A few years ago,we moved to a new house without a fence. We were concerned about how our little Yorkie would handle the big yard with all his new found freedom. Thankfully, he has only gone off to explore on his own one time, and we are very careful to go out with him every time he goes out. But sometimes he needs to head outside without me and I need to make sure he is safe. We found a product called a Skyline Trolley that works as a tether system so Henry can explore on his own while staying safe.

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How to Install A Dog Run

Installing the Dog Run (Skyline Trolly) only took about 15 minutes from start to finish. I love the flexibility it gives me to let my little dog go outside in the early morning or right before bed when I am busy with other things. I don’t have to worry about him running off and yet he still has some room to stretch and take care of business.

The kids laughed that we were actually installing a zipline for our little Yorkie. They could just imagine him with a superhero cape going flying through the air!

We measured the distance from our porch to the treeline and discovered that it was about 70 feet. So we ordered the 100 foot adjustable skyline trolley.

Step 1: Drill a pilot hole and then screw in the hook on the porch railing.

Step 2: Repeat the process on the other end. Drill a hole and screw in the hook on the tree or opposite end.

Step 3: Slide the hook through the trolley before you add the clamp.

Step 4: Pull the adjustable end of the trolley as tight as you want it to be, then slide the clamp over the wire and secure with a screw driver.

Things to Think About

• Is the trolly high enough so nobody can get hurt if they walk under it at night?
• Don’t leave your dog unattended. This is not to replace the routine walks or free run time that all dogs need. This just gives us an option for when he needs to go out and I can’t be out of the house.
• It is possible to simply unhook the trolly from the porch end if we want to free up our yard again. We can just unhook it from one end and then reattach it when we are ready.

A dog run or skyline trolly is not the best option for all dogs, but this is an affordable option that works for us.  It was cheaper than an underground fence and less invasive in our yard than a full fence.

Where to Purchase

We purchased our Skyline Trolly from Amazon. Right now it is priced under $25! That is a great deal in my book!

Have you ever used a trolly like this for your dog? What do you think?