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I think if you need to catch a stray dog the right knot is whichever one you can tie that gets the dog secured safely. The wrong knot is one that doesn't secure the dog. I think a bowline is the wrong knot because you have to have ahold of the dog already to tie it tight enough. If you can slip it over the dog's head to get it on, they can pull back and slip it off again if they are scared and pull back.
Slip knots might be bad to tie a dog up with... but they are the right answer for trying to quickly and securely catch a stray or frightened dog.
Vets and animal control use slip leads for a reason, because they won't slip off over the dog's head if they pull back. A slip lead or slip knot is really the safest thing, for trying to catch a dog in a stressful or dangerous situation where you don't want to risk them getting loose again.
Hiero, thank you for that extra info on type of line and what knots are for that. Thank you Diana.
So a bowline, maybe, is good for around the necks but other knots to attach (because maybe you don't have that much rope) to a collar?
As to the why rope and stuff, maybe the collar and leash were stolen, maybe that was used on the first dog but he brought a friend that now needs something, maybe the truck got totaled and all you got out with were the clothes on your back, your hat (hence stampede strings), and your survival bracelet https://www.amazon.com/Starcamp-Para...1zcF9hdGY&th=1 . The thing is, paracord is all over my life, it is what (or other type of rope) is easily accessible to me, I am looking for the knowledge to use what I have effectively.....and economically, keep those buying costs down.
Hiero, thank you for that extra info on type of line and what knots are for that. Thank you Diana.
So a bowline, maybe, is good for around the necks but other knots to attach (because maybe you don't have that much rope) to a collar?
As to the why rope and stuff, maybe the collar and leash were stolen, maybe that was used on the first dog but he brought a friend that now needs something, maybe the truck got totaled and all you got out with were the clothes on your back, your hat (hence stampede strings), and your survival bracelet . . . . The thing is, paracord is all over my life, it is what (or other type of rope) is easily accessible to me, I am looking for the knowledge to use what I have effectively.....and economically, keep those buying costs down.
Anything less than paracord, and it seems to me it might be too flimsy to hold a dog. A bowline loop around the neck would use about as much rope as making a bowline slip lead. Might be a couple of inches of difference.
A bowline around the neck would be about as secure as a flat collar, which should be adjusted loosely enough so the dog can slip out of it. A bowline slip lead would give you better control over the animal. It would take practice to make the bowline loop, by itself, tight enough around the neck to make it small enough so the dog could not slip out. When I have to do emergency leads, because I've forgotten mine, that is what I make: a bowline slip lead. Just a small loop at one end - pass the loose end through the loop, and use THAT loop around the neck.
You could use the double half hitch to fasten a rope to a collar, but I would be more likely to use a bowline there, as well. Both are easy to tie, but with a loose lead, the double half hitch may come undone. I use half hitches, usually in the form of a trucker's hitch, to hold my canoe down when I cartop. They hold well when loaded. The difference is that you can snug up the half-hitches nice and tight. You can't do that with a bowline. Or, well, IIRC you can get a bowline snug, but it requires a slight hand technique that I learned some 60 years ago as a Boy Scout, and I can't remember it at all.
Either one, bowline or double half hitch, would be easy to fasten a rope to a collar. For either, you'd pass the rope through the collar first, then tie the knot. About 99% of my knot needs are satisfied by 4 knots: bowline, double half hitch, square knot, and the overhand loop. For my canoe tie-downs, I use a trucker's hitch, which is a simple variation on a double half hitch. That's pretty much it. When I fished, I used the fisherman's knot for tying off hooks and all. But unless you are using monofilament, there isn't much purpose to it.
If you can't remember the bowline, I think everybody can remember the overhand loop. Dead simple, makes a nice quick loop. Take the standing end, pass through that 1st loop, and voila, instant slip lead.
If you can't remember the bowline, I think everybody can remember the overhand loop. Dead simple, makes a nice quick loop. Take the standing end, pass through that 1st loop, and voila, instant slip lead.
Yup I do that a lot for a lot of reasons, including if a need to make an impromptu check cord or to secure loads- make that loop then run the tail thru to double back against the load.
Thank you for your suggestion......but that's not the question posed.
I am asking that for the research posted, is there a knot there that should not be used. I can't see how I make the question any clearer than that.
OK, ignore the reasonable, rational suggestion first mentioned if it pains you so much.
I actually did field your question. I just couched the reply in positive terms, not negative. So, sue me. I suggested two easy knots mentioned in that clickbait article you could use! Granted, some of the knots they suggested are more trouble than they're probably worth, but I didn't see any that should not be used. Listing inappropriate knots would have made no sense at all.
Last edited by Parnassia; 02-16-2024 at 02:51 PM..
OK, ignore the reasonable, rational suggestion first mentioned if it pains you so much.
I actually did field your question. I just couched the reply in positive terms, not negative. So, sue me. I suggested two easy knots mentioned in that clickbait article you could use! Granted, some of the knots they suggested are more trouble than they're probably worth, but I didn't see any that should not be used. Listing inappropriate knots would have made no sense at all.
Go to 'My settings' > Edit Ignore list > To add a user to the list, enter their name into the empty text box and click 'Okay'.
Yesterday, I had a possible rescue but he didn't come to me. Had the dog done so, I would have taken him to my Vet for a chip check and a medical exam, he was limping, then home to the ranch to be comfortable while I figure out the next step.
Thinking about the "what ifs" of it, I think my supply of collars and leashes were in the truck and not the Subaru I was driving. I could probably have fashioned a collar out of my daily bandanas and leash from paracord until I got something more proper at the Vet's.
Tamara, your linked article is crap. Nothing but AI generated click bait. It’s an insult to knots. And dog collars/leashes.
The only two useful knots from that article for your purpose are the bowline and the square knot. DO NOT use any loop knot that tightens on itself and doesn’t release when pressure is released (e.g. slip knot, or two half hitches). Dogs die every year from being inadvertently strangled by those knots.
Use your paracord, tie a small diameter bowline (1” or so) in one end. Pass the free end of the rope through that loop, and you have a slip lead. Tie a larger diameter bowline in the other end for a “handle.” And you’re done. No need to fuss with bandanas, or anything else.
Tamara, your linked article is crap. Nothing but AI generated click bait. It’s an insult to knots. And dog collars/leashes.
The only two useful knots from that article for your purpose are the bowline and the square knot. DO NOT use any loop knot that tightens on itself and doesn’t release when pressure is released (e.g. slip knot, or two half hitches). Dogs die every year from being inadvertently strangled by those knots.
Use your paracord, tie a small diameter bowline (1” or so) in one end. Pass the free end of the rope through that loop, and you have a slip lead. Tie a larger diameter bowline in the other end for a “handle.” And you’re done. No need to fuss with bandanas, or anything else.
No need to over complicate this. . .
Thank you.
On the bandanas.....some kine of collar may be necessary if one has insufficient length for going around the dog and to have length between them and the dog.....just saying.
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OK, ignore the reasonable, rational suggestion first mentioned if it pains you so much. 
