To Chain or Not to Chain My New Puppy?

[Happy]

Hi all, my puppy is only 2months old and I dunno whether I should release him freely or chain him when I'm not around. As I scared that he will be running away, I chained him when I'm not around. btw, I'm staying in terrace house and he is place outside the house.

Do you all chain your puppy (i you place ur puppy outside the house) and if not, does he try running away or has anyone experience puppy being running away for not chaining them?

Thanks.

 

[Herschel]

Chain him? Chain him to what?

I doubt very many people here chain their dogs to anything. A lot of us like crate training.

http://www.inch.com/~dogs/cratetraining.html

 

[Lizmo]

Yeah, chain him to what? Like a tree in your yard?!

No, I never have or will chain anything. There are to many cons compared to the pros(if there are any...to me there are no pros)

If I understand right, you 2 month old pup is outside all the time? If so, please bring him in, it's not even safe health wide for that young a dog to be outside 24/7. And then he will get not very much bonding time with you no matter how long you are outside with him.

Yes, try crate training! Also, when chaining, if left unsupervised some thing could come to your pup and well.....you know ....and you pup not be able to do anything.

Please, put chaining aside.....

 

[Oski]

I temporarily live in a townhouse that has a large field out the back doorwall that I used to let my dog out in to go do his business. I would watch out the door and sure enough he would come running back to the door when finished. My dog isnt a wanderer, but some dogs are..depending on the breed. People started to complain, i guess because they are scared of large dogs...even though he didnt bother anyone..I guess people have to complain about something!!! so I had to buy a lead that screws into the ground to chain him on when he goes out. This was very hard to get him to do, he was frightened of it for a good 2-3 weeks and it took a lot of patience to get him to even go to the bathroom while attached to it. Now though, people have started to run their big mouths again and are complaining that he is on this long of a leash, with is about 15 feet. I just can't get over how nosey people are sometimes. Sorry I got off the subject, needed to vent I guess... To answer your question, if your yard isn't fenced in, I would get a lead for him to chain him to, in order to avoid my same problems with other people, also to make sure he doesn't wander off on you.

 

[RD]

What breed is the pup?

Do you have a fenced yard? If not, why are you letting this puppy "out freely" to begin with? Really not a smart thing to do, especially with such a young dog. Please keep him confined to a yard or your house.

I have no problem with tying a dog out for 15-20 minutes to get some fresh air, do their business etc (I had to do this last summer with my Papillon, who likes to run off) but by no means is this a suitable way to house a puppy. If you must leave your dog outside, please think about investing in a kennel run for him.

 

[Happy]

it is a local breed. thanks 4 the advise, i guess i will be heading straight to Pet Shop later to get a crate for my little puppy : )

actually in my country, almost all the dogs' owner chain them and hardly place them inside the house...sad but true.

i didnt chain him in purpose thou as i just cant afford to lose him. anyway, he will be getting new crate tonight...yahoooo!! : )
hope he likes it hehe

 

[Cheetah]

I vote NO on both options. There is no reason you should have to resort to leaving your puppy out on a chain, and just letting the puppy roam freely outside of a fence is not only illegeal, but will most likely get him killed.

My dogs have a fenced yard, and when I didn't have a fenced yard, I took my oldest dog out on a leash and walked her. My dogs are never just left outside. They both live inside, and my younger dog is crated when I'm not here, and when we're asleep.

EDIT: I think you posted while I was still posting lol...

 

[Happy]

thanks cheetah, yup...i was clueless previously on how to keep him safe and comfy. Now I know wat to do : )

by the way, im just wondering whether your younger dog will make any noise or bark when u place him in the crate? I've tried to place my puppy in a big box before and he bark non-stop.

 

[RD]

He will bark and whine in his crate. The worst thing you can do when he does this is let him out, so wait until he is quiet to remove him.

If he is going to be crated for more than 10-15 minutes, make sure he has been exercised and has relieved himself first.

My puppy is 3 months old and still whines in her crate. It won't go away automatically.

 

[Cheetah]

You have to train them not to. According to Shippo's breeder, who started the crate training, he did cry at first. When he came to me he only whined sometimes. Now, he's totally silent, unless something is seriously wrong (he is sick for example).

Expect your puppy to cry at first. You have to be consistent about not letting him out when he cries though, or he will learn that he crying is what gets him out, and he'll keep doing it, and probably will do it louder, and for longer. >^_~<

If the puppy cries, you ignore him. Leave the room if you have to. Only let him out when he's quiet. To make it easier, you can give him his meals only in the crate. Give him his special chew toys/bones only in the crate. It will help teach him that his crate is his den, and a positive place. >^_^<

EDIT: Everyone posts faster than me... I'm supposed to type for a living! >@_@<

 

[Oski]

I used to crate my pup when he was younger, before he was fully potty trained, now he stays out in my room when Im gone. What I did when he was younger was put him in the crate at night when you sleep and in the same room as you. You will probably have to get through about 3 or 4 nights of constant whining, but then it should stop after that. I actually would sing my puppy to sleep when he was whining. after those 3 days were up, he never whined again. Even though he isn't very used to being in a crate anymore, he still doesnt whine when he is placed in one...my mom crates her dog and mine when he is visiting is visiting and he is fine with it.

 

[Friskycatz]

Just make sure he is IN your house while crated, Do not EVER leave a dog outside in a crate.

 

[Maxy24]

and when your home and can watch him you should let him out of the crate to be with you. If he is going to be crated for a long time (like while you are at work) You might want someone to come over and take him out on a leash to go potty and then put him back in the crate, or you could come home on a lunch break to do that. Just remember he should not be in the crate all day, and should be an inside pup for his well being. I'm also very glad you have decided to crate train . Like everyone else said if he whines or barks DO NOT LET HIM OUT OF THE CRATE. once he quiets down you can take him out. And feed him in the crate, put a toy or two in with him, make it a fun place to be.

 

[BlackPuppy]

I have a fenced yard, but my puppy likes to explore. So sometimes when I let her out I put her on a 20 foot leash so I can reel her in without going outside myself. My puppy is much older than yours. I'd want to keep a close eye on a little puppy with the hawks and coyotes around here - and I live in the suburbs. You also want to watch out of loose stray dogs that could hurt or scare you puppy.

 

[Happy]

thanks all for the advises. well, i finally bought Happy a crate last nite but he refused to go in. Not even when i placed his favourite food in there!!

gosh, im really clueless now. He bark and bark everytime he wakes up in the middle of the nite when he realised no one is around. Because of that, I have to sleep besides him, but everytime he wakes up, he will start licking my toes and will bite (soft bite) if i didnt respond. I have to chain him in my house, if not, he will walk around and start biting the furniture. But when he realised no one attend him, he will start barking and whining...

I really dunno what to do now. When I let him loose, he will bite all the furniture and even try to go out from my house gate!! when i chain him and leave him alone, he will keep barking and make 'pity' noises.

He will stop barking if I attend to him immediately. I guess he just needs attention and I know it is wrong to make him 'in control'. I just cant let him keep barking as I dont want him to disturb my neighbours in the middle of the night.

So should I keep traning him to stay put in the crate or any other method i can 'calm' him down when he barks and whine?

 

[Saje]

Happy,
You have your hands full!

But good for you for asking questions and wanting to learn. The crate is probably the best approach for you. I'd put the crate as close to your bed as you can get it. Don't lock him it it right away. Spend time getting him used to it. Put treats in there. Toys in there. And let him go in and out. If he goes in give him lots of love and praise and tell him how good he is. Don't force him to stay. It may take a few days. Make sure you feed him all of his meals in there. that's where his toys should be kept. Don't force or push him just stay positive and encourage him to keep going in. That's his safe place and you want him to feel comfortable.

Once he is going out then feel free to close the door while he eats meals. Only during meals. As long as he is quiet let him out right after he is finished eating. Build his confidence

You might try to make it more comfortable by putting a shirt that smells like you in there. Try wrapping the shirt around a warm (not hot) water bottle.

Never, ever let your pup out if he is making a fuss. Just wait for him to calm down and when he is quiet you can let him out.

There is a lot for you to learn! You might want to look up some posts on crate training by redyre, mordy, doberluv, creatureteacher or dr2little (among others).

 

[Bahamutt99]

A 2-month-old puppy left outside is as good as stolen in most of the places I've lived. If you have to leave him outside, can you build him a secure kennel with a lock on it?

 

[Happy]

thanks all for the useful advise. i cant wait to train my puppy later. will update the progress....hope he will like the new crate very soon. i need a good sleep as i have sleepless nite since i adopted him hehehe

 

[Angel Chicken]

Personally, I see nothing wrong with chaining a dog for a short period of time, to do their business or for some outside time.

My dog, Kona, is quite the terrier. She often runs to chase birds, ect, when we are outside for a potty break.

Simple solution, leash her! I haven't had to do this much anymore... I let her roam as she pleases, as she will make her way back home when I call for her.

Well, same difference, except with longer periods of time. I spend alot of time outside in the summer, planting, playing with the boys, ect., and Kona is out on a runner.

Why? Because I don't want to risk her running off.

I believe as long as the dog is supervised and not outside ALL the time, they will be fine. However, if it were to be outside while you were gone to work, I would definately crate train it.

 

[Zoom]

There's a difference, as was pointed out earlier, between tethering for a short period of time for some fresh air when you are home to supervise and being chained outside 24/7.