So Woof... he's a 2 year old supposed Siberian Husky x Border Collie. The rescue figured he was this mix since he was part of a Border Collie and Siberian Husky puppy mill. I adopted the brat back in May and since then we've been like two rams in breeding season... constantly butting heads. I adore him and I'm sure he at least likes me as he's always near me in the house and car.

At the moment he gets a 2 1/2 hour walk once a day with 20 - 30 minute free runs either around the property or out on an island if there aren't any other people out there. The property is not fenced in nor will it be, its not my land its my parents and they don't want it fenced in, not even a small section. So when outside he's usually on a chain and Boone free roams as he won't leave the property which drives Woof mad.


But getting his attention outside off leash is a whole other matter. If he gets loose or when he's let loose geting him back can be quite the chore. He'll stop and look at me when I call him to come as if to say "What? What is it that you have that I might be bothered to come back to you for?" That's if he even bothers to look at me, there are times times that he acts like he's suddenly gone deaf and is just charging around. Lucky for him we live in a small town with very little traffic or he might be dead. If I have food or act as if I'm going in car he'll come running over but those tricks are starting to get old. What has beeing working well is sending Boone off to herd him back or to bug him enough that Woof chases Boone back to me and as he runs by I grab him. I've been told and read that he'll probably never be able to be trusted off leash because of the Husky in him. I don't for a second believe that and of course must now challenge it. Can it be done? Is there some sort of special little dance I need to do or some Husky code word?

Then there is the sit, lay down and stay... he knows sit. He does do it but its when he seems fit to do it. If his leash is on or if I have something he wants he does it otherwise he gives me the look, the look of "why would I do that? Silly woman." And then proceeds to jump in my face and get mouthy with my hands. Lay down is something else, I tell him to lay down and then proceed to show him as we've just started to learn this command. I'll put him into a sit and then press down on his shoulders/back to put him in a down. Well this puts him into a tantrum and he'll flop over like I've fish and start mouthing off to me. His tantrums are being a little too well known lately by the way. Stay... I haven't even done much with as that is going to be world war 3.

On the subject of mouthy, my lord. The brat has left huge ugly bruises all over my arms from suddenly deciding I'm his chew toy. He'll do it if he thinks I'm not giving him enough attention, if Boone has something that he wants but he can't get it from him... if he's frustrated basically. Since day one I've tried to put a stop to this with yelping (doing this in public gets many a stare in case you didn't know) or giving him a whap on the nose. If something is going his way and he can't reach me to chew on me the howling, yowling, moaning, whining, and groaning start, which my parents are not pleased about. They didn't want me to move in with them with the dogs so Woof is not doing himself any favors by running his mouth.

Jumping has been a huge issue as well, I had been turning away and ignoring him any time he did it which just made him go right beside himself and start jumping and pushing off me with all four paws while grabbing my arm. I then decided to try and turn his jumping into something positive, when I see him show signs that he's going to jump I put both hands out and tell him "high five" he'll jump up and smack his front paws into my hands instead of my body and this has greatly lowered his jumping. Its the only command he'll actually listen to with gusto. I'm quite pleased about that, hopefully with a little more time the jumping will stop entirely, right now he only does it at meal time or if I've been away for a few hours.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

I'll reiterate here... Huskies are not off-leash dogs. They are not bred to be off-leash. They're bred to be on a leash and pulling a sled It's important to practice and train recall if you can, but a husky (even a husky mix) that is displaying the signs that you are describing will NEVER be trusted offleash. If that makes you that more determined to find some "magic fix" then he's probably going to end up lost or injured. There isn't a magic word, or a fix... it's the breed and that will not change.

Huskies are bred to be intelligent and stubborn. They absolutely have selective hearing and will listen only when they feel like it. Think about it-- the lead dog in a sled team is supposed to be smart enough to refuse a musher's commands if those commands will lead him into danger. If the musher says to continue forward across a frozen lake that is not safe, the dog is bred to refuse this command. This doesn't really encourage obedience There needs to be a purpose behind the command and it takes a lot of patience, rewards and consistency in order to accomplish it.

Mouthing is something I meant to write a sticky on... haven't gotten to it yet. Huskies are notoriously very mouthy. Again, consistency is key, but you need to nip it in the bud now. Anytime his mouth makes contact with your skin, try giving a firm "NO!" and then getting up and walking away. You need to completely ignore him and it's usually helpful to shut a door behind you if you can. If he can't behave appropriately around you, he loses the one thing he wants: you and your attention.

It sounds like you have a handle on the jumping... but to add to it, again-- do NOT give him attention when he jumps. If he jumps, put a knee out to barricade you, turn your head and face away until he calms. When he's calm, THEN give him attention and praise. It's a matter of catching the correct behavior and praising.

It sounds like even though he's getting a lot of exercise, it may not be enough... you can try mental stimulation games with him too. Try "Hide the Queen" with a treat and three cups. Shuffle the cups and make him find the one with the treat. Obedience training like sit, down, stay, etc will also give him stimulation, but only work in 20 min intervals: any more and he will get bored. The trick is being patient and calm. He'll feed off of your energy. You might also need to find a high value treat. We use jerky-type treats, but you might be able to use cooked chicken pieces, bacon bits, hot dog or sausage. Find something he goes nuts for and is willing to listen to receive.

Last but not least, I wouldn't whap him on the nose Nose popping can cause more harm than good. Yes, reflexively it happens if he gets to mouth you when you're not expecting it, but in any other circumstance, I would highly discourage it.

I would start using Nothing In Life Is Free training with him (and Boone if you like!). It's a GREAT method of establishing your roles in the household, easy to maintain/upkeep, and really works wonders. Google it for more information- there's a ton written on it for free on the net

I know that was a lot, but I was trying to respond to as much as I could! Please ask more questions if you have them. I hope this was helpful and welcome once again!