I probably should wait until I calm down to post this, but im just completely beside myself right now. Tonight I went to take Brady out for our last walk of the night, and I accidentally dropped his leash while I was making sure the door was unlocked. I said "Brady, come" in a calm, stern voice....just like I do when he is in the backyard, house, or dog park. I realize being in an open environment is a different scenario, but he just looked at me and took off sprinting the other direction.

As a mild disclaimer, he had been at day care all day and he had been on a walk earlier in the evening (we usually go about an hour after dinner). He had been well exercised today.

Anyways, to make a long story short he took off sprinting away. I finally caught up to him (only because he stopped to go to the bathroom) and he just looked at me like nothing happened. I didn't really know what to do so we just walked back home.

I have 500 crazy things running through my mind right now, most of which I understand are personifying my dogs actions, but I really just don't understand why. Is it crazy that it seems like he really wanted to run away? I really feel let down and like he really wanted to run away. I just really don't get it! Someone else must have had a similar problem...?

He was not running away from you - he was running to a great big exciting world with lots and lots of smells and sounds and sights.

On a few occasions, I have had a leash/collar failure with Ami. When it happens, I act as if nothing is different, not stern or serious - just light hearted, chatty as I non-chalantly, very quickly, stealthly, wander up and grab the leash, or tail...whatever works

Amy said it best......this is why we mention to new husky owners to never trust them, they love to run. Don't beat yourself up, take it as a learning experience. He didn't want to run away, he just was curious. Miya has on occasion start the chase of a squirrel, where I can not see her, and I have used Miya Stay, firmly and calmly said, and she will sit right down. So perhaps you need to implement a command for this situation, because it may happen again, because they are stubborn, independent, and curious. And Btw, hubby had that happen to him a couple of times, only she was chasing a rabbit, and he did our recall with her, Miya let's go, and she ignored him. I then mentioned the Miya stay, and yup, it worked for him. So when he is in charge and she starts taking off he now uses the stay command as well.

Oh yes, when we lived with a cat I have used the tail grabbing as a last resort! Although every time I did I remembered this book my mom bought for my young step sister called "Tails Are Not For Pulling". LOL.

I think I just got really panicked because we live next to a VERY busy street. Im so lucky he ran down our normal walking path instead of out towards the busy street. Also we just moved (about 3 weeks ago), so I was really worried if he ran away and I wasn't able to catch up to him he wouldn't know where his home was.

The "Miya stay" command is such a good idea! I've been meaning to practice something like that with a long retractable leash (he listens very well on the leash, and most times in general).

Thanks you guys

Oh yes, when we lived with a cat I have used the tail grabbing as a last resort! Although every time I did I remembered this book my mom bought for my young step sister called "Tails Are Not For Pulling". LOL.

I think I just got really panicked because we live next to a VERY busy street. Im so lucky he ran down our normal walking path instead of out towards the busy street. Also we just moved (about 3 weeks ago), so I was really worried if he ran away and I wasn't able to catch up to him he wouldn't know where his home was.

The "Miya stay" command is such a good idea! I've been meaning to practice something like that with a long retractable leash (he listens very well on the leash, and most times in general).

Thanks you guys

If you just moved, I would make sure you walk him a lot in every direction from your house - I did that with Ami when we first got him. Early on, before I learned he needed 2 shackles on his tether, he got loose one evening. I was really upset, thought I had lost my dog. Just as hubby and I were standing in the laundry room, discussing what to do (he had been on the phone and I had been outside, calling, calling calling, into the wind and with the wind) - hubby looked out the window and "there he is- in the backyard. The next few days, on our walks, because there was new snow the day he went walk about, I realized Ami probably explored about 1.5 miles in every direction, N, S, E, and W

The other thing we did from the start, since we live on a rural road with no sidewalks, is only walk him on the shoulder and anytime a car would approach, I would say "Car, Ami" with alarm, pull him close and further into the shoulder and make him sit. I wanted him to be wary of cars in case he ever got loose.

Oh the chase...

One time Koda got out and I had just taken my shoes off, so here I am barefoot chasing after this dog. She finally stops about a half a mile from my house and I'm able to catch her. She acted like nothing happened at all. It is super frustrating, and I had the same thoughts running through my head. What if she WANTS to run away? Am I that bad? I finally realized she in an animal that is incapable of that kind of existential thought. Everything she does is a direct outcome of her natural instincts.

Amy, this car idea if absolute GOLD. I never would have thought of that. I will start implementing this in our walks.

Rachel, the one thing that the others haven't mentioned, remember why these dogs were bred in the first place - to run! In front of a sled, of course, but they were bred to run. Brady isn't trying to run away, Brady is just out to run!

While I posted that reference, the avoidance issue in it bothered me as well; you can't solve a problem if you avoid it. I like Renee's response because she's not avoiding the problem - in fact she's using it as a general learning tool, double points for good advice.

While my situation is different from most folks here - the nearest "busy" road is two miles away ("busy" is relative, I've gone to Alpine - 80 miles away - and seen a sum total of 8 vehicles heading south).

Sasha has gotten to be excellent to walk with since I can let her off lead and she stays within a couple of hundred feet - since the terrain is rolling and bushy, I can see her most of the time. She will come when I call, sometimes reluctantly but she will come, which is the only reason she gets any freedom at all.
Avalanche on the other had needs someone right on his tail, he wants to run and thankfully runs on the road in front of our place (which runs parallel to the highway, and two cars a day is a lot of traffic here!) so I get in the Jeep and let him run till his tongues about a foot long and then he's ready to go home.

Ah, yes - the car idea is brilliant !! I will have to start implementing that on our walks as well.

tyler.jenkins.125 wrote:

What if she WANTS to run away? Am I that bad? I finally realized she in an animal that is incapable of that kind of existential thought. Everything she does is a direct outcome of her natural instincts.

That is helpful, as I had the same thoughts running (heheh) through my head. I was feeling like a pretty terrible dog mom! But you all are right - he was just running, not running AWAY.

Al I agree that I shouldn't avoid off leash issues. While I will probably never feel comfortable letting him willingly off the leash, if another situation like this happens it will be better that we have some training background in listening while he is off leash.

Also sorry for the double post earlier - I was typing it from my phone and not sure why it sent twice. I really repel technology sometimes

Doesn't it make you feel like you are a failure pup parent?! "Get back here and love me!" is all I kept screaming. (mainly because I had to chase her through many people's back yards and they were laughing at me...)It's the worst!

One thing I'm going to start doing soon (when she is old enough) is using a shock collar to get flawless recall. I have a friend with an Akita (She is pretty stubborn as well), but when she says come, without fail she comes immediately. Maybe something for you to look into. Definitely do a lot of research to figure out the best way to use it, but if used correctly, can yield some amazing results without harming your dog; I have a friend who trains dogs for a living going over it with me and teaching me when to do what, but I also got a plethora (my favorite word) of information from this forum.

I made this thread and got some amazing advice.
https://www.itsahuskything.com/t14900-shock-collar-inquiries

Food for thought!

I will never be an advocate of off lead Husky without a lot of preliminary training, I've lost one through my own stupidity and I don't want anyone to go through the months of looking that I did.
The advantage that I have is that there are very few distractions in my area; Sasha occasionally goes off chasing a flutterby and give Avalanche the chance to chase a cotton tail and he's gone - in both cases since there are so few distractions I can get their attention quickly and bring them back to me.
In a residential area, no matter how well trained a Husky is, there are just too many things that can attract their attention and off they go.

All that said, however, every Husky should be trained to recall, maybe from across a back yard or a dog park - simpy for that one time they get loose and run (away).

Al, I can not agree with you more. Yes I am a successful e-collar(hate the word shock Tyler, sorry), off leash parent. BUT I trained an immense amount of time with her with the e-collar, but more importantly I had a strong training foundation pre e-collar. The thing that gets me and my husband in heated discussions is why Miya a) occasionally takes off and b) why her recall doesn't work, but stay does. I explained to him that Miya never, ever has left our property while I am in charge and she has several times when he is in charge....the answer is very simple she has a huge prey drive and if you do not watch her and something catches her eye she will take off. Al, experienced this and I certainly do not want any one else to have to go through that. No matter how well trained your dog is, if you do not have eye contact and/or 100% control you stand the risk of your dog taking off, and it's not to get away from you, it's because they are chasing something more interesting than you. Now on to the b part......recall is what all of us owners want from our huskies, I have 100% confidence in that command when she is NOT distracted by something else. However, with the Stay command, I have had to use it in the most high stressed situations, a stranger approaching our property for example, she knows that stay means sit and stay until released, for Miya, stay is the absolute end to all fun, where as our recall "let's go" is not. For huskies, for the most part, imho, since they have selective hearing, you must find the most simple command as the enforcer, for Miya it is stay.

Amy's car tip, yup I do the same thing. A huge fear for me, as a young girl my first dog was a husky/gsd, and she chased cars, and did get hit, she recovered, and goodness that dumb dog still wanted to chase cars. I vowed that no dog of mine will ever see a moving car as prey, and do the exact same thing as Amy.

Like Al said huskies are born runners, and have notorious prey drive, finding out what works best through training, and being consistent with that, should ensure your dog to be with you always. My husband doesn't get the fact that she has prey drive, and taking your eyes off of her for more than a minute, poof she is half way to the next county, no matter how well trained she is. Also, the e-collar only works if you still have 100% focus on your dog, she/he can not beep themselves. So even with the e-collar, you will not be able to ensure they stay put. Miya has chased everything known to man to chase, and has stopped herself on out properties edge, but it was because I was watching her, finger on the trigger of the e-collar, and massive amounts of leash training on where our boundaries are. If I wasn't watching her, she more than likely would continue the chase.

Timber's got loose a few times and he gets this crazy look in his eyes and he just RUNS.  Luckily it was never very far or for very long. we do live in in a residential area, but a 4 lane busy road is a half block away. His recall is not the best and he tends to only listen when he knows you have treats.
I got an E-collar and have tried a little bit of recall training with it, with no luck. it works well for keeping him out of trouble otherwise, but with the training I tried, he just started to ignore me and ignored me and my commands the rest of the day.  
I just read this article today, I need to keep these in mind instead of panicking and running after him.

https://nodogaboutit.wordpress.com/2014/06/01/loose-dog-dont-chase-stop-drop-and-lie-down/

My last boy, Malukhai, used to do this sly little maneuver and he'd be out of his collar sometimes on walks (main reason I use harnesses now, haha) he'd run but stay within a certain amount of space, but would NOT come back to me and Anuschka, it got to the point that I started carrying around one of the lil squeakers from his toys he'd rip out, haha, and if he got loose, I'd squeak it...that did NOT work btw, lol. He'd stop, and look, but no way he was coming back...the only way he'd come back to me, weird as it sounds, is by walking away from him. I'd say "c'mon Anuschka, let's go home.." I .wouldn't turn around (but no doubt I was watching him from the side of my eye, this boy was my life!) and pretty soon he'd be behind me and then he'd push up on my hand with his nose, I'd stop, put his collar back on, and we'd continue walking home.

Smitten: interestingly enough I had just read something similar to that before this happened! My logical portion of my brain was screaming at me NOT to chase him, but.....I still ended up chasing him.

Artic: Brady rips the squeakers out of his toys too! I could so see him just stopping and giving me "the look", then proceeding to trot off in the exact opposite direction if I tried that method. Huskies sure do know how to rub ones patience thin! Sometimes he is just infuriating, but then does something completely adorable and you can't help but smile at them.

I've been working more and more with Brady off the leash in closed enviornments and the consistency seems to be working. Every time I call him I make sure I have something really yummy or one of his favorite toys. He's even been really good at the dog park! Although I habe t REALLY tested it yet - I only call him when he's not playing with other dogs. Anyways im really hoping my hand doesn't malfunction again and drop his leash, but at least now if it does happen we've really been practicing our come back!