I'm actually more than a bit surprised but pleased that many have tried the reins or tethers and had success. I think the ones being sold in Europe are really spot on as the child wears a cute animal themed backpack and the tether is attached to that. I can see a child being very excited that they get an extra 2-3 feet of "freedom".
After raising so many children with cognitive challenges, I go back to a single class I took years ago. It was designed for parents of special needs--especially unattached children. These are children who are NOT imprinted to seek the parent out but to inappropriately seek attention from strangers or to satisfy their own needs or fears through self-stimulation or over-eating. These children are at the highest risk of all. Many healthy bonded children, who are merely spirited, are also at risk as they like to test the boundaries.
Before I go any further, let me put a disclaimer here. In the mid-90s, adoptive parents and professionals were just learning about the depth of the problem concerning lack of attachment. If you haven't been exposed to a child with this disorder, it is impossible to understand. Everything these children do is contrary to what we expect from children in our society. Almost every behavior is contrary to how a healthy, bonded child would react.
Children who have experienced early losses and multiple moves and those who have been institutionalized suffer the most. Several "experts" rose up in the 90s to teach and to help. Some methods have since been disproved. A handful were actually accused and convicted of child abuse and two of causing a child's death during a therapy session.
The same people who were teaching these classes also ran expensive treatment centers which professed "re-birthing" and "holding techniques". I'll be blunt here. I don't believe that they work and I think that many of the tactics do skate on the very edge of abuse. However, I refuse to throw out the baby with the bathwater. Total blind obedience is never a healthy thing. Children's spirits should NEVER be broken. However, when it comes to simple safety issues, I'm on board with "puppy training". As with everything, each parenting method has to be modified to fit each child.
Anyway the class was titled, "Come, Sit, Stay, and Go". I'm sure many were offended by the connection with dog training but I wasn't. I learned more in those two hours than I have in hundreds of other boring and plodding classes about child development.
The first item of business is for all children to learn to come when called. A healthy child will typically come to their parent as that is where comfort and food has come from since the day of birth. This isn't true for an unbonded child. You have no history with them. They trust no one. We were taught that there could never be any games about this unless a parent has set up a game. We were taught to practice, practice, practice at home until we got it down and safe. Many of the children would not respond to their names being called so we were taught to carry an M & M (or similar goodie) in our pocket. Go about your day and call the child, if she immediately comes, she gets an M & M. Many of you might think, oh and a kiss or a hug, too? NO! These children were inappropriate about affection and that was a totally different lesson. However, for less affected or healthy children; praise or affection works wonders. Talk about imprinting!! It's very much like training a puppy to come.
We also learned to teach children to stop, look, listen and answer when they heard their name. If you call out, "Allison!!", Allison MUST answer with a "coming Mom" or "I'm in the bathroom, Mom". Practice until they get it down perfect with lots of rewards. We were also taught to always answer a child's call--always--even a whine. We were taught that it is OK to say, "I hear you but I'm choosing not to talk right now as you are whining. When you can use a big girl voice, I will answer." Amazingly effective.
We learned to set up practice sessions and to do role playing, ranging from the pragmatic and simple to the far-fetched and silly. All these "games" were based on safety and on imprinting what is safe and what is definitely NOT.
To this very day, I guarantee you, that if I called loudly from my bed a particular child's name, I would hear back immediately, "Coming Mommy". And these kids are now adults and have a zillion issues. They know how to come, though. I used to hear from teachers that my children absolutely shone on the safety rules. Practice.
Sit, stay, and go are a whole 'nother post!! LOL
which is fine by me. but I was more than happy to use a harness with his brother many moons ago. this was in the US, not EU and I got many comments also on how horrible of a mother I was...but that one was an escape artist! there was no telling him not to run off. he never got it til he was too big for the harness anyways. 
