Tie Up Exercises

Practising tie-up exercises is super underrated and so valuable for the way we live with our dogs now.

The end goal is for the tie up to be a cue for our dog to relax. In any situation!

This means it is a style of management that can be taken to any location: we can use it at the footy; while eating at a café; when we're watching a movie & can't watch the dog; when the kids are playing a bit too full on for your puppy.

It’s a super easy activity to work on, but it is slow learning, so it takes a while to be perfect. This is why we call it an exercise rather than a skill which sounds more immediate. We need to work on it regularly so that our dogs get lots of practice and resulting improvement.

How to train Tie-Up:

When you are planning on sitting down somewhere for a period of time (it can literally be 5 minutes while you have a coffee, or while you watch TV), you are going to tie your puppy up right next to you.

You want them to be on a short lead, about 30-60cm.

Then you want to let them calm down. Do not take them off until they are calm.

Ideally, we are looking for a laying down calm, but while learning we can settle for a calm sit.

The main thing, like going to the gym, is to be consistent and do it as often as possible. I find that if I keep the lead next to the couch it is a good reminder to practice, and I don’t have any excuses.

When you and your dog are finding it easy, then we increase one of the three D’s: Distance, Distraction and Duration.

Take it to a new location; start to sit further away from your dog; increase the amount of time on lead.

Only increase the difficulty when your dog is ready and to a level that is appropriate. Suddenly going from sitting calmly next to you while watching a movie to being expected to sit calmly while at a dog park is unrealistic and not fair to your dog. It can also be counterproductive to move too quickly, as we don’t want to associate any negative reactions with being tied-up. So don’t push your dog too hard too fast, just like with any skill you practice at the gym.

We love to see photos of you and your dog practicing tie-up so make sure you tag us on IG! @tristenspuppygym