Calling all husky owners!
I was wondering if you can clear something up. I'm getting rather mixed messages from various sources regarding huskies and exercise.
I've researched the breed and they seem like the ideal dog for me - however what puts me off is the fact you can't let them off the lead - so some say.
I met a husky and her owner thismorning while out walking. The owner said she regularly let  her dog run free in wide open spaces when no-one else was around and had no trouble calling her back.
The  year old bitch even returned when having fun chasing squirrels.
This contradicts other information which says under no circumstances can you let them off the lead.
It would be a shame to pass up on owning one of these wonderful dogs through misinformation. Can anyone shed any light on huskies and exercise?

Huskeys are like all dogs.  If you put enough time in training them you can let them off the leash.

Katel, HUSKIES ARE NOT LIKE ALL DOGS! There is a reson why ALL books and MOST breeders say NEVER LET A HUSKIE OFF LEASH. Its not that they cant be trained to come back, it is the fact they are working dogs and love to RUN! The dog may come back to you 99 times but its the one time when something more interested is there other than you. Huskies should never be under estimated, it is better to keep them on lead and know they are safe than to risk letting them off and losing them forever. I understand that many dogs are just as strong willed and i know SOME owners do let their husky off lead, it may be that their dog is an exception to the rule, or an accident waiting to happen.

KateL, don't take this the wrong way, i realise you mean well, but do you actually own a husky?

They ARE NOT like other dogs! I own several, and know lots of breeders/owners, and they ALL say the same thing - huskies CANNOT be trusted 100% off lead! Some people take this as a personal challenge, thinking they know what they're doing while the majority of us aren't capable of 'controlling' our dogs - many have learned (at their dogs expense) that it's not that simple i'm afraid.

Some may be the exception to the rule, i grant you, but the majority, no matter how well trained, should not be trusted off lead in open spaces.They have no road sense, and there are countless stories of huskies getting lost/stolen/hit by cars when they've been off lead, simply because they love to run, and have 'selective' hearing when they do run! They don't run off on purpose, i'm sure they intend to come back, but their urge to run is too great, and by the time they look around for their owner they're probably miles away.

Huskies also have a high prey drive (mine are partial to chickens) so if you let your dogs off in farming country you run the added risk of them being shot.

When mine were puppies, i DID used to let them off, but as they grew older (7 - 9 months) and their confidence grew, i noticed they weren't so quick to return, preferring to investigate the swans/squirrels etc. The day they decided to investigate the horses playing in a field nearby was they day i decided to stop gambling with their lives and i now keep them on lead, (unless they're in an enclosed area, i.e. tennis courts with the high mesh).

As i stated earlier, you may be lucky, but i personally would not take the chance with confident,adult husky, no matter how well trained. Check out the SHCGB site for more information, also 'colors of the siberian husky' it's an American site, but very informative.

Regards,
Karen

I was going to answer the original post ...but then I remembered the last time this was debated and decided to just leave it ;)

For the record, I do NOT agree with KateL, there is a very good reason for not allowing Malamutes and Huskies off lead , mainly that they have a very high prey drive and, no matter how well trained, can take off at the sight of a squirrel or rabbit or pheasant etc etc. Several well trained Malamutes and Huskies have been killed because of this very reason :(

I agree entirely with whats been said. There are unfortunately some people who think they know better than people who've had the breed for decades, and that their dog is different. They find out eventually. Guest, I wouldn't be paying attention to someone who has only had the breed for a year, better off joining the husky club and talking to people with more experience.

I don't know anything about huskies etc other than they are a gorgeous looking breed to which I am deeply attracted if it were not for the fact that everything I have read informs me they must be on the lead and all those I have met have certainly never been off.

There are always exceptions to every rule eg the guarding breeds that won't guard, the retrieving breeds that don't retrieve etc etc etc; therefore it makes sense, with regard to all queries in all breeds, to seek and take advice from those who have been in the breed for a number of years and probably in a number of fields/disciplines who have had the actual hands on experience and knowledge of/with a number of of them rather than those whose knowledge is purely theoretical, based on the written word and who have only had one example of the breed for five minutes!

Those that adovocate a particular method of management are doing so from that empirical knowledge combined with the breed's best interests.

Huskymad, no I do not own a Husky. 

Everyone else, alright, I messed up.  I do not know anything about huskys!!

Guest, disregard my remark, there are other people who know much more about the breed than me.

I apoligise(sp?) to everyone unreservedly for any offence I inadvertenly caused.  Sorry

NO!  you can not trust them off lead.  anyone who lets their husky off lead is being very foolish and taking huge risks with their dogs life.  if you care about a husky you keep it on a lead.  let it off lead and you risk it being killed by a car, train, bus etc etc or a farmer for sheep worrying.  and believe me this does happen as i had an email only a few weeks ago saying their sibe had escaped and been shot. 
do not listen to anyone who says you can train them to come back etc etc, the have been bred for thousands of years to run away and this instinct is deeply engrained.  i have done obedience with my eldest sibe but would never ever willingly let him off lead.  in one class we were in a horse areana and the instructor gave me the usual waffle of how he could be trained to come back etc etc.  i made sure all was safe and secure let him off the lead, he paid attention for about 5 seconds realised he was off lead and bolted!  took me a good 15 mins to get him back and this was only because he ran into my legs and i tackled him to the ground, he had no intention of coming back. 
if you  must have a dog that can be safely let off lead, please dont get a husky.
sibes are very slow to  mature and a year old is still a baby, wait until it is a little older and gains in confidence and maturity, it wont be so keen to some back, it may come back, in its own time, if and when it wants and in this time while it is busy exploring and running it can seriously be miles away, easily out of ear shot and eye sight.
the best way to exercise and keep them safe is by working them in harness, using a rig or even pulling a push bike, please dont believe people who say you cant trust them off lead, it is an accident waiting to happen.  it might come back 99 times out of 100 but it only takes that one time to get seriously injured or killed.  keep it safe, keep it leashed!!!
kelly

General question to all husky (& malamute) owners. I am curious to know the other types of dogs you own and/or have experience of that allow you to claim that "huskies are not like other dogs"? Do those who respond to this question with this standard reply have first hand experience of many different breeds? Or is this a stock answer passed down from through the generations and accepted as fact? :-) I look forward to hearing your views and hopefully future owners can learn from your experience and opinions.

I have expereinced a golden retriever, English springer spaniel and Irish Wolfhound :)

In my case, info given out with regards to an Alaskan Malamute is based on reading and also experience (and not just mine :) ) Because Mals were bred to survive in the Arctic, they have a very high prey drive which tends to overcome all other training on numerous occasions. Cats, rabbits, squirrels, and small furry or feathered creature can trigger this prey drive.

I have not come across another breed that has such a high prey drive though I am sure there are others........

Hi Melody,

Samoyeds are also a breed with a very high prey drive.  When my Sam and Mal are in the yard together is is always Nanuk (Sam) that chases birds, squirrels, deers, leaves......you get my drift!  When she gets hold of a scent she will not give up until she has caught it!  On Sunday, she sat at the bottom of a tree looking up at a squirrel for 1/2 an hour before giving up and walking away!  No matter how many times I called her, rattled her biscuits....she would not budge!  Tundra (Mal) on the other hand will go walkabouts when he smells something......(we dont have a fenced yard but do have a dog run out the back).  All I ever have to do is rattle the biscuit box and he comes flying back straight away!  Luckily we dont live near a road (just a forest) so he doesnt go far.  He generally goes to say hello to the 2 Great Pyrenees next door!  One of my old friends had a Sibe who he used to let off the leash.  She was very good and always came back when called but that is the only one I have every met!  I tried it with Nanuk (once!) and it took me half the day to get her back again!  She bolted towards every person or dog in the park and was totally oblivious to who I was!  Needless to say, I never let her or Tundra off the lead!  They get their exercise in the fenced dog run.  They can run around safely for hours on end and I don't have to worry about them.

Charlene

No admin, it IS fact. I've had Labs and GSD's before huskys, as well as taking care of various breeds for relatives,and believe me Sibes are a whole lot different from other dogs! I know lots of Sibe owners who have other breeds that they will let off lead, but NEVER their sibes.

Responsible Sibe owners also get increasingly irritated by people with no knowledge of the breed claiming to know better than they do! I wish people would appreciate that all dogs are NOT the same, they have been selectively bred to do different jobs for thousands of years, that is surely the main attraction of dogs? You can get one to fit your lifestyle.

There are lots of breeds that are "different" in lots of ways - I think it is less that Sibes (or any other breed for that matter) are unique compared to all other breeds - than - as you say - that different breeds have been bred for very different things and are therefore different. Some have traits that you have to understand to live successfully with them - some have traits that are more amenable to "muddling through" - and it is these more "forgiving" ones that tend to make good pets for the average family who just want a dog. Sibes sound like one of the former - the ones where people really need to understand the particular breed characteristics before getting one.

I have no experience of Sibes (except by sight - stunning dogs) but am very interested to read what breed specialists say. My own breed is one of the livestock guardians - another group which owners often claim are "not like other dogs" - and they are not - being independent, natural guardians. As such they are not trainable in the ways other breeds are - they learn "manners" but try to insist they do "exercises" and you are on a loser. It is not stupidity or even stubbornness - it is that there is no point to them! But you will always get trainers who will not accept that they won't behave like Border Collies.  Having just got a collie it is fascinating to see the inate differences in these two pastoral breeds - the Maremmas bark at anything untoward, chill out when there is nothing happening, check out strangers etc - the collie herds us, is constantly on the go, rounds up strangers.....!

The power of genes....
Janet

Hello Admin :D

I have had an ESS, perfect off lead & on recall.  An Akita......Male, entire & on lead ;-)  And the durned Large Munsterlander who is better off the lead than on (she is always on at necessary times) and has a great recall, even in full flight away.

Then there have been the 9 Huskies........

Most of our dogs have been to puppy playgroup, and all have been through basic obedience classes.  Two of the huskies did their Good Citizens when the award first came out in the early 90's.

IMHO it's about the straight line speed and the spitz mentality, adding in the natural inquisitivness and then the very high prey drive :-)

Huskies and to some extent some other spitz breeds run in straight lines, most dogs run in circles of various dimensions. So if you think about it a dog running in a straight line in the UK will meet a road pretty soon but with luck a dog running in a circle will pass you every now and again and you may be able to get it's attention. Spitz and hounds have been bred for years to do a job of work, either to pull in a straight line or to follow your nose, so it is not reasonable of us to think any but the most experienced trainer will inflict even a modicum of recall on these breeds, my breed will 'walk on' but return to you means they will loose face ;) unless of course you have a titbit in your hand and it is bigger than the prey they have scent of.

"IMHO it's about the straight line speed and the spitz mentality"

An interesting point raised about dogs that run in a straight line and those that run in a circle. Can you explain what you mean by spitz mentality to those who have no experience of these breeds? :-)

An interesting point raised about dogs that run in a straight line and those that run in a circle. Can you explain what you mean by spitz mentality to those who have no experience of these breeds?

At the risk of upsetting some owners of other breeds which is not my intention ;-)

There is a school of thought that asks are for example Collies or German Shepherds free thinking and intellegant or are they basically stupid and need man to think for them and constantly tell them what to do.  Whatever the answer they do work, often with total devotion, to man and in a completely reliable way.

Spitz breeds can often be taught quite easily, picking up commands and words quickly, however once mastered they then start to 'choose' if they wish to follow the command. You say sit & they sit, you say sit again & they sit, you say sit, they look at you oddly and wander off to see what is happening in the other room or whatever :D   Basically they can do it, but they don't get the point of doing it....and certainly not too often.

This is also backed up in the reasons the Police have on a number of occasions trialled Japenese Akita's as Police Dogs, with lots of hype as they start their training and never a word about them finishing it.  You pop a German Shepherd over the wall to chase someone and it will do so, time after time after time.  You pop a Japanese Akita over and once you get over the wall you've no sure way of knowing which direction it's gone in ;-)

The FCI way of grouping dogs probably explains more than our 7 groups over here, because different 'groups' of dogs have different mentalities, drives, responses, attitudes etc depending on what they were originally bred for.  Spitz breeds tend toward the very basic scavengers/hard life/interaction with man but with more independent nature than many. 

Can't talk for the Huskies ability to harness it's self but the Elkhound can and does work on it's own without any instruction from the handler and often at a distance of a mile or more. Breeding stock over the years have been bred to think for themselves and when working the loose hounds are given no instructions but are expected to do their job and then 'call' for man to finish the job. In their native country if they do not come up to scratch and are not able to work on their own they are shot, no sentiment there, so over the years only the strains that can work as required will be bred from, no accidents as unsuitable hounds are not alive to procreate. Can't tell you how the Elkhound thinks, but think it does, and it decides on the best course of action for it, if it coincides with your requirements all well and good, if not then you have better change your mind, Elkhound minds are not as flexible as ours. The hound is totally selfish and will only do as required by you if it can see the benefit of doing so to it's self.

Would think that the fact that the spitz and primitives have been with man since man has been in the territories of the spitz, man has taken the natural ability of the dog/hound and used it for their own ends, and the load shifting breeds have been load shifting, and the tracking breeds have been tracking on their own or with others of their kind for the benefit of man since long before anyone ever thought of herding livestock into groups or shooting. 

Having spoken to Rqalf Cambell, this is why the loose hunting Elkhound is taken to the forest as young as possible, he sadi at 8 weeks old, and let loose so that it's baby instinct will mean it will follow it's master.  This recall then becomes a habit, and makes hunting a lot easier, as if the dog has marked the wrong animal (wrong sex etc) to get them back.

All of mine go off lead, and I really only have problems with one of them, who I had back at 8 1/2 months (adolescence).  She is very much the sort that will come in her own good time, and if she wanbts to do something then no command will change her mind.

All the others have gotten into the habit of doing as I ask (note not command), and that includes the rebels 9 month old daughter. 

I tend to think ahead as to where they are allowed off lead to minimise temptation.  Often theis means Jozi gets to stay on a Flexi lead while other four are off lead.

Luckily enough their straight running is slowed down by having to sniff at every interesting thing, so apart from the first few moments of freedon, the3y will mooch around at about 100 feet radius, with the odd quick detour to look at something interesting.

I too know breeders of Huskies, and Norwegian Buhunds (the lattters mental makeup is not too far from their Elkhound cousins) and they adamntly state tht the former breed must not be allowed fre excersise.  So there are differences among the Spitz.

Now I can see what people mean about depth of bred experience, as the poster that has a Samoyed and malamute finds her Sammie unreliable, but most Sammies I know, and having talked to their owners, most appear to go off lead with the odd reservation and extra care.

I have found with my 3 year old elkhound that I have had to adapt to his hunting instinct.He will hunt for 'prey' ...usually squirrels and will stand under the tree and mark them by barking and looking up at them.I have taught him that when I tell him 'well done..good mark' he will leave it and go and find another.He will also go far away when off lead(often out of site) but I know that if I call 'this way' he will come and find me and then go off again.  They are unlike any other breed I have ever had...you have to learn to trust your dog completely since as I said he is often out of site and may.
I advised a freind whos daughter purchased a husky that they were not trustworthy off lead ...they decided otherwise and for the first 12 months or so he was allowed off lead and was ok.However now he has shown his true colours and is no longer allowed to run free...
Archer  

As a matter of interest have either of you managed to recall to a present, or do yours just run toward you and then of in another direction. The only time mine will come to me in the standard type recall is if they have stolen something and I am saying 'come give' or if I have a titbit or a clicker in my hand, as I said in the post above, they do know what you are saying or signing and what you want but they just choose to what extent they will follow your request and if it is in their best interest to do so. May be it is me at fault but I have always found that the stronger my determination that they will do as I ask the stronger their determination to just avoid doing it, you get a sort of token obedience but not a total compliance. Never had that sort of trouble with GSD's nor Cockers. Don't know about Huskies but if the experienced people say do not let them off I would not question their instruction.

Asa will come all the way to me if say  'ALL THE WAY'.. If I say 'COME' he will come come close but then shoot straight off and 'ASA THIS WAY' means show yourself...so he will come within view and then go again.
Frankie is now running free and responding very well to the same commands as Asa although he obviously doesn't venture as far.
Kas...well I GIVE UP!! LOL
Archer

If I stop and refuse to walk on then I will get them all standing in front of me in the lead on position.  I find saying wait when they arrive keeps them in place as this is ingrained trqaining from our leaving the house ritual.

I have two steps in my hall just past the front door, and they must all stand on the top and wait to have leads attached (saves bending) they are then instructed to wait while I open front door, and must stay that way until I say come through, steadyyyy.

I have been soing this as with such a short distance from front door to living room door, it is often the case with visitors that one is already opening living room door before others have closed front. 

They must also wait to be told they can go out into the hall with the wait.  I live on a busy road by a Bus Stop with only around four car lengths for them to be under the bus.

I have experience of collies, cocker spaniels and various mongrels all of whom were and are allowed to roam off the lead. Should another dog, squirrel, rabbit etc come into sight, those dogs could be controlled and commanded to stay close or wait whilst they are put on the lead. My two Mals would (a) spot them first (b) give no acknowledgement to your commands (c) take off with no intention of returning until they want to.

People often get a Mal pup and think theirs is different because it comes back when called and doesn't go far.... I know I did! But one day, you are on the fields and you call your Mal and they stop and look, you see them thinking about whether to come back... and then they're off!!! I'm lucky in that we were in a place with no roads around and when we started calling and running the opposite way, the Mal decided that what we were doing looked more fun!! That was the last time he was off the lead - a long extendable lead is what he gets now. The second Mal did exactly the same. A while ago, they got loose in the forest where they train - and turned up 10 minutes later. They just set off into the trees and we were lucky that they came back - it could so easily have been a tragic end!!!

Mals are hard work and I'm sure that Huskies are the same. Right from the start, positive reinforcement, training and mental and physical stimulation are needed. It's constant and time consuming and it changes your life but I wouldn't swap them for the world :) I have never owned or known another breed that takes so much work - they aren't stupid, they don't forget, they just IGNORE!!!

Hi Sasham

going back to your original question NO NO NO dont let them of the lead! My first husky was bought and i didnt relise that we could nt let her off lead and boy what a mistake! up until she was a few months old yes she would eventually come back (i did wonder why she wasnt listening). Then my boy came along i knew better then, but the 6 ft fences didnt stop him from trying to escape, yes they love me dearly but when they did escape given the occassion them few hours were the worse hours of my life fretting! Huskies are very silly around traffic they dont have a clue and they love to hunt!!!!! honestly.... My new pup is 6 months old and when we were on holiday last week she managed to escape her crate in van and through a gap in the window, luckily it was on my father-in-laws land but she sped down a long field across another few (in the background the others were howling go go go we wanna come to!) after 20 mins she finally came back with 3 people chasing her and the noise of a kitkat wrapper. I read an article about one of the best husky kennels of about 30 years or more who had 4 huskies escape, everyone of them were shot by a gun loving farmer! On the other hand huskies are a delight to own and yes they are different so much so iam getting another ha ha but if you have researched the breed your next step is to visit a kennel or show/race and meet up with husky folk (they are so nice) and you ll get a grasp of what type you like. I encourage you to have a look at the following links http://www.siberianhuskyclub.com/abouthuskies  good luck
tracy

Admin: URL Snipped, terms of service

I used to live next door to a someone who had several huskys - beautiful dogs with the most lovely friendly natures but real escape artists ( she had 6 ft high weld mesh fencing round her land and they still got out) - very destructive in the house and they howled for England !.

I own a herding/guarding breed ( Belgians) and they circle continuously when out for their walks - always keep us in sight and even though we have no fences round our fields ( only ditches which they can easily jump) they have never left their 'own territory' - as people have said already, genetics plays a huge part in how different breeds behave and training can only affect ingrained behaviour to a minimal degree.

At the moment, 1 of my husky bitches DOES come back when i call her( she's not let off in the open, only ever in an enclosed space!), but only because she has a litter that she's desperate to get back to! 10 - 15 minutes away from them is quite enough for her. If it weren't for the litter, it'd take at least 30 minutes and a couple of extra people to help catch her!

I think you are right - genetics do play a big part.  Whenever I see Sibes i 'see' wolves and wolf packs  almost always hunt strung out in a striaght line.  As Huskies, Sibes, Mals etc are probably closest to wolves that you can get how can they not behave similarly?

However, the KC do not seem to accept that Sibes are different to other dogs.  I know of someone with Sibes who has got her Silver Award and wants her Gold but can't because the KC insist the heelwork and one or two other elements of the test have to be off-lead in an open space.  Until she can find a club that offers safety to do this she can't take her Gold. 

I have 2 huskies the eldest being 8. In all that time I have never and never will let them off the lead. I have met several owners who do this successfull but Id never chance it. If this put you off owning 1 Id opt for another breed. Id love to see mine run free but it wont happen.

Why have a dog if you can not let it off the lead? The pleasure I get from my dogs is seeing them sniff around, run free and interact with other dogs.

I see a Siberian Husky being walked on an extending lead and cant help feeling sorry for it. As not many owners can race their dogs and can not let them off the lead the poor animals must be frustrated and hyperactive. They are gorgeous looking dogs, but after what people have said about them they are only suitable for a minority of owners.

They ARE incredibly gorgeous. But they wouldn't be for me. I like a dog who is a little more dependent. I like my Doberman. He won't let me out of his sight and has a marvelous recall, even when chasing a squirel. They do have a high prey drive, but a stronger desire to stay close to their owner I guess. And I didn't even work with him that hard on the recall. He just "needs" to be with me.

This is why it si such a worry when so many people who cannot meet the breeds special requirements are attracted to the breed by their beauty and their high profile in the media over last few years.

I met a couple at a show who as well as their show prospect had just adopted a rescue puppy that had been taken to the Vet at Christmas aged 12 weeks to be put to sleep as the owners couldn't cope with it!!!

No need to feel sorry for them, what they never had they dont miss. They get the chance to run about if you have a garden.

Disagree with you here.  These dogs are genetically programmed to run.  Confining them to a garden must be absolute hell for these dogs.   What they never have they never miss is not true.  You can't eradicate instinct - they will still be there but totally frustrated.

We only let our three mals off the lead on a beach close to us, surrounded by cliffs, where they can go nowhere to be killed by cars, and where there are no little furries for them to chase. We are also lucky to live near to an enclosed Country Park, where they can free run.

If I let them off lead anywhere else, they would be after rabbits, squirrels or nothing in particular like a shot, and although their recall was perfect when they were puppies, now they would not come back until *they* were ready :)

IMHO, if you have a mal/husky, there is always that one chance, no matter how perfectly trained it is, that there will one day be something more interesting to them than your recall. And after hearing a story from a husky owner, of how a man had his malamute "perfectly" trained to recall, apart from the one time where he decided to not come back just yet and ran toward the road in the very far distance, and how she cradled his head at the side of the road as he took his last breath..... It's just not worth it.

having collies that are constently under my feet, & only get out of the back garden to go to the front door & bark to be let back in,i find the whole husky/ lead thing hard to understand,
is it a "running" thing or a "prey " thing????

ive always really loved the look of a Mal,but would never had a dog that i couldnt let run free. are mals more/less/same of a problem than huskies? what about greenland dogs ? are they the same?

IN THEROY only,what if you crossed a husky with say a collie or a gsd (or any dog with a high drive to stay with their owners),would this type of cross be more managable/trainable?

does very body that owns these breeds own rigs so that they can run them?

Malamutes tend to have a very high prey drive as do huskies...so if they see something that could be construed as possible food, they go after it ;) They also run in a straight line rather than do the usual running in a wide circle thing that most breeds do.

Mals also suffer from the 'I will be good ....as long as I want to be good' syndrome ;)

We can run our two Malamutes in fields where we can see anything around for miles and where they cannot get out because of fencing but that is the only place that we let them off lead. However...we do *run* our oldest on on a bike which he loves ..hopefully will get the younger one harnessed up in the not too distant future as well :)

As to crossbreeds...who knows? Only a very irresponsible person would deliverately cross a Malamute or a husky with another breed IMHO

what are those dogs called begins with E? that have alot of husky & gsd blood in them?

mals & huskys etc are certainley a totally different kettle of fish!!!! need alot of learning about! very confusing for your average collie /obedience person!!!! (thats me!<bg>)

Eskimo dogs?

no its a x, trying to make them look like wolves using huskies/gsds /mals etc,think it used to be called somthing else

Utonagan ....or Northern Innuit yeah ...the cross breeds ;)

yes thats it1 dosent begin with E at all! doopy me!

I am off out now (dog food buying time :D ) so if you want any info at all, just email me :)

can i just point out that siberians are different to mals off lead, mals tend to be more reliable than sibes.  i do know people who can let their mals off lead and they wont wander or bolt for it, cant say the same for sibes.  when i have seen sibes that have gotten off lead they have made a bolt for it and have only been caught by someone wrestling with them or grabbbing as they sprint past!!  sibes are a lot smaller and faster than mals and dont always need anything to chase, if they decide to run for the sake of running they will!!

and no it does make them more trainable if they are crossed with the likes of GSD or collies or other more biddable breeds,  the spitz mentallity is very very strong and often with these cross breeds the best way is to treat them like full sibes and keep them leashed for their own safety.

i never ever let any of my sibes off a lead anywhere that is not completley fenced and secure.  i do not consider a beach or field to be secure enough, i consider my local tennis courts with 12feet+ fences with the door chained shut behind me to be safe to let the boys have a good off lead run.  however they soon get very bored!!  my 2 dog team can reach speeds of up to 20mph and that is pulling me and a rig some 12ish stone, scary to think of how fast they could free run without pulling any weight!

an off lead siberian is an accident waiting to happen and if you truly care for it you will keep it leashed.  may people as mentioned have believed that their siberian is "special" and has perfect recall, but it it only takes a few SECONDS for them to choose not to return and be under a car etc.  i also know of 2 siberians that were off lead near a beach and ran straight over the cliff edge!!.  one was very severly hurt with many fractures, the other not as bad as it landed on the first.

a siberian is not for someone who cant accept that they must be leashed at all times or securely contained,
kelly

blimey! they sound scary to me!

at one of our country fairs this year a husky from the crowd slipped its lead & decided to join in with the sheep demo,just chasing & bitibg at the sheep, the owner just couldnt call it back & a group of men  sort of blocked it off & one rugby tackled it to the ground.
luckily the sheep werent hurt
the fair is right next to a busy a road though,so its a good job they caught it when they did!

would it not be possible to "breed this out" of some lines? like some of the collies now are bred not to have so much eye?
what about the show/ working lines? is there any difference there?some of the show ones ive seen have been very show typey & nothing like some of the working/sporting ones ive seen.

mals tend to be more reliable than sibes.

Sorry, I disagree there. They are BOTH exremely unreliable off lead. The main difference between the two breeds, apart from the obvious visual differences, are that Sibes are more prone to escape and can (usually but not always) jump higher than Malamutes

i think i really need to meet some to understand!!!!
theres not many around here!