Siberian Husky off lead walking??? Controversial

Just like to point out I only know Anne at AllBreeds on a professional level, she is not a personal friend of mine as you incorrectly said. I am in awe of what she does and felt I should defend her and the excellent work her rescue does against your incorrect and misguided post.

Where have I said PERSONAL friend? Why so defensive? I have friends on here that I have never met in the flesh
I have respected your opinion and not got personal, yet you feel you have to call me misguided. I have commented on what ALLBREEDS has said. She has strong views, some I agree with and some I don't, and from what I can see can fully defend herself. I stand by what I said. I used to work in rescue and still have friends in that area so I fully appreciate what rescues do. This would be a very boring forum if we all agreed with each other If you can't appreciate that, then a PUBLIC forum is not the right place to be.

Ok, I don't think I'll be so polite but here goes! I haven't seen the advert....... any chance it's a certain rescue cerntre advertising??? There is a centre that regularly advertises sibes as needing off leed exercise. As a sibe owner this is something that I STRONGLY DISAGGREE with.
A sibe can be command trained but only if it decides to listen. The running, hunting instict in this breed is far too strong to chance it being let off in an unsecure area. That is if you ever want to see your dog alive again. They risk chasing something or running for the hell of it and either getting hit by a car or shot by some farmer when the see them in their fields. Not to put the dogs down as I love mine to bits but would never condone allowing them to run free where they are not contained!

Sorry, just noticed the centres name above, same one doing it. By the way it is the same place where they advertised a arthrtic sibe needing hours of exercise as well!!!!

I am failing to see where megan57collies has been "misguided"

Agree with you here and it was on a rescue advertisement that I spotted it ;-)

And for the record I have discussed this subject and the advertisement with the SHCGB welfare and they did not in anyway condone it. In fact the excuses people often give for not wanting the Sibes they give up is because of its independant streak.

Hello Fluffypawz wellcome to Dogsey

I think you need to concentrate on your reasearch a bit more, either that or stop making things up

Thank you :smt001

Huskies are worse than Afghans, I wouldnt sell one to anybody if they intended to run it loose in a public area. They need to be run in a SECURE area they cannot be trusted.
Dawn.

Not at all, they themselves give advice to new Husky owners on off lead training.

They’re not embarrassed far from it, they don't mention or talk about it on the SHCGB forum as they know they'll be shouted down and get the same response like some of the posts on here. To be honest I don’t blame them.

AnneUk,
I think my research on this breed is quite extensive as a owner of the breed for many years now, I just simply did not initially pick up on the centres name but then it's not them we are talking about at the minute is it?
I am concerned about people handing out guidance on breeds without a balanced view. Many very experienced sibe owners have contacted the centre in the past offering advice etc and they don't choose to listen but obviously that is their choice. Similarily it seems to yours as well, unfortunate for some poor sibe who goes to an unprepared home/handler who thinks they can recall a dog that's running off after a rabbit, bird, deer, whatever takes their fancy at the time and is lost or killed!
And at which point was I making this up? I seemed to miss something have I?

AnneUK previously/also known as ALLBREEDS incase anyone is confused, as I was looking at the post.
Your view and experience on Huskies is your opinion and if you have been able to run your huskies offlead then great for you.
I think we need to clarify that there is nothing wrong with letting dogs off in a secure environment ie, fenced in etc.
The general consensus is looking at a dog being let off in a public place where there are other dogs or distractions around. If your dogs have come to no harm then that is great. To challenge the opinion of the majority in this breed though, and this opinion has been maintained for decades not just a myth that been around for a few years then it is obvious there is truth in it.
For anyone getting a husky, like any breed the pros and cons should be looked at and how the dog would fit into their lives and where they live. I wouldn't have a breed like this personally as I do not believe they reliable offlead. No dog is a hundred percent but certain breeds including the husky are less so. Most of the posts on here are from people that have huskies, and over 90% of the posts here agree with the fact huskies are not reliable offlead. These are from people that maybe members of the Husky Club, some may not be. But all have put their honest views, so no pressure from the Club then!!! What a load of rubbish that breed societies put pressure on their members from speaking out about their dogs. Are people really that gullable and easily led. Most people take advice and information from breed societies and use them as a way to keep in touch with people who have the same love and interest in the same breed and that is all. They are not God in telling people what to do. Breed societies and Breed Rescues have my full support as they are the best people to deal with an invidual breed, as no-one on this planet is an expert in every breed. You read up as much as you want on a breed but you have to live with them to fully appreciate them.

Well put Megan!

Fluffypaws I wasn’t questioning your research on a breed, I have no idea who you are so it wouldn’t cross my mind to do so. What I didn’t like was the lie told-see your comment below

I disagree with the conception that Huskies should not be allowed off lead. Yourself like many others feel strongly the opposite. It’s an ongoing debate between Husky people.

Yes I do along with other rescues, experienced owners and breed experts. Many others feel the exact opposite like yourself.

If Huskies didn’t suffer from the myth that they can “never go off lead in a public place” then it would bother me in the slightest. But the reality is many Huskies are not given the freedom to run off lead, your average Husky owner doesn’t do sports or activities with their dogs. Imagine how frustrating it must be for a Husky to be dragged around an open space or park on a lead, even on an extension lead. It must be torment for the dog to be tempted with all that space but not be able to run around.

What would be wrong is someone saying training a husky a reliable recall is easy. It’s not rocket science but it’s certainly not easy, it takes time, patience and concentration. The most common method for allowing a Husky off lead is first to walk them on a 100 ft trailing line, which is hard work and your hands get filthy and your constantly concentrating on the line, commands and body language. It could be months before a husky can be trusted off the longline, some can never go off the long line. Having to always wear a 100 ft long line is considered off lead (which may cause some confusion when talking about off lead) the dog can still run around freely but with the owner still in control.

Is this aimed at me? Please point out where I have given you this impression. Nobody can be an expert in all the breeds of dogs; everyone is learning no matter how much knowledge they already have.

ALLBREEDS/ANNEUK
I use both names to give clarity to this post as you have posted by two names.
Firstly, the last quote above was not aimed at you. If you read the last paragraphs you will see that I was talking generally about breeds and making a general comment that noone knows it all. We all keep learning about the brees we have.
Secondly you seem to have backtracked. When I posted earlier and said you can have dogs on a longline, it was still considered that the dog was NOT offlead. I have never heard of the term off lead given to a dog on a longline in any breed but to do my research I have spoken to the SCHGB and they do not use this term either. Your dog is either on a lead or not, whatever it's length.
Now you're saying that if a dog is on a 100ft lead it is offlead. Plain English, If a dog is attached to a lead whether it is 1ft or 100 foot. You clearly state in your earlier posts that you let your huskies run free off lead and you only used the 100ft lead for recall training. Now your saying some of the dogs don't come off the 100ft lead. So you've contradicted your own posts. So you would have to agree then that huskies cannot all be reliable and that some do have to stay on a lead (allbeit a hundred foot) therefore it is not a myth at all that Huskies should not be trusted off the lead.
You also change your terming from "should" to "never" being let off.
Noone said this. People on here have said that general advise regarding the husky and other breeds is that they generally are not considered reliable to let off the lead. By your admission in your post, you state some never are allowed off the lead. So which stance do you actually take then now?

Well said Megan.
If a dog is on a lead, then it is on a lead not off lead or free running, but attached to a lead is on a lead.
I have mine on a long lead (different breed) but they are still on a lead even if it is a long one

Just to refresh your memory.

You clearly reply to dogs off lead ie, not attached. Then you say at the end it's cruel for a dog to be on a lead.

I'm very lucky to own my own land for my dogs..
However for socialisation and a bit of variety we sometimes go to the beach,country parks etc..
I take great delight (Im afraid!) when approached by people saying "oooh I love Huskies!" and invariably their first question is "how much did he cost?"..I reply totally deadpan "£675,000"

And its true.. on returning back to this country after living abroad I had to wait to have another Sibe until we'd bought a house with its own land that I could fence securely..and thats what it all cost!!
they're faces are a picture!! but it gets the message across.
we were fortunate to buy a house that had its own copse once used for Pheasant rearing (great big wire fencing pen in the wood)
where we cant let him go 'off lead' as its just not secure, we tend to have him attached to our bikes in forestry commission or large country parks, so he runs in harness in front...and the big grin lolloping tongue and woo-woo's say it all..not a miserable life 'on lead' at all

Hi Snowpawz and welcome to dogsey.
God that's scary when you add it up like that. I think if we added up everything we spent on our dogs or because of our dogs we would get a shock. Let me see. New house with bigger garden, larger car to safely travel dogs plus everything else for 15 years equals a second home in Spain i reckon

we were fortunate to buy a house that had its own copse once used for Pheasant rearing
Can we come and live with you?