Just when you think your dog won't do it...

[Removed #2]

Read this. Hopefully anyone believing their dog "always" does one thing or another will feel differently...maybe even think about a "chip in" donation...http://vanessathena.chipin.com/athenas-urgent-leg-amputation

[Storm Angel n Auroras Mum]

urgh theres a person commenting on one.of my photos on a friends wall stating she has proof that with the right training her husky can be let off!

[Removed #2]

urgh theres a person commenting on one.of my photos on a friends wall stating she has proof that with the right training her husky can be let off!

Share this link with her...It made me even more sad reading the part that said she never did this before and had no reason to! YIKES....

[Mobezilla]

Hope some people see this and finally realize and learn that no dog is an exception.. poor Athena <3

[Elyse]

Unfortunately a lot of people think their husky is the exception. Poor Athena, she's too good for her owner.

[Liz Jones]

That is so sad

Had a scare myself today when the youngest managed to get out the front door, I called her and she stopped turned looked and then decided that the dog over the other side of the road was more interesting and took off!!! Luckily no cars where coming and we managed to grab her and get her back into the house...

[Andy]

It's unfortunate that despite overwhelming evidence and massive owner opinion that you shouldn't let them off.

There is a small minority that simply HAVE to learn the hard way.

However it's not the owners that bear the brunt of the "learning" it's the poor dog.

[Bec]

Share this link with her...It made me even more sad reading the part that said she never did this before and had no reason to! YIKES....

So she let her dog off leash knowing it had no recall?

[HuskyCouture]

I actually know the girl who owns Athena. Athena is a certified therapy dog with TDI and she needs to have a good recall for it, which she does. We know that huskies tend to get out sometimes when they see something that catches their eye, and in the first sentence of the post it says that "she had taken off". I don't think a lot of us can say that we haven't had a Husky Escapee. I know I have on multiple occasions. Things happen.

Her owner is very experienced with Siberians, she has I think 4? and she shows them all.

Please just keep Athena in your thoughts and if you can, take a minute to donate. Anything helps

[Removed #2]

So she let her dog off leash knowing it had no recall?

Jennet answered, but the problem is that when people come on here bragging about being off lead (usually i notice the dog is under 1) they don't know what good recall is!

[Storm Angel n Auroras Mum]

Jennet answered, but the problem is that when people come on here bragging about being off lead (usually i notice the dog is under 1) they don't know what good recall is!

the best one ive heard is that "my husky comes back when it wants to"

or its recall is "ok"

[Removed #2]

That is so sad

Had a scare myself today when the youngest managed to get out the front door, I called her and she stopped turned looked and then decided that the dog over the other side of the road was more interesting and took off!!! Luckily no cars where coming and we managed to grab her and get her back into the house...

Sorry to hear this happened. Since our summer fence escapade and Jessy being gone for 5 hours, i don't let them out or even open the door anymore without checking that the fence is in place. As far as opening doors, someone has to be holding them! But, the do slip out!

[Mobezilla]

Jennet answered, but the problem is that when people come on here bragging about being off lead (usually i notice the dog is under 1) they don't know what good recall is!

I don't understand why so many people think this way when they've heard the horror stories and should have looked up on the breed before buying one and should understand huskies don't have good recall? I just hate seeing all these dogs suffer because people just buy them on impulse because they're 'pretty' and expect them to behave like labs

[Storm Angel n Auroras Mum]

I don't understand why so many people think this way when they've heard the horror stories and should have looked up on the breed before buying one and should understand huskies don't have good recall? I just hate seeing all these dogs suffer because people just buy them on impulse because they're 'pretty' and expect them to behave like labs

yup i know. does my head in

[BlueWolf]

I don't understand why so many people think this way when they've heard the horror stories and should have looked up on the breed before buying one and should understand huskies don't have good recall? I just hate seeing all these dogs suffer because people just buy them on impulse because they're 'pretty' and expect them to behave like labs

Maybe it's just me, but I do see a trend amongst many dog owners that simply want to show off their dog being offlead. Some of them even say that those who don't let their dogs offlead are bad owners and don't know how to train their dogs (though I wonder how much effort they spend in training them). And when something does go wrong, you won't hear a word out of them because that would hurt their ego.

Sadly, no matter how much effort you spend in it, they're the kind of people that won't listen to you no matter how many facts you can provide. It will simply end up in a big offlead debat as we've all seen here, scaring either people away or having them form groups and gossip about you behind your back.

I do, however, would be interested in knowing why so many people are willing to take the risk of having their dogs off lead. I'm hoping it won't just be "Because everyone else does it."

[Mobezilla]

Maybe it's just me, but I do see a trend amongst many dog owners that simply want to show off their dog being offlead. Some of them even say that those who don't let their dogs offlead are bad owners and don't know how to train their dogs (though I wonder how much effort they spend in training them). And when something does go wrong, you won't hear a word out of them because that would hurt their ego.

Sadly, no matter how much effort you spend in it, they're the kind of people that won't listen to you no matter how many facts you can provide. It will simply end up in a big offlead debat as we've all seen here, scaring either people away or having them form groups and gossip about you behind your back.

I do, however, would be interested in knowing why so many people are willing to take the risk of having their dogs off lead. I'm hoping it won't just be "Because everyone else does it."

I don't know what the reasoning is and I don't think I'll ever understand it. The answer is simple for me, off the leash Yuki could get hit by a car or never be seen again, on the leash Yuki is safe with me. I value her life and don't care if I look 'lame' or if it looks like shes not trained. The dog park isn't high school and I'm not out to impress anyone tehehe! Sorry I know I'm kind of rambling on I'll stop now xD

[Removed #2]

Sadly, no matter how much effort you spend in it, they're the kind of people that won't listen to you no matter how many facts you can provide. It will simply end up in a big offlead debat as we've all seen here, scaring either people away or having them form groups and gossip about you behind your back.

"

Is that for real? Groups that gossip behind the back of someone whose opinion they don't like? Maybe that's why it seems I'm so invisible sometimes....oh well, I'm here mostly for the pictures anyway...but shame on members that do this! I do notice, and don't take this personal, that often those that give the most argument when you say something unpopular are very young, often living still with parents, not really the dog's decision maker, etc. NOT EVERYONE, just many that I've taken the time to look at profiles. Makes me sometimes feel like I'm conversing with my children.

[Mobezilla]

Is that for real? Groups that gossip behind the back of someone whose opinion they don't like? Maybe that's why it seems I'm so invisible sometimes....oh well, I'm here mostly for the pictures anyway...but shame on members that do this! I do notice, and don't take this personal, that often those that give the most argument when you say something unpopular are very young, often living still with parents, not really the dog's decision maker, etc. NOT EVERYONE, just many that I've taken the time to look at profiles. Makes me sometimes feel like I'm conversing with my children.

I'll admit that I'm a young husky owner. But I am my dogs decision maker, I am home alone 5 days of the week and I feed my dogs, walk my dogs, take them to the dog park, pay for all their vet bills, completely responsible for them myself. Obviously with everything in life, sometimes theres not a right and wrong answer so I come on here to get many different opinions, but I take most the advice I get on here to heart. It pains me to see people my age with a husky that absolutely REFUSE to listen to what people, more experienced than us, have to say and then 2 months later we'll here 'oh my husky got hit by a car - now I have another puppy' or something similarly sickening, because as many of us have said in the end its not the owner that suffers, its the dog I never really thought about letting Yuki off leash, its been my experience in life with dogs that a leash is something mandatory, not optional. This forum has only enforced my opinion on that. Unfortunately Hijinx, when you have as many young owners as you do on here, not all of them have gotten out of the 'high school' mindset and still want to be 'rebellious' and cause drama. I was so happy when I graduated high school but sometimes I do admit I feel like I'm back in it with some threads XD And I'm rambling on - again! It's a habit.. sorry.

[BlueWolf]

Is that for real? Groups that gossip behind the back of someone whose opinion they don't like? Maybe that's why it seems I'm so invisible sometimes....oh well, I'm here mostly for the pictures anyway...but shame on members that do this! I do notice, and don't take this personal, that often those that give the most argument when you say something unpopular are very young, often living still with parents, not really the dog's decision maker, etc. NOT EVERYONE, just many that I've taken the time to look at profiles. Makes me sometimes feel like I'm conversing with my children.

just to clarify, I'm not talking about anyone in particular. Yes, it did happen to the forum in the past, as well as other places and here locally as well. When it's about animals there always appears to be groups of people with strong opinions about what properly caring for animals means fighting against each other

[Elyse]

High school was a living nightmare for me. Why do people say its the "best time of your life."?

I'd rather take the stress of university exams than deal with all the social bull that comes along with high school.

Yeah, Jos...I've been called a bad owner because I don't take Suka off leash (except for the dog park...). I try to explain to them why, but they just ignore me and presumably think I'm making excuses. Most of the time, I've noticed, they're the people with the typical off-leash-trainable dogs like labs, goldens, or German Sheps. All the husky owners I've met, atleast in real life, are responsible enough to keep them on the leash.

There's this guy I see walking his Border Collie every night off-leash. The dog's been great so far, but the first time he saw Suka he ran across the road to say hello. Still, leashes exist for a reason! Use them!

[Fiona]

my previous dog was a german shepherd,attended obedience and training classes since 14 weeks old,was exceptional on and off the lead,at 16months old we went to our local park for his "run around" played with a few dogs,chased a few balls then he seemed to get aggressive with one dog in particular and chased it off,waited a few minutes for his return,but he never did..found out days later there was a bitch in season on the loose,despite posters in vet surgeries,supermarkets,even on the internet,we never got him back,so no matter how well you think your dog is trained,there is always "something" that will seem far more important.Our 8mth Husky gets off the lead surrounded by an 8ft fence.....and she has been trained too:(

[Bec]

I don't think people who never let their dogs off leash are bad owners, but I think it's hypocritical to imply and in some instances state point blank that people who DO Let their dogs off leash are bad owners and irresponsible, which is what happens every time these threads arise.

I think ALL dogs should be taught how to recall reliably, regardless of if you plan to let them off leash or not. I also think that many people have different ideas of what it means to have a dog that is 'trained' to recall. If your dog hasn't been proofed to recall under distraction and has actually been set up to learn what happens if they do ignore a recall command, I wouldn't consider them trained. If you have to give the recall command more than once, I wouldn't consider the dog trained. If your dog only comes some of the time or doesn't come when it's called if it's playing with other dogs - it is not trained. I could go on, but everyone has a different criteria for what they consider a trained recall, simply saying 'but the dog had been trained to recall' can mean a million different things.

Huskies are stubborn and independent dogs and this can make training interesting, but as someone who is in the business of training dogs, I can say with confidence that no reputable trainer would approach training a dog by looking at it's breed first and not firstly the dog in front of them. Even within a breed every dog is different and so is every owner. We have a client that trains her husky as an assistance dog, we have another who trains her husky in a range of dog sports from fly ball to agility to obedience and rally-o. No dog is untrainable! And at the end of the day if someone lets their dog off leash whether they have a reliable recall or whether the dog is untrained, that is their choice. I let my dogs off leash, and we teach many other people how to train their dogs to be reliable off leash too. IMO the responsible owners are the ones who put the time and effort into training their dog to be reliable.

[Removed #2]

Well, my huskies have trained me to be reliable, to never leave them unattended, regardless of fence or lead.

Here's a forum suggestion: since this topic comes up often, maybe we ought to start a fund. $1 (or equivalent) per post, re: off lead, proceeds going towards a chosen rescue organization or a dog in need.

[Mobezilla]

Just my opinion, but I am putting in a LOT of time and effort training Yuki. She is doing really good so far, on our walk today all I did was click once and she came running back to me. She was on a 50ft lead. At the dog park the same thing happened, I clicked once and she came back, I said 'go on' she went back to playing. Do I have to let her off lead just to prove I've trained her? Because I don't take Yuki off her leash, does it imply I DON'T have her trained, even when I am consistantly working with her on recall and obediance? Well I don't think its worth the risk.. because something can still happen to yes, even trained dogs.. sorry I think I'm just so adamant on the topic that I can't stop replying x.x I apologize

Edited December 7, 2012 by Mobezilla

[Bec]

Do I have to let her off lead just to prove I've trained her?

Why do you think that's the reason people let their dogs off leash? There are number of reasons why I'd work my dogs off leash, none of which have anything to do with proving to randoms I can train my dog to that level of reliability.