what is the best way to train a husky so i will be able to let him off the leash

[tommyboi36]

I am gettin my husky friday and i am goin to start training with him strate away and was wonderin what is the best approach to hopfully letting my husky off the leash. Thanks

[Lil Miss Bump]

hi tommy,

most people would never recommend letting a husky off a lead. this is because of their high prey drive and the desire to just run! no matter how well trained you have your husky if they decide to go running off, there is NOTHING you can do to stop them.

i know there are some people on here that DO let them off lead but they are few and far between.

Diz

xxx

[Val (Zebedee)]

If, and it is a BIG if, you are going to try training your husky for off lead walking, you need to concentrate on recall. Over the next few months, find something that really gets your husky's attention, whether it be food, toys, whatever. Pups will only have a few minutes attention span so do little & often, whether it be the sit command, stay, wait, come .... just one word & they will pick it up quickly.

[raindog]

Very, very few huskies can ever be let off lead safely. This is one of the defining features of the breed. If you are desperate to have an offlead dog, don't get a husky. It will save you a lot of heartache in the long term.

We have been around huskies for 20 years or so and in that time we have heard of dozens of huskies who have been killed on the roads, shot by farmers or condemned by courts for killing livestock. In almost every case the devastated owners have said, "I don't understand it - he'd always come back before!"

The bottom line is this. No matter how well trained a husky is, it can never be trusted 100% off lead. One of ours is absolutely awesome off lead but there is no way that we would ever let him off lead in an unenclosed area because we know that on that one occasion where it might really matter, he just might ignore us for the first and last time. We would never take that risk.

Mick

[theboysmum]

I let my boys off but only if i know that i can get them back i.e no way to escape - unfortuanately just a few weeks ago we took them racing and were assured the place was secure and we could let them off - apart from the twenty foot gap in the fence were we could not see but Kobi could!!! he escaped and got into a field full of ducks - husky heaven but my hell - luckily enough the two ducks he got were just traumatised and sat in a tree for a couple of hours and even luckier the guy how owend them blamed himself for letting them out when he knew there was a gap and also knew that there were about twenty lurches and a husky next door!!! - and yes it was just my on its own husky that found the gap !!! - could have been really nasty - so the moral is go round where you have been told is secure with a fine tooth comb cos is theres something better to go to and they can they will!!! -saying all that my boys do have really good recall most of the time - good luck

[Andy]

As has been said, Huskies have a VERY HIGH prey drive.

if it's small and moving. . .

Cat, Squirrel, Jack Russell, Leaf, Butterfly, bit of paper blowing in the wind. . . .

you get the idea. . .

Once your Husky sees it, it WILL want to chase it.. . .

and almost no amount of shouting, calling, waving large slabs of sirlion steak will induce your Husky to come back.

In this case there are two ways of getting your Husky back. . .

1. Someone else will snag your Husky and hold on to it until you've caught up the 3 miles you've been chasing it.

2.In a box. Because it ran across a busy road and was mowed down by a car, lorry, bus. (and you will be liable for damage to the vehicle)

We may laugh and Joke about on this forum, but the ONE thing we take seriously is our Sibes.

And. . . .

One of the cardinal rules at the top of the DO NOT DO list

is never let them off leash, unless you are in a fully secure area with 6-8ft fences.

If you want to exercise you Husky wait until he/she is old enough (about 1year minimum) and then

Use proper bikejoring / scootering / running equipment.

[tommyboi36]

Thanks for the advice and were would you ever take them off the lead i have big tennis corts near me with high fences and a door wat can be closed so i will take him off there and will be able to play with him off the leash and hav a run around with him is there any outher sucure places that you would use. Thanks

[Andy]

Thanks for the advice and were would you ever take them off the lead i have big tennis corts near me with high fences and a door wat can be closed so i will take him off there and will be able to play with him off the leash and hav a run around with him is there any outher sucure places that you would use. Thanks

Tennis courts are superb . . .just make sure that all the fences are secure at the bottoms.

Because he WILL find that 6" gap to squeeze through

Also the ground is a bit on the rough side so be sure to check his pads afterwards for missing skin

or splits.

[powie]

i wanted to let shadow off his lead took to local park in the tennis courts locked all the doors.

i stood at one end my daughter at the other i let him of his lead he ran right past my daughter thorough a gap we didnt see.

we got he back lucky enough i had some treats in my pocket, but was just running and running. i wont be lettting him off lead again.and god they are fast

[tommyboi36]

Andy you said wait a year min until you can take the dog runnig why a year would i not be able to go runnin with him befoe a year old

[Andy]

Andy you said wait a year min until you can take the dog runnig why a year would i not be able to go runnin with him befoe a year old

It is recommended, that you wait a year because until then their joints and bones are not developed enough.

and you may risk damaging them, which while not apparent while young may result in bad joints when they get a few years older.

Also, (lol)

Just in case you're not yet aware.

exercising a new puppy.

Again recommended. . . 5 minutes of exercise per MONTH of age.

so 5 months old 25 mins of exercise.

Hope this helps

[tommyboi36]

Yh thats good info i was wondering about that and is that min a day or still take them 3 times a day when there pups

[Andy]

Yh thats good info i was wondering about that and is that min a day or still take them 3 times a day when there pups

Good question and there is some dispute as to whether it's per day or per time of exercise,

We've always gone with per time of exercise.

Just not too many per day.

He will sleep on and off for most of the day when young anyway.

[BingBlaze n Skyla]

its easier to mentally tire out a husky pup - take him for a walk he will still come back full of beans do roughly around 5 mins ov training with him - and he will sleep like a log

mine are only offlead in our house or garden NEVER outside - when i take them for a run around on the local feild i have 100ft leads which you can get on ebay - they arent too expensive either

[Rosemary]

Excellent advice once again Andy (+1)

Tommy, if you do as Andy suggests, you will have years of fun with your Husky. Welcome to the forum by the way, and look forward to seeing pictures of your puppy.

[Smooginz]

Keath has a good solution, what he did is when his elder husky wonders off he'd hide and make a nose and she would turn around and look for him and run to him which then he praised her alot, looked like it worked well

also try a training lead and do the same thing if you currently can't trust your husky off lead

[Ice and Cripton]

Both my two go off-lead in parks, beaches ... so on, but i must add this is with recall training with a professional trainer for the first 2 years of their life! Alaska is the best off-lead however both dogs will whizz off to see other dogs and come back second!

The trick is to train them from puppyhood, get a toy or food (cheese/ham - something good!) that will keep them coming back to you, dont get lazy and rest on the fact their usually good - always bring food and toys.

Dont EVER ...EVER .. ... tell them off when you call them, even if they have ignored you for the 15th time and the finally come, praise them like they have just done the best thing, also don't call them only when you want them to be put on the lead, i find Siberians to be very association based - so they wont come back if they think your either going to tell him/her off or put them on the lead. When they hit 6 months they will "forget" everything you have taught them and will test you for a few months. You may want to keep them on a long-line for this, then again at 18 months. You will find from 6 months to 2 years they will go through 'naughty phases' it will be testing but persevere, you never know when your going to need a good re-call. Being un-fixed could be problematic for obvious reasons and as they mature their prey drive will heighten which also offers problems. Yes it can be done but sometimes after all the training one has to make a realistic decision whether it is for your sibe or not, most sibes just arent good off-lead, some are. Good Luck

Oh and don't let them off if your energy is bad, so say if your in a bad mood or are tired and won't have the energy to call them enthusiastically and seem fun to come back to:)

[sterling]

Wow! Great advice from "Ice and Cripton"....added to rep.

A few other things.....The more you give, the more you get. A couple of short outings a day won't accomplish this. If you only have one dog then you need to be with him all the time and establish a strong bond.

Learn your dogs warning signs. You'll soon learn the signals that say, "I'm gonna' bolt." Pay attention to this.

Know your surroundings. Don't have your dog offleash in areas you're not familiar with. Scope out the area to make sure no other animals, etc... are around.

If you call your dog and he doesn't come, go and get him. Otherwise, you're teaching him it's o.k. to ignore you.

Have your dog walk behind/beside you when approaching uncertain areas or blind corners. You just never know what's around that corner.

Whatever distracts your dog is the best way too train. If it's other dogs, squirrels, whatever, then bring your dog to them and train him with those distractions.

Don't ever use aggression with this breed, they simply don't respond well to it. Mutual respect is a must. You can let your dog know you're displeased without hitting him. You want him to trust you not be afraid of you.

You better be able to run. To put it simply....you will have to chase/track and catch your dog at times. When you catch him, tell him "NO" and put him on his leash. Wait 5 minutes and try again.

Teach him basic commands and use them. I have to be quite vocal with my dog at most times when he's off lead

This I cannot stress enough.... Don't be irresponsible and take big risks. If you don't feel it's safe, then don't risk it.

Another thing, just because you think your dog's an angel not everyone will feel that way. I can't tell you how many times I've had people kicking and screaming at my dog when he's gone up to greet them. Not everyone likes dogs or understands that they're just greeting them. Siberians can appear quite scary to both dog people and non-dog people.

Lastly, live and learn. He's your dog and although he may be similiar to ours, he will have his own personality. We can offer advice, but only you will really know your dog. Take everthing you learn about him and use it in a positive way to yours and his advantage.

Cheers

[Lil Miss Bump]

excellent advice guys xxx

[MattSouthall]

I am gettin my husky friday and i am goin to start training with him strate away and was wonderin what is the best approach to hopfully letting my husky off the leash. Thanks

I've walked my husky loads of times and dropped her lead or what ever and yeah she has ran, but never very far. When i was on holiday we met this guy with twin husky's and he said, as long as there in a pack inviroment the WILL NOT run off, they will stay with the pack not alone. But if your's does decide to bolt it and hopefully does come back (after a while...) think dog praise the dog not yell or anything, remember speak dog they don't speak human.

[princessmom]

Milla played off leash today and stayed within sight of me (though not in the yard), but I get the feeling that's because she's only a puppy. I can't wait until she's old enough to train for the invisible fence!

[Kaje]

You are getting your husky on Friday? That is the same day I'll be bringing my puppy too! (Though I might have to wait until Saturday seeing as it is a very long trip =( ) Looks like we are both in for quite a adventure lol.

Since deciding to bring a husky into the family, I have been doing a ton of research to learn as much as I can ahead of time, and perhaps the most important thing I have learned so far is that A husky should never, ever be allowed to run around outside without some kind of restraint. Be it a leash, harness, fence or whatever. It took me by suprise really, I knew of course that these were really high energy dogs, but I always just amused that they would return when you call them. Apparently huskies are can be really stubborn and are highly intelligent free thinkers that would rather do their own thing than blindly follow commands

I'm glad to hear that tennis courts are a good place to get some running and playing in. There happens to be one in town I was thinking of visiting with my girl for a nice run every now and then. I'm also planning on training her to run along beside my bike (there are speacil harnesses you can get for this) and I am building her a nice fenced area in the back yard where she can play/dig/lounge/whatever

I really so wish I could let her run around free as the wind, but there is absolutely no way I am willing to take the risk of losing her.

[RobC]

I personally would say, never let your husky offlead in an unsecure environment. I did it myself for a couple of weeks when nooks was at 6 and a half months when we got him and he was fine to start with. But suddenly he started to give that look and follow people out the park, it took me ages to catch him and put him back on the lead. If you don't know of any dedicated secure dog parks in your area contact a local park warden they may know of one you could take him too if there is one locally. Also you will get the inevitable person that think they know better than any husky owner and will tell you that you are cruel for not letting you pup offlead, they will also try to tell you that they will come back with no problems, (probs pretty much all of us have had that) just don't let them pressure you into doing it, because at the end of the day they know squat.

I have however met a husky that the owner felt comfortable enough to let off lead in a normal park and I have to admit he did seem to have excellent recall, so it can be done, but you have to remember that when it comes to huskies that the anomoly isn't one that keeps running and doesn't come back when theres something more interesting the other side of the park or outside it, but one that will come back regardless.

[Rob]

I use a 100ft training lead for ours as we have no secure area's around us and at only 4 months if he see's another dog, bird or anything remotely interesting moving he bolts and no amount of waving my arms, calling his name etc stops him, we are working on his recall which isn't too bad and an emergency recall just in case, but throw a distraction in there and i've no chance of stopping him. I've also tried chasing him just to see how fast he is, again even at 4 months, i struggle to keep up. I'd imagine fully grown Usain bolt would struggle.

I'll work on his recall all his life but theres so many stories of sibes who were apparently trusted of lead suddenly bolting and the worst happening( it happened to another husky owner i know only 2 weeks ago, luckily 7 hours later the dog was found 4 miles away, he'd been trusted off his lead for nearly 3 years), its not worth the risk when theres ways of giving them a bit of freedom safely. Don't let them lead you into a false sense of security.

[lunastanton]

Milla played off leash today and stayed within sight of me (though not in the yard)' date=' but I get the feeling that's because she's only a puppy. I can't wait until she's old enough to train for the invisible fence![/quote']

i have a 10 week yr old husky and she comes back, but im wondering if thats cause shes to sscared to be left alone. Also it is good to have another dog with you that will come back on call.