Chaingang

[Brushbustin Sporting Dogs]

I'm going to make my chains of the chain 18 inches how far apart should I put them??? I searched the old topics and somebody said 6 feet between and that can't be right. I was thinking just 3 but probbaly 4 foot would be the right way to go...

[Ruffshooter]

Just using a little math, the 6 feet sound right to me. 2X18"=36"(length of chain)+16"X2(length of dogs neck to snout)=32" all totaled 68".

Don't want them to be able to bite each other.

Rick

[Brushbustin Sporting Dogs]

6 foot just seems way to far in between. My other one I know they could touch each other. You don't put the ones that bite next to each other!!!

[ElhewPointer]

On the one I made, I have 28' of chain with O-rings on both ends. Then I have 5-22" chains with snaps on both sides. Then you can space them out as much as you want. You don't want to put one right on the end because the dog will tangle with the stake. My equals about 6' between each dog. Whats nice about mine is that if I bring 3 dogs I only put out 3 extentions.

Vagas

[Grange]

I have a 10ft chain with 18" extentions. It works fine for two dogs. I have put three on a 10ft. section, but it seemed cramped.

[RayGubernat]

Rob -

Just went out and measured the one I bought years ago. The chain length of each drop was 18". When S Hook and snap added it was just below 22".

The drops were indeed spaced 6 ft. apart.

Hope this helps.

RayG

[Karen]

Yes, mine are about 6 feet apart also (for Brittanys).

[Brushbustin Sporting Dogs]

Thank you... Seems like a long ways but must be right

[bossman]

Don't forget..You want them far enought apart so the chains don't get tangled in each other...

[slistoe]

6 ft. is much more than they need to be. Be sure they are far enough that they cannot cross over each other. If you have 18" drops you would need at least 40" between chains. Any more is up to you. Personally I don't want to carry that much extra chain and stretch it out over that much extra space.

[RayGubernat]

Rob -

I do think there is a safety factor built in to the six foot spacing. On my rig, as I said the actual drop, including the s hooks and snap is about 22". That is 22" to the collar of the dog.

I can see where, if two of my pointers really wanted to... they could pull their collars all the way back into their shoulders, so that their noses(and teeth ) would be around three feet from the drop. If the other dog decided to play the same game, they might be just close enough to be able to take a piece out of each other, even with a six foot spacing. Most of dogs are in the fifty pound plus range. The head and neck are pretty long when they are all stretched out.

I don't think Britts would be anywhere near that close unless they were unusually large dogs, so in yours and Scott's case the six feet might well be overkill.

Of course common sense would suggest that one should not chain an aggressive male next to another male, but, sometimes even normally laid back dogs can get riled up.

RayG

[kninebirddog]

18 inches from the hook to the main chain and yes 6 foot apart you do not want them any closer
and 3 foot to the first drop from the stakes

you do not want the dogs to play on the chain the chain gang is a place to relax and reflect not to run around and waste energy

[Ruffshooter]

!!!???

[WingmanCA]

The "standard" is 6 feet between drops.

[Brushbustin Sporting Dogs]

And the verdict is!! I made a chain today and still going into it felt 6 foot wasted to much chain and space. 5 foot seems perfect to me. The dogs can touch each other but I could care less bout them touching noses. Took a picture maybe get it up later. What's everyone use for stakes? Inner axles are what I'm told are the best. Thanks again.

[RayGubernat]

Rob -

I cut two lengths of 3/4" cold rolled steel, about 2 ft long. I then hand threaded one end of each rod, put on a jam nut, two large fender washers(bigger than the ring on the ends of the chain) and another jam nut, tighteneing everything down and leaving about 1/4" of the rod beyond the top nut. First time you smack the stake into the ground it upsets the threads and mushrooms the head of the rod, locking everything in place.

RayG

[3Britts]

Good choice. I made mine last year. It is 12 feet and holds all 3 of my britts.

[Brushbustin Sporting Dogs]

Rodney I had one already, its lost at the moment, that I purchased from LCS. It worked but was made of the lighter weight chain. I will when I get it back use it for say a puppy chain gang or what have you...

Here is the low down for who gives a crap. I used a 2/0 passing link chain for the base line. I attached at each end a 3 inch oval for my stakes. I came in 2 feet from the ends and spaced them give or take 5 foot apart. The dogs can touch but a male wouldn't be able to mount a female in heat or anything like that. Any wider than 5 feet seemed like a waste on to many levels. The drops I used just a slighty lighter gauge chain than the 2/o passing link, not sure on the size it was just a chain that was laying around. I cut the chain for the drops at 15 inches plus everything to hook it together gives me 23 inches from the base line and thats with only one snap. I was told two snaps where you hook up to the dogs is best as the snaps will last longer!!!

Here it is with just 4. I made another 2 drops and the chains can come apart very easily with a screw together type chainlink so I can use it as a 4 or 6 dog depending on the situation. I think I'm going to make it so it goes as big as 8 and comes apart in 3 sections to be 4,6 or 8 dog. I think I did well Time will tell I might have a cluster at th efirst trial this spring!!!

[3Britts]

Nice. I like the expandability of the line. I'll have to follow when I decide to increase the amount of dogs in my yard.

[slistoe]

Looks good. Here is a pic of mine in use with 4 dogs. It is a 6 dog line and I use a large quick connect (threaded) link for the stakes at the end so they can be attached anywhere along the length of the chain to shorten or expand it as needed. The rest of the chain simply lays on the ground outside the last stake.

[Brushbustin Sporting Dogs]

Scott that's how I set mine up also the ring for the stake is attached with a threaded link so you can move the stake or add to the chain depending on what I have for dogs... This has been an informative thread and has stayed on track who wouldve thought we could do it!!!

[Neil]

Since I rarely travel with more than 4 dogs, I just use the chain gang for training, and use the heavy stake outs from LCS when on the road They allow me to seek out shade or wind breaks for each individual dog, plus I have drops on the trailer.

Neil

[RayGubernat]

To connect two chains, I use a small marine anchor shackle. It goes together and comes apart real easy and since it is meant for salt water - it does not rust. The working load on even a small shackle is quite high, so it will not bend or deform like a quick link sometimes can(which can make lining up the threads fun) .

RayG

[Greg Jennings]

If the links are such that they will pass through one another, the way you connect the chain is to put the end link of the new chain through the end link of the old, then run a snap, a bolt, or whatever, through the link that is sticking through. That way, the load is in compression, not tension.

[gunner]

Some thoughts that come to mind.
I learned a few things about staking out dogs about 40 years ago while working for the well known major circuit trainer/handler Leon Covington. "Cov" was known for his frugality, but he would not compromise on the quality and strength of snaps on the stakeout chain. Brass snaps would not do. They had to be Italian bronze.

Long sections of stakeout were secured and anchored midway with large welded rings that had stakes driven through the rings to prevent too much play and possible pullout.

Link size was large for strength and so a dog would catch a toenail or dew claw.

Dogs that were known to slip their collars while staked had an additional collar placed higher up the dog's neck to prevent the tethering collar from slipping and failing.

After the dogs were put back in their boxes the drop chains were snapped back loosely with slack onto the mainline so it would wrap up quick and when used next it could be staked fast and tight. Snaps and links were regularly checked for wear and quickly replaced if needed. We didn't want to have to make a call to a client that their dog was missing.

Cov felt that hauling dogs across the country for training and the trials was very hard on their liver and kidneys. He felt it was important to let the dogs out of the crates regularly to allow them to urinate often. Fresh water was always available to the dogs at the stops. Commercial kibble was fed while traveling, we'd cook up pork cracklings and add this to a broth and kibble once at camp.

Traveling with the dogs and the horses in hot weather meant rest stops during the day, often at shaded cover at county fair grounds or at client's property on the haul north to the prairie.

Sled dog mushers have refined the old stake out chain to elaborate set ups using lighter aircraft cable and extension arms that swing off receivers on their trucks. These might be researched at some of the sled dog sites.

Some municipalities have been influenced by animal rights organizations to pass legislation preventing the tethering of dogs for any time period. If enforced these laws could affect how some animals are trained, conditioned and traveled with safely.

[topher40]

You guys and your Britts, :roll: ! Us pointer boys cant keep dogs on a chain gang if we use any of those threaded link connectors. Them pointers pull, lunge and are to active to use them. I cant tell you how many pointers I have seen get loose of a chain when guys use those because they end up coming unscrewed. Maybe with docile dogs they work just fine, but I would discourage them for just any dog.

[Brushbustin Sporting Dogs]

There are lots of options Chris. If you would tighten them with a pair of vice grips or even use some lock-tite they would hold. And I'm sorry my brittanys are to smart to understand that they can't pull there way off the chain...

[topher40]

Rob-

Tried it all and the best thing I have found is to have WELDED connections at each point where a connector is used. Worst thing to have happen is to have dogs get off the chaingang with a section of chain hanging from them.

[Brushbustin Sporting Dogs]

How do you replace a snap when your on the road then??? Don't till you get home and can be where there is a torch and welder?

[topher40]

Carry Extra connectors and you can put a new one on to get by with until you can get home and fix it permanently. I RARELY ever break snaps though. If you spend the extra money on an oversized brass snap they are pretty tough to break, even with a horse/pointer cross!

[topher40]

I wasnt trying to get into a urinating match about pointers and britts but when you have dogs pushing 60-65 lbs and built like the one below, you cant build it to sturdy.

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd96 ... 000068.jpg

[Brushbustin Sporting Dogs]

No pissing match... From what I've seen the weakest link it the chaingang is the snaps. Thats where i've seen most the dogs get loose from, in my limited experience