# tethering puppy



## nataly (Jul 31, 2014)

Hi everyone,

As I am preparing for my puppy and educating myself, I notice a lot of people recommending tethering the puppy to myself or to something near me especially around the kids. In particular poodlerunner just gave that advice to newpoodle on another thread. 

I am beginning to think this is a great idea and maybe a key to success, but since I haven't done it before I keep thinking how it's going to work out in terms of running around responding to things like kids fight, someone's crying, phone ringing etc. where I would need to suddenly turn and run into an opposite direction. Wouldn't puppy get in the way? Would I have to just pause and say - let's go - or just go and teach him to watch and follow? Sounds not nice to the puppy, but maybe it won't be so bad in practice? 

On another hand if I tether him say to the kitchen table leg - we tend to all move around the kitchen during the busy times in the evening - and I have to step out he will be left to his own devices there...

Also, with 3 kids and 3 adults in that kitchen, I am afraid the pup may be stepped on. Or would he move out of the way and I shouldn't be worried?

How do you get this to work? The kitchen is gated off, but tethering would give me an opportunity for closer watch...

Thank you!


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## MiniPoo (Mar 6, 2014)

Of all the dogs I had, I only had to tether one of them. I had 2 older dogs, one of which was very fragile, and the puppy was very energetic and jumping all over the delicate one. The puppy was not bad, just too much for the situation. The puppy was very alpha and I needed to show it that I was the top bitch, not her. But I wanted to do it in a matter of fact way, not aggressively.

Here is my advice. I am sure you will get more and probably different advice from others. You can pick whatever resonates with you.

First, have baby gates or x-pens for confining the dog to certain approved areas (without carpeting, etc) when you can't watch the puppy. If you are cooking, you are not watching. So the puppy should not be loose in the kitchen while you are cooking. If you think you have to move fast, do not drag the puppy, tie him to a door knob or table leg before rushing off. 

I ONLY tethered the puppy when I knew I could move at a moderate or slow speed: working alone in the kitchen, walking around slowing doing chores (laundry, dusting). The puppy was not tethered at all times. Often, she ran loose under supervision or was crated or was confined to certain areas with baby gates.

I don't know how much room you have available, but an xpen in an area near the "action" be it in the kitchen or living room might be a good idea. If an xpen is too large, then an oversized crate that you can use as an xpen. A smaller crate could be used as a bed. Again, you have to consider your space and get what fits.

3 kids and 3 adults in the kitchen is too much to also have a puppy either on or off leash. If not all of your family is in there and you can move slowly, go ahead and tether.

When the dog is off leash or not confined, make it a game. Have one person (not 2) assigned for puppy watch. When that person cannot watch any longer, they tell someone else they need to watch the puppy. We like to say, "You're it now!"

Set a timer to take out the puppy every 1-2 hours at first because we get busy and cannot remember to do that. I had a timer on the counter just to use for that.

Until you get the puppy home and see how he will react to everyone, you really don't know how much you want to tether him. Just be careful. Tethering helped me tremendously with my last puppy, but I only did it part of the day.

Good luck. Your future dog looks marvelous!


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## Beaches (Jan 25, 2014)

Very thoughtful and helpful response MIniPoo.


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## nataly (Jul 31, 2014)

Thank you MiniPoo - that is very helpful! I might be over-planning, but with young kids - better over than under  I was going to buy an xpen, but my breeder says she keeps them in an xpen now and part of it is covered with paper and used as a potty area, so he might think that's what we put him in an xpen for. I was mostly thinking kitchen because that's where we eat, which takes a good part of the morning and evening when everyone is home. It is pretty spacious with the eating area, easily gated off and has no carpet. Family room is usually covered with kids toys - it's more of a play room really, so we are usually either in the kitchen, or in the study - where we have a work desk and TV.


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## sparkyjoe (Oct 26, 2011)

We use an x-pen that's attached to a wire kennel, the kennel has two doors so one of them opens into the x-pen space and the other out into the living room.

Our pup was kept in an x-pen at the breeder's house, but I think he only ever had one or two piddle incidents once he was here.

I have some health challenges that could have made having our little guy tethered to me a fall risk for me, so we decided not to take that route with him.

Our pup has had several incidents in the kitchen, where we believe the previous owner's dog may have used the bathroom (I've used enzyme cleaners on the spots but the wood needs refinished and any odor is likely imbedded. 

We decided to put an additional large wire kennel in that area where we can feed him at least once a day, plus he's in there while I shower and frequently when we eat dinner. We hope this will help him start thinking of that space as part of the "den" so he won't want to use it as a toilet.


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## MiniPoo (Mar 6, 2014)

nataly said:


> Thank you MiniPoo - that is very helpful! I might be over-planning, but with young kids - better over than under  I was going to buy an xpen, but my breeder says she keeps them in an xpen now and part of it is covered with paper and used as a potty area, so he might think that's what we put him in an xpen for. I was mostly thinking kitchen because that's where we eat, which takes a good part of the morning and evening when everyone is home. It is pretty spacious with the eating area, easily gated off and has no carpet. Family room is usually covered with kids toys - it's more of a play room really, so we are usually either in the kitchen, or in the study - where we have a work desk and TV.


You could put a few pieces of paper in the x-pen and wean him off of that as you take him outside. That would be a good transition instead of one day he can potty in an x-pen and next day, he has to go outside. I like sparkyjoe's idea of combining an xpen with an open crate. Then start reducing the amount of paper in the xpen after a week or two until it is eliminated. I don't assume I am good enough to get the dog outside at the "right" time when he is young and new to the household. It takes time for the dog to understand the new rules, and for you to learn how often he needs to go outside.


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## mom2Zoe (Jun 17, 2014)

I used an expen and crate at first and then graduated to gating off the kitchen before letting Zoe have access to all downstairs rooms.
I would take her out every hour for a very long time. I found she preferred her crate to the expen and would never eliminate in crate but would do so freely in expen.

I have six children the youngest being 6 and 10 and we have heavy traffic in the kitchen area in the evening like you. I did find Zoe would be underfoot and get stepped on even if we were careful. I bought a cat bell and put it on her collar. We don't have that concern anymore because she learned to anticipate us and it helps that she is heftier .

In the expen I did put we wee pads down and started removing them one by one. I still found if I left her for more than an hr she would pee in corner when she was little. The expen only worked for us if we were watching tv and wanted her close by. I ended up using it more as a gate and for play time when very tiny.In terms of housetraining it got in the way so I stuck with crate where I knew she would not eliminate and she was happier. You need to see what works for you and your pup.
Wishing you good luck


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## Chagall's mom (Jan 9, 2010)

Just a little more on tethering...

Positive Dog Parenting..:::..ABN
Teaching Contented Confinement 
What is close tethering?
Close tethering basically means your dog is on leash with you or attached to heavy object such as a table or desk leg that is near you. The dog is kept near you and does not have freedom to go anywhere else. This is gentle and effective way to reinforce the dog's position as a follower in the human pack. When dog's perceive themselves as followers and not the leaders of the family, they are more relaxed and motivated to learn how to please the family. Dogs naturally follow their leaders with love and loyalty.

Close tethering and housetraining
The first reason to teach close tethering is for housetraining purposes. By confining the dog to a small area using a leash or tether, the dog's instinct not to soil the den, is a natural inhibition that prevents elimination and gives the dog a reason to "hold it". 

NOTE: Do not tether train a puppy until the puppy is first "leash" trained at about 10 to 12 weeks of age.

Do not use any physical punishment or scolding during close tether training. The secret to teaching close tethering is to move your body towards the dog as a reward and away from the dog as a correction.

What's in it for me?
When introducing any new exercise or concept, make sure you make it in the dog's best interest to comply. Think about your dog asking you this question, "What's in it for me?" 

NOTE: Begin close tether training after the dog has been on a long walk; usually at the end of the day so you can sit and read or watch television with the dog near by.

When first introduced to close tethering, most dogs will go through at least one temper tantrum. The dog may attempt to get your attention in a variety of ways including pawing, whining, barking, rolling, and other difficult behaviors. A tired dog will be a more cooperative dog.

First, find something soft and comfortable for the dog to lie on and provide a special chew toy when you begin close tethering. Praise the dog for being on leash and resting quietly in a specified place. If the dog has recently eliminated, but whines, paws, or begins other attention-seeking behavior, tell the dog, "Quiet!" in a firm but not scolding tone. If he or she stops the attention-seeking, immediately praise the dog with soothing words like "good girl (or boy)."

Whenever a dog initially begins what we will call "fussing," the first option is to take the dog outside to the toilet area to determine if he or she needs to eliminate. Second, offer some water or, if it is feeding time, some dry food (not treats) to determine if that is what is needed. Similar to a child who is fussy, once the basic needs have been satisfied, then it is simply a matter of the dog learning to be comfortable on its own. 

Positive chew training
Teach the dog that the best chews are given when he is close tethered or in the kennel. For close tethering, provide a mat and praise quiet, relaxed behavior. As long as the dog is lying quietly, praise and reward this quiet behavior every 30 seconds or so. As the dog adjusts to the close tethering, gradually taper the frequency of praising and rewarding quiet behavior to every few minutes, and then offer intermittently. If the dog begins fussing or puts on a temper tantrum, the solution is to simply turn away so that the dog cannot reach you or see your eyes. If the fussing is repeated and expanded, continue to ignore the dog until he or she is through the entire repertoire and finally settles down. Listen carefully to the dog. Then, when the fussing stops, turn and give praise and reward the dog with eye contact and attention. If he or she begins fussing again, turn away. 

Freedom is not free
Once the dog is close tether trained, it means he or she will lie quietly when tethered to any person or solid object without fussing. This is similar to the horse who is taught to rest outside of the cowboy's saloon. Close tethering actually gives the dog more freedom because now you can take the dog with you more places and more often. The goal is to have the dog tethered close to you and have him or her be completely relaxed and at ease. Close tethering is a gentle, effective strategy for teaching acceptable household manners and preventing household destruction in addition to providing a means to spending more quality time together with your pet.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

You've already gotten a lot of good comments here so I won't restate other than to say that I like the way sparkyjoe had things set up for Fletcher. That is basically the Ian Dunbar method. Also don't tether the pup to a table leg. The point is to supervise the pup when tethered. If you can't supervise, then confine. One last thing, you would be amazed at how fast puppy needle teeth would chew through a leash!


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## nataly (Jul 31, 2014)

Thank you! Yes, I remember those destroyed leashes from the old times - LOL
I meant to tether him to the table leg while I am sitting at the table. That way he could be close to me without me having to have a crate in every room.
I don't think I need the long term confinement right now, not during the 2 initial housetraining weeks when I am also planning to be home. I think it will slow the things down. It seemed to me Dunbar's long term confinement was meant for people who are not home? After a couple weeks though, depending on how it goes I can put the crate in the laundry and gate it off, so the entire laundry is a long term confinement area...
It would probably be about 3 times bigger than an xpen. We will see...


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## MiniPoo (Mar 6, 2014)

I tried to use our small sunroom for the puppy when I left the house. She ate the bottom of a chair and then started eating the walls. I kid you not, she ate a hole once, and I filled and spackled it. Waited a while and tried again (did not want to confine to smaller crate) and she ate the wall again. I finally gave up and crated her when I was out of the house.

I have also had dogs eat the sides of my cabinets and table legs when I tried to use the kitchen instead of a crate when I left the house. So for long term, I use a crate.

I still can't help recommending x-pens. I have 2 sets of them and still use them in various manners even with adult dogs. You can take them apart to block off a wide entrance to a room. You can surround a dog bed if the dog is sick and you don't want it sleeping with you that night. They are just handy things to have. (Perhaps I should contact the company and became a distributor?)

I think of an x-pen more as a temporary play area for a puppy. If you had a baby and could not watch it for a few minutes, you would put it in a play pen. An x-pen could be set up with a crate for long term use, but my dogs it was a short term holding area in the living room.

Here's a tip: There are leashes with metal links that you can use for short term tethering. I would put my puppy on a metal leash while watching TV. She would try to chew it but did not hurt it.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Yes, Ian recommends the long term confinement area for when you are not at home or can't supervise. MiniPoo, I hear you on the eating the walls thing. I think we let Lily and Peeves have too much freedom too soon, not from housebreaking POV but from chewing standpoint. I also did a lot of spackling of wall corners and around base boards.


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## nataly (Jul 31, 2014)

MiniPoo said:


> I tried to use our small sunroom for the puppy when I left the house. She ate the bottom of a chair and then started eating the walls. I kid you not, she ate a hole once, and I filled and spackled it. Waited a while and tried again (did not want to confine to smaller crate) and she ate the wall again. I finally gave up and crated her when I was out of the house.
> 
> I have also had dogs eat the sides of my cabinets and table legs when I tried to use the kitchen instead of a crate when I left the house. So for long term, I use a crate.
> 
> ...


What kind/brand of x pen do you have Minipoo?


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## MiniPoo (Mar 6, 2014)

I use a hard plastic x-pen that I got from Meijers. I think it cost about $55. They are 6 separate panels that can be split up or added to. I keep 4 panels in the bedroom to use in case my dogs wake me up sick. I have 6 panels in the basement to separate the dogs from the exercise area. When not exercising, the xpen folds up and goes on the unfinished side of the basement. I move them around as needed. Got tired of lugging them up and down stairs. So I got the 2nd one for the basement.

You can also use these outside. When staining my deck, I use them to block off the entrance to keep the dogs off the deck until the stain dries. 4 panels makes a square. 6 gives you a larger enclosure.

Here is a url for Superyard Play Yard from Amazon:
Amazon.com: North States Superyard Play Yard, Grey, 6 Panel: Baby


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