I have a 10 month old Husky/Australian Shepherd and I have been slowly trying to train him off leash but not being too successful about it.. I live in a busy town so doing it around my house isnt an option for me.. im also very nervous he will just take off..

Can anyone give some advice/suggest ways to make the process a little easier? Personal experience more then welcome lol
Thank you!

There have been few people who have successfully trained a Husky off-lead.  While you have a mixed breed, you might have more success but for most Huskies, the advice is to keep them on a lead of some kind. If you really want to try to work off lead, find a dog park so that he's fenced and work there.

Being my typically blunt self, it's your dogs life to run - it could quite possibly be his life if he does.

Get an ecollar and a long line.... or a series of increasingly longer lines. I train mine but only do, if he inadvertently gets loose, i have a prayer of him coming back.

Abi, like Al mentioned most huskies do not do well off leash. don't be discouraged there are a lot of different things that you can use that is hands free, like a belt that you can attach a leash to. with that said. If you have an area that is quiet and enclosed I would work with a long line, 25 feet minimum, there are DIY videos on line to make your own long lines. You have to work on having a solid recall. If there is no solid recall then, probably not the dog for off leash. Anywho....with the long line. allow him to go to the end and use your recall, this is why I mentioned 25 feet, 50 is even better. the farther out in an enclosed area with few distractions should make pup come back to you, If not you gently reel him in, reward with a low value treat when he is sitting by your side if you have to reel him in, high value if he does it on his own, rinse and repeat. If he is not good with recall then you must go short line and proof the recall first. So a 6 foot line, once he is successful, go to a 15 foot, then 25 foot, etc. If you have the magical pup and he is successful with the 50 foot line. Then with low distractions and enclosed area allow off leash. Play the game as before with the recall. If he continues to do well, then up it to still enclosed but with distractions, and holy moly if that is successful, then well I would try a hike or someplace that has some distractions with out enclosure and use 50 foot line (as long as he can't get tangled up), again proof recall, and work your way. You have to have confidence in your bond with your dog and recall must be stellar, if the recall is not superb, I would not risk it.

Aussies tend to be loyal homebodies (at least all the ones I've had the pleasure of working with). They want to be near home, they want to return home, they want to listen to commands.
Huskies appear to be the exact opposite in my limited experience.
It's really odd living with two very polar opposite dogs.

My pup is only 7 months now, but he seems to really respond well to the ecollar.
A little training work in the fenced in backyard with it and he's been responding well.

I tried regular recall training (way more than my previous dogs required), and it works well enough in enclosed spaces with no distractions, but outside the fence, he was a little to independent.

The sound from the ecollar is enough to get his attention though and he knows exactly what it means.

With his personality though, we only use it in certain situations. We'd never use it for a regular walk, areas with traffic, or areas with lots of dogs or people. But if we are at an empty park, out hiking, or doing something in the front yard (shoveling recently), then the ecollar has been a nice way for him to have a little more freedom without being a problem.

Training and understanding your dog's personality are essential.

Dave, although there apparently is 3 of us on this thread that use an e-collar successfully, I never promote the use, unless the OP states they know how to use or that they have an experienced trainer who can teach them to use one and also to assess the dog that potentially will use one. A fearful dog, a dog who is submissive or has a soft personality, and aggressive dog, for instance should never be trained with one. Also, an e-collar is a tool for proofing not for training. So I do agree with you and what you just said, it certainly should not be a starting point to suggest to someone we have no idea on training skill, or how the dog is. The other negative is that it should really not be used on a dog under a year. I do know that manufacturers will say other wise, however, a growing puppy may be injured when not used properly, their personalities are not fully developed. With that said, yes I work off leash with my girl and the e-collar has been an honest life saver for her. I do not want to come across negative, since I do use the training tool, but too often a suggestion on training tools can back fire for inexperienced handlers, that also goes for using prong collars, martingales, etc. Sorry if I appear as a Debbie Downer, and you did relay good points on the use, because too often someone will make a one liner in this situation and simply says oh use an e-collar, I did, and not explain anything else.

OP if an e-collar seems to be a training method that you are interested in, find a trainer who has experience with one and can help you and help assess your dogs personality. Here is an excellent website on learning more of how to use an e-collar and how to choose one that works well.
http://www.loucastle.com/

Thank you for the replies everyone! I think right now im going to admit defeat with off leash training. Maverick is extremely excitable so anything could trigger him. I dont feel very strongly about the use of ecollars but thank you again for the advice!

No offense taken Renee. You have excellent points and advice.

I should point out that I've never once had to use the shock element of an ecollar on any of my dogs. It's basically the equivalent of clicker training with the beep but with better range for me. I definitely was not clear about that. So the age issue isn't a concern for me as there is no physical reinforcement involved.
I never put my dogs in a position where I'd need that level of control over them off leash. If they are going to be in that sort of situation, they will be on a leash. And each of my dogs have had different rules when it comes to when a leash is needed, based on their personality.

I had assumed that Rorschach would likely be connected to his leash at all times when out of the kennel/yard, but he's actually surprised me with his ability to be more controlled than I had originally suspected. He actually listens way better outside the confines of his yard than he does within.

If Mav is that excitable, and set off by nearly anything, off leash training is very unlikely, or at least very difficult.

Again, you need to adapt to your animal's personality.
Max (ACD) stayed by my side for walks, and never needed a collar, in fact if he had one, he'd want to carry his own leash himself. Sam (Aussie shepphard/ACD mix) will move very far ahead, but always waits at corners and has perfect recall. He's friendly with people, but in a nice way (sits by them, gives them the puppy dog eyes and wags his tail) so he rarely gets a leash on a walk. Rorschach likes to hunt, dig, and eat anything he finds, doesn't seem to understand the danger of cars, gets really friendly with people and other animals, and doesn't much like waiting for lights, so he gets a leash without question for a walk.

We have a great nature island nearby. Dear, rabbits, people, other animals, lots of trees and nature. It's a beautiful place. Max again wouldn't stray far, so could be off leash. Sam is a little more inquisitive and adventurous. His recall in this environment is good, but not perfect. The ecollar though gives him perfect recall and then is able to be off leash. During this time of year, Rorschach does just fine with the ecollar in this environment. Cold, snowy, not many people out there. He can run and play and have fun, and the ecollar gives him solid recall. But come spring, a leash will be mandatory as there will be more people, pets, and animal activity, and I'd no longer trust him to listen.