Husky owners will unite behind this one as the ‘come’ command is the least obeyed, yet one of the most important. I’ll tell you right up front that there is no secret sauce with huskies, and nothing is ever 100%. They are a stubborn, belligerent, and prideful breed, which is part of why we love them so much, but we also want them safe, at home, and out of trouble.
Here are 5 Husky Training Tips to help you establish consistency in your husky’s obedience to the ‘come’ command.
1. Finding that sweet tantalizing bribe.
This is going to be different for every dog and you may find it’s the oddest thing that hits your doggy sweet spot. Dog treats seem like an obvious choice, but chances are your husky is sort of picky about what constitutes as a treat. For instance, I have yet to own a dog who likes Wish-Bone brand dog biscuits. In fact they are so indifferent to those it makes me wonder what is behind the manufacturing. You may as well be trying to pass off wheat germ as a dessert. Not happening. I find human food goes over particularly well. Bits of cheese, crackers, chips. And because huskies are prone to boredom, rotate the treats so they never know which of their favorites to expect from you. Let me stress again that it could be the oddest thing which gets your husky to roll over. I met an owner recently who reported green beans are the treat of choice for her husky girl. Green beans! She got lucky with that one.
2. The power of sound.
I was wandering around a Petco recently and encountered another customer who was there with her new puppy, a black lab, and she was equipped with a very loud clicker trainer. That in itself wasn’t unusual, but how she was using it was comment worthy. Most notably, she was clicking constantly. I took a looksie to see exactly what the puppy was doing, and it was nothing amazing. He was looking around, sniffing, walking, taking in the wonderment of the store, and there was his owner following him, clicking away. I’m not a fan of the clicker myself, but I know some people swear by them, and let’s all agree right now, that was now how they’re supposed to be used. To get to my point though, special sounds need to mean special things, or like every other monotonous sound, the dog will tune them out and not respond. So pick a unique sound and connect with something absolutely divine for your dog, (don’t overuse it), and that sound will be music to their ears. For one of my boys it’s the sound of a crinkling potato chip bag. For my girls it’s the sound of my voice and the promise of some love and petting when I call their name. The owner of one of our puppies found the magic in squeaky toys, which is unusual for huskies, though the temptation may not be the toy so much as the squeaker inside. If you are not able to find a compelling treat and accompanying sound, you may never be able to allow your dog leash-less freedom. That’s okay too. It’s part of the gamble of getting a husky.
3. Start the training in an enclosed area.
Remember those early puppy days, when they’re 8 weeks old, a little timid in the world, not too fast, sticking close and happy to follow you around. Then they get a little bigger, a little faster, and that radius of exploration gets more ambitious and before you know it your adolescent husky is confident to take on the neighborhood all by himself. And you’re running down the road hollering at him to ‘come’, only he doesn’t pay even a moment’s notice. Let’s avoid that.
Persuading your husky to come to you when you call is imperative. It can be downright lifesaving if you live in high traffic areas. So start early, practice in enclosed areas so there is no danger of your husky running off, and get a consistent result before expanding the area. Having those treats and compelling tricks up your sleeve should be part of your established training efforts from day one. Don’t overdo the training either. Don’t expect him to obey the ‘come’ command over and over. It’s no fun to be in obedience training, and it shouldn’t even feel like doggy school to them. Successful training should be a by-product of fun experiences.
4. The need for freedom.
If and when your husky gets loose, it should not be such a novel thing. And I don’t mean let your husky run away to get it out of his system, because that doesn’t work, but make sure your husky gets out for exercise and adventures. Running around shouldn’t be a novel thing. Exploring the neighborhood should be old hat, albeit walking on a leash, or even better, running together. An added advantage is that you can greet all the neighbors, introduce your dog, and so if he does get loose in the neighborhood, he’ll have a bunch of familiar faces who know who he is, where he lives, and who can likely catch him and get your husky safely back home. Or at the very least call you up and tell you to come get your dog.
5. Micro-chips and GPS Trackers.
Two words – ‘Get it!’ At least the first one. It’s a small fee, an easy procedure for your vet to administer, and greatly increase the chances your husky will be returned to you should it get loose and lost.
The GPS tracker is a small device attached to the dog’s collar and is another useful piece of equipment, however I use this only when I am traveling with the dog and we are in unfamiliar territory. In the gut wrenching event he gets loose in a strange place, and gets out of my visual range, I can track him in moments. I have yet to have to use this feature in a real time setting, but have used it in practice, and the peace of mind it gives me is worth the price.
Photo credit: <a href=”https://www.flickr.com/photos/clydepossum/182921222/”>Shmoomeema</a> via <a href=”https://visualhunt.com/re/776634″>Visual Hunt</a> / <a href=”http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/”> CC BY</a>