I know that Huskies are a handful, Maya is proving that to me everyday! I have heard numerous terror stories on husky behavior. I was just wondering what you guys thought on an obedience school/training. Are they worth it with huskies or is it a lost cause?

Absolutely not a lost cause with these guys, and very worthwhile. Don't ever let people tell you that Huskies are untrainable, we have multiple members on here whose dogs are either Canine Good Citizen certified or therapy/service dogs. Obedience and socialization are extremely important, and will help Maya become a happy, well adjusted dog. Scope out what obedience schools you have locally, go talk to the trainers, talk to their clients, and find the right class for her.

It's definitely not a lost cause. Quite the opposite, I highly recommend it. Personally, I have better luck with obedience classes held by the local kennel club rather than places like PetSmart.

i'd also suggest a conformation/handling class if you want to try it. It has taught my male how to walk on a leash faster than anything I tried with Delilah.

Definitely worth it! My husky is a certified therapy dog, and she's a real joy. Never pulls on the leash, is gentle and sits nicely next to wheelchairs, comes immediately when called. She even gets the mail and puts toys back in her toybox

Siberians are perfectly trainable and very smart, you just have to be consistent and practice in small chunks every day.

Obedience classes are great-the real training takes place at home, but the classes help teach you to handle distractions and new techniques.

I still take mine for refresher classes and we even started taking some service-dog level work (home-assistance right now). I'll never take her to service-dog level officially, but it helps keep her mind stimulated to keep learning, and helps our bond stay strong

i believe they can be trained. it takes lots of patience. my snow is set to graduate from her intermediate training @ petsmart. i am not sure if i'll continue to get the canine good citizen or not yet. treats and bribes help, i am always giving her attention and affection. as i am asking her to do new things she is respnding well. i have noticed when she is not sure what i want her to do, she resorts to sitting still or giving me a high five (behaviors that have been highly rewarded with goodies). training is a constant effort throughout their lives. also by training and working iwth them, they get tired out too whihc is a benefit always with huskies. good luck and keep plugging ahead. everyone (and their dogs) progress at their own pace, the idea is to keep moving forward.

kevin

Huskies are trainable but they are hard to train though, especially when you are doing 1 on 1 training with your dog. Patience and consistency is the key of all of this. And lots of LOVE =)

I think Maya would benefit more from obedience training than not. I never sent mine through it, but I spent a lot of one-on-one time doing my own training and taking Yuki out socializing. I'd just say to do your research and to avoid big brand-name places like PetSmart and PetCo. Look for someone who isn't biased against the husky breed and supports positive reinforcement. If you can, ask to sit in on one of their sessions to see their course and what methods they use.

Eresh wrote:

Personally, I have better luck with obedience classes held by the local kennel club rather than places like PetSmart.

Mobezilla wrote:

I'd just say to do your research and to avoid big brand-name places like PetSmart and PetCo.

Please don't issue broad sweeping statements like that. Yes, the big name places are very hit or miss, but so are the private places and for what it's worth we found an incredible trainer at the Petsmart by our house in podunk FL. She was wonderful and Ghost thrived in her classes, earning her CGC at 9 months old. We chose to go with a different training company up here, a smaller privately owned place, because they had the resources to deal with Lulu's specific problems. It's totally dependent on each individual company and store (in the case of Petco, Petsmart, etc). Go out, see what's available, talk to people, observe classes, and go with who you feel more comfortable with. And, as stated previously, if someone shows bias against Huskies, just turn around and leave. They aren't worth your time.

You should call different shelters that offer training, petco, petsmart, private training facilities and ask if there are trainers or staff that have experience with huskies. I found an affordable full service facility with a staff member that owns a pack if huskies and is an active musher. She is just an admin but she has offered me advise about Sibes and will get me started on mushing once my pup is old enough. My trainer doesn't own any huskies, but because the admin attracts so many Huskies to the facility he is experienced with the breed.

Definitely worth it. Try to find one that also introduces them to things they may encounter while out and about, like shopping carts, wheelchairs, horses, etc.