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Tying your dog up,

2K views 22 replies 23 participants last post by  brembo 
#1 ·
Anybody have any negative experiances with tying your dog up outside while you run into the store, I used to do this with my guys only if i could see them from the window and i am under 5 minutes but i have heard horror stories so i have stopped doing it.
 
#2 ·
Yup, good that you stopped doing it. Never good to tie them up, way too many things can happen.
 
#3 ·
I'd never tie my dogs up outside of a store. Last year, I watched someone tie their dog up outside of Panera. Within minutes, the dog got loose and was running around a parking lot on a busy Saturday afternoon and was nearly hit by several cars. It was frightening.
 
#5 ·
I get nervous when my dogs are out of my site in public as a general rule. Population is low around here but I'm more concerned about people's behavior than my dogs!

But if I do dash into a store I tell my dog to "stay" and that is what he does! But even at that it's been lots of training and long down out of site testing. Dogs at least two years old and it's only a 7/11 late and next to nobody inside!

I trust my dogs but I'm not a fool! A dog that you feel will not stay unless tied, is a dog that might be easily spooked! Heard a few horror stories about tied dogs that spooked!
 
#6 · (Edited)
I used to do that a long time ago with my first dog because she would go with me a lot of the time anytime I was outside of the house so sometimes when on foot I needed to run in a store or pick up a carry out or something. If I was alone I would tie her her somewhere people wouldn't notice her, but I was always really nervous when I did it, so I stopped. She had a very solid down-stay and would have stayed but I was more worried about people maybe trying to take her, not about her running off. I used a special locking tie out leash with steel cable inside it: http://www.travelsinparadise.com/gearreviews/assets/images/dog/doglock_m.jpg
Now I only go in stores if I have someone along to hold on to the dog(s).
 
#8 ·
I went to our local store a couple nights ago and saw a pure bred german shepherd sitting 10 feet from the door.

My first thought was "Awe how cute, I wonder if he's friendly".

Then I realized, the dog wasn't leashed or even had a collar on. So I put two and two together and realized it was either a stray or in a stay position.

I got into my car and waited for a couple minutes and saw the owner come out and the dog didn't move until the owner got to him.

I was pretty impressed with the stay, but I wasn't impressed with the owner not leashing his GSD in town.

-----------------

This summer I plan on building my dogs an outdoor kennel, since I don't want to tie them up and something horrible happen. I found a few pretty big enclosures that are fairly cheap at tractor supply.
 
#9 ·
Must agree, it's not a good idea anymore. Maybe in the 1960s - but today the dog could get stolen, hurt, fear bite and being tied up is no good. I have a truck with a camper shell with the crate tied up with motorcycle tie down straps. It's can't tip over or move. Front cab window open, shell windows open and I even have 2 - 12 volt fans blowing if necessary. The RV is set up different.. If there's two people one stays with the animal for protection..
 
#10 ·
I would NEVER tie my dog up and walk away from him.

1) It only takes a second for a bite to happen, who knows if some drunk person, wild child or just an overly friendly in-your-face person walks up to my dog and gets bit.

2) My dog would NOT be ok with me walking away from him and he can't follow, he will whine, bark and attempt to get to me.

3) What if another dog approaches my dog and a fight breaks out?

4) What if someone does something bad to my dog while I am in the store, like teasing, throwing something at it, etc.

5) Someone could steal my dog.

Nope, absolutely not, I will never tie my dog up.
 
#11 ·
Never ever ever will I do this.
My boy would end up biting someone or some dog.
He is not the friendliest and with me not there to command him, I can't even imagine what would happen.
And I someone stole him, I would be livid. And hunting for who ever did.

I see these dogs all the time , and like someone above said I always think "awe puppy"
Then I think of just how easy someone could just unhook the leash and have a free new dog .
This and having dogs in the back of trucks(seen way to many deaf dogs and dogs almost falling out) give me the ieeby jieebies!
 
#12 ·
I train all of my dogs to be quiet while tied. It's just something that I've always done. One of those 'just in case' things.

However, I have never left them tied in public. Ever.

I take one of my dogs to hunting events. It is common practice to tie one dog out while you work another. There are even specific short cable type leads utilized so the dog can't break/chew free and the dog doesn't have enough lead to get tangled, but enough to lay down. But, if I have to leave my dog, I kennel him. Actually, his kennel is fixed into the bed of my truck and I lock my tail gate. If someone really wanted to get him, it would take them a great deal of time & cable cutters to get to him.
 
#13 ·
I do not tie my dog up for most or all of the above reasons, but I do have a humorous story about 2 dogs tied to a bike rack.
One summer knight I had stopped at a 7/11 convenience store with my GSD Mac who I left in the car.
Across the parking lot was a nice Dobi tied to a bike rack. Next to the Dobi tied to the same bike rack was a small Terrier. The Dobi was on his best behavior. The Terrier was barking insane at Mac who could have cared less. As I approached the door to the store the Dobi lifted his leg and drenched, showered that little Terrier. I mean pee soaked to the point that little dog had to shut his mouth and shake it off. I finished my shopping before the other two owners and went out to my car. Right after me the Dobi owner wearing a sweat suit came out, untied his dog and continued his jog having no idea what his Dobi did. As I pulled out off the parking lot the owner of the Terrier was approaching her dog. I can only imagine......
 
#18 ·
:rofl::rofl:

Thank you for a good laugh. What a funny story.

That little Terrier really deserved his golden shower. Dobi's know how to dish it out, at least the ones I've met.
 
#14 ·
I agree with above posters that my dog would whine and try to follow me, and I think he would be nervous since he has never been left alone in public. I would especially worry somebody would steal him, since he tends to be friendly and he is a great looking dog.
 
#15 ·
I don't go anywhere Lisl is not welcome.

The only place she doesn't go with me is Wal-Mart because I have to grocery shop and can't be watching every move she, or the customers are making.
 
#16 ·
Many of the stores I pop into while on walks in my neighborhood allow me to bring my dog in with me because they know him and trust him.

But, I will also make quick stops at places that do not allow dogs inside. My rule is there has to be line-of-sight. If I can maintain line-of-sight on my dog while I am in the store, I have no problem with tethering him outside.

I don’t worry about my dog biting anyone if they approach him. And, quite honestly, people usually do approach him to give him friendly pets as they are walking by… if I had a dog that could not tolerate attention from strangers, I would not continue to do what I do.

To me, being able to tether the dog outside (by my rules) means the dog generally goes more places with me. He accompanies me on almost all walking-distance errands in the neighborhood. That is a good thing in my mind.
 
#17 ·
I tied up my first GSD once. We were in an agility trial and the hotel we booked seemed really shady. I didn't know anyone else entered in the trial and was there alone. My room didn't have an alarm, so I walked to the lobby building to get one with the dog and tied her right outside the glass door. I didn't want to walk to the lobby alone!

Coke I could tie up at the little store we walk to where we vacation, but normally I'm walking with someone so one of us holds the dogs. My GSDs now would probably whine at me unless I put them in a down-stay.
 
#19 ·
I tied a dog once outside a store to the garbage dumpster. But when you tie them, they can act like they are guarding whatever you tie them to. And, if someone comes up, they may just see the dog and think they should go and pet it and pick on it, etc. On that side of the store, I couldn't see, so I just never did that again. I will only stop at a store and put the dog on a down-stay in front of the windows, run in, grab a hot dog (for the dog), pay and get back out within a minute, keeping the dog in view the entire time.

And even then, it's hard. Because if someone drives up, they may be intimidated by the dog. So I just avoid it like the plague. Once in a blue moon I will do that, and only with the dogs that are totally trained, etc.

Now, when I was a kid, and had our shepherd mix, princess, I would snap her chain off, and we would go for a walk all through the town. She would go onto people's porches and eat their cat food. I would pretend I didn't know her. We would stop at that same store, though it was called Lawson's back then, and now it is called Circle K. Whatever. She would wait for me to buy a day-old chocolate donut. and when I would come out, I would feed it to her.

That dog lived to almost 15, and was healthy as a horse, after surviving stomach cancer shortly after we got her. The vet would examine her year after year expecting that cancer to come back as it was an aggressive form. But it didn't. The old girl never had any other problems. And hundred of chocolate donuts, and a couple of dozen chocolate chip cookies in one go, didn't seem to make any difference.

And she would go down and wait for me to come out of the store, not tied, not trained, not on a stay.
 
#20 ·
When I was about 6 or 7 we had an APBT, Jessica that was "my" dog (as much as a dog can be when your that young). We left her out in the backyard while we (my grandmother, mom and I) went to the store and when we returned there was a trail of blood in the snow and at the end of that trail laid my dog torn to pieces. Our neighbors opened our gate and threw their two pit bulls in our yard to use Jessica as a bait dog. That was the first time I've ever felt blood boiling rage in my life. It was extremely traumatizing.

People are stupid and cruel. I would never leave my dog outside if I plan on leaving the house. From someone stealing them, to stray/loose dogs attacking them, IMO its too much of a risk.
 
#21 ·
I have done it a lot and do it still. I guess it depends on the area you live. I see dogs outside shops every day, some tethered some not. We are not permitted to bring a large dog into any shop or store here so they gotta stay outside.

I used to muzzle my female as she was a bit aggressive but she just got used to waiting for me.
 
#22 ·
I did it once, to run into our local coffee shop (it's just a few blocks from my house). I could see Ralphie and he could see me. The owner of the coffee shop then told me that as long as I kept him leashed and close to me, I could bring him in with me to get my coffee.
 
#23 ·
I had a border/GSD mix right out of college. She was an escape mastermind, nothing could hold her. She went through doors almost as quickly as a human, fence latches didn't slow her and if there was no gate she could climb just about anything. Anyway....while mowing one day she decided to take a run at the lawnmower, and in fear of her slipping and losing a paw I leashed her up and draped that over the clothesline. I might as well have shot her, she just flopped over and refused to move. dead weight, no response to even a nudge with a foot, which normally would have been game-on time. She did a petulant shut-down anytime a rope/leash was attached to her. It made taking her on walks a bit odd, I had to hold her tail. Must have looked very bizarre with me lightly gripping her tail as she happily walked by my side but it worked.
 
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