[GoPackGo]

Does anyone use an Overhead Dog Trolley for their lab? I bought a house with a wooded lot and I don't want to put up a fence. (Also Overhead Dog Trolleys are a lot cheaper)
My labs stays in the house with me but when I'm outside grilling or doing whatever I don't want to babysit him.

I found this Overhead Dog Trolley online.

thoughts or suggestions?
thanks

 

[BigBrownDog]

I used one with my Shepherd - once she knew the boundries she was OK. The risk is that your dog can run the line out to the very end while chasing something and then get jerked back - potentially injuring himself. So - if you choose to do this spend the time training him on how far his line extends.

You also run a risk of the dog wrapping the cable around their legs - just not as much of a risk as a tie out with a stake in the ground. They can badly injure themselves in this manner as well.

Now - my Shephed was no more than 60# - a heavier dog may very well yank the anchor out of the tree you put it in. I don't think it would hold up with my 80# strong young male Lab. I opted to eventually fence the yard - much, much better for all concerned.

A tie out (stake or overhead cable) is not good for extended periods - we just used it for potty breaks.

 

[patm]

I used one for Skippy when he was younger. I do think that if you are going to "tie your dog out" while you are outside with them, doing something else, that an overhead cable makes them a little happier than being tied to something. Skippy would wrap himself around the tree at the one end however. I wouldn't use one anymore, but I am lucky to live where my dogs can be loose with me in the yard without having to worry about them. I do have to keep an eagle eye on them though, but that's what having dogs is all about sometimes.

 

[justine]

I think if it was just for going potty, it would be fine.. but if it were for an extended amount of time, I wouldn't feel comfortable with that.

 

[kaytris]

For pottying, sure. I lived in a rental unit for a while and used that for my border mix, and it worked okay, but give me a secure fence any day.

If you do get the trolley, consider using it with a body harness rather than attaching it to his collar.

 

[GoPackGo]

For pottying, sure. I lived in a rental unit for a while and used that for my border mix, and it worked okay, but give me a secure fence any day.

If you do get the trolley, consider using it with a body harness rather than attaching it to his collar.

The body harness is a good idea. I used to use the body harness when I had my lab pull me around the neighborhood on my landyacht. I found that this type of recreation taught him to be a puller when walking normal so I stopped, even though my lab loved it!
this is a landyacht.:

 

[GoPackGo]

I think if it was just for going potty, it would be fine.. but if it were for an extended amount of time, I wouldn't feel comfortable with that.

My lab goes to the bathroom when I tell him to. I don't need an overhead dog trolley for that! Also, I'm contemplating a 100 ft span for him to run on. There's nothing cruel about that.

 

[Samson]

I wouldn't trust an invisible fence so if there is no other option then that's the one I would go for !

At one stage my garden was open to the road and I had a ground stake for Jasper which is a similar idea but not so good for the dogs ! I found that he only ran to the end of the line when somebody walked into view and most of the time he lay around with me enjoyibg the sun.

Also, the line wasn't long enough for him to get up to speed

I would never rely on one for a dog's sole means of exercise ! Now that would be just plain cruel