Can I let my sled dog off lead ?
Sled dogs are bred to pull sleds. A northern breed is bred to run and so will do just that. Sadly, the biggest cause of husky deaths are road traffic accidents.
Some people think their dog will always come back to them and so continue to let him or her off lead. Sadly the day will come when your dog will bolt and no way are they coming back.
They could see a rabbit and chase until lost, or worse.
There are a number of reasons the breed take off, some escape and do so by any means necessary – over the fence, under the fence, through the fence, through an open bedroom window.
As well as great runners they are also great escape artists, they just want to run.
Obedience isnt a great value of this breed either, and although some basic training can be given, if at the end of the day your dog doesn’t want to do something they won’t do it, including recall. Once free, no amount of shouting and calling their name is going to be of use.Â
If you truly love your canine friend then do what’s best for them by keeping them on the end of a lead. Yes, they need a lot of exercise but there are so many other ways your dog can get this besides running off lead including bikejoring, scootering, canicross etc.
When your dog is off lead, they can also be endangering not just themselves but other animals as their prey drive kicks in and they could attack other small animals.
The number one rule of owning a husky – Love our breed – Keep on Lead !
