Hi!

We are the new owners (4 months in) of a rescue Shepsky. I often take him on hikes in the woods and many people have their dogs offleash. It seems so fun for the dogs to have freedom to explore, so I was thinking about using a long line for Rumo...

But wouldn't the line get tangled around a tree or stuck in the underbrush? Our woods are dense and the trees are close together. Does anybody use a long line in the woods? Or is that only practical if you are in an open field?

If I do buy a long line, should I get a 25' dog-training lead, or a "horse lunge line"? What is best for huskies?

Thank You for any thoughts!

One of my dogs does fine on a long line in the woods but she doesn't really stray from the trail. My other dog is excitable and runs everywhere and getting tangled in the trees is an issue. The longer the line the more trouble you can have. I don't do more than 10 or 12 foot flat line. For me a lot just depends on the dog.

Aw, your white husky looks so much like Rumo!  :-)

Thanks, yes, 10 or 12' length seems like it would be better for getting tangled!

Do you ever let them trail the line?

I was thinking that I might drop the line briefly on some of the steep downhills...am always afraid that he'll pull me off-balance and I'll twist an ankle and be stuck 2 miles out in the woods with a twisted ankle... (ack, knock on wood). I've taught him not to pull, but we don't always handle roots & rocks at the same pace...he is a lot more balanced and hesitates less  (compared to his wobbly 2-legged human.)!

I tried long lines hiking in eastern woods.  Bamp!  Wrong answer.  Tangeled in everything.  Plus, the added length to the, so to speak, fulcrum, gives quite the mechanical advantage when bolting after critters.

As for twisting ankles etc in rocky, rooted, rutted, hilly terrain...I use the traffic lead part of Ami's leash, keep him on heel and use "easy"  He's picked that up quite nicely to the point that when we're in rough terrain and he's on short lead, he actively stabilizes me by moving close against my thigh when he feels my off-balance.  If he doesn't intuitively pick that up, you can always train him to do so.  Ami is a big boy and I am short (and old) so I don't have to lean over much to rest my hand on his withers.

Another option for you would be ecollar training.  Then he could drag a leash (for those areas that are "leash only" by regulation and you would have back up control with the ecollar.

amymeme wrote:

I tried long lines hiking in eastern woods.  Bamp!  Wrong answer.  Tangeled in everything.  Plus, the added length to the, so to speak, fulcrum, gives quite the mechanical advantage when bolting after critters.
.

Yes that is what I imagined it might be like ... yep, these are hilly Eastern USA woods where you can't even see through the trees (North Carolina) so I will abandon the idea of a long line ... not practical for our dense hilly woods!

Sigh, trailing the line is probably not good - if he takes off after a deer, I realize there's no way I could run through the underbrush as fast as him, which means I'd lose him unless I fall onto the line and catch it right away...

He is part shepherd so maybe ecollar training could work someday.
So far, his recall is excellent (er, when I am waving a piece of rotisserie chicken    )

Hiking I use a ten foot lead tied to a belt on one end and to Bodhi's harness on the other.
It works most of the time because he "explores" forward.

At the beach or in an open field, I use a 30 ft. lead so he gets more freedom.

Bodhi is my third husky.
I've learned my lesson from the first two.
He is never off lead.

I was wondering this too as I am starting to take Enzo on small hikes. I've used the training lead to give him room to roam and imagine I'll do similarly at the beach. I wish he could be leash free, but I dont think Huskies are good candidates. Does anyone have a positive experience with their huskies being Leash Free?

I'm going to start by saying that I would strongly recommend not going leash free for a husky. They are a tough breed to do leash free.

However, it is possible with lots of training and work.

During the first year with our husky, we did a lot of recall training to get him to listen to us. After he turned a year old, we started working with an e-collar. We trained him to return to us with the beep (same could be done with clicker training, however if he gets too far, he might not hear the clicks, where the collar stays with him).
When I'm shoveling or working in the yard, he'll be outside. I have to keep an eye on him and call him back or beep him if he goes too far. We have some great walking areas that are fairly remote, and we go leash free there. He runs around and chases stuff while exploring the woods. We just keep him in sight and if he gets too far, we beep him back. If he comes across another person or dog, he comes back to us without command now and sits and waits for them to pass.

Again, this took a LOT of work. We still bring a leash in case he's being naughty. We only do this in isolated areas away from traffic. We did a LOT of training. We also had the benefit of an older dog that was very obedient (non-husky) that acted as a good role model (he never needs a leash or even an e-collar). I also would not expect it to work with all Huskies. I doubt that my wife and I could make this work with every husky as their personalities can very greatly.

So, it's possible, with a lot of work, and if the dog has the right personality for it.

The other thing about long lines and off leash in the woods...poisonous snakes. In my experience, huskies like to pounce first and ask questions later. Not a good thing in an area with poisonous snakes.

Nonnahikes wrote:

I was wondering this too as I am starting to take Enzo on small hikes. I've used the training lead to give him room to roam and imagine I'll do similarly at the beach. I wish he could be leash free, but I dont think Huskies are good candidates. Does anyone have a positive experience with their huskies being Leash Free?

We have an off leash husky! we worked with a trainer to help improve her impulse control and prey drive and then incorperated ecollar training! it DEFINITELY can be done especially if you start at a young age! Best of luck!

Let me put a slightly different perspective on this ... My first Husky was great - I loved that little girl (literally) to death.

She wanted the freedom to run and roam and the great thing was that when I called she always came home (sometimes it took a while depending on where she was)

... until one time she didn't.

I have one I trust off lead now and only when I'm outside with her because she's gotten old enough that she's comfortable staying close.  My other two are on lead (or in the house) 24/7

She's your dog, love her to death ... if you're willing to take that chance.

I will let squirt off lead way in the national forest. I used to let her and my shepherd run loose when the closest anything was 17 miles away. I also never kept her on a leash or a lead when i went riding. But in most circumstances i wouldnt even think about it. But none of my dogs will go very far alone as a group is another story

I use a long leash for walks and just lasso in. I have a 50ft leash. He sticks mainly to the trail. I would never let him off leash as there is too much wildlife and he'd be off after it.

i think our lines are 10' with a bungee close to the body to prevent the sudden jerking, attached to a hiking belt. we have a "traffic" loop halfway to pull them in closer for passing people. worst is when i have them both attached to me and they go between the tree!!!! but we get it figured out.

I brought a 20' long line on the last hike Max and I did.  Wouldn't use it on the trail, but was nice when we stopped to let him explore but still be attached to me.

I walk my dog on a 50ft long line. I attach a bungee to the end so if he does run it does not jerk my back. I've taught him "back" which if he goes through trees he comes back the same way he went in. I walk him in woodland twice a day.