- The dog is attached to the tie out with a training collar such as a choke, prong, or martingale. The ONLY safe collar to use with a tie out is a regular fitted buckle collar. You should also never use a harness to attach a dog to a tether because many dogs will simply chew off the harness from the front and get loose or they could struggle to get free and get their legs or jaw stuck in the straps.
- The material used to tether the dog is frayed, damaged, rusted, or otherwise not in good repair.
- The tie out is so long and so close to fencing or trees that it can easily be wrapped around a stationary object or the dog can easily hang itself if it jumps up. If a dog house is part of the setup, it should be at one end of the chain, positioned so the dog can freely go in and out yet not walk around the house.
- The dog is left outside 24/7 without adequate shelter. Although many people who use tethering systems do allow their dogs to come indoors, some do not. If a dog is left out overnight or during the hottest parts of the days, there should be proper shelter that is easily accessible by the dog.
- The dog is in a very small, confined area. A proper tether gives a dog a decent area in which to roam. Tethers attached to stationary objects should allow a dog to go in a complete circle around the anchor and ideally the tether is at least 6ft in length. An even better length is 10-12′ of tether or longer, space permitting. A proper tether must also have a swivel attachment between the tether material and the anchor to prevent tangling.
- The area is littered with debris. A proper tether spot is cleaned regularly. There are not piles of feces, garbage, or other objects to impede the dog’s freedom or movement or potentially injure the dog. Food and water bowls, if left out, should be placed at the end of the tether’s reach so that the dog can drink and eat yet not knock over the bowls or wrap the tether around them.
- The area is known for predatory wildlife and the dog is left outside unattended overnight without fencing to protect the yard. In an area known to have predatory wildlife, such as mountain lions, a tether overnight would not be a good or responsible choice.
- Intact females left outside while in heat. Responsible owners don’t have accidental litters. Responsible owners do not allow bitches in season to have unsupervised access outdoors, ever.
- Multiple dogs in the yard that can reach each other while tethered. A proper yard has plenty of space between other dogs to prevent fighting and to prevent the tethers from getting tangled. If the dogs can reach each other when tethered, the tie out spots are not properly located.
- Dog never leaves the tether. Responsible owners interact with their dogs. They play with their dogs, they exercise their dogs, and they love their dogs. A dog who never gets off his tie out is being neglected.
Now that you know how to spot an improper tether set up, check out this link: Chains Don’t Abuse Dogs, People Do
