I've never generally liked the idea. I do believe that in some cases, dogs become more defensive when the flight option is removed from the fight or flight thing. They're vulnerable in some situations and I think they know it. Not every dog will react that way but I've seen a lot that do. That is not to say that proof is present because other variables may be at play. There does however, seem to be some correlation. My son has a friend who ties up his pit bull and when he's on the chain, he lunges, snarls and snaps viciously. When he is in the house or otherwise loose, he is not that way. I knew someone with a Chow and a GSD mix and those dogs were chained 24/7. To me that's pathetic. They rarely came inside, had little family interaction. That's abuse. They were also "aggressive" when you'd come close. It might be a territory thing or a vulnerability thing. Who knows? There's a GSD I see when I'm on my way home tied to a dog house. That dog has been like that since I moved here...probably before. For 8 years, as I drive by this same house, there he is, tied out there. It doesn't matter what time of day or night. He's there with a dirt yard around him. That breaks my heart. That's how he's spent his whole life and it doesn't appear that he gets to come in the house ever.
When I see Miakoda's pictures, those dogs look like they're fine with it. But I know that they are not tied out there for prolonged periods. They seem to be entertained by their toys and have happy expressions. But she brings them in and does things with them too.
When my Lab was old, she seemed to be getting senile. She'd wander away, go down the dirt road I live on to a neighbor's and hang out there. It is a quiet little lane and I wasn't worried about her walking the short distance she went. They loved her to pieces and told me to just leave her alone (lol) and she even let their chickens peck her muzzle and she'd just wag her tail. I'd know where she was and would go get her. It got worse and worse, where if I turned my back on her for just a few seconds while gardening or mowing, she'd disappear where she didn't use to do that. It got to be such a hassle that I decided to tie her to a tree while I finished my mowing or whatever. She didn't look too happy about it, but lay down and went along with it. Sometimes she'd attempt to walk around and would come to the end of the rope and look sad. But then again, she wasn't use to being tied up either and that abrupt end to her freedom as she reached the end of the rope was foreign to her. But I didn't tie her longer than about 1/2 to 1 hour. If I were paying attention to her, she wouldn't leave so then I'd do something fun with her. But I can't imagine leaving her tied up for a long time. She wouldn't have been happy.
So, I guess it depends on how tying a dog is carried out. As long as it's not prolonged periods....hours and hours, as long as the dog gets ample exercise, fun, interaction with his family and indoor time, I don't have a problem with short stints. I do think that when chained, the owners should be at home in case they strangle or otherwise injure themselves. Tied to a deck with stairs is very dangerous because they can get wrapped up, jump or fall to the lower level and hang themselves. Again, supervision is needed IMO. And I don't think chaining should be in lieu of a fence. In a fenced yard, the dog can wander around easily without something pulling on his neck. He can run a little bit....better than when chained.
For me personally, besides that one situation with my Lab, Bonnie, I've never tied a dog out in the yard because I simply haven't felt a need to, partly because of my environment. But I guess if that's the only way a dog can bask in the sunshine and fresh air, just hang out and watch the world, besides walks etc, and he's happy enough about it, I guess it's okay for a while if the owners are around.
