Tethering Your Dog: Skills & Opportunities

Spring is on its way! Are you starting to think about weekend camping trips or visits to the beach?  Maybe you want to visit a local park or just hang out on your front porch.  Having your dog join you in all these fun activities requires you to look beyond leash skills to tethering your dog for safety.  Being tied to a stationary object doesn’t come naturally to dogs. They have to learn how to manage themselves in this situation.

Pretend Games for Tethering

“Pretend Games” simulate real activities that we humans want our dogs to learn how to accomplish.  The idea is to create a comfortable setting that mimics the activity you have in mind. Practice the skills you need within circumstances that you can control.  Pretend games can help you teach your dog how to behave while tethered. Use them to keep him safe and ensure no unpleasant behaviors develop.

Why Tether Your Dog?

You may want to tie your dog to something for a brief moment or for longer periods. Imagine being on an outing with your dog and accidentally dropping something that blows into the street. Wouldn’t it be convenient to tie your dog to a tree for a moment while you run and grab your things? What if your child is with you and needs your attention for a moment after falling down and skinning a knee? Maybe you want to keep your dog nearby while you work on an outdoor task in your front yard. Maybe you just want to enjoy a cup of coffee outdoors on a nice spring day. 

Teach Your Dog to Be Tethered

Dogs need preparation to be safely tethered.  Particularly in an unfamiliar area, you must be sure that your dog can remain calm while he’s tied to something. Behaviorally speaking, your dog practicing behaviors you don’t like will develop behavior problems. Physically speaking, your dog pulling on his leash and flailing about can result in him getting loose and endangering his life, or even choking. Your dog’s ability to be comfortable and use self-control while tied up will be supported by having great leash skills.  However, being tethered is a different skill set because you will often be at some distance from the dog. You’ll be checking in with him less frequently than if you were walking together. 

Tethering is an Activity, Not a Lifestyle

I am in no way advocating for dogs to be tied out as a way of life.  The behaviors described here are meant to give you and your dog opportunities to spend more time together.  The goal is having your calm, relaxed dog safely tethered where you can see him while you take care of business. It’s your job to assess the situation and keep your dog both physically and behaviorally safe.

How to Use Pretend Games for Tethering

Using “pretend games” means developing the necessary skills in a safe, controlled area like your own yard, “pretending” you and your dog are in a public place.  You can prevent a lot of problems during an upcoming camping trip by practicing tethering at home!   I like to take my dogs out to the front yard while I’m weeding flowerbeds or watering plants.  I build a routine of having the dog sit while I attach a leash to a porch column or to my truck.  They often have a mat for comfortable lounging, but the only rules are that they don’t pull the leash tight.  

You might need to start in the back yard if the front yard is too exciting for your dog.  Start training in a situation that makes it easy for the dog to succeed.  Of course, treats are your training tools; reinforce your dog’s correct behavior choices while he’s tethered.

Al, the Springer, and Daisy, Black Dog Extraordinaire, are tethered on the front porch. Al chose to lie on his mat while Daisy is on her feet, looking around, but keeping her leash loose. Her tail is softly wagging. Notice that Daisy is tethered on a chain because of her learned behavior of chewing through leashes. Keep reading for more about this. She’s learning to relax while tethered so she won’t feel the need to chew the leash.

Behaviors to Reinforce While Tethered

A tethered dog can earn a treat by keeping the leash loose in any manner.  A loose leash means he understands the boundary.  Any time the leash is loose, deliver a treat well within the boundary area. Place the treat near the point where the leash is attached to the stationary object. Never give the treat in a way that invites the dog to pull outward on the leash to get it. Your role is to facilitate the behaviors you want to see more of.

The dog can earn a treat for choosing to sit, lie down, stand still, or sniff while the leash is loose.  Being quiet is a part of all of these behaviors. Be careful not to give treats if your dog is vocalizing.  Adjust your training plan and give treats more often to prevent the dog from becoming overly-aroused. Try staying closer to him; he may not be ready for you to be far away yet. The front yard can be very exciting. Barking or whining can easily become part of the activity if you let it. 

Look for Relaxation

In the beginning, give treats for progressively more relaxed behavior. Relaxing can prevent barking or whining from starting up.  Give a treat when you see the dog’s ears relax or his eyes soften, especially if he was looking a little stiff or tense just a second ago.  Our Dog Reading Course will help you develop your skills of observing your dog’s relaxed behaviors. 

Your Dog’s Starting Point

Every dog’s starting point is different.  Pay attention when your dog shows you what he needs to understand better, whether it is relaxing, being quiet, or keeping the leash loose.  Reinforce the smallest indications of these behaviors and watch your dog get better at them. He will begin to associate all these behaviors with being tied up, and they will grow together as a routine.

Stay close to your dog at first. Practice moving away just a little at a time when he’s ready, returning to him to give a treat.  Keep the situation simple so that it’s easy for him to earn a treat.  Ensure his success; never push things to failure.

Another great practice is to give the dog a stuffed Kong or a chew to work on while tethered.  These engaging activities take the place of giving treats over and over because they are a constant treat experience.

Albert enjoys his stuffed Kong while tethered on a nice day outdoors. He has chosen to lie on his mat, although I didn’t ask him to. I only require a loose leash and quiet; other choices are all his.

You may find that your dog can already handle being in the front yard.  Great!  You have a more advanced starting point.  But don’t worry if you have to start in the back yard, sitting right next to your tethered dog, giving him treats for relaxing.  You’ll get there, and it may happen more quickly than you expect.

Preventing Leash-Chewing

Giving treats for relaxed behavior helps prevent dogs from getting the idea to chew on the leash.  Like other behaviors, it’s best to prevent this rather than letting it develop and then having to change it. Daisy, Black Dog Extraordinaire, came to us with the habit of chewing right through a nylon leash when she was tethered.  Unfortunately, this behavior results in a dog being free to run around and have fun at her own whims, and also a very unsafe situation in the unfenced front yard.

Daisy is happy to work on her stuffed Kong while tethered to the bumper. I used a light chain for safety while I work on reinforcing behaviors other than chewing on the leash. Here, she chooses to lie on the mat although I did not ask her to; she is free to do whatever she wants as long as the leash is loose.

Control the Environment, Reinforce Behavior

While Daisy is tethered, she gets lots of treats for relaxing.  I use a light chain to tether her instead of an easily-chewed nylon leash like the one I tether Albert with.  I also give her lots of treats for doing anything besides the precursors to chewing the leash!

We will switch to a nylon leash when she gets enough experience being tethered.  I want to be able to use the normal leash I’d have on her during an outing to briefly tether her to a picnic table or something.  Just like with leash skills, I’m not depending on the leash to create the behavior; I do the training.  I condition the behaviors I want to see, no matter what kind of tether I use.  I need to prevent the precursors of chewing the leash and build many other behaviors like sniffing, relaxing, calmly looking around at the scenery, checking in or looking over at me, and engaging with a chew. 

Practice Without the Tether

Many of the behaviors that are problematic while a dog is tethered also occur in other settings.  Daisy and I practice being quiet indoors. We practice relaxation skills indoors and out. A dog can be happily excited without becoming over-aroused. I help her practice recalls, building proficiency at times when she’s doing something else.  She needs to learn to divide her attention between me and another activity. I don’t like for her to be completely sucked into the excitement of the neighbor’s chickens, the garbage truck, or the person delivering a package.  With Daisy, we have some behaviors to overcome so we have more work to do.  Our Beyond Basic Manners Course includes several fun behaviors that help with these issues.

Preventing Leash Tangling

One of the big benefits of training is that dogs learn to prevent and solve problems on their own.  Whether walking on a leash or tethered, dogs can solve the problem of a tangled leash.  We can teach dogs to unwrap leashes from their feet, and also from around vertical things like posts and trees.  Reinforcing relaxed behaviors is a big part of preventing tangling, but dogs need our help to learn and practice untangling skills while tethered.  This is another application for “pretend games.” 

Pretend Games to Teach Leash Untangling

If your dog wraps a leash around a post or tree, help him unwind it in the opposite direction.  You can set up this “pretend game” by looping the leash around a pole and then leading your dog back around it. Get him to follow you around by gently clapping your hands or using a hand-target behavior if possible.  If not, you can lure him around with treats.  Reinforce a movement in the right direction by giving him the treat.  The goal is to get your dog to unwind the tangle without getting upset or pulling the leash tight, which can frighten him.  Dogs are safer while tethered when they understand how to untangle themselves and can relax and wait patiently.  Move on to teaching your dog to get his feet out of a tangled leash all by himself.  My students learn this behavior in our advanced class.

This short video shows Al practicing getting his foot untangled from the leash indoors, and then doing the same behavior outdoors while walking with Dad. Al quickly learned the benefits of this behavior. It appears to be quite reinforcing on its own for him, probably because he can walk more easily once the leash is off his foot. Sometimes he still gets a treat for doing it, though.

Pretend Games Require Your Participation

In the beginning stages of teaching dogs to be tethered, you won’t get very much weeding done!  That’s the nature of Pretend Games.  You’re training your dog, not really doing the stuff you’re “pretending” to do, like weeding flower beds or watering your plants.  In time, the dog will be able to relax and enjoy being tethered while you work. 

Before Daisy came, I did get a lot of weeding done because Albert is very good at being tethered.  He can relax and enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells of the front yard with little to no help from me.  I make a habit of checking on dogs quite often, just to be sure everything is going well.  I want to make sure they’re safe and not coming up with any behaviors I’m not going to like.  If you’ve read my blog before, you can imagine that even the best-trained dog at my house gets a few treats during any activity, just to maintain strong positive associations.

Applications for Tethering

I’ve mentioned camping and beach trips, where the ability to tie your dog to a stationary item like a picnic table or post, or even the bumper of your car, can be useful.  What about a trip to the park on a nice day, where you can sit on a bench and read a book? Tethering your dog allows you to use your hands for holding your book or swiping the pages of your e-book device instead of holding the leash. Your dog can relax and enjoy the environment while you do the same.  

Waiting for You: An Advanced Tethering Skill

You may even have the opportunity to walk to a shop with your dog, tethering him outside the door while you go in.  This activity requires a little more “pretend game” work before leaving your dog in a public area.  Your training for this activity must include “pretending” in this exact situation by hanging out right next to your tethered dog at first. Progress to stepping inside the shop and returning immediately to give your dog a treat and a pet to reinforce staying calmly alone. Your dog must make the choice to remain where you leave him. Make sure he is confident and calm, patiently waiting for you to return for very short periods.

Training as described above is needed to teach the dog not to pull at the end of the tether, chew it, or get it tangled around something such that he’s unable to loosen it.  The dog needs to fully understand that he is to remain in place, within the boundaries of the loose tether, or else be able to perform an extended down-stay or sit-stay to accomplish this job.  Choose your public places very carefully to ensure no one will untie your dog.  Check in on him as frequently as you can. This task requires your best efforts at training the behavioral details your dog needs to succeed.

Tethering Offers Opportunities

Dogs require conditioning to being tethered and they need your attention to make sure they remain safe.  However, tethering allows you to walk away for short periods of time and get things done.  Tethering can provide your dog with mental stimulation in new areas once you’ve used “pretend games” to teach him how to manage himself. 

I do not advocate leaving dogs tied out for extended periods.  My intention in teaching tethering skills is to give dogs and their guardians more time together. Teach your dog the skills he needs to accomplish this activity and put your eyes on him often enough to prevent problems.  Gardening in the front yard or woodworking tasks in your open garage are achievable with your dog nearby, enjoying the great outdoors.

Be the first to read our monthly training application blog posts like this one, designed for you to try with your own pet, right away! Subscribers also receive a monthly educational and inspirational post about training and behavior, best enjoyed with a cup of coffee or the relaxing beverage of your choice. Sign up for our mailing list at the bottom of this page! 

Oh hi there!
It’s nice to meet you.

Sign up to receive dog training tips in your inbox monthly and a FREE e-book!

Share this post