Hi,

Sorry to jump into your forum like this. To be honest, I don't own a husky, I have a German Shepherd. My neighbors, however, have two gorgeous husky siblings. The thing is, they were not prepared to appropriately contain them. Their yard has a six-foot privacy fence which they figured would be sufficient- wrong. The dogs climb over, they dig under, they run through the electric fence, they chew through ties.

These huskies have been picked up from just about every vet's office and animal shelter in the tri-county area, the farthest one being nearly thirty miles away. I've had to catch these dogs after they got loose numerous times, they're super friendly but they won't come to anyone and have no training. I'm amazed that these dogs are still alive since their preferred escape route is via highway.

Anyway, my neighbors have no idea what to do about their dogs, and are considering giving them up. Currently they are trying to tie the ringleader (the female escapes much more often than the male) to the porch with a length of steel cable. It's not working and looks dangerous to me. The owners work during the day and have recently given me free reign to walk/exercise/pretty much do whatever with their dogs while they are gone.

Does anyone have any suggestions about how to keep these dogs safe? I've never had this problem with my GSD. I heard from a friend that it's a bad idea to crate huskies, that it causes them too much emotional distress, is that true? If it's not, would crating them in-between walks work to keep them from getting loose?

I'm really worried that these guys are going to get hit by a car, any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

Crating them is actually a very safe and effective way to contain them. Though they have to be trained properly to accept a crate for it to be as effective as it is for most dogs.

You can't really compare a safely crated dog inside a house or in a backyard vs loose and getting out and running on busy highways.

There are other ways to escape proof the yard, which you can find here and maybe show your neighbors: http://www.huskycamp.com/security.htm

Good luck!

How old are the dogs? Crate training them is very safe, but the owners need to devote time in doing so (not letting them out when they howl). When huskies are crate trained, they learn to love their crate (mine loves hers so much she prefers it to our bed when we invite her!)

As you have experienced, huskies are escape artists, so they will find every way possible to get out. When the owners are home, are they walked adequately? Sometimes when huskies try very hard to escape or dig, they're bored. If they get enough exercise, it might calm them down.

If they get to the point of choosing to give them up, I hope they find a good rescue. What area are you guys located in?

When I volunteered for a rescue, they had the dogs in a large yard with a 6' privacy fence with hot wire around the top and bottom. I touched it once or twice by accident and I never wanted to touch it again. It didn't cause any burns or anything, but felt like an electric shock. None of the dogs ever escaped, and at times there were 10-20 in the yard.

Thanks for all your advice! Crate training is probably the best option now that I know it's okay for them. I don't think the owners have the time or resources for the more complicated ideas, at least not right now.


Seanbrunnet- I think they are around sixteen-eighteen months.They're less than two for sure, but they look like adults. We live in the Northern Virginia area, I haven't heard of any husky rescues, but I haven't really looked either.

wpskier222- Does the hot wire work better than an electric fence? They just blew past the electric fence like it was nothing.

As far as exercise goes, I don't think they get much aside from running in their yard or running away from home. I started walking them two weeks ago but before that I've never seen them out of their yard unless they were loose.

Yes, hot wire is much more effective than an electric fence. That was the first time I've seen it used for dogs, normally it's used for horses. Its a physical wire that you attach to the fence so if they try to climb it they won't be able to do so without touching the wire, which would then give them the shock. It usually only takes once for them to learn to avoid it.

It's great that you came on here to ask for advice, but the real problem is that it seems like the owners really don't care, which is really the only way it will change unless you take the dogs in permanently. THEY have to be willing to give the dogs proper exercise and training. And I don't understand why they continue to leave the dogs out in the yard unattended if they know they are going to escape. You are obviously a caring person, I commend you for walking them, but that isn't really a real solution. I hate to say this, but I would almost imagine the dogs would be better off going to a breed rescue and getting placed with a family who is up to the challenges of a husky.

What do your neighbors think about the whole thing?

I'm in the Annapolis area and I have ties to a couple different Husky rescues around here. If it comes to that, shoot me a PM and I'll help get them into rescue.

It sucks that they're with people who don't care to educate themselves or do what's necessary to keep their dogs safe. Thank you for what you're doing, and definitely let us know if we can help in any way.

23rdHunter wrote:

Thanks for all your advice! Crate training is probably the best option now that I know it's okay for them. I don't think the owners have the time or resources for the more complicated ideas, at least not right now.


Seanbrunnet- I think they are around sixteen-eighteen months.They're less than two for sure, but they look like adults. We live in the Northern Virginia area, I haven't heard of any husky rescues, but I haven't really looked either.

wpskier222- Does the hot wire work better than an electric fence? They just blew past the electric fence like it was nothing.

As far as exercise goes, I don't think they get much aside from running in their yard or running away from home. I started walking them two weeks ago but before that I've never seen them out of their yard unless they were loose.

Where in northern Virginia, I'm in Reston! I know of several pet rescues, a couple of which specialize in huskies in the area, so if it does indeed get to that point, I'd be more than happy to help.

I would say exercise is the main thing these huskies need right now. Crate training rather than leaving them in the backyard is good, but consistent walks are even better. There are also a lot of great doggie day care options in northern Virginia. We bring Kai to Dogtopia, which she loves, but there are other options as well. Have your neighbors considered this? It's great for the dogs as they get to play with other high-energy breeds all day.

I also would say it's disappointing to hear that your neighbors sound like they don't care that much. Have they expressed that they want to exercise them more or care for them better? Have they had experience with dogs in the past, specifically huskies?

Thanks for coming to the Forum though, it shows that you're trying to find out what best to do for the dogs.