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SAWhat does it mean to tether your dog?
Tethering your dog means using a leash or a long line to attach your dog to yourself or a stationary object as a training tool. This can be used to manage your dog’s behavior, ensuring the dog remains within a certain range and can be easily corrected or guided as needed.
A couple benefits of tethering:
��Teaches the dog how to settle on their own! This is important for dogs that struggle with the need to always be doing something. Sometimes the best thing for them is to learn to turn their brain off and just chill. In training we use a lot of “place” and crate training where we practice this skill, but sometimes our dogs don’t have a healthy in between mindset. Tethering creates the idea that there does not have to be a command given to achieve calmness.
��Teaches a dog how to work through frustration on their own. Your dog WILL get frustrated when it’s tethered! (At first!) This puppy’s name is Holden. He’s 14 weeks old and this was his first time being tethered with me. He barked at me for about 10 minutes before settling down. He wanted attention, to be near me, to be active, etc., but we already trained, played, walked, it was time to settle! I didn’t give into any of the barking and even let him figure out how to undo the leash from his own legs. These small moments where he’s overcoming stress / problem solving are preparing him for the bigger moments in his life where he will need this skill the most. Some examples of this are separation anxiety and reactivity.
��Supervision and prevention. Similar to how we use the crate, we want a place that we can put our dog where we know they’re safe and can’t get to anything they shouldn’t have. Tethering can allow another hands-free option to monitor your dog and prevent behaviors like chewing, potty accidents, getting in the trash, etc. They’ll either not be able to get to it or they’re attached to you so you can stop it.
*Always monitor your dog while tethered to ensure safety throughout the entire practice.
The ability for your dog to exist, without having to be next to you, is a huge skill!
#DogTraining #DogTrainingTips #DogBehavior
@sayitoncedogtraining
