Walk notes
Dog tie-out safety: how we set up a backyard line
A tie-out gives a dog the yard without giving them the street. It's also the piece of dog gear most likely to be set up badly. A few minutes of planning makes the difference between a relaxed afternoon and a tangled, frightened dog.
Our tie-outs are 3/8-inch nylon with a heavy swivel clip at each end and reflective threads in the long lines. Here's the routine we'd follow.
Clip to a harness when you can
A harness spreads force across the chest if the dog hits the end of the line. A flat collar works for calm dogs; never a slip lead or choke collar on a tie-out.
Pick a solid anchor
A mature tree, a sunk post or a porch rail that doesn't wobble. Wrap once and clip back to the line so the anchor can't slide.
Walk the full radius
Pull the line to its full length and walk a circle. Anything it can wrap around — chairs, grills, shrubs, other posts — gets moved or becomes the new anchor.
Shade and water inside the circle
Both need to be reachable at every point of the radius, and the water bowl should be heavy enough not to tip.
Stay close, stay watching
A tie-out is supervised time. Never leave a tied dog alone, in the heat, or overnight.
The 10-foot line suits patios and campsites; the 80- and 100-foot lines are for yards and fields.
