NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF TETHERING

Chain your door, not your dog.  Tethering can be more harmful to your beloved pet, than you think.  It is also cruel.

       Tying or chaining a dog (a fixed-point tether) is the WORST way to restrain it for several reasons.

       Tethering contributes strongly and directly to aggression and increases the danger to humans and animals that encounter the tied dog.

       It exposes the dog to deliberate and inadvertent teasing.

       It triggers a built-in thigmotaxic (opposition reflex) response to lunge toward stimuli.

       It introduces the pain or discomfort of the restraint into any interaction. Both are common motives for aggression on their own; added to perceived threats and thigmotaxis, they are explosive.
 

       It reduces the dog's territory to a minuscule size, thereby concentrating pack, den, object and food protectivity.

       It induces aberrational behavior such as having to eat, sleep and eliminate in close proximity.

       It exacerbates defensive aggression by preventing escape but offering no protection from actual or perceived threats.

       It reinforces aggression because passersby "flee" when the dog lunges at them, thereby rewarding the lunge.

       It increases the dog's stress by exposing it to powerful antagonistic responses from passersby.

       It jeopardizes the dog's welfare by exposure to attacks, accidents, direct and indirect poisoning, sick animals, etc.

       Preferable options: Have the dog indoors, fence the property, or provide a run or kennel. If alternatives cannot be implemented, a species other than canine is indicated as a pet.

Copyright 1991 Dennis Fetko/Drdog.com.  Printed with permission

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