Your Husky is an important member of the family who brings you all together. They get you all giggling as they make their way around the dinner table begging for food. They bring a smile to your face when you walk through the door and they’re jumping up, eager to cover you in slobber. That’s why it’s sad when your Husky tries to run away. For the most part, you don’t understand it. You give them food, water, a comfy bed and plenty of love and affection.
Training your Husky not to run away is important for both you and them. If your dog escapes onto roads they could end up in a serious traffic collision, which could result in hefty vet bills or worse. This type of training will also instill discipline that you can use to phase out other bad habits too.
Training your Husky not to run away isn’t always straightforward. First, you will need to identify the underlying cause of their running away. Once you know that, you can then start tackling the problem. While you are doing that though, you can introduce a number of preventative measures. Obedience training will also be involved so you develop a need within yourHusky to always stay close by.
If your Husky is a puppy then they should be at their most receptive and you could see results in just a couple of weeks. But if your dog is older, stubborn and got a real taste for running away, then you may need a couple of months. If you get training right you’ll never have to worry when you lose sight of your Husky again. It also means you’ll be able to let them off the leash safely, which will give them more exercise and freedom to explore.
Before you start training, you will need to collect a few items. You will need a long leash. You will also need secure fencing and baby gates for one of the methods. A generous supply of treats or small pieces of your dog's favorite food will also be required.
Set aside just a few minutes each day for training. You can practice in a yard, in the house or in nearby fields.
Once you have all that, just bring patience and a can-do attitude, then work can begin!
We rescued our husky about a month ago and this is her 5th home now in a year so we don’t want to send her away again! We don’t have a fenced in yard but she loves to lay in a hole she dug and we give her plenty of attention and she has another dog (full bred German Shepherd) to always be with, but she still runs away!
Hello Chloe, Isla is probably acting on her natural instinct to wander and explore. Huskies are known for being wanderers so it is likely genetic and not because she does not love you. There are two ways to prevent her wandering. The first is to build a six foot fence to contain her. The other is to hire a local trainer with experience using electric collars to teach firm boundary training. For some dogs, the boundary training will be enough and they will respect staying within that area after the training without any form of additional fence. For others, they will need the additional step of an electric boundary system, such as an electric fence, to enforce that training. I highly recommend hiring a trainer to teach the boundaries with a manual remote collar first though. Rather than going straight to the electric fence. Because high quality remote collars have a minimum of 60 stimulation levels and can be specifically tailored to your dog's own level, the lowest possible level that will get a response can be safely used. This level is typically not even painful but simply uncomfortable and odd feeling to the dog. A good trainer will take the time to find the correct level for your dog and to properly fit the collar high on the neck so that the stimulation is consistent and more fair. When you teach a dog using a remote collar instead of just electric fending you can also use your body language and commands to teach the dog where the boundary is, so that the dog only receives a correction for doing something that it knows not to do, and not just correction that seem random until she learns what to avoid. This is much more fair and gentle to the dog. The dog can control whether or not she gets corrected. Good electric collar brands are: Sports Dog, E-Collar technologies, Garmin, and Dogtra. Do not buy a cheap, poor quality electric collar because they can be dangerous and the levels far too high. Only use the collar under the direction of a trained professional also, because the collars are a powerful tool that can be abused when used wrongly. They are quite effective when paired with clear communication and great technique though, and are one of the only effective means for dealing with strong wandering instincts. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
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My Mika will not walk on a leash and has a hard time paying attention to me and won't come when called ,like she doesn't even care lol .I have tried many things she also has a major whining problem 🥺 I really need to get these things resolved I have two other dogs that listen amazing her I show no signs of improvement
Hello Kamy, At four month of age most puppies do not have the attention span, mental ability, or amount of practice to be able to perform those commands well yet. Some breeds, like Retrievers and Herding breeds will pick obedience up sooner than other more independent breeds like Huskys. Huskys tend to want to think for themselves more. I suggest joining a puppy class and practicing the commands around distractions once she knows what the commands mean. Start slow and gradually work up to harder distractions as she improves. If you have already been through a puppy class, the next step is an intermediate obedience class - where you will get to practice around more distractions. For the come, check out the article that I have linked below and follow the "Reel In" method. Some Huskys are very independent and need extra practice with come. https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-whippet-to-recall For the whining check out the article that I have linked below and follow the "Quiet" method. https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bark Also, work on commands that teach her self-control to help with the whining (anxiousness and excitement). Place is a great command to work on. https://youtu.be/omg5DVPWIWo For the Heel, check out the Turns method from the article that I have linked below. https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-poodle-to-heel Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
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Hi. My puppy is 5 months old. He has been to puppy school and he follows all the simple commands (sit, stay, wait, down). However, I can't seem to get him to stay when a vehicle comes in or goes out of my yard. I live in a fenced off property and there is a bus stop in front of my house and some people drop food at the bus stop. Hachi escaped twice already in search of the food at the bus stop. He has three meals a day with snacks in between. Even when I take him on walks he's still in search of food. I think this is the main reason why he escapes from the yard. How do I stop this from happening again? This is very concerning for me as I live on a very busy road.
Hello Virona, Every time Hachi leaves the yard he is rewarded with dropped food and fun new smells and locations. The more you reward a behavior, the more the behavior will increase. You cannot expect him to stay in the yard until he has been through complete off-leash training, unless you are there to supervise him and enforce commands 100%. He needs to be taught boundaries using a long leash, then there needs to be rewards for staying in the yard around distractions, like the bus pulling up, and be given very consistent consequence for disobeying and leaving the yard, and no rewards for disobedience - no bus food. To remove rewards for disobedience, he needs to be prevented from getting to the bus stop - this means using a long 20-ft, 30-ft, or 40-ft leash with him and testing his boundary training on the long leash, once you have taught him where the yard boundaries are. When he tries to go across boundary lines when he feels like he is free (the leash is loose so he doesn't feel it very much), then you can give him a command like "Out" - which means get out of an area, and if he disobeys and keeps moving out of the yard, you can reel him in with the long leash that's attached to him. He needs to create a habit of staying in the yard -meaning he is never able to leave it and is never rewarded for bolting out of it, is rewarded for staying in the yard, and this is done over a long period of time - months. If you do all that, then by the time he is fully off-leashed trained, you can take the leash off and he may not even consider leaving the yard as an option. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
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We rescued Bella in 2013 when she was approx 1-2 yrs old. She kept running away so we put up an under ground electric fence. We have 10 acres and we fenced in approx 4 acres. We trained Bella and everything was great until recently she was chasing a rabbit and ran through the fence. She came back after several hours and now she runs thru the fence whenever she wants and doesn't seem to bother the "jolt". Recently she went to a neighbors house and killed 3 of their chickens. Now she will escape everyday if we don't keep her tied up. Can she be trained again to stay here or is her prey drive too strong?
Hello Lori, Because she has killed the chickens I would not depend on the electric fence alone. What you can do is physically fence in a section of your yard (such as an acre) with a wood or similar fence, and bury your electrical fence wire one foot inside your physical fence. Putting the electrical fence inside the physical fence keeps a dog from approaching the wooden fence to even attempt an escape. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
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I adopted a gentle and well tempered but very fearful husky puppy a year ago from a shelter who had no info on him. While he has made definite progress, he is still very fearful much of the time. This has complicated his training, and also has made his running away harder to remedy since getting him back is twice as hard. He typically doesn’t like being approached, and best case scenario will cower in a corner or at the door waiting to be leashed. He even has trouble waiting me to unleash him once we’re back inside. I believe he may have been abused, and I’m not sure how to train him as a result. He doesn’t respond to any form of treats or physical encouragement, except occasionally from women and strangers. Some people, after observing his relative fear of me compared to strangers, have even asked if he’s been mistreated, which is obviously embarrassing. What can I do? I know he loves me, I see it in tender moments — but he’s clearly still afraid of me for some reason. I want give him the freedom to run, to be off leash, even to run in a yard knowing I can get him back on his leash, but he will not return given the chance, ever. How do I make my boy’s life more enjoyable for him? Right now I have him with me on a farm where I’m working so I have him tied to a tree with a long line during work hours and I walk and run him often for exercise. But when he escapes the house and the farm (I won’t be able to fence the property while here), I’m terrified for his safety and have to wait for a stranger to apprehend him, since he isn’t able to come back to me. Back in the city, we are in an apartment with no yard and at dog parks I have trouble getting him back when it’s time to go. My goal for these reasons is to get him off leash, but it seems impossible. Help! Thanks so much
Hello Cary, You need to hire a professional trainer who is very experienced with fear and uses methods other than just treats to train. You need someone who can evaluate exactly what's going on here and help you learn how to best manage him by being able to try different things with you and him. A combination of confidence building exercises, a lot of positive reinforcement - using real life rewards not just treats (incorporating the things he already likes, like walks, toys, meals, ect...), and a lot of structure - working him through things that make him nervous to calmly build his respect and trust for you - which can mean more structure not less - but done in a calm, consistent way. Look for a trainer who specializes in behavior issues, uses positive reinforcement, structure, focuses on building relationship and respect, is willing to tell a dog no, but also tells dogs when they are doing something right a lot! Dogs with anxiety often need fair consequences and to be told when not to do something, but they need even more emphasis on rewards, walking them through how to do something, calmness, and being told when they are doing something correctly. Avoid an angry trainer, one who has little experience with behavior issues, or who can't tell a dog no, or doesn't often tell a dog yes or good - when they get something right. For teaching come, check out the reel in method and the premack principle from the article linked below. You will probably need a lot more help in general before I would trust pup off leash, but that's a good place to start. https://www.petful.com/behaviors/train-dog-to-come-when-called/ Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
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