Don't know if they are banned , as i already told you i have tried the harness , head collars are useless for determined draggers. Prong IS the way to go if your dealing with the husky , they do MUCH more damage to themselves without it.

Pshht , collies are NOTHING! These huskys i were dealing with were just all out muscle , my wife is the strongest women i know and she couldn't deal with it :p

Weeeell, the only thing is Manny, there are peeps in the UK who have huskies but who don't use prongs... :P

Lindsay
x

Yes , they drag! Same difference. Drag till bloody vomit or safe prong that once on = no dragging or vomiting, no jabbing either. I think i picked the right one! I also read on another thread someone with a 9 yr old husky that still drags with determination.

Doesn't matter if they don't use prong , more then 90% of anyone with a sibe will have a dragger , the other 10% either lie and say there husky walks nicely or like me have a prong and provide a much more safe and fun walk for the both of us!

I think anyone who doesn't mind seeing there beloved dog choking themselves to death on the buckle collar are BARBARIC!

perhaps some uk husky owners would like to tell us what they use instead of a prong collar?

i dont own a sibe but i do have a mal.... definately no prongs here :-) I use a halti head collar and he doesnt pull anymore than a small dog whilst wearing it (honest!) but if i put him in his harness ( which he cant get out of) he pulls like a steam train, which is good as thats what im training him to do, as he will be pulling rigs when old enough. :D

incedently my breeder uses haltis on her 2 mals and doesnt having a pulling problem either :-)

Manny, I am no expert on huskies, but i have seen them out and about on walks, one at our dog club, and at the odd show - yes some are pulling, but some do walk well and it's not because they are on a prong - this is just what I've seen... :)

Lindsay
x

I have two Mals and use Semi Slip Collars (which are made fully from fabric and are used to attach a neckline to when you are on a rig).

If I have the two of them out on my own, especially in bad conditions (heavy rain etc when I may slip if they did see something they wanted) then I sometimes use a halti on them.

I think the practice of using prongs is far more widely accepted in the USA and Canada - I know a few Mal owners in the States who use prongs (even though it is not a practice I agree with).

I have a Malamute and a BC (and a Lab) and all my dogs are reliable off the lead. Thet work competition obedience and agility so obviously need to be.
I don't use a prong collar (although I do possess one it was a  gift from friends in USA when we were speaking at a Lab Gathering there they were trying to prove to me that they are not as awful as I believed them to be ......... would probably use it in favour of a check chain but have no intention of ever using either LOL) nor do I use a Gentle Leader .... my dogs wear normal collars and yes they walk nicely on them.

hi there mannyg...i totally agree with you...if you havnt walked a sibe you have no right slating anyone for using the best possible method to save thier poor arms and poor dogs necks.........i have 2 sibes and walking them is a most uncomfortable experience i have ever had.
my boy isnt too bad and will stop pulling after a few good tugs on his lead but my girl is a NIGHTMARE  i have tried everything except the prong  and believe me if i knew where to get one from i wouldnt hesitate.if i put my girl on a harness she just thinks great i can use more of my muscle to pull!!!!!!!
Did the head halters stop her? nooooooo  made her worse

I have three Malamutes ..FAR stronger than Sibes and don't use prongs with any of them :) We use Dogmatics or Haltis and have no problems

In regards to the prong,when something isnt available to you(prong), you find another option,which is not always the easy way out as it is with these contraptions!

manny g says....Let's see , i'd like you to try walking a sibey. WOMEN YOUR ARM WOULD BE DISLOCATED!

hi Manny i have 3 sibes yes they all pull but they also  do walk quite nicely that is until they see another dog/cat squirrel or person they just love the attention and want to meet chase etc lol

anyway to get onto the arm dislocation ...... i have a walky belt which is an absoloute god send as i have arthritis and would never be able to walk them without it, and i can walk all 3 at the moment (not sure if i can handle all 3 when Tia who is 4 1/2 months gets older lol ;-)  ) i would never dream of using a prong as the others have stated also they use haltis or similar to help them have an enjoyable walk
i can honestly say none of mine want to pull you to the point they will die and coughing up blood :-( 
they pull because they are excited to be going out for their walk or a run on the bike but never as severe as what you have descibed

Michelle & gang

I walk 5 vallhunds and one german spitz all together quite happily.  I would never consider using a prong collar on any of them

On leads the three boys are on Gentle Leaders, because yes, they pull, they get over excited and silly.  I also have a very bad back due to an accident 3 years ago but can still manage to walk all the dogs together this way. 

They can walk to heel when they want!  They do run off lead and whilst their recall is pretty good I wouldn't say 100% all the time (though it helps having a stomach orientated breed).  However, they are all spitz breeds and will occasionally turn round look at you with a sort of blank stare as though they have never in their life heard the command you are giving them and then do exactly what they please!

(btw - for those of you now thinking yes but they are all little dogs - for information - the vallhunds weigh on average 15kg each, in a small frame, that is quite a lot of pulling power)

Im afraid my lovely husky boy (my sons really) would look at you - if he looked back at all - and say why?  If its not on his agenda he isnt going to do it.

ok heres a view from some1 else's perspective who has spent a few weeks working with his husky training them (or so he thought) to come back

he has given me permission to cross post on here ...... 

took cody out for her usual walk the other day and after weeks of training thought "cody you are ready to go forth and taste freedom as i know you will return"
so let her off the lead and spent couple of hours playing running and recalling with great sucess
and believed i have a one off a sibe that will do as i tell her, little did i know that thats what she wanted me to believe suddenly off she goes at a speed i never thought possible for a dog  so for the next 4 hours i tried chasing, sitting down, offering treats, walking away, running away, hiding ,trying to be excited in something, playing dead, screaming for help, and each time i got that look with the head cocked ears pricked up wondering why i thought i could trust her
in the end i got her back ,
i believed  any dog could be trained
i believed  as long as you were loved by the dog they would return
WHY DID I NOT LISTEN
WHY DID I NOT BELIEVE
WHY DID IT TAKE 4 HOURS OF RUNNING AROUND FIELDS FULL OF CROPS TO TEACH ME
DO NOT EVER LET YOUR HUSKY OFF THE LEAD

Michelle & gang

I can walk up to 6 Elkhounds together, that is 120kg of dogs, and thankfully I don't weight anywhere near that.  They are different ages though :D

Prong or as they are more commonly called, pinch collars are not banned in the UK.

As far as I am aware a sibe is no larger, heavier or stronger than many other breeds, looking at the breed standard, nor do they have a stronger "pull" than many dogs of a similar build.  It is perfectly feasible, possible and achievable to control a strong dog without the need of a prong and many of us have women have managed it perfectly well for many years without being built like East European shot putters ;)

Although I would never have a husky/sibe/Malamute myself (because I would not want to own anything that I could not let off the lead) I find them incredibly attractive and there are several that are exercised in my area on leads attached to belts of their owners who run with their dog running beside, not in front of them; they all have plain leather collars.

Oh, they are women too............

But perhaps the sibes here in the UK are different?

An elderly man of about 80 who walks with a stick lives near me. He has a young sibe! He walks it on a collar and extending lead and yes it does pull, if he can hold it they can't be that much stronger than your average determined lab or collie.

Don't you believe it.  When they are fully grown they need some stopping - thats what they were used for - to pull a sled. 

It's what they were bred to do , they just love to run pull and drag.

To tohme ,of course they run nicely when you run with them. The whole purpose of them dragging is because they have so much energy and just want to run. I could have run with my huskys and they'd be right beside me but when wake up at 6 in the morning to take them for daily walks i'm really quite tired , and i don't want to have 2 beserk huskys panting , dragging and howling.

I mean i don't know how well the gentle leader works on other huskys , but these huskys (recently deceased in 1999 and 2002) were just insane had all the energy in the world , head collars would have broken there necks. I've never used the prong to correct walking with any of my previous or present dogs , but believe me these husky needed it. The main reason why there are so many sibe rescues is because of the rowdiness , sometimes destructivness and they couldn't deal with the pulling. Of course these owners have no doubt tried the head collar , anti-pull harness but the BEST way to correct this problem is with the prong and in the long run you and your husky will have more fun on walks (Yes, i walked them to parks and gave them time unleashed). By golly if the head collar had worked of course i would have stuck with it , it didnt. The prong is a great training tool , not cruel but YES it does look like a medieval torture device.

Back to the original question!  should Huskys be let of their lead?  well at the moment I would say a definite NO!  because my 12 week old Beardie has just been attacked by a Siberian Husky in the park!  We had seen him a couple of days before and the owner put him on a lead as he'd spotted us before and told us the dog wasn't keen on puppies.  He stopped for a chat and the Husky sniffed our puppy and seemed ok that day.  Unfortunately the owner didnt spot us on time tonight and despite calling him, the dog ran up to our puppy and attacked him!  I was shocked the owner doesn't keep him on the lead all the time, especially as he knows he hates puppies!  If that was my dog, I'd keep him on the lead all the time!

that attack is certainly not typical siberian behaviour!!  i have 4 and all mine are very good natured with other dogs and would never attack another dog, cats and small furries however are another matter :-)

but back to the original question the answer is a most definate NO!  this question has been asked many many times and many people like the story above think they are clever and have that unique siberian that will return on command, until that moment when the dogs is more intrested in something else than the treat in your hand and chooses to ignore the calls and pleas to return.  it is lucky the person in the story managed to get their dog back as the have been many many stories of a similar nature that have not ended so happily, with the dog dissapearing never to be seen again or to run in a road and be killed by a car.

it has nothing to do with laziness on behalf of owners it is the way the dogs function and their mentality.  my eldest who is now 9, like all my others has been obedience trained and in a secure hall is good on recall he will also walk to heel and can walk nicely on a lead.  this does not mean i am stupid enough to think that obedience training in a hall will mean he is reliable off lead, so he like all my others are leashed at all times.

just like other breeds their eagerness to work varies within the lines.  my oldest is an import coming from pure show lines, his pedigree is littered with international, AM, CAN, IT, BELG ch and such like, however he is the worst built dog i have ever seen and he has NO desire to work at all in the slightest.  he will walk nicely on a lead as he has no work attitude!  this is what happens when people start breeding purely for the show ring with no regard for work ethic!  compare this to my 3 youngsters who although have UK champions in their breeding, these UK champions have also proved themselves on the trail as a result i have 3 dogs that live to run and work in harness.  these 3 are very different on a lead, they want to pull and run all the time and on a lead they are constantly fighting against it, in their intense desire to be running, they resent behing held back by the lead and they are very very difficult to walk on a lead.  one who is a a bit large than the breed standard calls for is so strong and pulls so much i find it difficult to walk him for any distance at all!!

siberians generally do not make good pets as such, due to all of their little ways and habits they are difficult to keep just as pets and for their own well being and sanity really need to be in a working home where they get to do what they love most. most of the people i know who own them work them in harness and compete and show them.  i could not imagine not working my 3 in harness as they love it so much and it is such a sight to see them throw themselves into their harness, working hard and their happy smiley faces when they come back in and they way they scream at the start line just shows how much they love it!  on the other hand walking them on a lead is not enjoyable for either of us, i am being dragged and the dogs get frustrated at being held back at a slow speed and are constantly fighting and pulling to go faster. these dogs need to be worked and i dont think even the longest walks are a substitute for working in harness, unless of course you have one from pure shows lines with no work attitude or ability at all!! 

to answer another question posed about destructiveness, YES they can be very destructive more so when bored, but even when well exercised.  as i say i have 4 and 3 are worked inharness regualar and compete at rallies during the winter and 1 was particularily destuctive as a youngster.  lost count of what he  had destroyed but it includes eating his way through a sofa to get to a toy that had gotten underneath and chewing a big hole in the newly plastered and decorated sitting room wall.  both of these events occured in the time it took me to leave him downstairs whilst taking a shower, they can cause huge amounts of damage in very little time!
    

to Nette

Just a helpful word of caution and I hope you wont be offended.  I don't know if you are new to Beardies, may be I am teaching granny to suck eggs, but there is something about the way they move (that lovely graceful glide) and the fact that other dogs have difficulty making out the body language of Beardies (because of the obscured outline) that confuses some other dogs.  There is very little eye to be seen as well and this can freak some dogs out (the other dog may worry that your dog is eyeballing it).  I speak from experience.  Ir is a very difficult situation to be in and you really have to try and be upbeat with your puppy when this happens, even though you want to cry and console your puppy.  Dont worry if you want to shout at the other dog, thier owner is  probalby as mystified as you are as to why this has happend as they probably don't think of thier dog as a problem.  If the other dog is trained to 'leave it or off', try giving the command yourself, you have a change to regain control of the situation which will give the other owner chance to collect thier dog.  Just something to be aware of. 

As for the Husky owner.  Huskies are not usually agresive toward other dogs, I would imagine this is one of those scenarios when the Husky and owner where completly lost as to why this should have happend.  But in all honesty the Husky should have been on lead.

Good luck with your puppy.

Thank you Scratchy and Echo for your advice. Sorry hope I didn't sound rude, I've nothing against Sibes, they are beautiful dogs, I think I was in shock when I wrote my reply! My husband took him out yesterday and he met a few dogs in the park and although looking nervous at first, he was fine with them when he realised they were friendly, so hopefully he wasn't too traumatised by the attack!  We will have to keep a close lookout for the owner and try to keep away from them, if he's not on the lead just in case.  Its a shame, because as I said, the first time we saw them when the Husky was on the lead he was fine and the owner was friendly, I remember him saying he was only a year old, so maybe he needs more training? I can understand what you mean about Beardies and their eyes, we used to own a Beardie quite a few years ago, but we had to tie his long fringe back because he had been known to walk into lamposts etc!!

hi,
i am glad to hear your pup has not been affected by this event.  hopefully he will realise not all strange dogs are so rude and bad mannered, sounds to me as if both husky owner and dog need some training!  if you see them again, tell them the SHC of GB is always available to give advise,
kelly

Be very aware.. as the owner of a wonderful (of course every owners dog is!!!) Sibe.. i hope i can speak with some experience (whilst not presuming authority!)

My Boy has had a tough start to his life he has had two previous owners both of which found very rapidly this is not the dog for a novice.... or indeed even those who condsider themselves experienced... but with no research or understanding of this breed type.

the result of this... sadly.... is SEVERELY  detrimental to the dog. My poor Sibe had forgotten how to be a Sibe due to previous owners not understanding him and trying to make him into something he wasnt!

The good news.... he has finally learnt how to play and how to be happy but most importantly how to be a Sibe and not a 'pet'... as such!

And I can proudly boast.... now that he has finally found an owner who 'gets' him and understands him he is a JOY to train!!!!
now only fellow Sibe/ Mal owners et al will get the achievement this is!

He will ALWAYS sit at the roadside before looking to me for the command its ok to cross, he walks at heel CONSISTENTLY. his obediance is astounding.. for a Husky ( they will only obey if its fun or they can see the point! theyre usually too intelligent for their own good!!!)

all this said I WOULD NEVER AND I MEAN NEVER... allow him off the lead.

do your research look at the breed blueprint.... these dogs origionate from Cuckchi tribes of NOMADIC people.. your husky is a roamer.... always will be!

and on that note can the un-educated among you NOT CONDEMN me for not allowing him off the leash!
hear me out!......

occassionally I have no choice but to walk him in a communal park area, and im astounded at the amount of people who think that their dog has a "better life" of the leash ( that was an actual quote posted by someone on this site!)..... and these are the people who I watch take their dog out for only 10 to 20 mins and stand in the middle of the park chatting with other owners (of course its nice to be social for all of us) but thats it..!!??

Me and my boy run together, we play football.. he can give beckham a run for his money!! we play ball.. and wade the stream together..... and the relationship we've built up through this shows in his obedience, we respect each other.... and we'r great mates!
tell me now..... is that a bad life for my dog!!!!????? ;O)

A Sibe is a great companion.... but you work hard together... and if you have the time theyre perfect, but if you just want a dog to fit in your lifestyle and not the other way round... I'd start with a Lab!

oh and by the way: (Im nearly done I promise) these prongs etc... b*ll*cks!
Im a girlie and weigh just 8stone.... and I can handle my dog..... because ive learnt to do it right!
we have different things for different types of walks (busy area lots of control needed/ quiet area not so much control needed) we use the HALTI head collar, and sometimes a half choke chain..... but generally he's in his harness... and boy he CAN pull when he wants to so dont get into a false sense of security... but we'r good so far!
Very Best Wishes Olivia x

>>Im a girlie and weigh just 8stone.... and I can handle my dog..... because ive learnt to do it right!

i am 8 1/2stone and i have an 8mth mal ( big on pulling ... if i let him :D )just wanted to agree with you there, if you teach it right you can do anything...

Good for you for all you've achieved with your boy so far, i know it wont have been easy so Well done .... ;) :D

The thing you said about owners standing around chatting and dogs sitting in the middle of the park is totally untrue , there are always dogs at the park rain or shine. IMHO 'MY' dogs have more fun free running in parks , chasing other dogs and wrestling then they have with me (rollerblading , hiking and of course FOOTBALL:D :D!!). Both are fun but they seem to enjoy it more in there own enviroment with other dogs.

I suppose it depends on the breed/individual dog, my boys favourite kind of walk is out in the fields where they can hunt the pheasants but my friend has a spaniel who would much rather play ball than do anything else :rolleyes:

I owned Huskies before and during the early years they became fashionable. I have friends who still have them both as pet/show dogs and working rally dogs.
I had two that I could happily let off lead, years ago, but more that I wouldn't have dreamed of letting off.

I know, before anyone starts, that it is the norm to assume a husky is not to be left off lead but they are trainable.

One particular friend of mine, and I've said this before, lets all 8 of hers off on open ground. At the same time. They all recall better than any other I've seen. OK maybe not 100% but they don't do off. Just, rarely, take the mick for a minute or two. I have taken my Mastiff out with them and still been coaxing her to me when my friend has happily got all hers on the leads. The pups she has bred are more amenable than any other husky pups I've ever seen.

I will try and get out with her, I live quite a way away, and get video of them.

What I am trying say is that with a lot of training and time and also patience even a husky is definately able to be a well adjusted off lead companion. By the way my friends dogs will come away from any other dog/cat or wild animal when she calls. I've seen it happen. On one occassion a Rottie attacked her male and although he was being 'ragged' about he still pulled himself back to his owner when she called him. He received 12 stitches that time because he didn't retaliate. At another time, late at night, her ancient bitch had a heart attack whilst running and my friend had to carry nearly half a mile. She managed this with the other dogs trotting beside her off lead. Sadly the dog had died but my friend wouldn't leave her to come back later.

These are the only huskies I've ever known to be as, if not more, trustworthy off lead than a lot of other breeds. They are not the norm for their breed but as my friends prove it can be done.

I will agree though that a husky, normally, isn't for the faint hearted. As pups they are very destructive and generally more time consuming than your average canine. I don't agree with breeders allowing first time dog owners to walk away with a husky pup.

hi d4awn,

your post is interesting.

'The pups she has bred are more amenable than any other husky pups I've ever seen.'  does your friend work her dogs??? or have they had that bred out them and this is why they are more 'amenable'??

personally, i would never let my sibes off lead and would definatly not advise anyone else to.

No this friend doesn't work hers but my other friends do and they do really well in the rallies.
You may know of them if you go to the rallies. They also run the a disabled rig.

The pups my friend has are of show type, yes I know they couldn't pull skin off custard, but this usually makes them a better prospect for a 'pet' home.

My 'working' friends wouldn't dream of putting one of their dogs into a pet home.
The pup would become frustrated and the owners probably wouldn't be able to cope.

Of course manny... your absolutely right, and I apologise for such a sweeping generalisation.
I should not speak of something as being percieved as the general norm.

HOWEVER I must say, that it is absolutely my experience, having the misfortune to have my village demograph expanded to new wealth bored house wives and footballers wives (there I go again with the generalizations!!)

and Im afraid there most definately is in my area a collective of people not interested in their dogs but being 'seen' with their dogs.

fine each to their own..... of course , of course....

But dont make my dog suffer because your busy gossiping and NOT WATCHING your dog.. which is happily antagonising mine!

Im using the 'universal' you there manny ;O)

ello, rule of a husky - if i escape just follow with a treat - if u run or shout at me i shall only go faster
       another rule  - if u dont want me to pull trade me for a poodle - why buy a sports car and go slow

if you get a husky puppy you need to keep on top of them, they are hundinis of the dog world (probably spelt wrong) they are masters at cupboard / cage and door opening. They are very own minded - they like to decide what they do.
Dont even let them start biting, in my experience normal training to stop mouthing hasnt worked - u tap him on nose he will bite harder, u ignore him -he can wait till ur ready for him to bite u again, u shut him in kitchen -he will sit at door till u open it ready to pounce, u shout at him he will shout louder, u spray him with water- he opens his mouth, i tried pet behaviour spray - he licked it. To me best way to train them is too go back to the wild, by this i mean literally pin him down grab hold of his collar and scream No until he realises ur the pack leader and gives in.
Be prepared to be challenged on a regular basis by a dominate male pup until u have secured ur position as top dog. You know that saying When in Rome do as the Romans do, well this is the time to practice it best language they understand is there own.

hi there i have 2 huskies and i let them off lead regular  (on a huge enclosed field)
recall in the girl is none existant but the boy comes back everytime no matter what...squirral  bird anything he always comes back....as he knows he gets a really tasty treat if he does and nothing if he doesnt......what would you rather have?