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Tethering for Anxious Pups
I have a delightful Bernedoodle staying with me now. Her name is Diggy and this is her third or fourth visit with me. On her first couple of days with me, she is always a bit anxious. When outside, though she does explore the yard, it appears that she may be scanning occasionally for her family’s return. When inside, she whines and paces quite a bit and has a hard time settling down.
Left to her own devices, I think allowing her to continue pacing and whining just winds up her anxiety further. So, to help Diggy settle, I used her leash to tether her to my chair, thus limiting her pacing options. When she stood quietly in the area, I occasionally gave her a piece of her kibble. Then, she began to sit sometimes and I treated her for that. Finally, she settled on the floor and I began rewarding her randomly for that. Before long, I was able to unclip her from the leash.
The tether helped her to settle much more quickly than if I just left her to work things out on her own. And honestly, it’s a protective strategy for me, too, as I find the pacing and whining stressful.
When do you find tethering to be a helpful management technique?
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