Penning & Chaining

If you are outside in the yard with your dog, and he/she is chained up, that is a different story. There was a time I had to put Beulah on a chain in the back yard because she can jump my 6ft privacey fence. I hated doing that, and I would never do it again. I think it is cruel to just put your dog on a chain and leave them there.
Joce, how long is your dog outside by itself?

I have to pipe in here and please excuse me if I missed something earlier in this thread. Didn't really have the chance to read all the replies.

Chaining a dog outside 24/7 or even because you want him out of the house WITHOUT supervision is irresponsible. Just as you would treat your child playing in the backyard. I know many of you will dissagree with me and think that I'm being a bit drastic, but sorry. If someone is going to keep their dog outside 24/7 AND chained .. I just don't see the point of owning a dog. If you really cared about the dog (and I'm not talking to anyone specific here) and absolutely needed the dog to be outside, at least build a pen where he/she is not confined. A pen is also a good defense for anything out there that might harm him. Being chained, your dog has limited defensive abilities.

Don't mean to come off offensive. It just seems common sense to me.

We sold a lab once, he was a fine dog, strong and musclular, a great hunter. They paid a lot of money for him. A police chief was his new owner. He thought his wife was taking care of the dog, she tought it was him. THis is the plight of many a hunting dog. i think this is the penning that people are against, I know I am. He was a good, strong, fine,dog and we didn't find out until it was too late. The problem with pens and chains for people who are not bringing them indoors for some happy time, or just letting them out to air, is out of sight, out of mind. I know so many of these stories I could cry for a year solid but it wouldn't do any good. Talk to a gas meter reader sometime and they will let you know just how bad the problem really is.

see if I had my way my dog neko would be in the house all the time, but my mom hate's big dog so my dog was chain all day and came in at night in my room. but now my step dad got a german shaperd,a nd her can stay in all so I made my dog stay in now only time hes on a chain is in the morning when i'm getting ready for school then I being him in. but I think chaining is not the best thing because all my dog I had was on a chain and they was so hyper, and I could not keep them, because they got mean to on a chain so I don't think its the best way to keep a dog.

Thats my hole issue with chaining and penning, to often they seem to be forgotten. A neighbor has 2 dogs in a pen. I never see them walked, or taken out of the pen. I find it so sad to see them caged up like that. What kind of life is that? At our old shop a neighbor man raises beagles. I feel bad for these dogs, all in small pens. The only time they are taken out is for a hunt or if one gets loose. He breeds them to sell. He does feed them 2 or 3 times a day, never misses a day but I still think its awful that this is the life they are forced to live, in a small cage.
Its one thing if you have no fenced in yard, the dog wants to be outside for abit, you cant walk them right then so you tie them so they can be outside for a short time but paying close attention to what they are doing. Or like some who have their dogs sleep in a pen but take them out daily to spend real time with them. I understand things like that. Its just the ones who live their life, 24/7 tied or penned with little to no human contact. Seldom walked if ever. Its cruel.

I'm looking at tie-outs online now...the dumbest one I've found is one that is only 18" . Here's the link to look at it...http://www.petco.com/product_info.a...&ct1=Travel+&+Outdoors&ct2=Tie+Outs&ct3=Chain. I have found a few nice ones though....one that glows in the dark, too, for extra safety!

How long do you think a chain should be for a 50+ lb. dog be???

Personally, I'd get one that was at least 15'.

When I was living in a rented house that had a big backyard, but no fence, my Dad fixed a run so that Bear could safely be in the back yard (when I was home, of course) and would have plenty of room to run and wouldn't get tangled. He attached one end of a thick nylon rope to the house and attached the other end of the rope to a tree at the back of the yard. The rope was suspended about 8 feet high so that I didn't hang myself on it, lol! Then he attached another nylon rope about 12 feet long with a clip on each end over the rope and Bear could run then entire length of the yard without getting tangled up and hurting himself.

That is a great suggestion..I have been trying to figure out how I can have Vic out while I garden until I can get the "alley idea" out of his head. I could garden and he could still run around some and not have to stand right beside me THANK YOU

Thought I'd just pop in here too, and voice my opinion.

On chaining:
I don't like chianing. But there are the excpetions.
Here is an example of what I don't like: I have a neighbor who has a Lab mix (or at least, it looks like a Lab mix) that is chained up to its doghouse by about 10ft of chain. (I think. Hard to tell from a distance.) I have never seen that dog off of its chain at all. It is out there far away from its house, with little protection from the elements. (If there is a East wind, it isn't protected at all.) I'm thinking about offering to walk her for them, but I haven't made up my mind yet.

Here is the type of chaining I don't mind: We have a neighbor that has a white Boxer named Daisy. (She is the sweetest little thing EVER! ) When they are outside during the summer, their Chocolate Lab (Justice) sticks around, but Daisy wanders, so they keep Daisy on a 15' (it looks like that anyway) chain while they are out with her.

Another example: During the summer when it is really hot over on the side of the house where the dogs are, we take them and chain them either in the garage (not an ideal place because they can't go to the bathroom) or out under a tree that has wonderful shading and a wonderful breeze. I keep a very close eye on them, and once they start getting figity, I take them off and walk them a bit. (And they have fresh, crisp water to go along with that.)

About Penning: I don't prefer it, but there is nothing overly wrong with it as long as the dog is getting proper attention, food, water, shelter and exercise.
Both of my dogs are in a kennel outside. If I had had my way, they'd both be inside, but Mom and Dad are the ones that make the rules. They have a big enough kennel to house two dog houses, one table for Blackie to sit on (lol), a 'pooping corner', a place for a kiddy pool to go, and a place to dig, and some cement squares that their water and food dishes go on. They get one walk a day (two in the summer), and they get to run around in the evening while I'm out there with them.

And I'm planning on getting Blackie a 50' trianing line for this summer, so when I'm outside, he doesn't have to be on leash. I can just clip the line on him while I'm outside, so he won't wander too far, and if he starts to, I can grab him. Rose is a good dog, and aside from chasing cars that sometimes go by, she listens to me very well when off leash.

(Whew.......was that ever long! lol )

I didn't realize I never chain my dogs until I started to think about it while reading this thread. The only time I've chained Maddie and Carly is at the campground when we're lounging in the lawn with them because its a rule. But I'm lucky beause Maddie never runs away, and my backyard has a kennel/pen that is half of the yard. They are only outside to use the bathroom and then they are right back in. The only exception is when I sit on the deck and read in the warmer seasons and they are outside in the kennel, only feet away.
IMO it depends on the circumstances the dog is outside, either way. Chaining is neccisary when a fence can't keep him in. It would be very irresponsible to put a dog who gets out of fences easily back in a fenced in area anyway. Penning can be just as bad as chaining, because either way dogs are left outside 24/7 and forgotten about.
And taken care of in one person's eyes is totally different to another. Personally, dogs are socail animals and need to interact with others whether that be human or not. To leave a dog in a pen or on a chain for its whole life, regardless whether its fed well or not, is cruel imo.
A lab mix down the road barks just about 24/7. Have you ever heard a dog loose its voice? He/She cries and barks so much that it does loose its voice every so often. Its heartbreaking, and its been going on so long that the nieghboors and the owner don't even seem to notice the noise. Rose's Gal I am about to take your idea of offering to walk the dog for them, but its such a wierd neighborhood they'd probably say no!

It's all about what's best for the dog...not the owner. A dog needs a loving owner and should be part of a family...Anyone who won't allow a dog in with them , should wait until they can before owning a dog. Tie downs and kennels are good for in between times, but dogs and owners are a unit to be respected. Renee, you had what I used when my girls were in heat. They could run or lie down and weren't out long. I wouldn't want to be "jailed" all the time no matter how much food/shelter/water I had.

Tawny the husky is chained out when she gets fed and a couple hours later to go to the bathroom for a while. Unsupervised is kind of questionable seeing as the back of the house is basically a wall of sliding glass doors. If it is nice out we put the pool out for her and she is more than happy to sit out there all day. If there is the slightest bit of wind(she freaks) or rain or anything else she doesn't like she definately lets us know that its time to come in. The other dogs don't really like it outside so they are mostly inside. They only go out the couple of minutes it takes to go to the bathroom. I don't think the husky would go for that.

Joce....about your earlier post..I still disagree with you..I think that people that chain their dogs outside all day are stupid..there is absolutely no excuse..these people obviously have no time for their dogs and shouldn't be owning one in the first place..and like many have mentioned..its a perfect set up for someone being bitten, or something terrible happening to the dog when you're not looking, or even someone stealing the dog right out of your own backyard...its foolish and NO DOG should be left unsupervised outside for any length of time..would you leave your kids outside and go cook a turkey in the house? I think not..

I'm not sure what you do with your dogs, and I'm sure you're not like the people I have in mind, but I stick to my statement when I say no dog should be left outside chained for long periods of time and unsupervised...its wrong and irresponsible in my opinion.