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Making A Zip Line For Your Dog

Keeping our dog safe, and abiding by the rules of many of the places we visit, means that Myles spend a lot of time on-leash. Though we’re always exploring new places, life at the end of a six foot tether doesn’t provide him with much freedom. So, to give Myles more room to wander while we’re camping, we made an inexpensive zip line for our dog!

Zip Line vs. Tie-Out

The zip line has a lot of advantages over cable tie-outs, which people often use to keep dogs from wandering off.

First, jumping up every two minutes to untangle your dog doesn’t happen with a zip line. If you have a dog who’s constantly wrapping his tie-out around the picnic table, tent stake, trees, and your chair, you know how impossible it is to relax with those shenanigans going on!

Second, you’ll never again feel the dread of watching your dog bolt to the end of their unforgiving cable tie-out. The zip line has more give and protects pets from injury.

Third, the zip-line won’t trip you when you’re stumbling around the campfire in the dark!

Materials and Assembly

All you’ll need to make a zip line for your dog is some nylon rope and two spring clasps. Any hardware store will have these materials, or you can order them online for about fifteen dollars.

We chose a rope with a smooth cover, which makes it comfortable to handle when we’re putting it up and taking it down. It also has a bit of stretch for some shock absorbency to protect Myles from a sudden stop.

Rod used his Eagle Scout skills to handle the knot tying. He made quick work of the two bowline knots, attaching the spring clasps to the ends of rope.

Melting the fibers by passing the raw ends of the rope though a flame keeps them from unraveling. And – SHAZAM – the zip line is ready for action!

Deciding On Length

The most difficult part of making your zip line will be deciding how long it should be.

We decided on a 50 foot line, which gives Myles plenty of room to explore. And because having too much is better than not enough.

That length also gives us more flexibility if we’re at a campsite with few anchor points. If we don’t have trees, we can attach one end to the ladder on the back of our motorhome and the other to a picnic table or post.

Setting Up The Zip Line

Before setting up your dog’s zip line at a park or campground, check the rules to verify that they allow the rope to be wrapped around the trees. Also, placing a 1 to 2 inch webbing between the tree and the rope will help protect trees with soft bark. Nails and screws should not be attached to the tree when putting up your zip line.

It takes about five minutes to set up our zip line. In the photo below, we’ve wrapped one end of the rope around a tree and clipped the spring clasp on to the rope. Then, keeping the rope taught, we ran the rope to another tree, going around the tree as many times as necessary to take up the slack before clipping the spring clasp back to the rope.

The rope is placed high enough to just give Myles the ability to lie down comfortably. Giving him just enough leeway keeps him from building up too much velocity and jerking at the end of his leash if he decides to chase a gofer or give a squirrel a run for his money.

We also use the dog zip line when our campsites have a ramada. It’s easy to wrap the line around two posts and snap the ends back on the rope.

One Zip Line For Two Dogs

When we still had Ty and Buster, we made separate runs for each dog on the zip line.

We’d wrap the rope around the first tree and clip the spring clasp back to the rope. Then we’d make a complete pass around a second tree, creating the first section of zip line where Ty’s attached in the photo below. Then we’d wrap the rope around a third tree and clip the spring clasp back to the rope. That created the second run of zip line where Buster is attached in the photo below. Giving the boys their own space kept them from getting tangled around each other!

Connecting Dogs A Zip Line

Pets should never be attached to a zip line by their collar, because it could choke them if they became tangled. When he’s on the zip line, Myles wears his harness, which has a loop on the back to connect the leash. The final step is to slip a heavy-weight carabiner through the leash handle and snap it on the line.

What’s “heavy-duty” enough for your carabiners? It depends on your dog! Mass times velocity = force. So, if you have a 50-pound dog and he can accelerate to 5 mph on the zip line, a caribiner rated for 250 pounds should be sufficient. Again, it’s best to err on the side of safety.

Place your pup’s water bowl within easy reach and you’re done! Just remember never to leave your pal unattended on the zip line.

Have you tried a zip line with your pets? Please share your experience in the comments below!

https://www.gopetfriendly.com/blog/making-a-zip-line-for-your-dog/

Solid Advice About Dogs That Can Help Anyone

Owning a dog is a very serious responsibility. You have to be sure that you have a happy and a healthy dog. Knowing what it takes to achieve this balance with your dog means learning all you can, so educate yourself fully by reading the information which lies below.

Your dog needs a stimulating environment if it is going to live a long and healthy life. Providing him or her with one is not really that hard. Simply make sure you take your dog for walks each day, and purchase a few toys that you and your pet can play with together.

If you are planning to take your dog on an extended car-ride, talk to your vet about motion sickness medication first. Avoid feeding him before setting out to prevent queasiness and vomiting and make sure you buy him bottled water if you are traveling to any destination that is known to have issues with water quality.

Take your dog to the vet regularly. This may seem like an added expense that you don't need, but when you take your dog to the veterinarian, he can screen your dog for diseases and make sure he is in the best of health. This of course prevents problems down the road.

You should only try to teach your dog one new command during each training session. Even if you think your dog is good at picking up on things and will have no issues with that, it is much less confusing for you and him if you focus on just one thing at a time.

When training your puppy or dog, keep the sessions short! Experts say that a dog has the attention span of a small child, sometimes less, and that longer sessions will actually cause him to forget everything you've learned together. Use positive reinforcement and limit your training sessions to no more than 15 minutes.

Try not to feed your dog any table scraps. Feeding a dog from the table only reinforces begging. The dog will also be less likely to eat its normal food. Scraps can be terrible for his diet and lead to obesity and other health problems. You need to make sure your dog is not near the dinner table. This will make it easier for your pet (and you!) to avoid temptation.

Just like humans, dogs need to get a good amount of exercise each and every day. If your dog does not get the exercise it needs, it health will decline, and so will his attitude towards life. Take the time to exercise your dog for at least a half hour each day for the best results.

Do not overlook your dog's bad behavior. If you ignore an unwanted behavior, it is as good as reinforcing it. It will become very difficult to correct the more time passes. In addition, by not taking action, your dog may injure another person, even you. Therefore, ensure you discipline your dog.

Attention exercises must be practiced daily. These exercises will help you gain your dog's attention when they are barking or being disruptive or destructive. Once you can gain your dog's attention, you will have less to worry about when you have him out of the house or when there is company over.

Always be sure that your dog understands that you are the master if you want to have a well behaved pet. This is important because if your dog believes that he is dominant over you, then you have a much smaller chance of getting it to obey your commands and behave according to your wishes.

how many days after neutering can i walk my dog should always be brought to the vet for regular checkups. Your dog should see a vet at least twice a year to make sure they are in good health and that they do not need new shots. A puppy will have to visit the vet more frequently. If your dog appears to be ill or injured, you should make a trip to the vet immediately.

If you're trying to break one of your dog's unwanted habits, make sure that you understand that it will not happen overnight. Breaking a habit takes time and patience. Don't get discouraged and give up if it seems like your pup isn't making progress. Keep at it and maybe try changing your approach to the training. Sometimes this can be the boost that your dog needs.

If you're going to be away from your dog for a short period of time, it might be a good idea to invest in a dog crate. A crate for your dog will provide it with a safe and secure area to go into when you aren't able to watch it for a period of time.

It is essential that you get your dog vaccinated. Vaccinations will protect your dog from different types of illness and diseases. Most vaccinations are done at your dogs yearly check-up. Your vet can explain what each vaccination is for. The rabies vaccine is required by law in many different states.

Be prepared to have a lot of patience with your dog during potty-training. Much like children, dogs learn at different speeds and ages and your canine may be slow or stubborn. Have good resources at your fingertips to assist your efforts and remember not to get angry when your dog has "accidents" as that will only impede his progress.

If you are in the market for purchasing a dog that has been breed you need to make sure that you have every stipulation in writting. For example, if the breeder promises to spay or nueter the pet, you must get that in your contract. Doing this will protect you from any conflict later on.

Never punish your dog for being curious about a new baby. Instead, allow your dog to investigate the smells and sights that come with a baby at a safe distance. If the dog is made to feel like the baby has infringed on his home, the very worst is far more likely to happen.

They say dog's faces show a lot of emotions, and that fact is not very surprising. You now know more about communicating with and taking care of your dog. You will have a happy dog for that.

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