A dog chain or dog chain collar on dogs that are usually kept outside seems completely normal. Many people don’t think of it as a malicious act. After all, it’s only for the dog’s safety and to prevent them from running away, right?
Well, in theory, that is the case. However, it can actually be terrible for your dog. By keeping your pooch on a chain you are basically restricting their freedom to move around. Of course, you don’t want them to run away, but a chain is not the best option to do that.
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In fact, a dog chain collar can be extremely detrimental to a dog’s health and well-being! Besides this, by keeping your beloved canine on a chain you’re also preventing them to properly socialize with other animals and humans too!
In this article, we’re going to explain why keeping a canine on a chain is doing more harm than good.
Dog chain – Why not to use it
There are many reasons why you should definitely not keep your dog chained. We’ve already said that it can be bad for your dog’s health and overall well-being. However, it’s also very dangerous for humans.
Let’s take a look at why chaining canines is bad for them and humans!
1. Chained dog’s don’t get the care they deserve and need
Our first concern with chained dogs is that they usually don’t get the care they need and deserve. Look at it like this, you’re in your home, watching TV or doing chores and your dog is outside alone. He might have spilled its water or food, they are lonely, and so on. But you don’t know any of this because your dog is out of sight and out of mind basically.
Even the Humane Society of the United States warns that a chained dog is basically a neglected dog:
“Rarely does a chained or tethered dog receive sufficient care. Tethered dogs suffer from sporadic feedings, overturned water bowls, inadequate veterinary care, and extreme temperatures. During snowstorms, these dogs often have no access to shelter. During periods of extreme heat, they may not receive adequate water or protection from the sun. What’s more, because their often neurotic behavior makes them difficult to approach, chained dogs are rarely given even minimal affection.”
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Doesn’t all of this sound cruel? It does because it is! No dog deserves this kind of treatment. Dogs need a loving, warm home, a cozy bed. They need to be able to play and run around.
Basically, the better you treat your dog, the better they will treat you. The more love you give them, the more love will they return.
2. Chaining a dog is dangerous for humans too
Keeping your dog on a chain is not only dangerous for them, but for you and other humans around you as well! Yep, you read that right.
Dogs that are kept on a chain tend to be on the more aggressive side, so there is a high risk of dog bites and attacks.
This is because dogs that are kept on a chain usually are also unable to retreat from perceived or real threats, so they can act out aggressively. These dogs feel very protective but sometimes can’t distinguish between a real threat and a perceived threat. They aren’t socialized, so they see everything as a threat to their territory, even small children.
Besides this, it can happen that they don’t know how to act so their fight-or-flight instinct kicks in. A dog that is unable to flee when faced with a threat, resorts to fighting. So they sill attack any unfamiliar animal or person.
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So, before chaining your dog, you should be aware of the attack risks as well.
3. Dogs can become a victim of other animals and pose a danger to themselves
Experts and veterinarians agree that keeping your dog on a chain can pose different dangers to the canine too.
First of all, a chain can cause neck and back injuries to your dog. If your dog gets excited or feels threatened can start jumping around, which can lead to serious injuries.
Besides this, it is even possible for a dog to hang himself if the chain gets caught on something up high… If that isn’t enough for you to stop chaining your dog, I don’t know what is!
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Even the U.S. Department of Agriculture warns that chaining your dog can be very dangerous:
“Our experience in enforcing the Animal Welfare Act has led us to conclude that continuous confinement of dogs by a tether is inhumane. A tether significantly restricts the dog’s movement. A tether can become tangled or hooked around the dog’s shelter structure or other objects, further restricting the dog’s movement and potentially causing injury.”
Secondly, your dog isn’t only a danger to itself, but it can become a victim of other animals too. A chained dog is vulnerable to attacks from other animals, be it wild animals or venomous insects or reptiles.
Conclusion
In conclusion, a dog chain can be a very dangerous tool not only for dogs but for humans too.
Even experts and credible associations and government bodies don’t support the idea of chaining and tethering a dog.
They all agree, it’s inhumane, cruel, and can lead to serious injuries and even death of your dog.
Besides this, dogs that are chained are usually very neglected, they don’t get the care they deserve and are sitting ducks for other animals, extreme heat, cold, rain, lightning, or even hurricanes and tornadoes.
We would definitely suggest thinking twice before putting and keeping your dog on a chain in your garden.