I don't see what all the fuss is about.

[Samio]

I have a 6 month old Siberian Husky who is getting more intelligent and obedient as she gets older. She had some problems understanding "NO" when she was younger but now she does great. I usually go over to the huge golf course next to my house when there arn't any golfers and let my husky run free. I'm steadily teaching her how to fetch. She loves to run, expecially if I run with her, and if she goes too far, I call her and she immediately comes to me. But I've noticed that EVERY training guide, breed info page etc. about Siberian Husky's says in big bold red letters "DON'T EVER LET YOUR SIBERIAN HUSKY OFF-LEASH!" One site even had a list of things to do to get your husky to come to you if it gets off-leash. One technique was to run in the house and grab a piece of meat and wave it in the air hoping your dog will smell it. I thought this was odd because a simple clap and motion for my husky to come to me will have her jetting in my direction. One time, I let her run around the back of my house off-leash and went in the house for a second and some retard (probably on purpose) swung my front gate open and my neighboor spotted my dog across the street (trying to play with the german shepherds on the otherside of the gate) and ran to my house and told me. I ran out and as soon as my siberian saw me, she waited for the cars to stop and ran over to me.

Sorry for the long post but I just wanted to explain why I'm confused. I can't even begin to imagine my husky running away not even caring where I am. Is this something I should worry about, maybe she'll abruptly change when she gets older? I don't want to disregard all the warnings dog trainers have given me but is there a chance my husky is just different?

And also, she's EXTREMELY shy of strangers. Like I mean unbelievable shy. The first time she sees anyone she will trip over herself trying to get away from them. She even curls up behind me for cover. After a couple pets and whatnot she becomes very fond of you but those first few minutes she'll look at you like frankenstein.

 

[Zoom]

You could be one of the lucky few, but your pup is still young. Those warnings are posted for a very good reason; in fact I'm helping a client put up fliers because her Sibe just ran off on Sunday.

If you are going to let your girl be off-leash, make absolutely SURE it's in a fenced in area. It only takes one time for her to ignore or hesitate on a recall for something tragic to happen. Car trumps dog 9 times out of 10.

 

[Debi]

I'd say you are extremely fortunate. most things written are for general specific breed information, but of course every dog is different. I just want to add that my husky mix was very well behaved for the first year running free. we loved to play ball, etc. the next year, her prey drive kicked in...and in the middle of playing, she'd take off into the woods to dig at a tree for chipmunks. she had more times than I like to remember when she didn't respond to my calls. since it would only take one time of her accidentally running into the road, I have since stopped her being without a leash. they love/need to run, so I'm hoping to fence in more of our property. do be very wary.

 

[Samio]

Ok, thanks. I'll try to arrange her some play time in a large fenced area. It's just that if I always have her on-leash it's hard to get her to spend her energy. I mean I can run with her on the leash but she's crazy fast and is barely trying to run while I'm feeling like a marathon runner.

I definitly need to find another way to get her to exercise because otherwise she gets real bored and starts howling while she's home.

Thanks again for all your answers.

 

[gaddylovesdogs]

Maybe you could get a tracking lead? Just let her drag it on the ground and run around, but if you need to, you can grab it.

 

[joce]

Huskies were bred to think for themselves so she just may not have that in her. that said my girl was fine of leash till she was twoish and then she did whatever she pleased. I put a lunge line on her now so she can run.

Were did you get her from?

 

[Debi]

Ok, thanks. I'll try to arrange her some play time in a large fenced area. It's just that if I always have her on-leash it's hard to get her to spend her energy. I mean I can run with her on the leash but she's crazy fast and is barely trying to run while I'm feeling like a marathon runner.

I definitly need to find another way to get her to exercise because otherwise she gets real bored and starts howling while she's home.

Thanks again for all your answers.

I agree about them running CRAZY fast!!! LOL and they sure do have tons of energy. my little Addie gets so bored in the house, so I try to get her outside as much as I can...but I never tire her out. that howl....it can wrench your heart sometimes. a neighbor some distance away has 6 huskys...sometimes on a dark, winter night they will all start howling...sounds kind of scarey.

 

[casablanca1]

There's a chance your dog is different, but she's still pretty young. Puppies tend to be more attached to their owner's side than adolescent or adult dogs, and there is a marked tendency in the sled dog breeds to be very independent, to run away and to be predatory toward small animals. Those are the reasons breed books caution against letting huskies off-leash. If you go to a shelter, you'll see that many of the dogs brought in as strays are hounds or huskies. When these kinds of dogs get loose, they often get lost because neither has a strong sense of territory.

I can't even begin to imagine my husky running away not even caring where I am.

I don't think it means huskies don't love their owners, just that they
have less sense of territory than other dogs. All dogs run away without a second thought (directing rueful thoughts at certain dogs in my life), they just get intoxicated with freedom. The ones who want to defend their property are the ones who circle back sooner, who don't get lost because they stop at the edges of the known world. Shepherds, collies, most of the working and herding breeds do this. Terriers, toys, hunting breeds tend to stop. Really, the hounds and the sled dogs are the big wanderers.

 

[LabMumSF]

Your dog is still very young. When my dog was that age, he stuck to me like glue, and would never wander far. However, a few months later it was a completely different story!

All dogs (my dog included) go through a "teenage rebellion" or adolescent phase from approximate 7 months (depending on the dog) up to 2 years, where they'll start to test you and will blatantly disobey commands they otherwise know very well...they call it "teenage flakiness" for a very good reason. It's just the dog's way of seeing where the boundaries are, discover his own independence, and possibly even make a play for leadership, as they approach adulthood. So it won't come as a surprise to know that the vast majority of dogs in the pound were abandoned by their owners at this age.

Here are some articles on this phase, if you'd like to find out more about it:

http://www.canismajor.com/dog/adol01.html

http://www.thepetprofessor.com/articles/article.aspx?id=1875

http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pets_rebels

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=1701&S=1&SourceID=47

 

[Samio]

I see, It's definitly possible that it's cause she's young like you guys said. Anyway I'm still not confident to let her off-leash walking through the neighborhood so I'll just keep her on-leash and see how she acts when she gets older.

Joce, I got her from a place called Lauradale Kennel in Somerset, PA.