Origin of the of the term "Shutter Dog"

Shutter dogs are also referred to as shutter stays, shutter tiebacks and shutter holdbacks. While this can be somewhat confusing, these terms all refer to the same piece of architectural hardware. They are all designed to make a shutter stay open, as can be seen in this installation of the Flat Rat Tail:

So why are stays, tiebacks and holdbacks sometimes referred to as Shutter Dogs? The origin of this term goes back to Old English, where the word “Dog” meant a simple fastener of any kind. Hence, a “Shutter-Dog” was the first term used to describe them.

Because ‘Shutter Stay’ became the common term in colonial America instead of ‘Shutter Dog’, it is what we typically use here at Lynn Cove Foundry & Forge. Both terms refer to the same thing. They are decorative and functional fasteners, used on both shutters that close or shutters that are permanently fixed.

Here are examples with the Dolphin Shutter Stay and the Classic S Stay.

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Just remember that when someone uses the term ‘shutter dog’, ‘shutter stay’, ‘shutter holdback’, ‘shutter tieback’, all of these terms are referring to the same thing!

We have many options for these pieces of architectural shutter hardware at Lynn Cove, and we love making shutter stays in all designs both new and old. Please feel free to check out our collection of shutter dogs and give us a call with any questions or suggestions.