Will you look at the size of that chain!

A question or comment that I will frequently overhear is in regards to the 1", 6' length of link chain that is used as my dog's leash. The fact that it is a thick chain is usually whispered by people that have waited, trepidatiously, for this beast attached to the chain go bye. It's hard to give them the reasons so that is usually taken up by "He's a friendly dog." type of excuse for the leash.

It is a given that the dog is strong. But why the six foot length of chain (plus a foot with the fabic handle that attaches to the chain)? The answer is simple.

I need something that will allow him to roam on his sniff circuit. If I had a 3 foot chain then I would walk twice the distance that I do now because the chain is half as long. It gets him to the sides of buildings and fences where all the other dogs have been leaving their pee-mail. The dog's a working dog and he will haul me regardless of the distance. It is what he covers anyways.

When we are out and about I may need to go and pick up some food or art supplies or whatever there are times that there are no street sign posts, parking meter posts, fences or what have you, that are available, to tie him up to securely and safely. When this happens, then, the nearest telephone pole will work quite well.

Why such a large guage of chain? Once again the answers are simple.

It is, unlike the fabric, leather, or smaller metal guages types of leashes, big enough to grasp and twist around the hands without suffering the could be excruciating pain of having your hand squeezed by a smaller leash. Fabric and leather hurt bad enough but the resilliency of these is not in the crushing power of metal upon flesh and bone. When they are straining you don't need the added pressure to be crushing your hand.
Imagine having a rope tied around your hand and a 200 lb weight exerting pressure upon it. Now replace the rope with a piece of twine allowing for the same pressure to be exerted and you have a recipe for pain. Same principle applies to the chain that I use. It's big enough to hold and not crush the hand.

Secondly, on this part of why chain, is the predilection of the dog, when he happens upon his leash and the owner is not around, to chewing/investigating what makes it tick and work the way it does? Ever on the lookout for when it appears and you are distracted, it becomes the passtime. Lost some nice stuff to the chewability factor of the leash. Less costly too!

What about you?

 

Ok first of all I would never tie a dog to anything and leave him unattended in a public area even for a second. Second the using the chain as a leash is ridiculous only macho men that need to boost there egos use chains as the leash. I never had any problems with any of my dogs just using a regualar leash. But to each his own if that makes you feel better.

 

Also once I went to a weight pull thingy and there where these three huge body builder type guys holding there Big Blue dogs with huge chains as leashes with the end of the chain wrapped around the dogs neck like a collar it was so funny to see lol I asked them what the purpose of the chains was for he replied that his dogs is so strong the will break any collar or leash I just replied OH really smiled and walked away.

 

I think you summed that up pretty good....LOL

 

Your dog is so incredibly massive that he needs a 1'' 6 ft chain, yet sees in your own words thousands of people and is totally well-behaved. Which one is it, does he pull like a mad man, or does he walk like an obedient dog (making the chain nothing but an ego booster). I dont even use a 1'' chain for tie outs! 1/4 is big enough, 5/16 for a grown dog who works it alot!

ETA-and no, I dont have a problem with chewing. If they chew they get smacked with the rope, and are sat down. They learn quickly that is not fun, but jogging along ON the lead is. As for chewing when they are not wearing a lead, well of course they would if you allow them to? I throw my leads in the closet (on the top shelf) and shut the door.

 

Ok, so your dog drags you around town to read other dogs "pee-mail"? Who owns who?

This reason is my favorite, I'm sure you look real tough chaining your dog up to a telephone pole. In my eyes, you are the epitome of irresponsible. I don't even want to give examples, as I'm sure you know what can go wrong.

 

all male are bout 45-55 and 35-40 lbs. and i myself a use 10ft 5/8 or 3/4 rope lead. they all are some strong and i don't need a chian set-up to walk my dogs. my lead are strong and built to last. so using a big chain as a leash is ( i have a small penis but the big boosts my ego). not trying to offend anybody. but why destroy what many of us fight across the world. and that is to keep the american pitbull terrier from being the last of the dying breed.

 

Don't you trust your dog in public. A scan up and down the road will tell you if there are any other dogs about. You can then wait until it passes if need be. He is comfortable not scrunched. It allows him to sit and wait until I get back. There is no going in for a beer or lunch. He doesn't impede the flow of pedestrian traffic. Most people admire the dog waiting for its owner.

Macho doesn't fit into the equation. The chain is practical. The links mean that he can be secured as close to the collar as need be.

Upon further investigation I have discovered that the chain is only two thirds of an inch and not the inch that I has thought that it was. I hope that this doesn't make me any less macho than the guy with the little big dick and his three quarter inch rope.

His collar is a half inch. I know that smaller sizes will do but I don't like the grip. There are few things worse than having a slim chain slip through the grip of the hand and tighten on the fingers.

Do I take it that a tie out is when you tie your dog up to a post and leave him there for the afternoon in the back yard. I'm asking? Not trying to be sarcastic.

Mine weighs sixty pounds.

 

jmo. but the problems you are having toworry with are your own fault..simple...YOU let the dog start walking you instead of vice versa. and i know s#^t happens while walking, that's whay you gotta be ready,,but a chain that size isn't necessary. you can use it all day long for all i care though. i use a shoulder harness for mine when my wife walks her,,and it works fine with her. and she's a lil check....SOOOO..and if you put your stuff up, your dog won't chew it up.
and i wouldn't take the risk of tying my dog up anywhere. to much risk involved.
but like i said, use what you want. nylon leads or chain leads both work for me, and i use a leather or rubberized collar and have no troubles. and she's toned tight. just my thoughts for ya
regards

 

C'mon Ken,

Don't get deffensive, I know you like to embelish when you write...LOL

Chaining your dog to a telephone pole and leaving your dog in public.....BIG difference from that of chaining in a yard.....and yeah I beleive that you are lil sarcastic....thick headed too!!!

 

A "tie-out" as I meant it is as a chain/axle setup. You know, the ones a dog can run 24/7 365 without any real worry about breaking as long as you bought quality hardware. And that is with a chain MUCH smaller than 2/3 's. Dont you think it just might be overkill? I actually know a yard with a chain as small as 1/8 inch...been used on active adult dogs for 10+ years. I wouldnt risk it for a daily tie-out myself except on pups, but it is more than adequate for walking. As a matter of fact I have a 1/8 inch (20 foot) chain I take with me hunting,camping and fishing. I tie it up to a tree, so you can figure on maybe 15 foot usable running room in a 360 degree circle. I've actually had a (at the time) probably 95 lb. athletic English mastiff hit the end of that chain all night to the point of being continuously thrown off her feet....the tree looked like hell in the moring from the spinning chain digging into it and cutting, but the chain itself held up

 

All in all when you see you a dog on a chain regardless of what size the chain is you're gonna think it's an image thing. Me, I walk my girl on a decent size chain simply because I have trust in a chain. I'm not looking to personify a thug image or to make people think my dog is bigger and badder than yours. I know my girls personality and behavior and I believe I know what she is capable of. The debate of chains vs. ropes could stand forever and just as much as you believe a chain is just for image is the same way I beleive ropes aren't worth owning(no matter how thick). If you don't know the person or their purpose with the dog/dogs they have then shut your mouth disperse your thoughts and mind your business. Even my girl knows what it means when I tell her to mind her business, it's ashame damn humans don't.

BTW, if you disagree with any of the posted statements above then pm me so a thread isn't "high-jacked".

 

Hey, you can stroke Ken on your own time. This is a public board as you already know and have experienced your self. So you say mind your biz.....well the lil ribbin that Ken recieves he also enjoys part of the reason he embelishs when he writes.

Ken... can fend for himself.

 

*edited to keep thread going*

 

Heyyyyyy.....let's keep this thread going. Those who like chains, let it be known and those who like ropes, let it be known.

 

t park and tie him to a bench?

I let my dog drag me around. The first third of the walk is him dragging me from pillar to post, from tree to bush while he is catching up on the news. The second third is him walking and just enjoying being out. The last third is me whining about getting back to the house. I get to do whatever pulling there is except when he decides to go back for another sniff at something we've just passed. He sure gets into the loll mindset (do they have minds) when he knows that we are headed back home.

I know that I could train him to be what is referred to as the obedient, docile dog. I could beat him and kick him around to show him who is boss but I don't. There is only one person, over the years, that has clued into what I was doing. It is known as passive exercise. She was/is a nurse.

You are right I should not chain my dog up to a telephone pole because it is too macho. I should move down the street and tie him up to something else in the way of street signs or parking meters. If anything goes wrong or he has moved upon my return I can beat the bejeezus out of him because I am, as findrodhere suggests, the boss. If there are any complaints I can have then address findrodhere. If he is going to be out of sight or earshot then I might as well take him to a local park and leave him tied up to a bench until I am good and ready to come get him.

I'll show him what a man is. Puny canine! From here on in I am going to let him drag me through red lights. No more with him sitting down at the edge of the sidewalk and waiting for the lights to change. God! I feel manlier already.

A lot of the stuff that you say is reminiscent of the tid-bits people used to tell me about the only sure way to get a docile, obedient, well-behaved, nice dog is to cut his nuts off. That they didn't own a Staff didn't matter because they had friends that... ? They also told me about the locking jaws. Docking the tails and cropping the ears were also desirable because if they get into a fight then these body parts won't be shredded by their opponents.

That questiion of ownership is a real poser?

 

Thanks 'n' Cheers.

 

i read over this babble, and only found a couple of things to say anything about. first, you don't have to beat a dog in order for it to learn you ARE the boss/master/owner/alpha male(IF you are a male),whatever. this should've already been established though, so retraing would be in order,,and you might not wanna spend the time doin that...? i thing the whole point from all about the telephone pole,,is that it is a dumb thing to do with a apbt. for MANY reasons.

 

Dam Ken you dont have too much commen sense now boy lol even your sarcasim is weak lol lol.......

 

He has been in this neighbourhood for about 4 of the past twelve months. Two months now and two months over the past eight. He is known to many people. He is approached by two and four legged creatures. They like to stop by and pat him or say hello. He always welcomes a pat from a human or a jump about with a fellow canine.

They are given to understand that I don't let him off his chain unless we are in a protected area. It is not that he is a problem. It is because another dog may come along and see the dogs having a hoot and would want to come and play also. This is well and good but when you get a bunch of dogs together you then get the pecking order syndrome.

My dog is an alpha male. He'll play with any dog. When the dog talk starts about who rules the roost then, were he not already named, I would have called him Lightning. This is my fear about letting him loose to play. People understand and appreciate that I would go to the lengths that I do to keep the dogs safe.

I don't hit my dog to get him to understand good behaviour from wrong behaviour. I am not a perfect person and have not, as of yet, perfected my automaton nature when it comes to putting the leashes away. Sometimes there are more pressing issues that cause you to forget that it is still in the open. That's when the toothed marauder strikes.

His lesson about that occurred when he had put his leash into pieces and, then, when he wanted to go out he couldn't because there was nothing for him to be tied up with for his walk. My pointing, mumbling and overall complaining, as he watched me trying to piece the parts back together, got the message to him. The shortness of the lead compounded with his inability to wander registered with him. Each time it happened he saw the piecing ritual. I opted for the chain because it was inexpensive and durable. I've had it for the past six years plus. Chewing the chain doesn't, it seems, appeal to him.

Another common question, when walking the dog during the initial phase of the walk, is "Who's walking who? My usual response is that he is walking me. People smile, chuckle and enjoy watching us and our passive exercise. They don't know what they are looking at but they know that they enjoy it. They see a happy dog enjoying life to the fullest.

Regulars are not afraid to walk bye with their dog because they know that he is not going to attack and maul their dog. In reality they get to exchange muzzling/nuzzling and/or sniffs when there is time to tarry.

On one of our itineraries we walk past this store that is protected by a dog. The dog is fenced in and probably doesn't get out other than in the inside of the fenced in property line. The widest part of the fence at the front of the building is about six feet. The dog has been penned up for so long that it turns in circles. It is scary to look at. Not to put down the wheel but I feel that in a sense this would happen to any dog that was continually going in circles within a confined space. On the other hand maybe the dog would benefit from this toy were he to have a space big enough to have 20 feet of lead to exercise with on a daily basis.

In peace.