Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Title: ANIM~l TETHERING APPARATUS
This invention relates to a means for tethering an animal such as a dog.
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BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
As is well-known, dogs require, as puppies~ to be house-trained.
10 One of the favoured methods of house-training is to cage the dog. In this
method, the dog is placed in a confined space. The dog will instinctively try
to contain himself, rather than foul the lie-down space in which he is
confined. As a result, the dog is exercised in the practice of waiting, and
u~llL~i--i-lg his natural functions, whereby tlle dog gradually becomes house-
15 trained.
The dog will instinctively strive to lie down in a clean space. If he has plentyof room, he has no difficulty in flnding a clean lie-down space, even if there
are other areas which he has fouled. Therefore, for training purposes, the
20 space to which the dog is confined should be small enoug~l that the dog
knows that, if he were to foul the space, he could not then avoid contacting
the excrement. If the cage were too large, the dog might come to set aside a
corner of the cage for t,.~ ell~, and then the training method loses its
effectiveness.
The dog should not be kept in the cage for such a long period that he cannot
contain himself any longer. The training method involves keeping the dog in
the cage for pl~glC~;v~ ly longer periods. The idea of this type of training is
that once the dog has developed enough control that he can last overnight, or
30 for sonle other suitable period, ill tlle cage, the cage can be dispensed with.
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The cage method is known to be very effective for first-time training puppies.
It is known to be effective also in giving an older dog a refresher course.
Thus, even when a dog is no longer a puppy, but is having problems of
5 containing himself for long pe}iods, the dog can be placed in the cage (for
example, overnight), and the dog will gradually acquire, or re-acquire, the
necessary control.
Naturally, it is very important to the pet-owner tllat tlle dog is properly
10 house-trained. In a case where a dog cannot last the night, it is bad enough
that an incompletely-trained dog may have defecated on the back-door-mat
by morning; and it is of course far worse if he should do the same thing in
the bedroom. Many pet-owners do wish for their dogs to be able to sleep in
the bedroom, and wish for the dog to be house-trained, or re-house-trained,
15 to the extent that tlle dog can be confidently and safely admitted to the
bedroom at night.
However, many owners, even for the period while training is taking place, do
not like to put the dog in the small house-training cage in a remote area of
20 the house every night. Besides, a dog wllich is used to sleeping in tlle same room as the owner may become emotional, and may even bark or howl if
kept in a cage; not only is this disl~ illg in itself, but the dog is hindered
thereby in the }e-training process.
25 It is often no solution to the problem, to locate the conventional training
cage in the bedroom. Many owners demur at the idea of having a cage
resident in the bedroom, and many demur at keepillg the dog confined in
that way, within sight. Again, tlle dog may himself become upset at being put
in, and confined in, the cage.
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GENERAL FEATURES OF THE INVENTION
In the invention, the dog is confined to a space which is small enough not to
5 exceed the dog's lie-down space, being the space that the dog will instinctively
seek to avoid fouling, for the purpose of house-training. In the invention, the
dog is confined, not by being placed in a cage, but by means of a tethering
apparatus.
10 It might be thought that tethering a dog, as opposed to placing the dog in a
cage, would not be effective to create the same fouling-inhibiting conditions
that are created by the conventional house-training cage. It might be thought
that, if a dog is tethered by its neck, it would be a simple matter for the dog
to reverse its body when the time came that the dog wished to carry out its
15 functions, whereby the excrement would be deposited outside the dog's lie-
down space, and then the dog could retire back to its lie-down space. It
might be considered that the dog would instinctively understand that he might
manoeuvre in this way while his neck remains tethered.
20 However, it has been found that a dog will not do this. If the dog is tethered
on a short tether, it has been found that the dog will strive to avoid
defecating, even though by turning himself around he could easily deposit
urine or solid excrement so far away as to leave enough room for a lie-down
space. It may be regarded as ~U~ that the dog will feel this inhibition,
25 especially since, when a dog is tethered on a long tet}ler, the dog shows no
inhibition in turning around (whereby the dog then faces towards the point-
of-tether) while defecating.
Preferably, in the invention, when the apparatus is attached to a fixed point-
30 of-tether, and is secured to the dog, the apparatus allows the dog's neck to
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move through a radius of no more than about 50 cm relative to the point of
tether.
5 THE INVENTION IN RELATION TO THE PRIOR ART
Leashes and other devices for tethering dogs are well-known. The following
patents may be considered relevant to the invention.
US-4,899,694 shows a short tether cable. US-3,884,190 shows a swivel-hook-
fastener clamped into an end-loop on a dog tether. US-4,834,027 shows
passing a fastener through an end-loop. US-3,798,934 shows securing an
article (a helmet in tllat case) by looping a cable around a post.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
By way of further explanation of the invention, t;~ laly embodiments ofthe invention will now be described with referellce to the a~o
20 drawings, in which:
Fig 1 is a pictorial view of a dog tether d~a,d~us which embodies the
invention;
Fig 2 shows the apparatus of Fig 1 configured to form a slip-loop;
25 Fig 3 shows the d~pald~u~ of Fig 1 in use in one configuration;
Fig 4 shows the same apparatus in use in a second configuration.
The appa,d~u~s shown in the ~.,"ll -~lyillg drawings and described below
are examples which embody the invention. It should be noted tllat the scope
30 Or the invention is defined by the a~ ,a--yi--g claims, and not necessarily by
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specific features of exemplary embodiments.
As shown in Fig 1, the dog-tether apparatus 20 cvlllplises a length of flexible,steel-strand cable 23, of the kind in which the steel strands are encased inside5 a covering of plastic. Plastic-covered steel-strand cable is conventional, andreadily available in different sizes. In the apparatus as ~ crriherl, the size of
cable having a diameter of 4.5 mm, over the plastic casing, has been found
gslticf ~ ~tQry.
10 Being plastic-coated, the cable 23 will not scratch furniture, etc. Being steel-
stranded, the dog cannot bite through the cable.
The cable 23 is formed with loops 25,27, one at each end. The loops arepel~allell~ly secured in place by means of metal clamps 29,30 which are
15 attached to the cable, during manufacture of the apparatus, by a crimping
operation. One end-loop 25 is smaller than the other 27.
In the smaller 25 of the two end-loops there is secured a swivel-hook-
fastener 32. The end-loop 25 was formed by passing a free end of the cable
20 through a ring-component 34 of the fastener, after which the clamp 29 was
crimped. Thus the swivel-hook-fastener 32 is attached to the cable 23 as a
permanent component of the tether assembly 20.
The swivel-hook-fastener 32 is of the type in which the hook-component 36 is
25 able to swivel relative to the ring-component 34.
The larger 27 of the two end-loops is of a sufficiently large ~ ial
length that the swivel-hook-fastener 32, and the smaller end-loop 25, can pass
clear through the larger loop. When the swivel-hook-fastener 32, and the
30 small loop 25 to which the fastener is attached, are passed through tlle large
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loop 27, the cdble forms a slip-loop 40 (Fig 2). A ci}cumferential length,
measured inside the end-loop 27, of about 13 cm has been found to be large
enough to allow tl~e fastener to pass clear through. The circumferential
length of the smaller 25 of the two end-loops typically is half that size, or 655 mm.
Fig 3 shows the apparatus in use. In this case, the apparatus includes an eye-
hook 38, of the kind which has a screw point. The eye-hook is secured to a
suitable attachment point, for example into a bd~cb~ d or wall in the room
10 in which it is desired to confine the dog. The eye-hook should be attached
firmly -- by being screwed into one of the wall studs, for example. The eye-
hook should be positioned close to floor level, and should be located where
its pl~J~lUi~ioll will not be obstructive or dangerous.
15 In using the apparatus, the dog is brought adjacent to tlle eye-hook 38. The
cable is configured into a slip-loop 40, as shown in Fig 2, and the slip-loop isplaced through the eye-hook. The length of the cable is then passed through
the slip-loop, whereby the cable is left secured to tlle eye-hook. The swivel-
hook-fastener is clipped to the leash-ring 45 on the dog's collar 47. Of
20 course, for the configuration of Fig 3 to be useful, the dog must be wearing a
collar with a suitable leash ring.
Now, the dog's head is confined to the small radius of movement. As
mentioned, confining the dog's head to a small radius of movement is
25 effective to make the dog behave, at least from the defecating standpoint, as if he were confined in a small cage.
Fig 4 shows another manner in which the apparatus may be used. Here, the
slip-loop 40 is assembled around the leg 43 of a bed (or other suitable article
30 of furlliture, or post). Again, tl~e swivel-hook-fast~tler is clipped to tlle leash-
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ring 45 on the dog's collar 47.
It will be understood that one end of the cable is secured by means of theswivel-hook-fastener, and the other end of the cable is secured by means of a
5 slip-loop formed by passing the swivel-hook-fastener through the larger end-
loop. The drawings show how the slip-loop may be attached to the
?~ttP~hrnent-point and the swivel-hook to the dog.
The steel strands of the cable are tough and strong, but the cable 23 is
10 somewhat flexible, in that the cable can readily be configured, by hand
manipulation, to a bend radius of about 1 cm, and the cable will resiliently
spring away from such a bend. Tlle cable is such that it can only be bent to a
smaller radius than about O.S cm radius, however, by tlle exertion of
considerably greater force, and the cable is such that it would tend to become
15 deformed by such tight bending.
The slip-loop 40 as formed in cable of that nature tends to be self-cl~k~nin~:
that is to say, the stiffness of the cable tends to keep the slip-loop open and
slack. There is little tendency for the slip-loop to be self-retaining. In the
20 drawings, even if the dog pulls on the tether, as soon as the dog stops pulling
the slip-loop immediately goes slack. This is true even if the dog pulls very
strongly on the loop. It is important that the slip-loop not be of the _ind thatwould be self-retaining in the event that the dog pulled strongly, or it might
become difficult to release the cable from the eye-hook or the post.
This self-c1~k~nin~ aspect of the slip-loop, arising from the stiffness of the
cable, is beneficial from the standpoint of easy release.
The radius of movement to which the dog's head is confined is illlpOI L~nt, as
30 has been described. If the radius is made too large, the dog feels he has
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enough room to create a reserved lie-down space as well as a defecation
space, and he will therefore not be inhibited from defecating. It is possible
for the designer to specify too small a radius, of course, as would arise if thedog were not permitted enough room to look around, and perform normal
S l~ such as stand, sit, lie down, stretch out, etc, while tethered.
The tether apparatus may be made and sold on the basis of "one-size-fits-all".
Of course, dogs vary a great deal as to size, but it is found that the radius ofconfinement required to cater for all but the very large or very small dogs is
10 about 50 cm. The length of cable needed to achieve this radius is about
60 cm overall, as measured over the end-loops, but not over the swivel-hook-
fastener.
If it is desired to cater for the larger and smaller sizes of dog, overall cable15 lengths of 50 cm and 80 cm may be made available, to supplemellt the
product range.
An extra large size may be provided for extremely large dogs, in which the
overall length (not including the swivel) is 125 crn, having end-loops of 20 cm
20 and 10 cm circumferential length, and having a cable thickness diameter of
6 mm.
It should be noted that the apparatus is intended for le~ oldly use, while the
dog is undergoing house-training. This should take no more than a few days
25 or a week. During the training time, it is important that the dog would
remain tethered for continuous periods of many hours. Due concern must be
taken that the tether apparatus merely confines the dog, and does not harm
him in any way. It should be understood that the tether apparatus is an
alternative to confining the dog for long periods within a small cage, for
30 house-training purposes.
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It should be noted that tlle design of the swivel-hook fastener is important, inthat the swivel prevents the cable from becoming twisted and tig~t, when the
dog moves. The other end of the cable is not able to accommodate twisting.
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The cable as described is provided with the two different mea~s for fastening
the ~ ,e- Li~, ends of the cable: namely the swivel hook fastener and the slip-
loop. The presence of the large slip-loop is better than providing another
swivel fastener, apart from being less expensive. The slip-loop can be passed
10 around a bed/ chair/ table/ etc, leg, or it can be passed through the eye-hook.
Thus, the combination of the swivel-fastener and the slip-loop provides for
versatile and flexible usage.
The slip-loop allows the cable to be attached to the permanently-fixed eye-
15 hook -- for regular night use, for example -- but allows the cable also to besecured to furniture, or in fact to anything around which the slip-loop may be
looped.
A household may be provided with two or more permanently-fxed eye-hooks
20 installed in different strategic locations. In addition to a regular night-time
eye-hook in the bedroom, an owner may install an eye-hook near the front
door, to prevent the dog from jumping at visitors. It will be understood that
the dog is in a state of excitement when there is someone at the door, and
yet it is only a moment's task to fix the cable both to the eye-hook and to the
25 dog, even though the dog may be barking and jumping excitedly. Because
someone is waiting at the door at this time, the owner requires that the
tether be very sure and simple to operate.
Equally, the v~l~a~iliLy of the unit as described is such that the slip-loop of
30 the cable may be slipped around a table leg, or the like, in a moment. The
plastic coating ensures that the table leg will not be marked or scratched.
