new siberian husky owner

[lynner]

Hi all, i just joined today. I figure all you smart ppl out there who own one of these wonderful dogs can give me some advice. My Emily is almost a year old. She will be on May 21st. I must say she is a handful but I love her dearly. Can anyone give me some advice on how to get her to stop pulling during our walks. I do know they are sled dogs but my arm is about pulled out of joint. I did purchase a freedom harness which helps. Also, do these dogs ever stay when off a leash? We do alot of camping and I hate to tie her up all the time. She is strong headed and goes her own way when off a leash. Can they be trained to stay with us when off a leash and if so how do I go abut training her to do this?

[keysellyn]

husky owner many years. train train train. there will not be a day without training.you may never be able to get her to stay off lead especially while camping. the only way to get her to stop pulling is to get a pinch collar and handle her with love and patience. these dogs do not do well with yelling and pushing around. they do very well with extreme patience low key voice and reward programs. ( hi voice affirmation with a treat. use her name often and positive terminology.) find out what kind of call your dog likes to be around. some are very site oriented and some are very sound sensitive. my dog comes to clicks and whistles. his harness is used the same way a horses harness is used and they are very intuitive. they can and will pick up a auditory vocabulary with meaning from you. so use it to your best advantage. remember they are work animals first, run animals second, small prey site animals third, pack oriented last. after each training session give her a good run in a large fenced area off lead. they do almost a quarter mile in 10 seconds. my dog worked for many years with wheelchair bound patients and the elderly. but they are not good with small children or small pets. i learned this the hardway. however there are exceptions. these dogs are one on one associated.they must be socialized. and you will need to assert yourself as the alpha. if your dog is a climber ( mine was ) then use this to your advantage and get her involved in obstacle training. especially when hiking mountainous terrain. i am crippled and mine was my service dog and pulled me along many mountain trails ! he opens doors, cabinets , unloaded luggage, he is still an excellent watch dog although he had to be trained for this as well. but these are smart intuitive independent thinking dogs. if you are up to task you will not be disappointed . mine is 13 now and was looking for arthritic hip and diet advice. he was crippled when i got him due to crating for long periods and kept in dark rooms by the previous owner. it took me 6 months to get him walking and unafraid. these dogs will not physically or mentally tolerate this kind of training or in my book abuse. happy training and when in doubt don't hesitate to get professional advice for your siberian!