This is a third try to send this topic and hopefully it will work this time. My neighbor has a 100+ lb. neutered male German Shephard (around 6 yrs old). I have always had labs, so not sure if this is something that a GS owner would condone. They leave him out in the front yard tied to a long lead for hours on end when they are home. This a.m. he was out in the misty rain for the entire morning, and sometimes he appears vicious when lunging out at the UPS truck of even my husband taking the trash out late at night (11 p.m. and he is still out there). He is friendly off leash. I understand that they had a "trainer" tell them that dogs need to used to being separated from them so have always done this. We think it is cruel and also are concerned with the way he reacts to passerby's. Any opinion or comment on this?

first of all why the front yard?
and second I personally don't condone tieing out dogs at all.
He needs a kennel or a crate, or some new owners IMO

He is obviously very unhappy if he is friendly off leash, what if he breaks his tie out and its a child or other dog he is lunging at?

Only tie out I do is for training. Go and talk to the neighbor, is there water there? This is just a law suit ready to happen. Some people should not have any pets!



Sgt Matt

I think a couple of investigative whys are in order. Mainly why leave him tied out in the front yard? Second is why no shelter? why a tie out? Most people have reasons for the weird things they do.

When I was a kid back in the wee days of the 80s we had a nice black lab mix named Penny who we kept on a chain in a 6 foot fenced yard. Yeah people thought that was a little weird and it was the start of the no chained dogs movement and on occassion we did get some guff about it until we mentioned that Penny was a fence climber and a board chewer. So basically no mountain or chainlink high enough and no wood fence thick enough so chain was the only option left at the time.

Might want to mention to them that chained dogs tend to get more territorial and more aggressive.


Lisa

Research your local Bylaws, there may be provisions on just such a thing.

To play Devil's Advocate...just a few hours? Or it's entire life is lived at the end of a chain w/no interaction? Big difference, IMHO. "Still out at 11p.m" or out AGAIN at 11? Also, could they just be blindly following this "trainer's" advice, trying to do the right thing but not knowing any better?

"Mist" is not a reason to keep a GSD inside, IMO. Mine certainly don't notice it, though I wouldn't leave my APBTs or my Chi out in the rain; they don't like it. My GSDs looove that kind of weather. I wouldn't feel like an animal abuser if I tied Caleb or Xander or even Qira to my tree out front for a couple hours while I got some things done around the house. Mist or no mist. It also keeps people from ringing my doorbell!

If the dog lives there, well, that's another story...but I am not against tie-outs across the board like many b/c I have seen dogs who FREAK in a kennel or crate and are ok on a chain. Maybe it has to do with a lack of a physical barrier; I dunno, but they seemed literally claustrophobic in a kennel, and were happy as clams on a chain. I don't chain b/c I don't want anyone to have access to my dogs, but I will occasionally tie Caleb to the tree by my door and let him lie on the porch. I use the chain so the neighbors don't freak; he wouldn't go anywhere anyway.

Also, chaining can certainly escalate territorial aggression, but no more so than LIVING in a kennel. Living in any enclosure is a bad deal, no question. Sounds more like the fact that the dog doesn't get sufficient exercise is more of a concern than the chain itself. I bet he would be less edgy if he was exercised.

My point, if anyone was wondering...is that there may be a good reason, or, if not, you need to at least decide whether this is a case of true abuse or neglect, or merely a difference of opinion in dog-rearing. There are people who think anyone who uses a crate is abusive. Just trying to interject some reasonable doubt and objectivity. If they cared enough to consult a trainer in the first place...there's probably hope for them. My, how optimistic I am this morning,LOL.

Thanks for the reply. It seems almost like they enjoy having a "watch dog" protecting the neighborhood. I know him and know he is friendly off leash, But if I were a stranger walking by and he showed aggression as he does, I would be a little concerned.

Thanks Melissa. He does have interaction with his family - not tied up all day. More like 4-5 hours at a time. I guess I feel that if you have a dog and you are home, he should be with you and part of the family. Just my opinion - I especially feel sorry for him in the evening hours when he is out and alone.

 Quote: mary gunter

He does have interaction with his family - not tied up all day. More like 4-5 hours at a time.

This is what is key, to me. While I think 4-5 hours is excessive, my own dogs are sometimes alone 8 hours while I'm at work, although they're loose in the house or kenneled in the garage. I do worry about him biting someone and him getting blamed for it, even though they were on "his" property. This is why I don't tie my dogs where others can/are likely to easily reach them; 1 or 2 would bite in a heartbeat if tied and someone tresspassed. But you can't punish someone for something that hasn't happened...yet.

 Quote: mary gunter

I guess I feel that if you have a dog and you are home, he should be with you and part of the family. Just my opinion - I especially feel sorry for him in the evening hours when he is out and alone.

I agree with you. So do most people, I would bet. Unfortunately, I think you're going to have a tough time showing "abuse" in these circumstances. Like I said, maybe they'd listen if you asked them about it? They DID go to a trainer who told them he needed to be alone...(WTF,pardon my francais)so maybe they think they're doing a good thing... If you are friendly w/them, try bringing it up non-confrontationally and see what the reaction is.