stealing the running line idea Sabis! We needed a clothes line anyways...  "_

That's exactly were it came from! When I was a child everyone who had a dog in town fastened the dog chain to the clothesline. Presto! Fido had the run of the yard while being unable to impregnate Fluffy from down the street.


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