Training Not To Roam

Question
Last month I lost my 16 year old Husky. I am just about ready to get another Husky as I really love the breed. It is my understanding that these dogs love to roam and letting them run free is not a good idea as they are likely to run off for hours at a time. However, I would take Kiska to my cabin in the woods at least once a week and let her run free and she very rarely ran off, and on the few occasions she did, she returned fairly quickly. We even hiked in the woods and she would run like a crazy dog up and down the hills, but she always had sense of my whereabouts. My question is can I train a Husky to stay close, or was I just exceptionally lucky with Kiska?

Answer
Mike,

Well, the short answer is: Yes, you were lucky with Kiska.  The long answer is even shorter - it depends on the dog.

There are some things that you can do to increase recall in Siberian Huskies, but they are usually far from reliable and it often requires a lot of training to get the dog to some level of reliability.  However, when you add in the high prey drive, it is not uncommon for a Sibe who has been reliable and obedient to suddenly take off in chase of a rabbit or some other potentially tasty treat.  Once the dog "locks on" to to an object like this, they often ignore/don't hear commands from an owner.

There are three things that you can do to help increase recall that I know of:

1) Loose lead exercises - 6' lead, pop and release corrections.  These should start very early (around 10 weeks of age) and the pup should be on lead for about usually 6-9 months ANY time it is not in an enclosed space.

2) Chase game training.  In an enclosed space, teach the dog to chase you (not the other way around).  Most dogs will learn this very simply by a command of "Kiska, chase!" and then turn and run.  This activates that prey drive in the dog and keeps the dog focused on you.  It's also great if the dog is ignoring a "Come!" command.  The chase is a game for the dog, and while it can be the same result when the dog catches you as a "come" recall, the dog often forgets that.

3) Recall training.  After working obedience with Sit and Down-Stays, work on recall - alot.  Start with a 6' lead.  Use the voice command and a hand signal (usually an extended arm pointing at the dog, and then bending the elbow to bring the hand into the chest).  When the dog comes to you, it should be the best thing the dog has done . . . ever.  At the beginning, you should also hold the lead to help encourage the dog to come to you.  As that becomes more reliable, start working with a long line, moving 3-5 feet out, working it to reliability, and then moving another 3-5 feet out.  Overall, each distance should be worked for at least 4 days before moving out.  You'll notice sometimes you have to stay at a distance for a bit before it becomes reliable.  That's alright, don't rush it.  And always, praise the dog and make it a great thing that he came to you.  It also doesn't hurt to run backwards a little (see #2 above), but in this case, make sure you are still facing the dog.

The combination of these three things, coupled with a strong obedience training background, should at least help.  However, it's no guarantee.  I have two Sibes right now that were trained identically.  One I could probably trust off-lead, the other, not a chance.  For me, instead of tempting fate, I just keep them both on lead and don't worry about it.

One other point to remember, purebred Sibes were bred to be nomadic.  What this means is that they often lack any homing instinct, so if they do get out and go for a run, they may not have any clue how to get back home.  This, unfortunately, is not something you can train out of them, that is simply breeding.

Generally, males are more prone to the wandering, but often more obedient in commands, so no help there, but just thought I'd bring that up.

I didn't go too much into the above training, but hopefully gave you a good snapshot of what should help.  If you have more specific questions, just write back and I'll fill in the details.  Good luck!