YES | Siberian Husky Off Lead | Have Your Say

Please use this thread to have your say if you say YES to allowing a Siberian Husky off lead.

I think that each dog has it's own personality. With enough training, ANY dog can be trained to do ANYthing including but not limited to walking off leash.

At Our House:
We take the puppies outside in a laundry basket after their first meal. We let the pups fallow mom around the yard(if the mom does not go off-leash safely.. that's OK keep her on one). Once they have all done their bizniss, kiss to them and run with mom back inside.... Low and behold, the whole litter will fallow her in!! Do this every single time that you feed your pups, and not only will they be housebroken,... they will by proxy walk off leash, AND come on command!!

I do not beleive in selling UNTRAINED puppies. I think that if all breeders did this at the very least until at least 4 months, there would be far fewer rehomed dogs circulating.

Usually when people ask me how I get them to walk off leash, my answer is this.... I never put one on them until they are at least 6 months.
Angel

Any breed of dog can be trained to go off lead; huskies are certainly no exception to this rule. In-fact Huskies need to be exercised off lead both for their physical and if not more importantly their mental well-being. Some breeds of dogs like Huskies can be more difficult to train say compared to German Shepherds for example, but this should not be used as an excuse not to take the time to train them a reliable and trustworthy recall.

The myth that huskies can’t be trained to go off lead is extremely damaging and as a result thousands of huskies are sadly sentenced to a life of on lead walks only. Huskies are not wolves, they are domesticated dogs, no dog should not be punished because of the name of their breed. All dogs are individuals and should be treated as such.

If you’re unsure how to teach your husky a reliable and trustworthy recall speak to a qualified behaviourist who will be able to help you.

For those who have never seen a husky exercised off lead, I did a quick search on you tube and below are the first few videos I came across, please do have a search for more, there is nothing nicer than seeing dogs enjoying themselves off lead (regardless of breed)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oAs8...elated&search=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ESJx_cnb24

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KebPbOP4tYk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1pw-...elated&search=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fhY4spNV5A

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2I4zpSG7QE&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IJj3dPoAsU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fLaN...elated&search=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNaxO...elated&search=

I can understand the reasoning behind no off lead walking but to me that is like saying all staffies are dog aggressive which simply isn't true. With careful handling and sensible upbringing staffies can be as social as any other breed and the same reasoning can be applied to Huskies. I agree with Anne that this view that all Huskies are 100% unreliable in recall is very damaging and has resulted in many dogs leading a poor quality of life by never being allowed off lead. Sadly many of these dogs aren't worked wither so they don't get the chance for any run at all in their lives.
Husky breeders should therefore be very very careful about where their dogs go and if there is a chance that the dog is not going to be worked and hence have a chance of a run then they should seriously consider whether that is actually a good home to go to. It is breeders responsibility to ensure the best for their puppies but perpetuating this 'legend' is simply doing more harm than good.
Educate the owners to become better owners and handlers rather than penalise the dogs to a life of lead only walking.
Becky

Huskies can be trained, like any breed, to be safely exercised off lead.

The Mayhew would always encourage owners to enable their dogs to live their lives to the full. Dogs of all breed types need regular ‘off lead’ exercise in a park or open space each day to satisfy their mental and physical needs. Time spent in the garden (no matter how large it is) is no substitute for exploring an open environment with new smells each day and neither is an enclosed tennis court etc. We appreciate the need for on-lead walking on roads, streets etc, however this should not be used as a substitute for off-lead exercise.

Sadly Huskies do and are suffering from the myth that they can’t be exercised off lead. Inexperienced owners buy them often with the intention of keeping them on-lead, no thought put into the dogs' basic need for freedom and exercise. Huskies can be a challenging breed and certainly are not for first time or inexperienced owners, however in the right hands and with the correct training make wonderful companions who can be trusted to go off-lead safely. If someone wasn’t confident in training a difficult breed recall they certainly shouldn't be looking at getting a husky or any breed that requires the additional level of training that a lot of the working breeds need. Huskies certainly do not "just run in straight lines" "Head for the horizon" Or have a secret agenda to run off as soon as the opportunity arises! Like all dogs they need to be trained a reliable recall to enable them to be exercised off-lead safely.

However what must be made clear is if a husky (or any breed) is not given the regular opportunity to be exercised off-lead, they are at a very high risk of escaping. If their owners won’t provide them with their fundamental needs they will try to seek it for themselves.

Yes Huskys as a breed can be exercised safely off lead in unenclosed areas but like with all dogs it depends on that individual dogs level of training. I've seen some huskys that shouldn't be off lead due to no recall the same as I have seen other breeds collies, shepherds, terriers etc that shouldn't be off lead due to no recall. Any dog of any breed can be trained to go off lead safely which goes for huskys and spitz types too, and agree with others that they need to run freely to have the quality of life they deserve. It is the owners responsibility to properly train their dogs, including husky owners.

Yes i would - like others have said, all dogs can be trained. Individual dogs may have unreliable recall for various reasons but i don't think you can make a sweeping decision based on breed.

Ian Dunbar had a malamute and walked it off lead!

Yes I would. With enough training any dog can be taught recall it just varies from one dog to the next as to how long it takes to achieve this goal. It's just something that has to be taken using baby steps.

Heidi

YES but I think you may need to work a bit harder with some of them than you would with other breeds, I think many breeds have problems with recall, the question is? is it the training they have had, or is it the breed? or both?

Shona, its also down to the dog's individual disposition and biddability.
I vote yes BTW

Mary