Hi
I've had a few people tell me that huskies can never be trusted off the leash in unconfined areas no matter how well trained they are...

Is this true?

Cheers

This is one very sensitive topic and most would agree that the majority of huskies should never be trusted off lead. Yes, there are a small few that are the exception to the rule but bear in mind that they are just that, an EXCEPTION. I would never trust any sibe no matter how well trained off lead ever. There is a reason that anyone with experience and familiar with the breed will tell you to never trust the breed off lead.

I agree with Val that this is a very sensitive subject and there have been many a heated debate about it on other forums.

All the advice you will ever read about Siberian Huskies is to NEVER EVER LET THEM OFF LEAD.

This is very good advice that I remembered from another Forum:

One of the biggest problems with novice owners is that their pups can lull them into a false sense of security by being really good off lead for the first few months. Then, as they hit puberty and develop that sense of over-confidence that we recognise in human teenagers, they can suddenly turn into nightmares. If I had a tenner for every Sibe owners who has said, "I don't understand it, he'd always come back when I called before!" I would be a rich man!!!

Have a look at this - it is hard reading but necessary:

http://www.siberescue.org/Common/Leash/leashTRUST.html

We're already on this? Actually, TBH, it took a lot longer than I had expected...

IMO, huskies are NOT offleash dogs, should never be offleash and people who tell you otherwise are not informed. I will admit to letting Koda off leash on certain occasions, but you know what? Those occasions have taught me and reinforced just exactly WHY a husky should always stay on a leash unless in a fully enclosed area.

We could all give horror stories, but the fact of the matter is: huskies are intelligent, independent, have terrible wanderlust and were bred to run. This creates a dog that wants to run, thinks it can and doesn't understand the dangers of doing so.

So yes, I would agree with the statement that huskies cannot be trusted off lead.

Thanks everyone.

Indi's actually my second husky and after Alaska, my first husky, I'd never let Indi off. Just been copping a lot of flack lately (from non husky owners) and started wondering if it was truly a breed thing or just an Alaska thing. Glad to hear it confirmed from people who know better!

Cheers

hailzm wrote:

Thanks everyone.

Indi's actually my second husky and after Alaska, my first husky, I'd never let Indi off. Just been copping a lot of flack lately (from non husky owners) and started wondering if it was truly a breed thing or just an Alaska thing. Glad to hear it confirmed from people who know better!

Cheers

You are most welcome - now you can tell people to mind their own business cos you know about huskies

Welcome to the forum - it would be nice if you could introduce yourself and Indi - we would all love to see some pics too!

Catherine wrote:

now you can tell people to mind their own business cos you know about huskies

Welcome to the forum - it would be nice if you could introduce yourself and Indi - we would all love to see some pics too!

Ditto on both statements! Well put Cath.

hailzm wrote:

Thanks everyone.

Indi's actually my second husky and after Alaska, my first husky, I'd never let Indi off. Just been copping a lot of flack lately (from non husky owners) and started wondering if it was truly a breed thing or just an Alaska thing. Glad to hear it confirmed from people who know better!

Cheers

That's one of those scenario's that gives our forum name some meaning. It's really a husky thing and other owners just don't get it.

I took Sirmiq to the dog park the other day for the first time and he confirmed that I can't trust him off leash. I was tempted, at the school by our house a lot of people gather and let there dogs off leash. The school is mostly fenced but has gaps that connect to the parking lot and an unfenced park on the same block.

I was tempted to believe that if there were other dogs around he would stick by. But at the dog park, when a new dog came in he would go over and say hi, wrestle for a few minutes, then go off by himself sniffing at the other end of the park and looking at all the people on the other side of the fence. When we would call him he would do the run to us and then run by thing, we are still working on the recall. Kiwi on the other hand, has had perfect recall at the dog park and will normally stick by us or the other dogs. Although if SIrmiq were to run off she might follow.

I am glad I tested it at the dog park first, I have no doubt now that at the school he would play for a few, and then go run off and explore on his own.

We are working on off leash training right now with Sinatra. I'll keep you guys posted on any progress.

if you look in the akc breed standard it actually mentions that huskies should never be trusted in an unconfined/offleash scenario... I thought that was rather interesting, but I think that there will always be an exception to the rule. My parents don't understand when the "grankids" are over that I will NEVER let them off leash even though their dogs have always been trusted off leash, but they have never owned huskies;)

Ive tried off leash training with both of mine and just when i think ive got it they pull a fast one on me and off they go.

After Mickey nearly gave me multiple heart attacks when we first got him and would slip out the front door whenever he felt like it... i have never and will never voluntarily let them off their leashes. I am however working on offleash heeling with Mickey. As long as he's in a heel position he's ok. But my hand is right above his collar at all times. I can't understand what peoples fascination with offleash Huskies is...

There's only one place I let my dogs off leash...




I would never try the Husky off leash in town or in the country. Pretty sure he would see a leaf fall a half mile away and be g-o-n-e, gone.

Are your Mals better off-leash than the husky? I always thought the off leash ability was equal?

We would take our Jax to a baseball field so we could let him off leash and he could run and he would run the fence line looking for a way out! We new he couldn't be trusted.. He would dart out the door sometimes and thank goodness our neighbours were always out b/c he would run to them b/c he loved people. They new to alwways grab his collar.

We did the same with Koda back in Potsdam! We had a great fenced in baseball field and he did the same exact thing: running the fence line look for weaknesses! Crazy smart dogs

Little did he know he could of jumped if he really wanted out.. My husky never figured out he could jump over things. We would leave him in kitchen sometimes with those little gates and he never jumped it.

I have but no longer been letting go of their leashes at the end of our walks 1 house away from ours and they had been running right to the door but after a month or so they started to get adventuress and not go right to the house so I stopped. I also sometimes with checking the front first will let them out the door when we are on the way to the dog park cause they will stop in front of the car cause they know where they are going. Eddy's dogs are great on the mountain and I'm not sure if I will trust ours yet this year as I'm afraid Jack will just go off the side of the mountain because he does not realize it is a cliff!

Koda wrote:

Are your Mals better off-leash than the husky?

So far all of the Malamutes I've had on my own have been excellent at staying nearby when walking off leash. Not so good if they stay off leash in one area for too long. The first one I had growing up was an outside only dog. He was never good at anything but chasing cars down the fenceline. He had almost three acres fenced to roam around in. Crazy dog was that.

Koda wrote:

I always thought the off leash ability was equal?

That's what the consensus seems to be. I don't think I'm doing anything to drastically different. Although I think they really cling since we're together all day.

.

Probally not, they like to run ..and run ..and run.

If they fins somehting they want to chase they will be off and gone. Its best to keep them fenced or on a leash at all times, for the safety of your dog. Also make sure that your recall is solid in case they do get loose.

My boy can't even be let off leash to walk into the front door- he is ALWAYS looking for an opportunity to pay a game of chase, whenever he has got loose he looks back at me like "mom, isn't this fun!?" NO KODA! About 3 weeks ago, I was taking him down to pee, and the prong on his collar broke and there he went! I spent 2 hours chasing him 6 miles on foot the majority of the time, watching him switch sides of the street on one of the busiest main streets in the city.. I thought for sure he was going to be killed. Thankfully a lady just had me jump in her car (I didn't care if it was a psycho after 4 miles of running after him), and we cornered him in an apartment complex. I was a mess!

Well, it sounds like Malamutes > Huskies.

Out of my dogs, I would rate Tambi the best at off leash (like 99.99%). Then there's Bubba. If I take his leash off, I can expect him to still be within 15 feet of the spot I unhooked him. Even if I take off out of sight for several minutes, he's still there. That danged nose is anchored to the ground when there's no leash involved. Sioux does great unless there's another dog around, even mine. By himself I can walk him off leash ad infinitum. Coco is meh, she's such a dominant assertive dog that she must investigate everything that moves. In a field or park she'll hang around a 20 foot radious of me. Ridik is a Husky. But in the mountains they don't have that outward confidence and defer to me often for direction. I'm adjusting my hiking schedule to maximize off leash time on not so busy mountains.

I am so impression that they do well offleash on your hikes! If I were to let Koda off leash on our hikes, I'm pretty sure I'd witness him falling off the mountain