Use this Effective Management Tool when Visitors Come to Your Door

The tether is one of the most useful, overlooked, and underused dog training tools. A dog tether is an indispensable training tool for many occasions when management is needed until the dog’s training reaches a level in which the owner can control the dog through voice commands alone.

What is a Tether?
A tether can be made by using a leash, a rope, or a plastic coated wire. You tether the dog by attaching one end to the dog’s collar and the other end to a heavy piece of furniture, a door knob, or any stationary object.

Using the Tether When Guests Visit your Home
One of the most practical uses for the tether occurs when a dog owner has a visitor knock on the door or ring the doorbell. This is a very exciting moment for dogs and it can be difficult to control the dog and communicate with the visitor at the same time. The use of the tether provides a perfect management solution until the dog is able to be controlled off leash when guests visit the owner’s home.

Here are the steps to using the tether for visitors:

1. Visitor knocks on the door- Dog races to the door barking
2. Owner takes the dog to the tether station that is already set up and attaches the tether to the dog’s collar.( I also recommend you give the dog a special chew toy that you have prepared)
3. Owner then answers the door and is able to talk to the guest without having to handle the dog in such an excited state.
4. Once the dog calms down, the dog is taken off the tether

Here are a few additional tips on tethering:

• I recommend a tether at 4- 6 ft. in length
• Attach the tether low to the ground which will keep the dog from getting tangled in the tether
• Give the dog an object to chew on especially when you first introduce the tether
• Never tether the dog where you are unable to supervise them
• Only use soft neck collars or harnesses to attach to the tether
• If you are tethering a puppy and using a leash, you will want to spray the leash with a scent deterrent such as Grannick’s bitter apple spray to keep the puppy from chewing on the leash.

A tether is one of the most useful tools for resolving and managing problematic behavior. You will find that I refer to the use of a tether in many articles and videos throughout my training material in the member’s area. I generally use leashes as I always have plenty lying around, but you may want to purchase a chew proof tether so your dog does not damage one of your leashes. You can purchase dog tethers online or make one by visiting your local hardware store.

See what a Dog Tethered Looks Like in the Video Below

Published on July 23, 2017