As all owners know, training your pooch is an important part of caring for them as it’s the best way to ensure your puppy grows up to be a well-adjusted and well-behaved dog.
In this guide, we’ve given you all the information you need about training your Siberian Husky as well as a few tips on the type of training it’ll need.
It’s very important to train a Siberian husky as it was originally bred to pull sleds and so it has an independent spirit and can be prone to bad behaviour and disobedience if not trained properly.
Proper training will give you more control over your Husky and should mean that it grows into a well-adjusted dog that isn’t prone to destructive behaviour.
Unfortunately, as Huskies are pack dogs the breed tends to be much more difficult to train than many other dogs. When training a pack dog, dog owners need to be firm and need to establish themselves as the leader of the pack.
Training sessions need to be tightly structured and your dog will need to be made to view you as a strong leader, or it’s unlikely it will obey even basic commands.
This doesn’t mean that you should train a Husky using punishment and negativity, but you will need to be firm and consistent and stick to a regular schedule.
As with all other breeds, the Husky breed needs to be socialised from a young age around children and other animals. They have natural predatory instincts which means they have a tendency to chase small animals, so socialisation is essential to reduce this type of unwanted behaviour.
Obedience training is also vital for Huskies as they are a strong-willed and independent breed, so training a Husky in obedience will ensure that you have a happy life together. Like all other dogs, Huskies will also need potty training, crate training, leash training and to at least learn some simple commands like ‘sit’ and ‘wait.’
You should start toilet training a Husky puppy as soon as you bring it home as the earlier you begin the easier it will be for them to learn. It is possible to train an older Husky but it will be a lot more difficult than training a puppy.
Identify a place outside that you want your puppy to use as a potty spot. Start taking them there on a leash every hour or when it’s obvious that they need to go to the toilet and wait until they’re done relieving themselves, then take them back inside the house.
If they don’t go to the toilet then take them back into the house and wait for 15 minutes before taking them to the same spot again.
Make sure you supervise your puppy whilst it is using the potty spot to keep them from becoming distracted or wandering off. It’s important that you keep them on a leash for the first stages of toilet training so that you can keep them focused.
You should start using a verbal cue each time that your dog uses the potty spot so that it comes to associate this with going to the toilet. This means that eventually, your dog will start using the potty spot on command.
Make sure that you stick to a regular training schedule when toilet training your dog so that they get used to going to the toilet in the same place. This will also help your dog to develop regular toilet habits and should reduce the chance of any accidents inside the home.
It’s inevitable that your Husky pup will have some accidents during the first few weeks of toilet training but this is a normal part of the learning curve and you should never react with anger to this or punish your dog.
Crate training your Husky pup is important as it can help to reduce anxiety, assist in toilet training and will provide your dog with a safe and calm space for it to relax.
As with all other types of training, you should start crate training your Husky as early as possible. All dogs respond better to training when they’re younger, and it’s particularly important with the Husky breed because of their natural stubbornness.
Firstly, you’ll need to choose a crate that is big enough for your dog to stand up and move around in. Then, you should fill the crate with bedding and some of your Husky’s favourite toys.
You should then gradually introduce your Husky to the crate by leaving its food bowl inside and encouraging it to eat its meals in the crate.
Once your Husky is used to the crate, you should start closing the door for a few seconds at a time and gradually increase the amount of time that your dog is closed inside the crate and reward it after each session. You should also start using a cue word each time that your Husky goes inside.
Once your Husky is comfortable being left inside with the door closed you should try leaving it inside overnight, letting it out to go potty every few hours.
Although Huskies can be hard to train, many owners find that teaching them tricks can be a good way to give them exercise and mental stimulation. Some examples of tricks that owners teach their Huskies are learning to walk backwards, rolling over and shaking hands.
It’s very important to stay consistent with your Husky’s training so that it learns at a steady pace and gets used to the different types of training that it requires.
When training a Husky, you should always use sessions that involve rewards and encouragement rather than punishment and negativity. Negative sessions will make it more likely for your Husky to be stubborn and disobedient.
Although it’s beneficial to use food rewards as part of your Husky’s training, you should make sure that they’re healthy and that you don’t overuse them as this could lead to weight gain.
Clicker training can be useful as with this type of training you gradually replace food rewards with the sound of a clicker instead. Your Husky will then think of these sounds as their reward rather than food.
Although Huskies are more difficult to train than many other dog breeds, if you’re consistent, firm and use positivity whilst training them then you should be able to raise an obedient and well-behaved pooch. So, now that you’ve read this guide, it’s time to get training!
Welcome to Pets Online, a team of pet parents, animal lovers and veterinarians devoted to providing you with everything you need to know about pets.