My husky has had a mating two weeks ago, although we wont know if she is preg. for a while she is showing signs of being in welp. She is very active as she does run though the woods and also goes to work on the van with my partner she will play in the park but most of all enjoys her sunday stroll to the farmers pub.  The walk to the pub is about three miles is this still okay for her to keep this up and if so for how long into the pregancy can she keep this active life going for, will she let us know as i wouldnt want anything bad to happen to her or her offspring.  Looking in the book of the bitch it is not giving the answers i need.  My husky does also run off lead, so she does cover alot of ground.

Hi, your dog is pregnant, not ill. Keep up her exercise, once she starts to get really big, she will let you know when she's had enough. The best thing you can do for her & her puppies is to keep her fit. Why don't you register, then you can ask all the questions you want?

Siberian Huskys must NEVER be allowed to run free. If, as you say, you don't want anything to happen to her or her pups, KEEP HER ON A LEAD. I'm surprised shes managed to stay alive long enough to get pregnant, and frankly worry that someone that shows so little knowledge of the basic breed characteristics should even contemplate breeding, let alone going ahead and doing it. I assume she has all the relevant health checks, is KC reg and has been shown to ensure she's of sufficient quality to breed from and that the previous comments also apply to the stud dog? Hmm, thought not.....

husky, without sounding like I want to start an argument (as I don't) but can I just ask why you say Siberian huskys should never be free-run? Just curious.
thanks, snoopy1.  :)

Certainly some of the Huskys that I know get off lead exercise and training.

Hi Snoopy1,

Huskys have a very strong desire to run (obviously) and a very strong desire to hunt. These instincts will over ride any obedience training they may have had at some point. I have heard many stories of sibes that have happily recalled for years and years only for the instinct to kick in one day and to run off. These dogs invariably end up under a bus or shot by farmers. The Siberian Husky Club of GB has pictures on the site of sibes that have been shot while running free. Unfortunately there are too many new owners who think 'their dog is different'. If they cared at all for their dogs, as they purport, they would listen to the experienced owners who have had the breed for 20 or 30 years, who would never contemplate letting their dogs off lead. Sadly it is all too easy for any fat-headed moron to buy themselves a 'snow-dog' these days from the many puppy farmers out there who give completely the wrong advice, and unfortunately its the dog who suffers. But never mind, Mr and Mrs Fat-headed Moron can always go and get another one.

Hope that answers your question!

Husky

thanks Husky.  :)

they can ,and it does'nt mean you are a moron!!!

for gods sake! give up the"husky should be on leads" they are dogs not bloody robots,and yes i do have a husky who goes off the lead, and i also have one who does'nt because i can't trust him not to be more intrested in a passing bird but they are two different dogs (same breed)and are treated as such.okay said my bit .

Wildone, I assume you have vast experience of the breed and have owned many sibes for 20 or 30 years? Correct? Or are you, as is SO obvious, a pet owner who has had a couple for 1 or 2 years and thinks they know it all. Owners like you who refuse to listen to people with decades of accumulated experience are the sort of owners no husky  deserves to have. If you love and care about your dog keep it on a lead for its own sake, otherwise just enjoy it while it lasts and don't come back to this board crying because your dog got run over or shot.

Husky, this poster has come here VERY politly asking for some advice, ok if you feel you should comment on the off lead stuff then fair enough but you have gone very rudly about it and I will be suprised if the poster ever comes back on here for any other advice! Its great that you have so much experience but blimey, where are your manners????

Hi Zoe, yes I take your point. But the fact is that anyone who has looked into buying a Sibe will have been told OVER and OVER that they must never be let off lead, it's the very first thing you learn about them. If the person then chooses to ignore this advice, then you can only conclude that they are stupid/arrogant. Neither of these character traits will help them when their dog is dead. I'm sorry for being blunt, but when its a matter of life and death, I'm afraid manners go out the window, I'm more concerned with helping the dog than protecting the posters fragile emotions.

Ok yes, help protect the dog, but was it really the right way to go about it?
You could of just given them the advice politly because im sure that they would take it on board alot better if you had!
Also, even if this poster had bought this dog from a puppy farm or a non-reputable (sorry, i cant spell today!) breeder then ok, they have made a mistake, we are all human, because as you have said a good breeder would have made sure that the new owner knows that a husky should never be off lead, BUT I too messed up buying my dog, I have had 3 other dogs before the one I have now and they were all crosses exept this one, so when I bought my boy i was stupid and didnt make sure i went to a better, well known breeder, and looking back now i would go a completly different way about it than what i did, because i fell in love with my dog, like all normal human beings do, and ok if that makes me a morron then so be it but i would not give up on my boy for anything and i continue to learn things about him every day, would i swap him for anything?? No! We all have to learn somewhere.

guest, i am sorry if i put you off, but i too belive each dog is different and not a CLONE although i am sure seeing some of these owners with their showdogs they might aswell be,  hope all is well with your girl.

husky, no i am not an expert,but you must be a you are the one preaching not me, yes my dogs are pets,not racers or show dogs , however from my experince yes my bitch can be let off as i said ,and my male can't, i let mine off in open fields away from traffic and not near farmers  animals, but i am bright enough to know that not every husky is the same, these are meant to be a very bright breed so surely they can learn to return, but then again i am just a moron husky keeper!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi there, I must say, I think Husky got a little bit carried away. Maybe it wasnt your intention but you did come off a bit rude. The Guest was really only looking for advice about the right amount of exercise now that the dog is pregnant. If you have lots of experience of that breed then maybe you can answer that question for the Guest. Then again they might not come back to this forum.

Kat

how the hell would you exercise a husky onlead, if you dont race or anything!??
i thought these dogs needed about 2 hours a day of exercise.

I think everyone should be aware of their dog's breed specific traits.  It will make them more patient when training them if they know what the dog was originally bred for.  I also think it is a bit of a shame that dogs "that have a very strong desire to run" have to spend their lives on a lead.  My Afghan has a better recall than a lot of dogs and you aint supposed to let them of the lead either.
Sally

KMC, I don't breed, so can give no advice in this area.

Dog-madness, you answered your own question, you run them on a rig or sled which is what they were bred for and what they love to do.The rest of the time we have a fully fenced in half acre paddock they can run about in, or they get walked on a flexi which gives them plenty of freedom. If you can't provide the time and facilities a Sibe needs, get a Labrador.

Yes Sally I also think its a shame that dogs that have a strong desire to run have to spend their lives on a lead, but it's a fact. I would think it more of a 'shame' if I had to pick my dogs dead body up off the road or from a farmers field. From Wildones previous posts I see that their unique husky that can be let off lead is actually a young puppy, not a fully mature Sibe with a mind of its own.

However, do what you like, let your dogs go play with the cars, just don't say you weren't warned.

yes my female is a pup 7 months, but by no means unique, but then everydog is different,but you should know that being an expert,who's had 20 to 30 years of this breed,and i'm sure that there are a few owners around that let there dogs off and if breeders don't want them to go to non  working homes then they should'nt sell them as pets .

Taken from the Siberian Husky Club of the UKs website :

I have taken the relevant points , pertinant to this discussion

3. Strong desire to run. If he gets free he will run so far he will be lost, if not hit by a car or train, or shot by a farmer.
4 Cannot be relied on to return to you on command. He will decide whether or not to return for himself, knowing that you cannot catch him.
5.Too independent and strong willed generally to be a candidate for obedience training/work.
6 Keen and efficient hunter and killer. Cannot be trusted with non-canine pets or livestock of any sort. On occasion been known to accept into the pack a cat that he is brought up with, but all others will be regarded as fair game. Please note - huskies have been known to kill cats, that they have lived happily with for many years, for no obvious reason.
7 Like any dog- must be exercised to keep him fit and contented, but this must be done ON lead.

I am assuming that the people who have posted decrying Huskys opinion ALL know better than the breed club?

:)

Thankyou Melodysk!

Don't get me wrong Husky, I think you could have been far more diplomatic in your approach ..but your basic facts are right :)

I had been told before that Huskies had to be exercised only onleads when I was investigating getting one myself and so as you suggested got myself a labrador instead :)

I'm certainly not looking to start an arguement but am genuinely interested in your opinion.

I just think its such a shame to keep such beautiful animals constantly on a lead.
Surely they would be better off to be sold only as working animals, even if it did mean they werent common in countries such as England where there is no call for them to be working dogs.

Your situation sounds wonderful but I imagine it is quite unique

Erm ...there are a LOT of working rallies for both Sibes and Mals in the UK ;)

Thanks Melodysk, I consider myself told off! You know how passions run highly though on these breeds we love, and when you find yourself NICELY telling people again and again the same thing and they refuse to listen, then I'm sure you can understand why I get so angry about it. I apologise to the original poster if she genuinely didn't realise her Sibe should be kept on lead, though I find that hard to believe. Wildone however is fully aware of the facts and chooses to ignore them, poor dog is all I can say there.

Rachael, well done on listening to the advice you were given, people like you do the Husky breed just as much a good service by NOT buying one when you feel you couldn't cope with the neccessary restrictions.I expect your Lab is lovely, we used to have Labs and they're fantastic dogs, much easier than Sibes, I have to admit.

As Melodysk says though, there are MANY, MANY people in the same situation as us who keep Sibes correctly and work them and race them. The same applies to Mals, Samoyeds, Eskimo dogs etc. None of the dogs suffer for being kept in this way and for doing the job they are bred for, they absolutely love it!

sorry its probably my ignorance rather than anything else.

I just imagined the dogs doing the rally's etc only rarely and then being leaded the rest of the time, but I suppose you must have to train them for things like that as well.

Wasnt trying to be rude or suggesting everyone is cruel to their dogs, in every breed I suppose there are those who look after their dogs properly and those who dont.

Have a look here Rachael : Snopeak , it might give you a little bit of an idea of what some of us get up to :D :D Oh and also here : AMWA

I know you weren't suggesting anything :) Its just that sometimes, what is recommended for a particular breed can seem harsh or unfair if you are used to another breed :)

Mel

Husky, I agree with what you said but not the way you said it, however, I can see that you just wanted to stress an important point. I dont like seeing dogs running off lead. Why is it that these dogs are being sold as pets without proper warning? Also, Guest, were you told this when you bought your dog?

kat

The same with ANY breed, if bought from an experienced breeder , advice and warnings are given to new owners ...if bought from someone else ..well, who know? *shrug*

;)

i am relatively new to sibies myself although i have been a dog owner for the last 10 years since i was 19, i am getting my new baby in just over 5 weeks time and i will be  heeding all the warnings about letting my girl off lead it just wont be happening nothing is worth the risk of loosing my long awaited for girl. i do know of 1 owner where i live who has always let his offlead since he was a puppy, he roams free in the woods in our local park and according to the owner always comes back!! but i for 1 wont be taking that chance with mine but thats my decision each person has that right to make their own.
Michelle 

a breeder i know has 45 huskies and non of them get off lead excercie as they can't be trusted, recently 2 of them escaped and got lost and killed 2 sheep they were lucky the farmer didn't prosecute and lucky they got the dogs back in one piece as you won't believe how far huskies can travel in a few hours!! i always was told that huskies are destructive in the house as they get bored and they are basically a working dog which needs constant stimulus to keep them sane dunno if you lot agree but not an ideal candidate for a novice pet owner - a labrador would be much more suited.

I would argue that the Labrador is an ideal candidate for a novice owner and I think the full rescue centres would testify to that!

45 huskys????? where do they keep them all????

I would ask why any breeder would have 45 of any breed. I would not cast stones without knowing more but I would certainly have thoughts!

Its hard enough to train any dog to be reliably obedient, I would think anyone with 45 dogs has no chance at all :D

Lindsay

Wow!! I'm trying to imagine having 45 Flatcoats Just need to bulk order Prozac, and have the wine delivered by the tanker full ;)

liberty :D

the blokes 45 dogs sre all sled trained so are working dogs primarily and all in excellent condition and well trained, they are all fully vaccinated and upto date with kennel cough vax too as thay compete every weekend - this man knows how to look after his dogs and never rehomes them when they are finished breeding he keeps all of them till a ripe old age but as i said they are kenneled outside due to the howling and destructivness and never let off the lead. In answer to john i didn't mean that labradors were easy to look after i just meant that they are by far more easy to own than a breed like a husky which i believe are not for the novice owner - your average novice dog owner could get away with owning a labrador without too much going wrong but a husky in the wrong hands and i the wrong place could kill a whole flock of sheep before brekkie and then go on all day from farm to farm causing mayhem - i don't believe this sort of behaviour is in a labrador being more of a retriever than a hunter!!!!!

We used to live next door to some folks who kept sibies - they were NEVER allowed off lead - could howl for England and were as destructive as hell - ( as in no skirting boards left in house after a couple of dogs were inadvertantly left in doors !). Having said all that they were beautiful dogs with the most wonderful friendly temperamnets and I can see why people can be very tempted to own one. I really think this is one breed that people need to take advice about - what worries me more are the number of people who are deliberately crossing sibes/malamutes/Eskimo dogs with anither breed -usually German Shepherds BUT sometimes my own breed ( Belgians) - the result could be horrendous as far as controlling the natural intsincts of these mixes.

Maybe tact isnt HUSKY's strong point but I do hope that people are listening to what she is saying !.

See example here

there are huskies working very successfully in obedience nowdays!

We have a sibe training club directly opposite my house,after reading this off leash thing i went over and asked the instructor,she informed me that if ones sibe is correctly and thouroghly trained then "yes" they can be let off lead,she and her husband have been breeding for 62 years,so i did take what she said seriously!
She then proceeded to let 3 of her dogs off leash,(which is next to a busy road) they came back each and every time she called them,she then plucked a trainee from the group and she also let her dog off lead,same results!The majority of folk i spoke with all let their dogs run free,the trainer informed me that it IS cruel to keep such an active dog on leash and if you cannot control it off lead then you should look for another breed.
Unfortunatly we dont have snow in my state of Australia,so they cant be worked properly but we do have trials on dirt tracks,which is the next best thing,i guess.
So in the end,from the loads of info i collected from these people,sibes can run free,it just takes alot of training and time on the part of a dedicated owner.
Husky,it seems you are painting this beautiful breed with the same brush???

christine(adelaide,australia)

oh dear! there really are some rude people on here!! I would never talk to people the way soem of you lot do - is it perhaps becauise you are hidden at home behind your computers that you are so rude to people? I suspect you wouldnt say some of the things you say if you were face to face with people! I think everyone on here needs to have a serious think about how they reply to other peoples questions, I think some serious manners and respect for other peoples views are in order!

Danefan. Have read this thread and can't see what it is you are complaining about, some strongly felt replies yes, but rude - perhaps you would like to let us know what it is you feel is rude so we can avoid offending you in future. Or perhaps you think this reply rude, it's not intended to be, I just like to know what it is people are complaining about. Your supposition that some people spend all their time "hidden at home behind their computers" is somewhat offensive, if you mean we should get a life then say so.

I quite agree danefan! 

Someone takes the time to find this forum and ask a question and then get the most agressive and rude replies, Husky!

You would not speak to people face to face like this, and i think thats what danefan means, and i AGREE!

Well I willl ask you the same question Tim, where are the rude replies, there may be those you don't agree with, but rude?

I agree with you Jackie...Husky didn't call the original poster Mr and Mrs Moron ..what they were referring to were people who go and buy a breed simply because of the look and don't bother finding out anything about the breed.

We must try to remember that there are people (this is not aimed specifically at anyone!) who will take offence if they receive an answer they don't want, however politely worded. They consider the unpleasant truth to be rude...

"I'm surprised shes managed to stay alive long enough to get pregnant"

Hows that for starters!

Seriously, I dont want an argument about this but perhaps you agree that some people do come across as 'know it alls'.  Perhaps when someone is obviously starting to look for sensible information then if they are given polite replies they are more likely to take this on board and ask more questions in future.

Under the circumstances that seems a reasonable statement and certainly not rude. Perhaps we should give more credence to those who have not only been in the breed for a long while but have the breeds best interest at heart. When they express an opinion they are not being a "know all" they are telling it like it is for the sake of the breed.