Sorry Gaz but i have to say IMHO extendable leads are the best thing 'since sliced bread' for my dogs.they have a certain amount of freedom with me knowing that they are 'safe'.There are LOTS of things in this world that are dangerous but an extendable lead is not up there on my 'dangerous things' list! Letting my huskies off lead IS tho'......

Ancol do a good 50ft long line which can be bought online - they are £17 each though. It is good for our boy as he can't be trusted yet.

I guess it depends how strong the dog is. I had to stop using them when my boy NI reached 5 or 6 months, I had the strongest and biggest extendable and it still resulted in a nasty accident when he forgot he was attached and lunged for a rabbit or something, nearly cut my finger off. In fairness by 6 months he was probably alot bigger than a husky and I might feel better about them now a days if he was half his size and strengh.

To add to the original topic: it would be good to let them know about over excersize if they don't know already and the dangers for young pups but also to let them know they can have alot of fun with the huskies as adults even onlead as they could do stuff like biking with them etc (using a bike attachment)

To be honest I've got no idea how huskies are off lead, I have met one who was better than my NI lol and I have met a couple with mals who said their dogs were very good off lead and sounded easier than my two also. I think it's down to the individual dog but people would need to be aware of the general possibilities to avoid any danger.

Maybe one good idea would be to let them know of good sites online about huskies and northern breeds that go into all this sort of detail - that way they can learn for themselves without feeling you are just raining on their parade.

One thing is for sure I hope after that shock they don't let them off lead close enough to any dangers again until they are much more experianced - they'll need to head for more isolated / safer areas to get to learn how the dogs are throughout training.

a long line is a great idea giving them a certain amount of freedom whilst you are still in control, culpeppers make leads to your own specs and so will make them to any length you desire

as far as a expandable/retractable lead i have never used one due to the fact that when i did a bit of research to see if one would be suitable for kai i came across far to many stories of them breaking with either the dog running off whilst the owner gets whipped by the recoil or it not retracting

when training kai we used a ladder lead i think around 8ft then swapped that for a 15ft horse lead (before i found culpeppers!!)

I had Lupi on an extendable lead for a few minutes while there were horses around (wasn't his normal lead). He is strong, but with a short lead controllable or can get him to sit.

He ran on the extended lead, hit the end of it and nearly pulled my arm socket out. One muscle in my arm 'popped' (tore) as well. I was jerked quite far over as well.

I held on, but could easily have been pulled over badly. I wouldn't put him on one again. The momentum is just too much.

I have a neighbour who has 3 i spoke to him only yesterday and asked him do you let them of the lead he said yes why and i whent in to the discusion dont they run off? he said "maybe but they cant read and i have not told them that so no they dont" lol. They also respod to the whistle. So there are 3 that are ok off the lead lol.

my 2 huskies were very good at recall as pups however the older they got the less they wanted to come back even though the recall traing was repeated regually to keep it fresh in the mind!! i now run with them on a short lead so that they run to heal and still have the enjoyment of movin fast which is what they were bred for!!
saying that though it does depend on the dog, the mother of my boy is let off the lead and is brilliant at recall
i can understand your worry people should never buy any dog without researching the breed to make sure they can give the dog the lifestyle it needs
xx

On our many hours of walking we know of two that have fab recall...whistle and name call...... one at Babbs Mill who we bump into nearly everytime we go, a male named Luke, and one over a park at the back of The Yewtree...sorry can not remember the name of park, another Male called Heski (think thats how it's spelt) anyway both have first class recall. I know Luke is 5 years old and the other around 3.
Those are the only two I know of....Oh! and 1 Akita....7 year old, we meet him at Babbs Mill too.
My son has a neighbour with two Huskie's brother and sister but they could never be let off....they would be off like a rocket

Kismet is still good off lead, I'm waiting for her true teenage years to test her boundaries, but I'm hoping the foundations of training I have laid down now will pay off as she gets older.

She recalls to a whistle. But we have an extendable lead as well. I did have along lead for her, but she used it to tie us in knots and ran it through poo bleugh!. The high strength retractable seems to solve that. Kismet is allowed off lead only once we are a considerable distance from the roads. She does have a high prey drive which I have harnessed in her training using a squeaky tennis ball and other fuzzy toys as a reward when food loses it's appeal.

There are other Husky and Malamute owners that allow their dogs off lead in the field where we walk regularly, so it is possible. But it takes patience and constant training. I believe it is possible to use their need for the pack and desire to stay in a team, along with their prey drive to your favour and use it as a training strength rather than a weakness...

Most of all I would say, you need to impress on your neighbours, you can't just let them off and hope it will all be ok! They need lots of repetition and training. Long lead recall training, letting them off one at a time for short periods and always rewarding their recall, even if they have strayed, It MUST always be a good thing to come back, never a boring straight back on the lead, or shouting and angry. Find the thing that motivates them and make sure you have two or three options. Cheese not working? Try squeaky toy, then try chewey rolls, then try tuggy game. Huskys are so intelligent and independent they are more likely to come back if they are not sure what they might get, just that it is always good.