Penning & Chaining

[gaddylovesdogs]

What are your opinions on penning and chaining? Penning for a few minutes or the whole day, chaining for a few minutes or for the whole day.

 

[tl_ashmore]

I hate chaining for any period of time. I don't like the fact that some people just put their dogs on a chain and leave them there. I have a 10x10 kennel that my dog stays in. I don't see anything wrong with that...

 

[Debi]

Chaining...I just don't personally believe in it. That's just me..I really don't like the idea. Putting the dogs in a pen.......I do that, for play time. My pen is big, and it gives them time to play, run, exercise.......in safety. I also put them in the pen if I have to run to the store or something. I think when dogs are chained, they just aren't safe..for a number of problems....and they cry and HATE it. Penned, at least they have room to play (we have shelter for them, too) and IF you must put them somewhere other than the house..it just seems the better idea........to me.

 

[pitbulliest]

If you have to chain, get a dang goldfish and give the dog to someone that actually cares and has enough time to spend with the poor animal! Stupid people

*bangs head against computer in frustration*

 

[joce]

My husky is chained all the time she is outside. If you go around telling people they are stupid it looks kind of dumb on your part.

She can not be in a fence or a pen because she can and will climb or dig her way out. Not to mention the time she got her head stuck in the bars. None of my other dogs are though so tell me how bad of a person I am, really ,come on!

I think it isn't the thing to do if you have a dog that is purely an inside dog or lap dog though. But there are definately reasons certain dogs need chained.

 

[Love4Pits]

Im definatly against the chaining of dogs. There have been many incidents of dogs hanging them selves while chained, and i just love it when the dogs pulling and trying to get to you and their choking themselves and making that lovely honky noise.

Now penning my property is one huge dog pen lol. And of course i have the pens in the barn where the dogs sleep. The dogs that are penned spend most of their day outside of the pen playing so yeah.

 

[bubbatd]

I have a large back yard so I don't need to do either...thank heavens. I do have a chain in the unfenced front yard that freely swings around a tree. I use it when I'm gardening so that Chip can be out with me. When I bred goldens (at another home in the country and not fenced in ) I had a large kennel to use during the heat cycle and ran the dog on a swivel chain attached to a long clothes line. Naturally, I had my eye on her the whole time.

 

[bubbatd]

P.S.....Love4pits reminded me of another warning. We had a deck (with small spaces between boards) I heard whining one day and one of my dog's round links on a choke collar had slipped through the slot and he was stuck. I'm just glad I was there and learned never to leave such a collar on a dog. BTW....I had to lift my neighbor's pitbulls back over our fence when he climbed it and was hanging on his chain. I could have been bitten as I didn't know him. Luckily he knew I was helping him. They had two pitts....both chained all day and night.....NEVER in the house!

 

[becca_4321]

I dont like seeing dogs chained although if its for a short period of time and they are being watched thats not so bad. We take Princess to work with us we have no fenced yard for her to run freely there so on the real nice days when she wanted out I tied her, but was sitting right where I could see her. Now she is big enough I just take her home to let her run in the yard. The ones that bother me are the ones tied all day long, no one home, some with no shelter, and I even hate seeing the dogs put in pens and rarely being taken out for walks.
I hate seeing a dog chained, I fuss about it all the time but I also know there are times you need to. A young girl asked if she could keep her puppy at our business tied until she got a place she could have pets. I really resisted but knew how much she wanted this puppy. I finally told her yes but told her she had to come 3xs a day to make sure the puppy has food, water and take it for walks and go off to play with the puppy everynight after work. I checked on this puppy everymorning and would get so upset to find she hadnt been there. I would take the puppy in with me every single day, feed him and water him, work on potty training and it'd stay with me until I had to leave that night or until she finally would show up. Sundays I'd go over and check on the puppy. I got after this girl everyday, reminding her she better start taking care of this puppy or I'll find him a home. She'd beg me not to. I started looking for this puppy a home and finally thought I had one for him but went to work one morning to find the puppy was gone. This girl looked and looked for him, never to be found. I just think to often when they are penned or chained they dont always get the proper care and love they deserve. Penning for short time, chainning for a short time. They shouldnt have to live their life being caged up or tied up 24 7.

 

[CreatureTeacher]

I think pens are an excellent idea, as long as they are only used when necessary and aren't the dog's primary energy outlet. Other exercise is needed for them to be happy and healthy.

It sounds like chaining is a sensitive subject, but I'm sure you can all guess that I hate seeing a dog chained outside alone. In my opinion it's dangerous and cruel.

Both methods are acceptable if used in moderation and with complete supervision at all times. If someone is not directly supervising their dog in a pen or when chained, then the dog should not be there!

Either method can become a crutch and an excuse. Dogs who spend their lives outside ought to have different owners, whether penned, chained, or loose in the yard. I've witnessed the psychological and behavioral damage that results from such treatment, and frankly it should be considered legal animal cruelty and should be punishable as a crime.

 

[Saje]

Well, penning is not so bad. I think it's a good way for some dogs to learn boundaries and some animals need to get used to a smaller space in the house before they can have more room inside. I'm thinking of rabbits when I write that as they need to be in a smaller area and gradually get more space so that they don't 'forget' where their litter box is. There are other reasons too.

As most of you know Mikey has to be tied up right now until the end of the month when we move into a fenced yard. He is always supervised and he has 30 feet of 'rope' to run on. He can actually go quite far! And can almost stick his nose in the front door if he wanted. It's not he's primary form of exercise as he goes for long walks everyday. Well, right after he got neutered he was just let out to potty and then back in. I don't think he minds too much being tied up. The only thing that bugs him is Maverick who thinks it's great fun to stand just out of his reach witha stick in his mouth and tease him. I always have to go out and give Mikey a stick or bone and Maverick thinks I'm a party-pooper!

So, I don't think chaining is ideal. I think that most people who do it are not taking care of their dogs properly but I think that my dog is happy and I'm making changes so that he doesn't have to live like that.

 

[Renee750il]

I'd like to add that people who have their dogs living on a chain 24/7 are setting up a perfect scenario for a child to be bitten. These dogs get anxious, depressed, territorial and very often anti-social. Children are so attracted to dogs and parents aren't always watching their kids like they should, and so often never teach their kids about having respect for dogs - and other people's property; it's just a recipe for another lousy headline about a dog attack. And once again, it's all caused by a thoughtless human being!

 

[CreatureTeacher]

I'd like to add that people who have their dogs living on a chain 24/7 are setting up a perfect scenario for a child to be bitten. These dogs get anxious, depressed, territorial and very often anti-social. Children are so attracted to dogs and parents aren't always watching their kids like they should, and so often never teach their kids about having respect for dogs - and other people's property; it's just a recipe for another lousy headline about a dog attack. And once again, it's all caused by a thoughtless human being!

Amen to all of that!

 

[gaddylovesdogs]

Dogs who spend their lives outside ought to have different owners, whether penned, chained, or loose in the yard. I've witnessed the psychological and behavioral damage that results from such treatment, and frankly it should be considered legal animal cruelty and should be punishable as a crime.

I disagree and agree with that, both at the same time. IMO if a dog lives outdoors and is properly taken care of (exercise, food, water, shelter, attention), that's fine. But if a dog lives outdoors and is NOT taken care of, I'd be ready to call animal control.

 

[Saje]

"Taken care of" means different things to different people. Sadly, for a lot of people it just means the necessities for survival are there. I think it depends a lot on the individual perspective.

But, I can't imagine having my dog living full time outside. They love being a part of the family. He loves being outside too and the couple of times we've left him out later than usual he is curled up next to the door waiting to be let back in for the night. Of course, he wakes us up bright and early to go back out! LOL

 

[gaddylovesdogs]

I can't imagine my dogs living outdoors either, but then again they have been indoor dogs ever since we've had them. I don't know much about their pasts--Colby was dropped off in a sack at the side of the road, May was used as a breeding dog then abandoned and Tippy was neglected and abused, left to live under a deck. Tippy lived outdoors before we got her though. She lived with a Chow and a Chow mix, a bunch of druggies and one poor little boy. She was skinny and they hit her--the only one over there that cared for her was the little boy. And because the only nice person she had in the beginning of her life was a little kid, she LOVES little kids. She's actually tried to chase down a little boy so she could play with him .

BUT, not all outdoor dogs are abused/neglected etc.. I know an ACD who lives on a farm. He has a large kennel and a large house with hay in it. He always has food and water. He's well-trained to herd the cattle. I wouldn't say it's the ideal way for him to live...personally I'd keep him indoors, but he's got a good enough life and does what he was bred for. However there are people who own outdoors dogs just for protection (chaining a Doberman to a chunk of wood is real smart) or something like that. My dogs live indoors and are great guards. Colby's got a strong bark, May doesn't bark much, but when she does it is very low, and Tippy, though she'd rather say hello to someone, has a very strong bark like a GSD.

 

[snookums]

I have a small fenced yard, so keeping her on a tie-down is not necessary. But when we do gardening and stuff out front we bring her with us, and so of course she has to be on a tie-down, or she'd run off.

I don't have a pen, but in the house, when she is alone, she's in her crate. I'm a stay-at-home mom so she's not there all day long.

 

[Love4Pits]

If I could keep ALL of my dogs in my house i would but its impossible as many of you know. But each dog does get time in the house each day. And the kennel dogs love their kennels there more like their dens if you get what i mean like Angel prefers her kennel sometimes over running around in the pasture. And the dogs i do keep inside are the ones who absolutly cannot stand being in the kennels. Normal deal i wake up around 5am get up get woke up let the dogs out to go potty lol then call them in. Get in work clothes call the Huskies and Chinooks inside out to the barn.Feed everyone Let the rest of the Huskies and the Chins out of the barn into the field to play while i start work on cleaning out the dog pens. Then I get everyone in their harnesses and booties get them hitched run each team two hours at the most with breaks on the trail. Get back home rub down and groom all the dogs they best i can unharness and unbootie them. And while i finish cleaning the kennels and equipment the dogs once again play in the field and after im done cleaning I play with them and chillin the house with them. They get back in their kennels for the night around 5pm and then its time for dinner.

So I think my dogs have pretty healthy kennel life I think.

 

[Renee750il]

Love4Pits, your dogs have a really ideal life. They are getting to do what they were bred to do; they're loved, cared for, get great food, lots of attention and interaction - all the things we try our best to give our dogs. I don't think anyone can equate your dogs' kennel life with a neglected pooch stranded in the yard!

 

[blue]

I have a 10x10 pen for Blue, mostly to keep the poop clean up easy, he is a poo eater. We also have a 40' over head run with a 12' lead on it. I dont let blue outside unsupervised unless for a short period of time and only in the pen when he is taking his time doing his business. Look at the moose picture the moose was 15' from where the run is and 20' from the pen, neighbors also have free range dogs.

I use the overhead run to work with Blue on fetching.

Im trying to figure out how to fence in the yard, the dogs love running, and still be able to move my vehicles, and big raft around and still be have a place to plow snow.