Can huskies be trained?

[believer]

One broke into our yard today - from next door. They got him a week ago from a relative who couldn't deal with him. He is mostly untrained, bites/mouths/chews on people's hands - not hard, but mouthy, pulls on leash - but does know the command sit. So, the neighbor said we could have him if we want him. We only spoke to the college student son, not his dad yet. My son and daughter-in-law will be moving in with us in a couple of weeks with their dog, a 5 year old German Shepherd. My son knows quite a bit about training dogs. My dh and I know a bit too and I already pulled out a choke collar to walk him home on a leash. He broke back into our yard later this evening as well. He is friendly and sweet, but jumps on people and apparently is a runner, which happens with this breed. We asked if they can keep him until our son gets here and they think he can. He ran through one of my gardens already. But if he can be trained? Any husky owners here? Thanks.

[kiloyd]

Not a Husky owner but have known a couple. The ones I knew were good in the house, they had owners that didn't do much training. But neither were jumpy or mouthy at all. Very nice dogs to be around.

I highly suggest an Easy Walk Harness. And this website: www.dogmantics.com, click on free videos.

[sweetpeasmommy]

They are Very High Energy and need tons of exercise. They are also escape artists which often gets them into trouble unfortunately.


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[MaySunflowers]

The best dog I've ever known was a husky... Like said, an escape artist, needed to be chained in the yard or else.

[WanderingJuniper]

Owned a husky for years. Wish I could have one again. Super smart dogs which is helpful and challenging. They have high high energy so lots of walks/runs. Would do fine on a leash but was a fast walker. She was jumpy but not with everyone. She had to be chained outside could not be left to roam within the yard on her own. High prey drive. They need a partner whether it is an attentive human partner or a companion animal, not necessarily another husky. Escape artists extrordinare! After our horse died my husky would escape to the horse farm across the street to just hangout in the barns. Our horse was her companion. She was missing her.

[marbles]

Please don't use a choke collar on your dog, they are painful and unnecessary. We don't beat our kids here and I think that should extend to our animals. Huskies are trainable, and with positive reinforcement and force free training. Dogmantics is a great start. My sister owns a dog training business and she does a trade in program for discounts on services, Maybe we could find you a force -free trainer in your area who also does that program.

[Soliloquy]

Husky owners claim their dogs have the ability to perform at the top of their obedience classes, but when they come home they ignore everything they learned, only to turn it back on again when they return to the next class. This breed is notoriously difficult to train and are generally not well suited for first time owners. Huskies require firm leadership and 100% consistency when it comes to boundaries and rule enforcement. Their expressive eyes can be used to manipulate the softies of the house, so all family members must also be “trained” to be consistent with rules and leadership.

http://www.petwave.com/Dogs/Breeds/S...rsonality.aspx

---------- Post added at 01:08 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:03 PM ----------

Originally Posted by marbles

Please don't use a choke collar on your dog, they are painful and unnecessary. We don't beat our kids here and I think that should extend to our animals.

When used properly they are not painful. They get the dog's attention. I put our dog's collar on myself. And I don't have fur.

Dogs are not people. They can be trained without inflicting pain but a dog can seriously injure or kill a small child. Until the dog is under voice control, it is the responsibility of the owner to keep the dog under physical control. A dog large enough to pull an owner is a huge risk if untrained, as this dog is.

[CelticJourney]

Using a choke collar and beating children is not a good comparison. The muscles and the layers of fur on the neck of a husky means the collar tightens but doesn't choke the way we envision.

We GBDed a GSD to two national police certifications so it definitely can be done. Aiko was six months old when he came from Holland.

Good or bad, a lot of success in training a dog is the knowledge, patience and consistency of the trainer and the history of the dog. Sounds like this guy hasn't been mistreated in any way, so he should be able to open up and trust a good handler.

[believer]

Thank you all for your advice. We had more husky adventures yesterday as well. Someone posted a photo of a husky they found roaming on our neighborhood facebook page and another neighbor posted the address next door to us because they though it was our neighbor's dog. So, the neighbor was not home and I met the lady and took the dog, telling her I would keep him for the neighbor. He had a wound on his head that did not seem brand new and had not been there the other day. I got him home and my husband and daughter told me he was not the neighbor's dog. We had another husky. So, I asked online, but no one on our neighborhood page claimed him. My husband took that dog to the SPCA, which is near our house, but he has no chip, so they would not take him so my husband had to drive the dog across town to the Animal Shelter. Then, later on, the dog next door broke another hole in the fence and was sticking his head through. I am not sure if we can handle that dog or not. It seems like we would have to replace our old fence in order to keep him in the yard. We will see what else happens.

[Soliloquy]

That's a shame that there's 2 dogs in need of training. They can be great dogs. I have a friend who had an amazing husky.

[marbles]

Choke collar and it's link to aggression aside, it doesn't sound like you really want the dog. If you're thinking of taking him just because he needs a home, I don't think that's a very good reason. It's not enough of a reason to commit a chunk of your every day for the foreseeable future. There's some organization that takes super high energy dogs and trains them for some job that requires running through forests all day, I can't remember the name of it now but if they are trying to find someone to take the dog I can find it for you, small chance I know but it would be better than a shelter. They look for dogs specifically like this, very curious and smart and so much energy regular owners can't handle the time investment needed.

[kiloyd]

I agree, unless you really want the dog then don't take it.

As far as a fence and the dog trying to get out, either build a better fence or do not leave the dog unattended.

I have no fence and my dog gets taken out 5+ times a day and a mile walk every night. Some days up to 3 walks, depends on the weather and what we are doing. I also take her on bike rides too.

Dogmantics.com is a GREAT training site! I love her!

An EasyWalkHarness or prong collar (used correctly) are better alternatives to a choke collar. But dogs still need training on not pulling on the leash. Those tools just help.

The dog would be better if it gets more attention. Lots of dogs left out in the yard alone get into trouble.

Good luck with your decision.

[WaitPatientlyOnTheLord]

Huskies are highly trainable. They are loyal and generally one of the healthiest breeds. They are also as smart as a whip, fiercely curious, endlessly energetic, and generally fearless. They were bred to be working dogs and further more bred to be dogs who work on a TEAM. There qualities can pose some issues in adapting to life as a family pet.

We had one who adapted wonderfully to life indoors with a busy family. He hated being outdoors alone and would do the things you're describing of this dog. He liked learning tricks. He probably would have liked to go on longer walks. He never learned to tolerate small children. He lived to be almost sixteen. I swear he was one of the best dogs ever.

Huskies in particular have an instinct to push against the direction of force on their bodies. They were bred to pull sleds, among other things. The harness of the sled applies pressure to the dogs chest and the dog responds by charging forward, towards the source of the pressure. For this reason, conventional collars and even choke collars don't work so well on husky dogs. The only thing that ever ever worked for our husky was the gentle leader. He hated it, but it worked. I'm not sure if it's possible or not to train a husky not to pull the leash. Ours never did despite years of trying. And age didn't slow him down until the last few months of his life.


Anyways. I have no advice but that was my experience...

[kiloyd]

Originally Posted by WaitPatientlyOnTheLord

Huskies in particular have an instinct to push against the direction of force on their bodies. They were bred to pull sleds, among other things. The harness of the sled applies pressure to the dogs chest and the dog responds by charging forward, towards the source of the pressure. For this reason, conventional collars and even choke collars don't work so well on husky dogs. The only thing that ever ever worked for our husky was the gentle leader. He hated it, but it worked. I'm not sure if it's possible or not to train a husky not to pull the leash. Ours never did despite years of trying. And age didn't slow him down until the last few months of his life.

Kikopup (dogmantics.com) has great training advice for loose leash walking. Used her method on my dog that pulled horribly when I got her.

[sunflowermom]

What did you end up deciding?