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The One Thing That Can Dramatically Improve Your Out-of-Control Dog

11/9/2015

20 Comments

 
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Often times my clients’ houses are pure chaos - dogs dashing around the house, jumping on people, bouncing off the furniture, barking at windows. An awesome first question is “when everything is wrong, where do I start?”  
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While there is no one-size-fits-all approach – generally speaking, I like people to start with two things: 1) Learn how to walk the dog appropriately, and 2) tether the dog to a person in the house. 
I’ve talked a lot about dog walks, but I don’t often talk about tethering. First of all, you may be wondering what it means to tether your dog.  

Tethering is when your dog is attached to you via a leash. If the dog is not attached to you, it should be in a kennel. I often prefer that you minimally communicate with the dog verbally, so it learns to always keep an eye or an ear on you. This is great if your goal is to one day have your dog off-leash and obedient. 

Sometimes, this is called the umbilical cord method. It is a TEXTBOOK method that is great for potty training dogs. If a dog is attached to you or in a kennel, there is no room for error! You are right there to correct and redirect any mistakes that may happen. 

However, the benefits go far beyond potty training; benefits of tethering: 

  1. Teaches your dog to follow you, rather than you follow the dog – So often people bring a dog or a puppy into their house and let it go free and then spend their time chasing it around correcting it when it makes mistakes. This teaches your dog how to get your attention and how to make you follow – maybe by grabbing shoes, baby toys, toilet paper rolls, etc. (that sure does get them a lot of attention!). That’s a very reactive approach to dog training and boy, is it frustrating when you feel like you never get a chance to relax because you are constantly chasing around an out of control dog. I’d much prefer your dog learn to follow you around and take cues from you. That’s a proactive approach.  
  2. Gives you an always handy tool to guide the dog – If a leash is on a dog, this reduces the chances that you’d have to handle your dog by it’s collar – which is one of the leading causes of dog bites and creates hand shyness. This way, if your dog tries to jump on a piece of furniture that you don’t want him on, you can simply say “off” and guide him off with a leash. If he tries to steal a shoe and hide under a table, you can guide him out. In training, you want to eliminate the dog’s game of “catch me if you can” as much as possible and this does that 100%. 
  3. Creates awareness and attention – If you get up and move without saying anything, the dog must follow you. This is a good habit to create.  
  4. Gets your dog or puppy used to a leash in a low-distraction environment – With the high amount of leash reactive dogs in the world today, getting them used to a sensation of a leash while they are not outside with other dogs, rabbits, squirrels and people will only help you when you get to the outside world and the dog already understands what the leash means.  
  5. Creates calmness – The most important thing I do with dogs is help them find calm. Humans have countless ways to find calmness – meditation, exercise, pharmaceuticals, yoga, relaxation exercises – this is one of the best ways to help your dog find that same happy feeling of calmness. It teaches your dog to be still and to be calm. A hyper dog bouncing around the house will only wind themselves up more. If that is all they have ever known, tethering can reset that behavior pattern and show you and your dog a new way to respect the house. Save the excitement for the agility course, dog park, game of tug, or whatever your favorite high energy activity of choice is.  
  6. Creates self-discipline and impulse control – When a dog can’t do whatever it wants to do all the time, it gains discipline and impulse control. Once it has these things, it has a much better chance of success when you cut the cord.  

Tethering isn’t forever, but if you’re getting a new dog, or looking to settle the chaos in your house, this is a great place to get started. It’s easy, simple, effective and cheap. Every board and train that comes through AWDT starts with a day or two of tethering, so they can learn how to respect my space, my wife’s space, the other dog’s space and baby Hugo’s space. Once they start to look calm and relaxed, I drop the leash and let them start to move on their own a little bit. When I feel like they get it, I take the leash off completely and I am left with a calm house and a bunch of happy dogs. 
20 Comments
CC
2/9/2018 04:02:16 pm

Thanks for a great article on tethering. Can it work on a 7 year old dog i'm adopting? How elise can I improve focus? She'll be a service dog eventually. Should I also hand feed? How long should the tether lead be? Will she know the difference being tied to me and being on a different lead for potty breaks? Thanks.

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Andrew Warner link
11/27/2018 04:51:29 pm

Absolutely. It can help any dog

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Aprodita Rivera
7/10/2018 10:51:01 am

Please notify me. I want to improve my knowledge about tethering the dogs.

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Kate Newsome
11/13/2019 10:00:37 pm

How would this work with a 8 week old German Shep puppy who is teething and likes to chew on the leash? I am finding it is better to have him tethered to me in the house (absolutely no accidents) compared to 9-10 when he is off leash prancing around. He doesn't chew on leash when being walked outside but likes to chew while resting by the couch or wherever I am. I usually redirect and try to entice him with his actual chew toy but he is enamored with the leash currently. Figured I could buy multiple $1 store dog leashes to use during this phase temporarily.

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Andrew Warner link
11/16/2019 10:21:36 am

Kate,

If he is going after the leash then correcting that becomes the drill. You can cover your leash in bitter apple, you can correct with a pet convincer every time he touches the leash, you can make him sit whenever he bites the leash. Experiment with different options to break the pattern and let me know how it goes

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Amanda
3/30/2020 09:30:12 am

Hi,

I am beginning to tether my 3 month old puppy as housetraining has been spectacularly unsuccessful. I have two main questions:

1. Will tethering create separation anxiety issues? If it can, is there a way to do it that won’t? We are training him to be an ESA so he needs to be very calm and well-adjusted with no anxious behaviours.

2. How do I get him to stop chewing on the leash?

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Andrew Warner link
4/1/2020 03:38:43 pm

Amanda,

Thanks for reading. I've never seen tethering create or add to separation anxiety. Almost counter-intuitively it sometimes even takes away separation anxiety - probably because it is typically added as part of a structured life.

There are lots of ways to get your dog to stop chewing on the leash. What I typically do is anytime they try to chew on the leash, I will make them sit. Simply changing the pattern of playing with the leash to doing a sit stay is enough to change their routine and make them realize that chewing on the leash doesn't bring about the desired outcome. If that doesn't work, I'll use whatever correction works effectively with the dog when they chew on the leash. That could be a pet convincer pressed whenever he goes to bite it, an e-collar if they are trained on that, saying the word "no," a leash pop, etc. Whatever is effective with your dog that doesn't turn you into a "nag."

Feel free to ask any other questions you might have!

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JoLynn
5/26/2020 04:52:41 pm

I have a 15 month old dog that needs some behavior correction. We also have a 13 week old puppy. We currently have our puppy tethered but my older dog chews & pulls on the leash when he's around.

Would there be benefit in tethering both of our dogs to different members of the household? Also - does it matter who within the household the dog is tethered to? Does it have to be consistently the same person?

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Andrew Warner link
5/27/2020 09:54:53 am

JoLynn,

Thanks for reading. Everything gets more complicated when you've got multiple dogs involved. Tethering them both can be a good thing for sure. It sounds like the older one needs to learn how to not chew and pull on the leash so coming up with an effective plan for that is probably a good move!

In regards to who does it, a balance is always good. If each dog has a chance to get led by all the humans in the house that is ideal. If someone isn't as involved, that's not always possible. If the dog becomes too attached to one person, have them work with someone else primarily. If it doesn't respect someone in the house equally, have them work with that person.

I hope that helps!

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Shannon Pearson
6/16/2020 11:05:55 am

I'm starting this training method for a year old male dog I adopted that's having aggression issues with my 2 year old female dog that was already in our house. They love each other and get along 80% of the time but the new dog will show signs of aggression towards the other dog over toys, bones, and furniture like when she approaches the couch to lay down if he's already on it. This method was recommended to me by the adoption agency to help with his aggressive behavior but I can't find resources to help me understand the details because everything seems to be about house training which he's great at already. Is this a place I can get answers to some of my questions?
When I let him out to go potty do I keep him on the leash and go with him?
Should I leash them both?
What do I do when he shows signs of aggression over the couch? Should I get up and move or stay on the couch?
We've eliminated all bones. He only gets them at night when he sleeps in his area. Should I reintroduce them into the household?

Thank you so much for reading and any help advice you could give.

Reply
Andrew Warner link
6/17/2020 04:18:23 pm

When I let him out to go potty do I keep him on the leash and go with him?

Answer: I would use a long line for a while outside to guarantee recall and generally keep control in your yard.


Should I leash them both?

Answer: Ideally, your original dog is good enough that he or she understands the rules of the house in which case you can just focus on the new one. If not, another household member can tether the other dog while you get control. If it is just you, then work with one at a time until they both understand the rules of the house.

What do I do when he shows signs of aggression over the couch?

Answer: The leash can physically help you remove the dog (as a consequence) without you getting bit. However, the crux of the issue is you need to get control of the resources in your house: food, couches, your affection, toys, etc so the dogs aren't fighting you or each other for them, but rather looking to impress you so that you can grant them.

Should I get up and move or stay on the couch?

Answer: Neither dog should be on couches right now. If you ever re-introduce them, the dogs should get up and leave upon request and need to believe you have the authority to control these high value items.

We've eliminated all bones. He only gets them at night when he sleeps in his area. Should I reintroduce them into the household?

Answer: Not yet. Unless you feel confident to give them, keep them separated, and take them back.

Reply
Kat Wood
8/22/2020 05:14:26 pm

Is a harness best to use with this method? If so, is it considered cruel to have the harness on all day? I've been told it is.

Also, is stationing good to use with this method? Just got a new puppy and I can't get anything done because I'm constantly watching her.

Thanks for your help.

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Jess
9/24/2020 06:17:29 pm

Hey Andrew!

Thanks for posting about this. I'm new to PAWenthood and this is my first time hearing about umbilical cord training. Iave a 12 week old Mini Aussie who I'm going to try this with.

Is there a certain period of time you suggest I follow umbilical cord training? My vet gave me a housebreaking booklet that suggested I implement this on a structured schedule for about 12 weeks, but I'm curious to know your thoughts.

In fact, there's an example schedule in the booklet that sets time for play and exercise after elimination walks but I'm not sure how to go about these. Am I giving him play and/ or exercise on leash only (while I umbilical cord train him)?

Am I allowed to give him off leash play time at my discretion (for example, a puppy play date or some 101 supervised play time with me) or do you suggest off leash play time only after elimination?

Looking forward to hearing from you and thanks again for sharing your expertise.

Best,
Jess

Reply
Jamee
1/8/2021 11:39:24 am

Hi Andrew,

I'm starting to tether my 13 week old doodle. She's barking a lot, biting the leash, and trying to escape (I'm afraid this will choke her or restrict her breathing). I've given her lots of toys and have been redirecting her to sit or trade for toys instead of biting the leash. I've been clapping loudly to distract her when she barks but I'm at a loss of what else to try. Please let me know if you have any feedback!

Reply
Tamara
2/7/2021 10:51:36 pm

Hi! Thank you for reassuring me that tethering is ok. I found it by accident when housetraining my puppy. Recently he started marking in the house and I put him back on the tether. I noticed that he's so much more calm! What an unexpected and happy surprise. He's an anxious boy and when loose he barks at things and roams around the house. By accident I discovered that tethering him - to me or a chair while I'm near - has significantly calmed him down. I've been trying to crate train him - he has developed separation anxiety - and the crate is very slow going. But I can leave him tethered in the dining room while I do the dishes and he doesn't whine. Like magic. How long will I need to tether? Do dogs grow out of their anxiety? Thank you!

Reply
JODY
5/8/2021 08:03:44 am

I am having a really tough time house training a 5 month old puppy. He is great tethering and goes when he is outside. The second he is off leash with a bit more freedom in the house he finds a place to squat and pee - it is getting exhausting. Any help please!

Reply
Lauren
7/13/2021 08:11:33 pm

How long can you tether a dog for How would you suggest cutting the cord when you are ready to and what will the signs be that a dog is ready to stop being tethered

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Vivian Black link
4/13/2022 08:10:19 am

We just got our first pet last night. We chose a dog companion because we wanted our pet to go camping with us. It is important to get him to follow us wherever we go. I like your idea to keep your dog tethered in order to train him to keep an eye and an ear on us. We want to train this puppy to always follow us for his own safety. This week would be a good time to call for obedience lessons.

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Thomas Clarence link
1/23/2023 03:18:44 pm

I thought it was informative when you mentioned that there isn't a one-size-fits-all method when it comes to training a dog. I would think that it would be a good idea to use the same language as much as possible when training a dog. It seems like you would want to use the same language when training a dog so that it can understand you.

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