Be sure to get one of the wide Big Dog collars at TSC for tethering your dog with this 10 ft cable tie-out — I was very pleased with the one I bought to go with this. I found one of the old plastic-wrapped cables from Tractor Supply, still wrapped around a tree, and in pretty good shape (except that I will need a sharp blade and a bolt cutter to remove it! The snap eventually rusted closed). I bought that cable 10 years ago. TSC used to carry really heavy-duty dog cables, and I could trust them to hold a 200 lb dog or very hyper 100 lb dog. This new cable only rates a 150 lb dog, and might not stand up to a very wriggly big pup. It immediately got kinked, chewed, and the plastic covering was damaged within half an hour of tying out one very big wriggly pup. On the other hand, it still does the job. I make sure I untwist and unkink it when I notice that the pup has been at work. The part that gives out first is usually the snap, and some active dogs figure out how to wiggle them open without even breaking them. Solution is to add an additional snap or carabiner to each end, and fasten both on each end — if one gets wriggled open, the other may hold. If your pup chews or twists around a lot, the plastic cover WILL break, but the cable will last a while longer. Uncovered and repeatedly twisted, the cable could rust and break. The replacement price of a cable still beats losing your dog. The 10 ft plastic covered cable is a good temporary choice to hold your big dog so you don’t lose it. It is not a long-term solution. I don’t use longer than the 10 ft cable because even a plastic-coated cable can tangle around a dog worse than a chain. Cables are best used overhead as a cable-run, with a rolling pulley attached to a chain and the chain attached to the wide collar on the dog. The chain should hang down and be long enough that the dog can lie down, reach its water and shelter, but short enough that it can not tangle itself. Believe it or not, this is safer for an unattended dog than the cable alone. The Retriever overhead-cable kit offered at TSC looks too lightweight for big dogs, though I could be wrong. TSC used to sell cable (can’t remember if it was plastic covered) off the reel and the separate parts to make a cable-run with chain hanging down. Very helpful in allowing a problem-dog some freedom, not too much, and kept safe. I still recommend this off-the-shelf 10 ft dog cable, but wish that TSC would reconsider carrying the heavier cable as it did in the past. REAL dogs are more clever, dynamic and destructive than any theoretical dog — and some need a heavier cable.

First day on this tie out, my 80lbs male American Bulldog escaped. I found him trotting down the road while on my way home; got home with him and looked the tie out over, nothing appeared amiss so I figured he had just managed to catch the clip and release it. I put him back on and went in the house. FIVE MINUTES LATER I look out the window and he's having a grand ole' time running all over the front yard! I went out and thoroughly inspected the cable, turns out the clips are beyond flimsy, your basic dollar store key chain has more tension; he was able to unlatch the one to his collar by just rolling on the ground! I replaced the clip, thinking maybe it was fluke and hoping this would solve the issue. Just over a week later I notice that the metal components are already rusted, the plastic covering the cable is completely gone (not just from him chewing, but from rubbing on the ground (packed dirt and grass only) leaving a thoroughly rusted cable behind. To top it off my boy had been gnawing at the ground level clip (now rusted tightly shut, well at least that one won't just work loose now) and had left teethmarks in the "heavy duty bolt snap!" Not just one or two little dimples in the metal but the entire bolt had the texture of a golf ball!!! Needless to say before two weeks were up, I had thrown the entire tie out/tetanus breeding ground in the trash where it belonged (would have returned but receipt was long gone) and went to the hardware store for quick links and logging chain. I understand I have a strong, powerful dog but I would expect more from a product advertised as "heavy duty,' ideal for large and extra large dogs," and "weather resistant." Bottom line: don't waste your money if you plan on using this on anything larger than a guinea pig!!