Keeping a dog or puppy tethered nearby can be an incredibly useful training tool. You can use it to help teach your dog or puppy: frustration tolerance, calm, sit and down, proper toy play and chewing, independence, interacting without biting, house training, understanding leash pressure, interacting without jumping, stopping demand barking.

 

To get started you will need either a chew proof tether (available online) or a piece of rope or leash that is fairly sturdy and coated with bitter spray. The length should be about 4 feet maximum. You should have several tether spots set up for easy use in your home depending on where you might be in the day. Some good stops are the kitchen if you spend a lot of time in there, your office, the living room etc. When you move to a new area bring your dog on the tether and have a bed, small amount of water and an edible chew or Kong stuffed with daily food - it's best to use most of your dog's food for training or to keep her occupied. Have some treats available for you to reward good behavior. Be sure to offer your dog a potty break every couple of hours especially if you are working on house training.

 

Young dogs should spend most of their time on a tether for the first few months unless exercising or crated, after that you can transition to using the tether less and having your dog drag a leash. Using a crate or other small safe space is best for when you are out. And of course exercising your dog is important for overall health and for good behavior. Try to aim for at least an hour of exercise per day.

 

When your dog is on the tether you are free to move in and out of the space, but for safety don't leave your dog unattended for long since tangling can happen. When your dog is tethered your job is to be paying close attention to her behavior. When she is calm or chewing on a toy go towards your dog and offer some attention or toss a treat. When she is agitated or barking, move away from your dog by perhaps leaving the room. Also take the opportunity to practice having your dog not jump up for greeting by walking towards your dog and if she jumps up say "no or eh eh" and walk away. You can do the same with nipping/biting by approaching and if your dog nips, say "no or eh eh" and walk away. It's also good to practice your dog's independence training by leaving the area briefly for short and then longer periods up to a few minutes. If your dog begins barking when you've left, try to wait for a moment of calm before re-appearing and then do shorter periods of leaving after that.

 

Good luck using the tether method with your dog!