Aaron Unsworth Posted June 19, 2012 Report Share Posted June 19, 2012 Hello, I have just been watching videos about/with Huskies and reading the comments just really gets me confused. The fact that so many different people have different views on how to treat a husky, mainly whether or not to let it off the lead or not. I understand that people have different way of training their Huskies but at the end of the day what works for one Husky may not work for the other. Reading the comments under one video that had the Husky running free just baffled me. People were saying that people who keep Huskies on the lead shouldn't have them and should have a different dog or that they don't know how to look after a Husky. I have let Maya off the lead a few times on the field in front of my house (Not the safest place I could have done it to be fair) but with a handful of treats and her favourite squeaky toy in the other hand. The last time I called her back she didn't listen and didn't come back but she was right next to the house so when I said "Time to go in" she ran to the door (Thanks god). Just wondering how it works for you lot. Now I won't let her off the lead unless I knew I would get her back or she couldn't get hurt. Thanks, Aaron. P.S. If there is already a thread like this I'm sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Removed #5 Posted June 19, 2012 Report Share Posted June 19, 2012 Aaron, simply stated I had Misty for something like two years, I live in the desert with almost no one around and I'd let her out to run and hunt. For a year and a half here she always came back when I called - then one night she didn't. If you think it's worth the chance, go for it ( er, that's a minor form of sarcasm ) - I thought I had the exceptional Husky and got proven wrong - please don't make the same mistake! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron Unsworth Posted June 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 19, 2012 I do have the view to leave Maya on the lead unless in a fully enclosed area, but I will admit she has been off the lead that time. She has also escaped a few times and luckily she did come back but the second time she escaped I was working and my partner and her parents had to get her and that proved difficult apparently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hyshqa Posted June 19, 2012 Report Share Posted June 19, 2012 You're right that every husky is different, and there are people out there who let their huskies off and are very successful with it. However it should be said that even with the most well trained dog there is always a risk when letting the dog off lead - this applies to all breeds of dog, not just huskies. Everyone will have different opinions on the subject and I am very happy to accept most of them - if someone does not let their dog off lead that is fine, if they do - providing they can explain how they've done it properly (i.e. trained a reliable recall, do not let them off near roads, have taken the dog's personality into account, etc), I have no problem with that either. The only time I have a problem is when people with each of those beliefs slate others for not thinking the same. I do not agree with people being ridiculed for letting their dog off if they are clearly doing it as safely as possible and recognise the risk they're taking, and I also do not agree with people ridiculed for keeping their dog on lead, claiming it is 'cruel'. Something to consider though, is that is it very well known that huskies have notoriously bad recall and are at a high risk of bolting after something and not coming back - knowing this, it baffles me that someone would choose to own a husky and insisting it be let off regardless of how the dog reacts to this. If someone is insistent they want an off lead dog they should consider another breed. Something else to note is that this topic has been battered to death on this forum over and over; there's a large number of threads on the topic that are easy to find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron Unsworth Posted June 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 19, 2012 After posting I figured that there would be more threads on here like this. but, why do people have to slate so much? Putting your dog in danger I don't agree with but the slating I don't agree with. Guiding the people towards different information (Why I like this forum) will help them but slating them will just get said person ignored. I have heard people saying that having a Husky pull a scooter or sled is cruel to them and we shouldn't have them do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine0925 Posted June 19, 2012 Report Share Posted June 19, 2012 My sister made fun of me yesterday because I take Meeka to go bathroom on a leash. She told me I look stupid and just let the dog out and in 30 minutes call her back in. I told her thanks, but no thanks I love my dog too much, I'd rather she not follow a butterfly and get hit by a car! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron Unsworth Posted June 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 19, 2012 If Maya is in the back garden and doesn't want to come inside she won't. She is outside now just led on the grass (I can see her out the window) but she wants to lie there not inside. Most of the time she will follow me in but every now and then outside is comfier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stranger Posted June 19, 2012 Report Share Posted June 19, 2012 My lads we're good up till about 9 months, and one day they both ran off after a horse, didnt harm them, they just never seen a horse before. didnt run when i finally caught up and the lady on the horse was extremely nice about it all. i have never let them off since, they have had little recall training as there is no where near me where i can let them off safely. experience dictates that huskies are un reliable to a degree. although they can be trained, you never know whats around the corner. I think these days alot of people are extremely judgemental, especially on the internet, alot of trolling for an argument goes on. Its not easy being a dog owner, and just because we all own the same breed doesnt mean we have the same opinions, but here we at least listen to each other rather than judge and force our beliefs onto each other. I try and avoid places where comments like that are posted. gets me annoyed which is just what they are after. Way i look at it, your own opinion is important but accepting others have opinions too helps. So my opinion, unless you have real faith in your dog, or/and are in safe area never let your dog off. x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron Unsworth Posted June 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 19, 2012 Ye my dad lets his Border Collies off the lead but they WILL come back to him. They do everything he says but with Maya, when I call he,r unlike the Collies, I can see her thinking 'Why?' and sometimes takes 30 seconds for her to decide she want's to come back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Removed #5 Posted June 19, 2012 Report Share Posted June 19, 2012 (edited) Aaron, you've probably gathered that we're just a little concerned with our dogs welfare - I think that safe to say of all of us. While I'm probably notorious here for being blunt I also try (most of the time) to consider the other persons feelings. There's a member here who has a video up where he let his dog off leash - right beside a busy street. As you say, he got slated because in the eyes of most of us that was absolutely irresponsible. It would have taken such small thing for the dogs attention to get attracted to something else and he'd have one dead dog - not an acceptable alternative to most of us. Now, all that said, puppies tend to have much better recall than an older dog - up though variously 1.5 - 2 years, then all bets are off. WE have members whose dogs have excellent recall - in a field away from all other (hah!) distractions, but they'll be the first to admit that they never let their Husky's off leash in less than optimal conditions. It's those ( like me ) who have learned the hard way that it's not worth the risk who are apt to be roughest on people who insist that their dog has perfect recall *all the time* - it simply is not worth the risk. Eight months later, I'm still crying because I had a beautiful lovely, loving dog and insisted she was the exception. Ye my dad lets his Border Collies off the lead but they WILL come back to him. They do everything he says but with Maya, when I call he,r unlike the Collies, I can see her thinking 'Why?' and sometimes takes 30 seconds for her to decide she want's to come back. In that you see the differences between two breeds bred for entirely different purposes. The collie is a herding dog, bred over time to stay near the herd and respond to "his people". The Husky is bred to run! and given the chance they will - you've seen the intelligence of her thinking "Why?" That's the Husky who was left for part of the year on their own and then brought in and used to pull a sled ... obviously they decided that camp life was better than trying to catch it on the go, so we're left with that "What's in it for me?" attitude. Edited June 19, 2012 by Al Jones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kah454 Posted June 19, 2012 Report Share Posted June 19, 2012 I don't know about other but there are leash laws where we live. Blinky(our rescue) has free run of our back yard which is fenced. Sh has plenty of room. When being walked in the neighborhood or through town she is on the leash. Once a week we take her up to a dog run. She has never tried to bolt. and responds well to commands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleLuka Posted June 19, 2012 Report Share Posted June 19, 2012 My sister made fun of me yesterday because I take Meeka to go bathroom on a leash. She told me I look stupid and just let the dog out and in 30 minutes call her back in. I told her thanks, but no thanks I love my dog too much, I'd rather she not follow a butterfly and get hit by a car! i take luka out to the bathroom on a leash as well. i love him too much to let something happen to him. besides he gets crazy and starts sprinting everywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austinville Posted June 19, 2012 Report Share Posted June 19, 2012 At 14+ years old (tired, old, and battling arthritis) my first husky made an attempt at running. Thankfully, by this time I was faster than he and caught him before he hit the end of the sidewalk. The look on his face was priceless "I'm gonna run." even though physically he no longer could. Running was such a part of his soul (and thousands of years of inherited genes) that he was going to try. There are those who have worked diligently with their huskies and know their huskies inside and out and have successfully trained recall. [MENTION=107]Bec[/MENTION] Others, like myself, haven't managed that. Doesn't mean we're bad owners. Doesn't mean we're lazy. Doesn't mean we're overprotective. For the most part it means that we respect what the husky was initially bred for (running) and know them well enough to understand that that is what they are inclined to do. It's bred into them. I can't change it. It simply means I must use whatever means I have to protect my girl and if that means keeping her on lead, then that's what I must do. You can take the advice or chose not to. In the end, it is every husky owners personal decision. I'm simply telling you that I chose not to let my girl off lead. I've seen what can happen - I've watched hearts break and loving gentle souls lost to nasty things. Not a risk I'm willing to take. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rwprice103 Posted June 19, 2012 Report Share Posted June 19, 2012 In addition to different opinions, people also have varying levels of understanding about huskies. However, I would think that the availability of boards like this one would equalize that disparity. Anyhow, when we had our first husky, there was much we didn't know. I was one of those people who got a husky because I had always been attracted to the breed. I did not know how different from other dogs they were. For years I used to leave her in the back yard without a tether. She would just lay there basking in the beautiful weather, and rarely did she run away. Later, though she did bolt a few times and once it took me a day and half of slogging through the woods before I found her. I finally wised up and realized that we had just been lucky to that point. Fast-forward to today. Now we have another husky (the first one died several years ago), and there's no way I would ever let this one be off-lead without a fence. I even take him out to go to the bathroom on a lead. My neighbors keep telling me I should give him a chance and see what happens, but I tell them I'm not willing to risk losing him. Not only might he run away, but the husky is notorious for being oblivious to danger, so it's likely he'd get killed while on his "adventure". So, my advice would be to continue keeping your husky on a lead. It's just not worth the risk of losing him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Posted June 19, 2012 Report Share Posted June 19, 2012 Aaron, simply stated I had Misty for something like two years, I live in the desert with almost no one around and I'd let her out to run and hunt. For a year and a half here she always came back when I called - then one night she didn't. If you think it's worth the chance, go for it ( er, that's a minor form of sarcasm ) - I thought I had the exceptional Husky and got proven wrong - please don't make the same mistake! Nothing at all I can add to this thread. Al said it all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron Unsworth Posted June 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2012 She does stay on the lead and even when she is in the garden and I'm doing something I always pop my head out every 10 minutes just to see what she is up to. Just the slating I can't stand. I can be very forward when I'm saying things but I will listen to the other side of the story not just mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Removed #5 Posted June 20, 2012 Report Share Posted June 20, 2012 << snipped >> Just the slating I can't stand. I can be very forward when I'm saying things but I will listen to the other side of the story not just mine. Aaron, you seem to be suggesting that we have slated you; also for someone who has let their dog off lead one time and doesn't, seemingly, intend for it to happen again - you seem to be extremely defensive. We've stated our opinions, suggesting that it's almost always unwise to let a Husky off lead unless it's in an enclosure. I don't see that we've been hypercritical of your actions - - - am I missing something? End result, we want you to know how to keep your dog safe so that you can enjoy the many years you both have ahead of you, are we wrong, in your eyes, for doing that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sutsibe Posted June 20, 2012 Report Share Posted June 20, 2012 I very firmly believe that not every Siberian can be taught to be reliable off lead - but that some can, at least under certain circumstances... I have had roughly 25 Siberians for a bit over a 25 year period, and among those, there have been 5 that I have trusted off-lead under very limited circumstances. During much of that time, I've lived in a very rural area, where it's been relatively safe to work on off-lead training. I remind myself every time I have a dog off-lead in our "safe" area, however, that training is on-going... Every time, every day, I need to watch that dog and make sure he (Tux is "it", now) is paying attention to me, and isn't going to take off. I never trust a dog off lead until I've worked with them sufficiently on-lead to have them know what's expected of them (basic obedience commands, and that I WILL make them do what I ask of them, each and every time!) and so I can read their body language very well so as to be able to anticipate behavior before the though is fully through their minds! I also don't allow them off leash in situation where I believe that they're likely to be tempted to take off on me... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mydiamond Posted June 20, 2012 Report Share Posted June 20, 2012 What I learn after lurking around Youtube for so many times is: NEVER read the comments below -__- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron Unsworth Posted June 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2012 [quote name='Al Jones']Aaron, you seem to be suggesting that we have slated you?[/QUOTE] In the original post I first mentioned the different views I have read on other website and videos that I have been reading. Also, the slating on them said websites. I have also mentioned how I do like this forum because of the lack of slating. Hence why I asked what your views are. I will always admit to what I have done probably why it has come across defensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BingBlaze n Skyla Posted June 20, 2012 Report Share Posted June 20, 2012 i have one of each , skyla is GREAT and yes i have had her offlead before , n shes hardly left my side , or wont go too far ahead before she will turn around and come back to me Blaze is a nightmare , hes escaped and slipped collars / broke harnesses before n was off like a rocket whilst skyla is good offlead i dont let her off , i use either a flexi lead (26ft) or a 30ft or 100ft lead on her , just because whilst she is good off her lead if she were to spot anything she would be off , she means too much to me to risk her life , if an area is fully enclosed i wouldnt worry (well i would abit incase they found a way out lol) but i wouldnt ever let them off somewhere which isnt 100% fully safe and secure , its not worth the risk i know sum1 who let her huskies offlead for years , then one day then ran off n only one came back , she still has no idea what happened to her other 1 and its been about 3 and a half years now :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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