The UNTRAINABLE Siberian Husky - Can you train one?

Many people give up training a Siberian Husky, as he:
Escapes
Will not come when called
Kills everything in sight
He screams and throws tantrums
He destroys furniture
He ignores your commands

People then give them away or go and buy a golden retriever instead...BUT perhaps YOU the owner are simply not finding his motivations!!
This is PART 1 of an amazing guide to training your husky in collaboration with UK Cruft's judge and trainer Kamal Fernandez who believes that people simply are not utilising the husky's motivations when training him.

Anneka takes Kal-El her new Siberian Husky to meet Kamal and starts on a journey of training her husky to be a model citizen....but do you think it will work?

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Presented By Anneka Svenska

Filmed by Ellen Hope Cobb with additional fair use educations clips from various YouTube Channels which have been credited in the end credits.

Edited by Ellen Hope Cobb

A GreenWorldTV Production

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[ruffmansavageveteran]

If my Husky can figure how to open jars of peanut butter and how to open the refrigerator, she is obviously intelligent.

[tkyap]

Yes, motivation. That's the driving force. It applies to both humans and dogs. Huskies are smart and individualistic(seen as stubborn).

[baf]

I have two now senior huskies of my own and have over 11 years of experience training the husky breed through private owners and through rescues.
They are definitely a stubborn, intelligent, and active breed. They are however highly trainable if you are willing to put in the work. Unlike many breeds they are independent and don’t always strive to please their owners like other breeds such as German shepherds or Labrador retrievers. This does not mean they are not trainable though and that they can’t be attentive and loyal like those breeds. They definitely have a strong desire to run and pull which is a breed trait dating back to their start. These traits can be difficult to override but not impossible through consistency.
My female husky Aspen I purchased from a breeder when she was 8 weeks old and she is a working/show line cross. She was raised to be a service dog In elderly care homes as well as rehabilitate shelter dogs with behavioral issues. She has been trained with scent work, agility, canicross, bikejoring, obedience, urban mushing, and dog sledding. Both her parents were retired sled dogs so she inherited their working drive and high energy. She has exceptional focus and her motivation for training is her love to work and seek approval from me as her owner. She does enjoy toys and treats but her ultimate reward is to work with me. She’s 99% off leash, 1% being her husky selective hearing or the bunny being too tempting but she will never run too far from me.
My male husky Lukah I fostered as a rescue when he was 5 years old and he is a show line husky.He is aloof, a cough potato, zero work drive, very very food motivated, not really interested in play, quiet, and loves cuddles and hugs. He knows basic commands and has been used in rehabilitation and socialization of shelter dogs. He’s a happy go lucky guy who loves everyone and enjoys every moment of life. He loves sunbathing too, he will get excited to lay outside with me and sunbathe in the summer, and will wait by the door until I follow him out.
Both my huskies are very attentive, loving, social, goofy, tons of personality, and exceptionally well behaved. I get compliments everywhere we go not only on their looks, but their even temperament and good manners.
They get lots of exercise, even at 8 and 10 years of age they still keep me active and in turn are very youthful in their older age.
Yes huskies are definitely more challenging than other breeds but as long as their mental and physical needs are met they are loyal, intelligent, goofy, and one of the best breeds someone could ever own.
They are not for the novice dog owner as an improperly trained and bored husky can be a nightmare to own. But if someone loves working dogs with a need for activity they are the perfect companion that will leave you always smiling.

[brisetta]

For the first 2 years PHEW my husky/shep cross was a nightmare! Running every time the door was open with him in the house. BUT with time and persistance he has become an excellent well behaved and well trained dog. You got this Anneka! If anyone can train a husky it is you! My boy is almost 8 now and a perfect gentleman!

[LoneLupine]

My Alaskan husky was very similar. Easy to teach sit, paw, down, speak, etc but would ALWAYS pull on leash. I used a combo of no pull harnesses and headcollar and eventually he started loose leash walking on his own. In crowded public places I still use a head collar just in case he gets excited by something but don't use it for casual walks. I also prefer to let him pull me on the scooter if it's an option :)

[jaylevzi]

I've owned a Welsh Sheepdog and now a Husky. While the sheepdog was easy to train and was attentive, this Husky is even more easy to train, but has a massive personality that if he chooses not to do something, he won't, BUT is massively a foody, so will do anything for treats. Huskys are completely trainable, but you must realise they are fiercely indepedant and they will always retain their prey drive and want to be so sociable. Accept that and dont try to stop it and you'll be fine. I love my boy to bits, even though at times he drives me nuts lol

[missmoxie]

They are a majestic animal if there ever was one

[reloadpsi]

It's the cutest thing when dogs are confused enough to give paw when they're not sure what's going on and they're just throwing all the good behaviours at you to figure out what works.

[thetrumpnewsnetwork]

I am currently on my second Husky. He is almost a year old and quite large (no one wanted him because he is too big for breeding, he's a rescue) for a Husky and extremely powerful. Yes he still has his balls. I have found that the thing that most motivates Huskys is love. I have owned many different types of dogs and none of them had the same capacity for love as a Husky does. The best owner is with their dog 24/7 and if you can't do that you really shouldn't own one. Huskys do what they want to do but they will do what you want them to do if you have created a deep bond with them ie if they adore you as much as you could adore them. It takes a lot of time and patience and you have to do things with your Husky throughout the day. Getting them around other people and dogs on a daily basis is an absolute must. I don't train Huskys I spend time with them whether it is just sitting with them looking through the sliding glass door at the people and dogs and traffic going by or roughhousing when they need to burn off some energy. I have a few 3 wheel bicycles and I take him for 4 miles of walks and runs on average every day. This burns off a lot of his pent up energy. I live in a neighborhood that has exploded with dogs since covid and everyone always compliments me on how well behaved they are. Ivan (the Terrible) still has a way to go before he is as well behaved as my last Husky but he's come a very long way in the month I have owned him. If only I could get him to be quieter lol (he's a talker and does this very loudly).

[vintagecapgunsatyourmomshouse]

I'm incredibly grateful to have two wonderful Siberians. They hike off leash everyday and swim everyday in the warm months. They are my second generation of huskies and I never thought I would be experiencing these things.

[zelprimo]

I have two huskies. First was a handful, and will always push boundaries and challenge her handler, despite being trainable and very intelligent. My second husky is a giant lovebug, and makes excellent eye contact, trains easy and is eager to please. It depends on the individual in this breed for motivation.

[StrixyN]

I had a husky / collie cross for 14 years. She was fantastic, but we worked hard to get her there. We took every class we could together and enrolled her in doggie daycare 3 days a week for socialization and training. We trained at home and out on walks. She wasn't very food motivated which made things difficult at first, but I learned that she was praise motivated. When she did the right thing I could say, "good girl" and give her some attention. Toys were great. Puzzles and games were great. If I could make training more like playing she would get right into it. The "touch" game was her favourite and a core of our training. The only thing she wasn't very good with was her recall. She would come, but never in a straight line and only after giving it some careful deliberation. She seemed to want me to know that she was doing this because she wanted to do it. I will say that when an independent dog like that decides she wan't to cuddle you, I think it means more. Some people don't like the Husky's vocalizations and want a quiet dog. I loved her voice and chatty nature. After 14 years I had learned her songs, her "vocabulary". That's an amazing thing I wouldn't trade for any other breed. Everything you said about them at the beginning of the video is true except one. They're not dumb. They're incredibly intelligent. If you're not training them, they're training you.

[Kuro_Reaper]

TIP: A good thing to train a dog is a "watch me" command where you teach the dog to look at you and give eye-contact. When you have that nailed so you don't neep treats, it makes training in most environments SO much easier because you can get the dogs attention back on you pretty fast.. This one command alone has helped me rehabilitate 2 dog reactive dogs to the point where they were both able to go off leash around dogs and play with them.

[nando]

I have my first husky who I adopted when he was almost 1.5 years old. He spent only 5 months with humans during that time. He had behavior issues, lacked most basic and advanced commands and I'm counting a simply recall in that.

We have spend hundreds of hours in my own time doing training basics; walking, recall, obedience, and his behavior issues. We also took basic and advanced classes at a local dog training facility for professional help - we needed the distractions and socializing with the control training environment.

I supplemented this with Beckman's Dog Training (YouTube channel) to help with the Husky nature to pull on leash. The simple 'pop' method has absolutely shown us results that other Husky owners comment on too. Many other videos have also help greatly with jumping and behavior issues.

We walked over 693 miles just this first year together. I head home after work and we walk 3 miles every day, takes just over an hour. When we first started working on the pulling issue I walked only about 300 feet in over 2 hours using the Beckman 'pop' method. You tell people this and they either don't believe you or tell you it should have been easier.

Try the method and dedicate yourself to it. My goal was for my Husky and I to simply walk together and we have achieved this, but still practice it constantly on walks.

[randihigginbotham]

I feel Huskies are so challenging because for a canine, they’re so feline. Many dog lovers aren’t expecting feline temperament.

[barneylinet]

When i leave my Husky alone, i have the radio on a classical music station. it really helps to alleviate separation anxiety, and helps the dog to relax.
I have had NO issues with

[Kasonas]

Anneka, hang in there. He's at that adolescent age right now but he will settle after he's a little older.. then it will be able to get his attention a lot better. My trainer taught me the look command right away. Once you have their attention then it's so much easier to train. I practice that one a lot. Also remember when they have a halter on, that's a natural signal for them to pull. The face halter or a regular collar is better for walking. I'm not an advocate of prong collars, rather use a martingale collar. But since they are Northern breeds I do take mine out with halters and let them pull me around on a bike, or jog with them. Anyway the older they get the easier it is. 😌

[themergen]

It was -20° F, my husky wanted his morning and all day outside stop. He does his bathroom, and is at the door, it's cold. He wants inside. 30 seconds later he wants out. I let him out, and watched him. He was happy to be in the -20° F freezing cold. Huskies are smart, mischievous, arrogant, a big hole digger, funny, uncaring about rules, they do whatever they want, ignorant when 20 feet away, and the most beautiful dogs.

[joshstiltner]

I trained my Husky to sit, shake, lie down, fetch, heel, and to carry his own pack when we go Mountaineering. The only thing I couldn’t train him to do is speak on command. He speaks when he wants. In my opinion Huskies are easily trainable.

[MewJoy]

My show line husky is just like this, maybe more so. He is so scared when going out especially if it’s around a busy street, a big building, and other people. He even had several seizures at the vet when I wasn’t allowed to go inside with him because of COVID. Thankfully, they concluded the seizures were panic/stress based and he’s only ever had them at the vet where there are people that can help him. I thought my dog Kiba was the only husky with panic attacks so it’s nice to see he’s not the only show husky dealing with this.