You will also know about Ceaser Milan when he said that a Siberian Husky was the only breed that he could not teach to walk to heel

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE tell them not to let their Sibe off the lead!

Sibes are very good at leading new owners into a false sense of security! I know loads of people that have said "he/she was great off the lead until..." This until is when they hit 12 months of age (approx), when they find their feet and their ears turn off. They no longer want to come back for that bit of cheese because there is a real squirrel/rabbit/mouse/horse/sheep/cat that they could happily chase all day and KILL!! The only thing is that there is a busy road for them to cross to follow it


The BREED traits are SO important here, because it is that desire to run and hunt that lead to BIG disasters!

Please listen to people that have had years of experience in this breed and know about the accidents that have happened with people that thought they could prove everyone wrong.

If you want to let your sibe of the lead go to some tennis courts, shut the gates and let them run around as much as they want.

Gemma
x

These are at the dog park:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn6Wf8PNtFU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usb1Afouc88

This is at my local "hill"...I am a sissy and I use the lower hill, but there was a large group of kids and other dogs a bit higher up...Ami, like always, just followed me around...sorry about it being sideways
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eR2ULeRQmo

Ami has a great quality of life and we won't be changing...I don't know if we just have the "odd one out" but we trained with her from day one with this goal in mind...so I say that it is possible.

Sorry, don't have a video of her heel...never thought I would need it.

Ami is a stunning girl, obviously very happy and loved and having a ball. You've obviously put a lot of work into her and are reaping the rewards.

Don't know enough about huskies to comment on the off lead thing though

I have met a couple of people who let their sibes off the lead, both have had occasions where they have either worried livestock or killed deer, if you consider this resposible dog ownership then fine

The last time I spoke to one of them he was off to get an electric shock collar - moron in my opinion

Are there exceptions to the rule? yes I am sure there are dogs out there who just don't want to run away for whatever reason, I have seen sibes so fat they can hardly move I guess the chance of them running off is pretty slim.

I think Mals are slightly easier in this respect, they are not as fast or frenetic for a start and I will let mine off in certain circumstances (very few), however their tolerance for dogs they don't know being "rude" is far lower and their dominance far higher which causes a whole raft of other off the lead issues with regard to control.

Like many have said it is an accident waiting to happen, I too thought I could do it differently and had some hard shocks when our first Mal reached 9 months or so, even though we had taken him to advance obedience level, all involved distractions, horses and riders, aggressive dogs, deer etc, with distractions they can become instantly deaf and tune out of you.

I remember one time I was in an agility class and my female mal spotted a magpie flapping in a Larson Trap, she totally zoned out, even though I was a foot away I had no control over her, I could put my hand in front of her face and she would not acknowledge me, nothing short of putting her on the lead and taking her away broke the concentration, I couldn't do a thing with her after that in that lesson, even after putting her in the car for ten minutes etc, she was in hunt mode and I was nothing more than an annoying distraction.

I have known a couple that owners have been quite happy to let off the lead and never had a problem.

THere is also one working a high level of obedience, I'm afraid I don;t know the gentlemans name but I met him at AAD 2 years ago and he had no worries about letting it off anywhere, it had a great level of focus and responded fantasticly.

see, we also don't have any livestock where I live...every once in a while we will see a horse on a trail near the dog park...but we just have a lot of corn and green beans...

Great info, thanks xx

Great xxx

Amy is a very lovely girl and very lucky to have such a great and dedicated 'parent' xxxxxxxx

The owner of a bitch we bred many years ago trained her to an extremely high level in both obedience and agility. She was the most obedient and responsive Sibe we have ever seen. Didn't stop her running across a road when offlead and dying under a car though!!!

Mick

......And the collies that go under wheels cause the chase instinct is so high......shoud BC's be kept on the lead all the time becasue they have that much of a need to chase.

Don;t get me wrong - I am not saying that the dogs should be off lead anywhere and everywhere, but I do believe that with work it doesn;t have to be such a blanket thing.

I am sick of going out to owners who give thier Sibes 20 minute lead walks then wonder why they are nightmares in the house. It is not fair.

These peopel should never have been sold Sibes Again back to the rubbish breeders issue (altho of course there are also people who lie and tell breeder what they want to hear too!)