Siberian Husky off lead walking??? Controversial

To those happy to let their Huskies run free

There is a Red and white Siberian bitch missing from Stonehouse Nr Stroud Glos...She ran off while being walked....missing since 1st Dec if anyone is in the area please look out for her, she is wearing a collar and tag...her details can be found on the Doglost website....hopefully she will be found safe and well and not end up an other off lead statistic.

Also if a dog is attached to it's owner by a line, whether it is 6 foot or 100 foot it is NOT off the lead....your original advice that they must get off lead exercise is extremely misleading...some poor dog could be killed because somebody originally listened to your advice...before you added the bit about the 100 foot line.

Someone I Know who has been heavily involved in this breed for many years phoned one of the rescue centres who advise this minimum of 2 hours off lead a day, to give them some friendly information and advise about the breed and was told that this was how it has to be and if a Husky was killed while being exercised off lead then that is better than never having the chance to run free.

Each to their own opinion. Personally, my two will stay firmly ON LEAD and attached to me when we go out. The oldie (12) can still outrun me, and the pup DEFFINATLY can outrun me! So even the idea of a "trailing" 100ft line within "stepping distance" would be out of reach within a fraction of a second! Thank Heavens for walky belts is all I can say!!!
Lynn
PS Hi Susan!!

In my post I compared the Husky with other breeds that are generally advised to keep on a lead of some sort not using general breeds, it's chalk and cheese.
So what would your advice be to an Akita owner then, the same advice regarding onlead applies to this breed as well. So are you saying then that the Akita owners are all wrong as well? That that is just a myth. That the Akita Breed Association is incorrect too? How about Afghans they are all wrong too? Or are all these owners rubbish at training their dogs as they choose not to play with their dogs lives by taking that one chance?
You talk about educating people on the husky, yet you refute the very advice that SCHGB and the Siberian Husky welfare give. How is that a fair and balanced view to the breed and how is that making a responsible owner, if they are swayed by yourself to believe that if you train you will have no problems. It only takes the once and your attitude is well at least the dog died happy. Try telling the owner that when they're scraping the dog off the road.
I don't have much more to say on the subject. People as I said before, if looking at a Husky for a pet will tend to contact breeders and the Breed Societies who will give them a balanced view of the breed which they can then make their mind up whether to take that chance with their dogs. I personally would not play russian roulette with something I love and is part of my family.

I disagree with this, you cannot generalise by saying 'Huskies can be trained to go off lead safely'. It is something I have spent over a year in professional training with my Sibe to rectify and after a lot of cost eventually gave up on the whole thing just a few months ago. Also I can name many other sibe owners with the same problems, even working huskies who have plenty of exercise have been known to fail at recall. My husky gets a full run with a bike once a day and a nice, jog/walk in the evenings. Probably get four miles in total a day and yet no matter how exhausted she may seem if I were to let her off there would be no insurance that she would return. I know this because at weekends we take them to my mothers, who has just under an acre of fenced land and Zuki will not come back to me until she is ready. Food is of little interest, in fact all the puppy training we did means nothing when we are outside and she has the wind through her fur and so many more interesting smells. I am not the only one who has to deal with this and I dont see it as a problem because I researched my breed and understood that she may never get to go off lead in public way before we actually got her. I just hope no body reads your post and thinks that they can change the natural instincts of a Sibe and either waste a lot of money in paying for training or worse let their Sibe run free in the hope that you are right.

Oh Lynn, I had to laugh as I nodded to every word of your post that stepping distance can become a mile in a fraction of a second and yep walky belts are heaven sent ;-)
Donna xx

F.A.O: anyone who thinks a Sibe's wanderlust is the Fault of its owners inabilty to train

I can think of no better anecdote than this...
Lois Leonard (American)owner/handler and trainer of Lojan's very special Sula says:
"you will never be able to trust a Siberian, ANY Siberian, off lead in an unfenced area.NEVER. its as simple as that"

Now the gravity of her words only come into context when you consider that Lojan's very special Sula had:
In 9 years of competition....
earned 248 qualifying scores in AKC obedience.
won 18 area specialty high in trials.
2 National speciality high in trials.
3 All Breed High in trials.
And OTCH (obedience trials Champion) !!

And with all that in mind Lois tells the story of how one day Sula ran across a road after another dog narrowly missing and thankfully not hit by Cars!

Sadly Many Sibes are not so lucky
PLease,please listen to the words of caution from those of us who have lived worked and loved Siberian Huskies for many years!!!!!!!!!!

Snowpawz,

A very good way to make your point. It does not matter how much training you and your dog do, it will do what it want when it wants.
The only time my dogs are excercised without being attatched to me is in a safe, secure, enlosed area. That is the only way to ensure the safety of your sibes. Noboby will disaggree that their dogs would love to free run, but it must be done safely and this can't be done off-lead in unsecure areas with sibes.

Hi Donna
Thinking of changing her name to Greased Lightning!

Lynn

Hi

Can I ask what it is like socializing Huskies with other dogs when out on walks?

The reason I ask is because I have a dog (not husky) who is onlead (fear) aggresive and in the past it has been almost imposible to get him near another dog while onlead (makes alot of noise, lunges, acts big and tough when really he is a big wuss etc) on the other hand he mixes great offlead...If he was a husky I think that would be really hard...

Are constant dog training classes essential (throughout their entire life) so they can mix alot with other dogs? If you don't have friends with dogs and some of your own enclosed land is it difficult socializing them off lead with other dogs, because even minus by boys lead problems I still imagine the lead can get in the way of natural interaction and body language etc etc. What do people do to get around this??

If I were to own huskies I have the daily exercise on lead issuse sorted out in my head (ie: get around that by using a springer attachment etc) but how do you find daily onlead interaction with other dogs?

My bitch sibe mishka is the same myschievous when on lead , she will say hello to another dog (male )on leash , but another female she says hello then snaps at the other bitch & can be very nasty sometimes too towards her, but if off leash in a tennis court to run free , if theres a bitch running around with her in the court she's fine, i have found my other sibes i have had mix well with other dogs when out , on or off leash in a tennis court. I exercise my mishka with my bike attached to a spinger device. :smt002

I've heard about these springer devices but i'm thinking, when the dog decides to bolt in another direction, doesn't that leave you flat on your face?

The spring takes alot of the pull off. I use one now with my NI and my boy is much bigger / heavier than a husky and I do ok (and he loves to chase stuff) the problem I have is when I am stopped already, then I am vulnerable to being pulled over, it's easier when you are on the move.

Yes thats right myschievous its when your not moving is when you need to be careful , when i stop i put mishka on her lead too so she can't pull after anything & take the bike & me . But shes quite good really , i only have to say ''leave it''in a gruff, loud voice when shes attached & she knows to do this.

Hi,
some dogs just feel threatened when meeting another dog if they are on a lead, as they would not be able to protect themselves as well. Off lead they can move away,turn or protect themselves if they so wish. My huskies all differ about how relaxed they are when meeting dogs on their lead. My little bitch was attacked by two off lead rottweilers as a puppy (owners had no control) when she was on a lead and is now very jumpy - but off lead she is more relaxed. The other bitch does not care if she is on or off lead as she loves everyone. Huskies are boisterous and can often be a bit overpoweringly friendly for some other breeds. I guess like people they all have their own boundaries so it is up to each owner to evaluate what the comfort zone is for their own dog when mixing them.

I am sure everyone has their own opinion and I agree with the Siberian Husky Club that when giving advise on letting a husky off lead then do not do so should be the advise. Initial training on a long leash before letting them off altogether, which is what I take your comments to mean, is a good way to ensure your dog learns recall safely before letting them loose. However, noone says you can not teach a husky to do recall. What we all say is that you can never trust the husky not to revert back to their normal instinct and take off one day. This being the case the safe option is not to let them off unless in a safe enclosed area. It shows a lack of respect for those who have bred and loved this breed to disregard their advise because you can prove a number of successes with letting them loose and recalling them. I would not dream of going against another breed clubs advise when letting someone have one of their dogs. So why do you feel that you know better? Although your heart may be in the right place you are advising owners to take unwarranted risks with their new pets and I can not understand why. Is it because a husky that can be let off is easier to home? Is it because you can not admit that others may be more experienced in these matters? Or do you really not care that a dog may be killed because of advise you give out.
You should be honest and give the advise as the sibe club states it. If you wish to say you have experience of letting a sibe off and recalling then feel free, but tell them of the dangers too. That is the best advise for the dog. They can not read this forum so it is up to us to protect them.

Not at all, keeping a husky on lead is the easiest option but it's unfair on the dog, that's why we go to such lengths to train them to go off lead.
Might be worth having a look here > http://www.dogsey.com/showthread.php?t=55495

Do Huskies care or not if you are insight? I'm just asking because with my dogs (NI as we know come mostly from Northern breeds) they have been harder to teach perfect recall than your average breed in the respect that they will sometimes just stay out of reach and not come back quick enough before they are done playing or whatever they want to get up to - but the big thing with them is that they like to keep you within eye sight which has made recall with my dogs achevable (maybe still not 100% perfect but getting there)

With Huskies I hear the problem is that they will start to run and one day may not stop for miles or until the first road gets them etc. So is it that they will totally forget you and wont look back - as opposed to the attitude that mine have - 'yes I can see your still there and I'm fine over here, if I can't see you I will come looking!'

mine certainly dont care if i'm insight,its like someone flicks the 'RUN' switch and theyre off......they dont know where -but they just keep running.

:

I've heard this said too many times :-( In all the years of owning and working with Huskies I've never met one that just heads for the horizon for no reason. Yes they love to run but they’re not stupid, a well-trained husky will either run in circles or back and forth, just like any other well-trained dog that loves to run. The majority of cases you hear of Huskies that have escaped/run off are Huskies that are never walked off lead (or properly trained to) I often wonder if these sibes that break through garden fences, are dogs that are bored and frustrated from not being given the opportunity to run freely on a daily basis, something they were bred for. Walking off lead is an age-old argument, many people think Huskies and Greyhounds! should never be allowed to run freely in a public space; apparently they always head for the horizon I personally think it is unfair to keep them on lead, however like I said neither are the easiest of breeds to train in recall, this must be worked on first and not until the recall is 100% should they be allow completely off lead. I always start our dogs, on a 100-foot long line, so they still have the freedom but allows me to be in control. Personally I wouldn’t allow any of our dogs, regardless of breed, to be completely off lead until their recall is 100% and they want to stay with you. Like any dog if they're not trained properly, they won't respect your commands. Training a husky is no different to training any other independent/stubborn minded breed - hard work!! But it breaks my heart when I hear people generalise and say Huskies can never ever be walked off lead. I know mine, including the ones we’ve rehomed, would be miserable if they didn't get the chance to romp freely. Hard work, dedicated training and a bit of common sense is all it takes ;-)


Here's Suka heading for the horizon on Hampstead Heath

I have been reading this thread with interest as I have always wanted a husky, they would have been my first choice of dog if it not for the *no offlead* rule. I do not have sufficient space at the moment to ensure they get a good run in a safe area. It is paramount that my dogs recall is good where we live so that they can run in parks and fields and be called back onto their lead.

If I tought a Husky could be trained oflead i'd have had one in an instant, but it's a chance i'm not willing to take until I have sufficient 'safe' space for one to run/be trained. I am not about to question owners and breeders of sibes and their knowledge, but I do have a friend who has had huskies all his life, he only has one now, but all of his dogs barr one had been trained to be let offlead and their recall was 110% to they day they died (none in accidents). The one that wasn't good offlead was a rescue he got at about 14 months of age, it had never been let offlead and never ever 'got it', he said.

Like I said i'm still learning but that's from my personal experience. I wouldn't be willing to chance it myself unless in a safe secluded area.