How to Train a Husky to be Loyal
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Introduction
Your Husky is your favorite four-legged friend. They’re playful, affectionate and full of energy. In fact, it doesn’t matter how long you spend walking them, they always seem to be eager for more. However, one of the things that drew you to Huskies in the beginning, was their tendency to be loyal. Yours, unfortunately, isn’t so loyal. In fact, you’d go as far as to say they’d go with anyone. It doesn’t seem to matter that you’re the one that feeds them, gives them four walls and a roof to sleep under.
Training your dog to be loyal comes with several benefits. Firstly, your Husky will be keen to protect you in any number of situations. This means you can relax when you’re walking at night or in a new environment. Huskies are also used to being loyal to a pack, so helping them to get back into the habit will cement your position as pack leader.
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Defining Tasks
Training your Husky to be loyal isn’t without challenges. Often dogs that have come from homes where they have suffered abuse can struggle to find that trust again. So training will consist mainly of using positive reinforcements. You will also need to make sure you meet all their needs, from food to exercise and attention.
If your Husky is a puppy then they should be trusting and it could take just a few weeks before they are loyal to a fault. However, if they are older and you have years of problems to tackle then you will need to be patient. In fact, it could be a few months before your Husky is fully loyal. If you can get training right, you will be able to repair any damage done by previous owners. You will also be the pack leader in their eyes, affording you control and the ability to teach them a range of different commands.
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Getting Started
Before you get to work, you need to make sure you have a few bits. You will need tasty treats or small pieces of the dog's favorite food. Cheese is often an effective motivator.
You will also need a leash, toys and a clicker for one the of the methods below. Set aside a few minutes each day for training. The more consistently you train, the sooner you will see results.
Apart from all that, you just need patience and a pro-active attitude, then work can begin!
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The Meeting Needs Method
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Food routine
Part of building loyalty is showing the dog that they can rely on you. That means feeding their meals at the same times each day. They will respect you if they know they can rely on you for food.
Regular toilet visits
Your Husky will need to go to the toilet regularly, especially if they are a puppy. Take them out in the morning, throughout the day and before bed. They will be loyal to you if they know you will meet their toilet needs.
Play time
Spend a few minutes a couple of times a day playing with and stroking the dog. Huskies need attention from their owners. This will strengthen your bond and increase their loyalty.
Toys
While you can’t buy their love with toys, it certainly won’t do any harm. If the dog associates you with positive consequences, they will feel a stronger allegiance to you. So give them the odd toy and food puzzle just for fun.
Avoid punishment
Do not use punishment with your Husky. If you want them to respect you and be loyal to you, focus on positive reinforcements instead. Treats, toys and praise will all be more effective in creating a strong bond.
The Environment Method
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Patience
Loyalty takes a while to build. So give your dog time to get used to their new home to begin with. Give them some space for their confidence and loyalty to grow.
Introductions
If your house has other pets and people in them, introduce them to your Husky one at a time. This will help them remain calm and build confidence.
Make it safe
This is especially important if your Husky is a puppy. If they are going to be loyal to you, they need to feel safe and comfortable in your home. So avoid or cover up any sharp or dangerous objects.
Privacy
Just like humans, Huskies need privacy too. So make sure they have a bed with walls around it or a crate they can escape to. This is particularly important if they are coming from a home where they have suffered abuse.
Walks
You need to stimulate your Husky physically as well as mentally. So take them out for regular walks on a leash. This will get them associating you with positive experiences. Not to mention it makes for quality bonding time.
The Obedience Method
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Basic commands
Teach your Husky ‘sit’, ‘roll over’ and any other basic and fun commands you think they may need. Not only will this increase your control, but it will get them to respect you and feel loyal to you.
Rewards
Whenever the dog performs a trick correctly, hand over a tasty treat and some verbal praise. You want to use positive reinforcements to train your Husky. This will build confidence, cement your bond and increase loyalty.
Clicker
A clicker is a fantastic way to train your Husky. Simply click whenever they perform a trick or behave correctly. This will speed up the learning process while ensuring you have a way you can communicate with each other.
Stick to rules
If you create rules like not going on the sofa, make sure you stick to them. If you don’t, the dog will lose respect for you. Creating and enforcing boundaries, therefore, is essential.
Respect them
Loyalty and respect is a two way street. So if you have other pets in the house, make sure your Husky gets a fair amount of attention. If they see you don’t respect or care for them as much, they won’t return the favor.
By James Barra
Published: 04/03/2018, edited: 01/08/2021
Training Questions and Answers
Ellie
Siberian Husky
4 Months
Question
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So my husky puppy is extremely friendly to everyone, and I mean everyone. She likes to be around people and animals at all times. The problem is that sometimes when I walk her and she sees other dogs, she becomes desperate to go near them. She is never aggressive and she just wants to play but I want her to not focus so much on the other dogs around her. She also pulls really hard on her leash to go near other dogs sometimes and I want to know how I can get her to stop pulling and being so desperate to play with other people's dogs that may cause harm to her.
Nov. 2, 2020
Ellie's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1133 Dog owners recommended
Hello Stephanie, I recommend recruiting some friends, some who have well mannered dogs, and some just as people to practice around, and practicing the passing approach method with pup. Reward pup for calmness, focus on you, and ignoring the other person/dog. This method will have you pass the same person and dog over and over and over again until pup becomes bored enough to calm down during the pass - once pup is calm, then you can reward to train pup that that's what you always want them to do on a walk. You will need to practice this a lot and with a variety of different people/dogs to get consistent results. Once pup can do this well, then you can practice rewarding pup for heeling and ignoring strangers too on walks. Passing Approach: https://wagwalking.com/training/greet-other-dogs Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Nov. 3, 2020