I am so grateful to be getting my first Siberian Husky.



I have done a lot of reading and preparing but there is one thing I am not understanding and could use help with.

We live out in the country, on a farm.
We live off the road. I have an outdoor pen for daytime (when I can't be with him), a crate in my bedroom for at night.

What I don't have is a fenced in yard. I want to be able to take him out in the yard to play and run. Walk him down to the pond and let him go swim. But everything I read indicates you can't let them off leash or they will run away.
Is this in the training?

Fencing in my yard would be difficult. It is a nice open space surrounded by trees on 3 sides.

Any advice or clarification would help.

you could get a tie out and stake to put him on so he can run around and you can play with him without being on a short leash.

Is there a dog park anywhere near to you?

If you decide to use a tie out, please supervise carefully, because it pretty much leaves the dog vulnerable to stray dogs, mean kids, getting wrapped up and choking, etc.

Siberians are not an off leash breed, and those who try are often left with a lost dog and that is best case scenario. Huskies have high prey drive, are bred to run and run and run, and have relatively low or no homing sense. I'm sorry to say if you wanted a ranch companion this was not the right breed for that job.

I would keep him leashed when he is with you, you can get a long leash so he can still run.

Personally I wouldn't let him off. My friend has huskies who she said were fine off leash and she did it all the time.. last week she posted on FB asking if anyone had seen them

Thank you all for your input

As I said, we are out in the country: so no dog parks.

I had thought about a tie out stake, or one of those pulley runs (cable between two trees, pulley with a cable down to a collar)

Anyone used one before?

Fencing an area can be done, but probably not before I get him in a couple days

john.lathan wrote:

Fencing an area can be done, but probably not before I get him in a couple days

If you are going to build a fence, I will recommend you to be sure to make a really good fence because Huskies are escape artist. They will excavate bellow the fence or they will jump over it.

Check this video and see how a husky can escape a fence.

john.lathan wrote:

I had thought about a tie out stake, or one of those pulley runs (cable between two trees, pulley with a cable down to a collar)

Anyone used one before?

I have a run that is connected to my house right outside my back door. The main cable is bolted to the house and runs to a pole in the middle of my backyard. The cable I connect to Evie's collar clips to the main line and slides freely. Her lead is 20 feet long. When it's not in use the part that clips to her collar is hung on a little hook on the house. It works well and gives her lots of room to run, but I do still check on her every few minutes when she's out without us. She does get wrapped around the pole now and then. Just make sure whatever you use is industrial strength and very secure.

We have Invisible Fence and I use a collar on Mishka for free time. Do I trust it completely--NO! I think the shock is a very strong deterrent for her right now due to her age and she wont leave the "pack" (we have three goldens). But there will come a time when I will have to make her a run. Wont be long now! We also live in the country and barn cats, birds, squirrels are too much for her to resist, I fear!

Eresh wrote:

If you decide to use a tie out, please supervise carefully, because it pretty much leaves the dog vulnerable to stray dogs, mean kids, getting wrapped up and choking, etc.

I am going to emphasize this. My poor Shaqua has been wrapped up in another dog's cable before and she was terrified. She was so scared she bit me, and I know she didn't mean to but she was honestly panicked. She was outside for about an hour in the fenced back yard, but since the other dog would climb the fence it's owner put it on a cable. I have no idea how long she was stuck like that.

If you choose to use a run, chain or cable make sure you are there to supervise. If you have the option of fencing your backyard or going to a dog park a couple times a day this is a much better option.

I would say just fence the yard, but I've seen the pulley system work well, and have friends that like it a lot too.

I have a husky that we let off leash, but I don't do it everywhere. She's really good, but I make sure my other dog is there and I have lots of yummy treats! We have also worked hard on her recall from day 1. She will still run after small animals (and kill and eat them...) if she gets the chance, so we have to be very careful.

Long leash training is an excellent tool (50 ft) you can teach "come" command very easily and still give a bit of a run throwing a ball or frisbie.