It might seem as if tethers are optional. They are not! Tethers are actually very important. They are for safety and for maintaining steady tension for optimum operation. They allow for very light tension on the line, which is what SwiftPaws requires. Leaving the tethers off, forces you to increase the tension, which leads to other problems including damage to the pink band, overheating, and premature wear on the motor and equipment. Without the tethers you will experience more auto-stalls.
During a play session when the pup lunges, slides into, steps on, or rolls over the line - and even when they catch the lure - the tethers allow the whole course to flex and recover - automatically coming back into position so play can continue. So, you also won't have to spend so much time resetting the course.
You may use any stake, we recommend using the type that can be pushed flush with the ground.
TIP: you can opt to use a loop of line as a tether - this has the benefits of always having it on hand, and you can make the tether as long or as short as needed 👍 We have place the line as a tether around a tree trunk - with the pulley 6-8 feet away!
You may use any stake, we recommend using the type that can be pushed flush with the ground.