Another hardly counts as a mod suggestion... My dog is half husky. Near as I can tell that gives her the genetic programming to ignore 99% of what I say to her. She behaves beautifully most of the time out of sheer good nature, but I have never managed to break her of her most annoying habit. When she gets the chance she bolts and heads for the hills. I have tried ignoring her, bribing her with poultry, yelling at her, chasing her, she basically comes back when she is good and ready no matter what I do. This has lead to many frantic chases as I try to catch her before her favorite game of street "chicken" gets her killed. She does this once or twice a year, often in the middle of a road trip she has decided is too long. One memorable chase took place after midnight in Burlington, CO, on a freezing cold, snowy night in late December - when she got bored she headed back to the motel and I caught her just 100 yards from the door. Another began at a gas station in Wilmington, NC, when she dodged out the car door and romped through traffic several times before exploring a junk yard.

Well, I quickly realized that she had every intention of slipping out the Trill door and exploring the green hills of Tennessee during our return trip. I installed a U-bolt in the side of the closet so I can thread her leash through it at moments when she seems likely to initiate a chase (such as when I am distracted moving bird cages into the trailer). With a long leash she has freedom to move about the Trill, but can't get more than a few feet past the door if she escapes.

JR -I'd take a guess that your dog needs more exercise - your dog needs to run -more than you let her. :)

She gets exercise. She just can't have freedom. Ask any Husky owner and they'll tell you that is the ultimate goal of every Husky.

Her lack of freedom is complicated by her history of abuse, neglect and attacks by other dogs. She has been seriously injured by two different dogs. Her feeling is that no dog will ever get the chance to do it again. She fights any dog that gets close to her. This seriously limits where she can run free. She won't chase balls or play with toys. After 6 years with me she no longer cowers at the sight of a broom handle. She no longer fears that I will starve her. She no longer jumps at every noise. It has been years since she hid under the table mistaking happy excitement for anger.

This sweet dog means the world to me and I do all I can to make sure she gets what she needs, including exercise. But she wants to run and run and run. I understand her desire, but I can't give her the unleashed freedom she wants.

At least with a tie down I can know that she will never again streak across a parking lot headed for a freeway.

Sounds like a lot of work - she's lucky to have you. :sunny

Ah yes, another Husky owner. I've had mine for 7 years now, a f/m that we rescued on the way to the vet to be put down. These dogs are smart, clever, and hard-headed. In 7 years I've managed to get mine to "sit" on command, if she can't think of anything she would rather do. Gave up on trying to get her to fetch. I would throw a tennis ball and she would watch it bounce into the horizon, then "sit" and look at me as if to say, "All right Stupid, you threw it, you go get it." And yes, they are escape-artists, can dig, climb, open doors, could probably un-hitch the Casita if she decided to. My dog has NEVER been off-lead in seven years, unless she is indoors, in my house. We even keep her on-lead (20ft 11mm climbing rope) in the backyard, which is enclosed by a 7-foot cypress fence. However, my girl is a great traveler, and loves the casita. My solution: LOTS of exercise. These dogs are built to do one thing very well, and that is run run run. That means that I have had to run run run as well. I'm now in my mid-fifties, and the two of us do several miles every morning, both of us harnessed up, with a 12-ft 9mm climbing line between us. My vet promises that she will someday slow down and be a lapdog, but I have my doubts. Needless to say, these are very high-maintenance animals. But wonderful additions to the family, if you are prepared to compromise!

JD Thornton

That closet story turned out way better then I expected. I was seeing the closet wedged in the trailer doorway, having been ripped out. glad that didn't happen.
being an avid APL (pet channel) watcher, I saw someone with a pull thing on wheels hooked to a husky. maybe a little of that? at least you could keep up. :) me, I'd break my neck.

Your Husky tales remind me of my trip to Illinois a few weeks ago.

My Malinois mix, is a very good dog and an exceptional traveler. He's smart and knows all of the commands. For the most part, he obligues me and responds. Occasionally, when others are present, his 'move over old lady, I'm in charge' attitude requires determination and extreme firmness on my part to let him know that I am the big dog in charge, rather than he.

Our general routine while traveling involves many long walks and even swims when possible. His hard romping in the waters edge usually expends the energy that a regular walk cannot. He requires one intense run everyday. Not long, mind you, but one very, very intense run. By instinct, he's a herding dog. So, even though our back yard is small, he needs to run, circle, and play the herding game very intensely. When traveling, this just can't be done because of the leash. Short trips are okay. However, around the ninth day on my trip to Illinois (which required more traveling than camping) he decided enough was enough. As usual, we went for our morning walk. I got ready and we went for another short walk. I then put him in the front seat and prepared to break camp and hitch up. He always patiently watches and waits. As usual, I had the rear hatch open. I was putting on the safety chains when all of a sudden, he came leaping over the entire cargo stash in a shear determination to bolt out the back.

Since he had never done this before, I assumed he needed to go one more time, so we headed out for another walk to no avail. Then he refused to get back in the car.

Fortuantely, we only had one more day and we made it fine. Believe it or not, he even jumped back in the car with me when I had to go to the store shortly after we got home.

I think the root to that problem was that he handles 6 hour days fine. That gives us ample time to romp and play when stopped. The day before, we had a few more miles than normal and road construction slowed us down to the point that we were in the car for nine hours.

He stayed home the last trip, so we'll see how the next one goes.

your posts sound very familiar. i travel with a sheltie and a husky/lab mix (the perfect combination because the husky runs away and the lab comes back). the sheltie is also a herder and attempts to herd the other dog, which accounts for much entertainment. travelling with dogs is always an adventure.

:huh

A friend's white shepherd search dog had a nasty habit of losing her focus when she encountered a herd of deer and disappearing for an hour or so. She would have had to wash a good search dog if she couldn't get the behavior stopped. She found a good trainer who worked with the newer e-collars and, using a positive sound cue, trained the dog to return to her. Huskies, like pit bulls, would probably just run right through a lot of signals so you'd have to try to find the right one but the dog's life is at risk. The newer e-collars and good trainers might help you feel like your dog was safer without hurting the dog. I only use positive reinforcement on my lab who runs 4 to 6 mile a day and I would consider one of those collars if I had trouble controlling him at a distance. So far, he's pretty good thank heavens!:wave

My wife and I were working with one of our German Shorthaired Pointers and the dog got a scent of deer and took off. We could hear a busy road through the woods and, when there was the sound of braking and horn-blowing, my wife almost went nuts. Fortunately, the braking and horn-blowing were unrelated to our dog and she came back after a few minutes. That night I ordered our first e-collar from Cabellas. It only took one hit to get the GSP to get leery of deer scent. She weakened a few weeks later and started off, but after another hit and some voice reinforcement, she gave up deer forever.

Some folks feel e-collars are cruel. I don't agree. Used correctly and humanely they can be wonderful, life-saving tools. How cruel is it, by the way, to let your dog expose himself to danger through stubbornness? One good correction is worth a thousand feeble efforts. People who stand around and try to cajole the dog with "Come, Spot! Come! Come! Come!" are just teaching the dog that he doesn't have to pay attention to "Come!"

The best life-saving tool you have as a dog owner is to teach your dog to come right away every time. An intelligently used e-collar is a MUCH better alternative than watching your beloved dog run down on a busy highway. If you've know the sound that is made when a car hits a dog at high speed you know exactly what I mean.

My old dog Sebastian was a Husky/Lab mix and was into the gotta run gotta run gotta run routine too... usually to water. He understood and followed all of my commands, except when he saw a lake, pond, stream, or for that matter a mud puddle.

I have a PitBull mix named Kyra now, and though she is the most affectionate, loving dog I have ever known, she is as dumb as a pail of rocks. I have had her for 4 years since she was 6 weeks old and tried to train her, but to this day when I give her a command she just looks at me with a big blank stare. Obviously she goes no where without a leash.

I've never met a dog that was too dumb to be treat-trained. Try it on Kyra with "Sit!" I bet she'll be responding to commands within five minutes.

JR ... good tip on securely attaching your dog on his leash inside the trailer while loading/unloading your rig.

We're fortunate. Maggie mutt is a registered assist dog and behaves better than I do.

But I think given the right circumstances, and the right smells, any dog can get distracted.

I also agree with Susan. Your dog's life could depend on it's ability to respond ... You might look into the e collars they are recommending.

Susan! Can you post some reference sites for e collar training?

I want to know more about those collars too. after spending a week with a poodle guest that had been play chased by the owner who couldn't understand why the dog didn't come when called. I want my dog to come when I say come. right then. not next week, or after the hunt. but NOW.

I'll contact my friend and post something tomorrow.

Our Bichon, Missie, learned come, sit, stay, dance, lie down - all by treat-training. Sounds great, doesn't it? What she REALLY learned was not to respond at all until she SEES the treat!:r

Dina (& Jim)

I once had a keeper of Rhodesian Ridgebacks that said that you don't train them, you negotiate with them!

No thank you!

Somehow this thread went from 'Modifications' to pet stories, but the're interesting. Heres a favorite.......

Along the Cassier.....a story

This pup is 12, half white shepherd and half husky. She herds and she runs! When I see some one with a lab or a retrivever trotting along at heel without a leash, I point and say, WHY can't you do that? She is very loyal though, in the house she is never more than a few feet away.

Thanks Rick, I think I'm the lucky one. She is really an angel. She is high maintenance, but I feel blessed to have had the chance to see her learn to trust again. When I look at her, or at my birds (all rescued) it makes me wonder how they can have such forgiving hearts.

I tried treat training. She will refuse food if she thinks the strings attached aren't worth it.

Next mod is probably going to be a ramp to get her into the car and a step for the bed (yeah, I know training goes out the window if you let the dog on the bed, I gave in after I realized she'd trained me). On this trip she stopped jumping in and waited to have her hind legs lifted in.

Jana, I think the Trill closets are more ssecurely attached than most. I think I recall you taking yours out. This one is molded in.

The collar thing reminded me of what happens when we go camping. We have a 2 year old male human (just shy of 2 actually) and he likes to run but doesn't understand to watch for cars or trucks yet. So when we get to the campsite, I take out a spool of poly rope and run it liberally around the campsite, at approximately shin-height, wrapping it around the occasional tree to secure it. Then Shari and I can sit under the awning and Jakob can run around the site all he wants and the rope serves as a mental barrier. Of course, Humans are generally smarter than most dogs so this probably wouldn't work with dogs, especially not pitbulls and rottweilers.

The funny part is as people go for a walk past our site, they look at the rope and if Jakob isn't around, they ask what the rope is for and whether it's one of those electric fences for dogs. I generally don't correct them but tell them it's a fence for our little boy. I let them decide whether it's electric or not.

>>the rope serves as a mental barrier

Great idea Herb!

However, I hope my wife doesn't read this and decide it would be a great way to contain me!

http://www.e-collartraining.com/
http://www.dobbsdogs.com/library/index.html
http://www.altmoor.com/catalog/Selecting.html
http://www.gudgel.com/ecollar_conection.htm
http://www.finographics.com/schutzhund/obe...collarwork.html

happy hunting!
And, no, these are not for humans too!:crazy-ii

Many years ago I had a friend who raised huskies and raced them. He used to hitch them to an old Model T without the engine. They were in 7th heaven, pulling it !

I had a Husky of my own named Boris about the same time. He was the chicken catching champion of Sistersville, West Virginia...four in one day! He jumped out of my VW window as we drove through a rotary in Weeling, bit two dogs, and jumped back in before I made it all the way around.

I bought a harness for Boris and one of those old teeter-totter metal strollers. He pulled my daughter all over Pittsburgh. He was a perfect gentleman as long as she was in the stroller, but the moment I took her out he took off!

Huskies are tough. They are convinced that their decision making abilities and good sense are better than yours. Since they love you, they have to make sure you don't screw up. And most of them can't be bribed with treats.

You might consider killing two birds with one stone (excuse me, bird lovers) and hitch your dog to the trailer. I'll bet you get great mileage!

I did tie her to the bumper for a bit, but the rig seems a bit heavy for her. Perhaps it takes two huskies to pull this thing.


Exactly! This is the exact description of the look on her face when I suggest something she doesn't want to do. Sort of a polite gimace, as though she doesn't want to hurt my feelings by telling me how dumb the idea is.

The only time I have ever seen her go into hyper protective mode was at a campground in Maine one summer. I'd had her nearly two years and we went to New England with two of my female friends. One night after several days fo rain we couldn't get the damp firewood to light. A well-dressed man came over and started telling us how we were doing it wrong. He and his wife offered to help us light it. "Knock yourself out," I said. Suddenly the dog went nuts. Barking, growling, lunging. She couldn't reach him, but she sure wanted to. I'll never know what set her off, but I've always trusted her judgement since then.

When we lived in W. Va. I drilled two holes in the wooden kitchen floor, put big eye lag bolts through and chained the dogs to them so they could be inside without supervision while the neighbor kids played with my daughter.

There weren't many eligible men in the Ohio River Valley. One night the local optometrist came calling and the Akita and the Husky went nuts! The Akita pulled the lag bolt right out of the floor and took off after him. It was like the scene from Cujo...the man trying to turn over his engine, the dog growling and slobbering on the driver's side window! He finally got the car started and sped away, never to return.

Two or three years later...we were living in California by then...my W. Va. next door neighbor called. Some stray dogs were nosing around the optometrist's yard and unearthed human bones. Female bones.

The police dug up the yard and found two or three skeletons that had, apparently, belonged to single women without familes who had moved into the Valley.

I'm convinced that the dogs saved us. I will always take the dog's judgment over my own.

It's uncanny. It's a long story, but our last Rottweiler, Vito Luigi, saved my wife's life from a man who is now on death row in PA for the horrible murder of another female gallery owner. He is enshrined forever in both our hearts, and if he is not in heaven I refuse to go there myself (even if invited!).

I've provided a link to his memorial page on my wife's website.

http://www.brummett.net/vitomemorial.html

:wave
We have a seven year old female Dalmation named Velvet, who meets everyone at the door at our home. If she displays a dislike for someone, we have learned to respect this. We had a 16 y.o. (female) friend of my son's stay with us last summer, and if she met someone, she would bring him home to see what reaction the dog had. If the dog disapproved, He was not invited back.
Velvet has become very protective of the girlfriends of both of my sons as well.:chased
CHEERS

Once when I was house hunting, I passed a place with FSBO sign in the yard. A guy who seemed to be in charge was in the yard working. I stopped and asked him about the house. He waved me toward the front door and I thought he meant for me to go inside. I walked inside and was looking around when two humongous dogs came up to me. Me, being me, I started talking to them. I kept walking and the dogs just followed me around. Every now and then one would nuzzle my leg. I'd pat him or her and keep walking

Well, the lady of the house walked into a room where I was obviously looking around. Not expecting me to be there, she started screaming when she saw me. When she screamed, I screamed. Then she screamed again. So, I screamed again. It was like an echo that kept repeating louder and louder. We were both scaring the hell out of each other.

The two dogs were looking back and forth at the two of us with a look of total confusion on their faces. Suddenly, the bigger dog ran to the other lady and barked at her furiously and the smaller (but by no means small dog) started barking at me in the same way. When the masters of the house calmed the humans down, we people were able to explain ourselves to each other.

I was so flustered by the experience I never went back to that house. But, I always wondered what kind of people would have dogs, who fortunately for me in that instance, didn't protect them. But then, the dogs probably knew them a whole lot better than I did. As I was leaving, I heard the yard man and lady (husband and wife) trying to figure out why the dogs didn't bother me. I heard him say,"She's probably a really nice lady." That didn't seem to go down that well with the Mrs.

"I'm convinced that the dogs saved us. I will always take the dog's judgment over my own."

Good rule of thumb! As I said before, Kyra is as dumb as a pail of rocks, but she knows who is and isn't good to have around. And don't mess with her cats!

A friend of mine has two dogs. A husky who's dumb as a lipstick, and a Malamute/Collie cross. The latter dog barks only at me whenever I come over. He doesn't bark at anyone else...

So I dunno. Maybe in a few years I'll have some reason to do something bad to my good friend there... Why else would the dog bark at me?

Or maybe he's also just dumb.

For what it's worth, Rottweilers have a well-known reputation for allowing strangers, even baddies, INTO a house, and then backing them up into a wall and not letting them leave. It's a kind of primitive contain-and-control instinct. I once had a experience with a Rott when I was visiting a friend. My friend wasn't in the yard so I figured she was in the house. I went in and hollered for her, but she wasn't there. Just as I was going out the door I saw her Rottie bitch coming up the walk. She had her head down, and was coming in a very, strange deliberate pace with her eyes on mine behind the door. I knew the dog, but not very well. Knowing this pen-'em-up characteristic of the breed I stepped back in and waited in the house 'til my friend showed up. Then the dog was happy to see me, bouncing around and licking my face.

I think when the dogs started barking at Benita and the woman in the house they were saying "Shut up! You're both being stupid!" (No offense, Benita.)

Either that, or they were just enjoying a group holler. I've had pets where both seem to be the case. My current dog, a small breed whose brain is reflective of her size, is into the group holler thing. Any excuse to make noise. (She, by the way, is the last one I'd count on to be a judge of character -- she loves everybody, including those who clearly don't like her or us).

On the other hand, years ago I had a pet (at cat, as it happens), who did not like dischord in the home. When my sister and I would start arguing, the cat would come and stand between us, and howl menacingly until we shut up. The she'd glare at us, like she was saying, "I've about had it with you two idiots", and stomp off. I'm not kidding - it was a stomp!

Like people, each animal, even within a breed, has it's own personality, and it's own capacity for understanding. I've heard many stories of wonderful dogs who a) know a bad guy when they see one, and B) will defend their owner against any odds. But, not mine! Each pet, with a few exceptions (oh, the stories I could tell!), can be cherished on their individual merits.

maybe you don't like dogs, Herb, and he knows it. :lol :duck

I have a cute little dog that is wonderful, (see picture on other thread) well behaved and loves EVERYBODY. But his only fault is that he is a runner. He wouldnt just take off unless given a reason, like a deer or snowmobile, other wise we have no problem at all. He just gets this "focus" and that is it. We finally got him an electric collar, and now he doesnt even think about it. We live on a lake, and he is really good all summer, but when the snowmobiles drive across the lake in winter, on the other side, or the deer cross the lake, he is gone. The collar works great, and stops him on a dime, and works for a good distance, because we usually dont walk around with the remote in our hand. this year we are hoping to get the fence done, so we wont have to worry about that either. But, I do recommend those collars, but they have to be used RIGHT. the one I have also has a warning beep, and we got to the point where we could use just the warning, which is nice. Now my lab needs a refresher course.
And as far as letting people in the house, I had 2 big dogs, and some friends came off of a canoe trip (about 5 of them) we had ran to the neighbors, and when we came home, they were all sitting in our house! Some watch dogs. They had never met ANY of them! I wanted better watch dogs when I replaced them, but my husband said he didnt want a "watch" dog, (or a dog that was going to bite him, he is afraid of dogs) so I only have God on my side and my instincts, if I meet anyone unsavory. On the other hand, we have ALOT of company, and I NEVER have to worry about them biting ANYONE. The stories could go on forever. but being a dog lover, I love reading them.

Hi Deb:wave

We have the same problem with our toy poodle. If she sees a rabbit, deer or even people she's gone, she always comes back and is fine unless she sees something but I worry and would like to stop her. I have thought of the collars but they seem so big for a little dog. Did you find them too big?

They come in different sizes, some of them pretty small. We are currently using Tritronics Multisport and Sport 60 units. The Sport 60 has a warning beep that you can use to communicate with your dog without giving him a hit. The Multisport has one controller for two collars, so you can work with two dogs at the same time. We have had very good luck with these units. We have a 37 pound Vizsla female and she has no trouble with the size of the unit. A chihuahua might! There are even smaller units than we have, but those don't have very much range. We used to use Radartron equipment, but can not recommend them now as their service department and "customer service" office is one of the worst I have ever dealt with.

Deb, Just because they got in when you were gone, doesn't mean they would have made it inside if you had been there. We had a dump out dog, that fell in love with our family and us with her. She was part blue healer. Freindly, loved everyone. the man who filled the propane tank ''always'' put the bill in the front door by the knob. I worked at that time. one day she would not let him up on the porch. He had no idea why. it was easy, I was home that day. no way would she let him close. made me feel pretty safe.
She also hackeled up at the appearance of a new to us pickup. she didn't know it was us inside it until Tom said something. all friendly again. so you never know.

Some of them are small. Mine was for a "small breed" and works fine on the lab too. It has 8 levels, and we tried it on ourselves first,(I thought that was fair) to know just how far to go. The first level is almost nothing, but the forth level made me jump, so if we have to go higher then that to get their attention, we KNOW how focused they are. All the dogs have had other obedience training too, so they are fully aware of what is right and wrong, so I dont have a problem using it.

Jana(?, forgot to look,duh) I had a black lab that on a whim I took to protection training. A cop was teaching it, and was very strict about it. He said the dog finished training, or he kept the dog. He woudlnt have a half trained dog out there. Well, we THOUGHT that my lab had potental, but a few weeks into class, he kicked us out, and said it would be a shame to take any more of my money. :loltu She
would never bite on comand, but it did make her "more" aggressive. (Not much more mind you. Not like I had to worry or anything) but she made people think when they came to the door. And I have noticed alot of dogs are more aggressive when their owners are around because they have more courage, knowing THEIR OWNERS will save THEM!:lol2

We looked into collars to stop our Pomeranian from barking. We found that the small breed collars are still comparable to you wearing a motorcycle battery around your neck all day. Plus, you have to shave the neck of a long-haired dog so the probes can contact the skin, plus you have to tighten the collar way up, to the near-strangle point, for the same reason. The shock would have been the least traumatic part for the dog. We skipped it.

I saw a training session on TV where you trained your dog not to pass a barrier until you said okay. they did a pole, dog chest high, then lowered to the floor a few inches at a time, then it turned into a rope. it was pretty cool. might work in the yard for short durations. Don't know. haven't tried it. :)

Charlie, I think you have hit the nail on the head. And what a teenager he is. Glad he's not mine. (Or any other one for that matter). I finally took him home last week, because HE was listening about as well as the dog. Not mine-bye, bye. Peace has settled on my house once again. Life is good.

We've had a lot of different animals over the years; the most troublesome was a wonderful little black-and-tan terrier mix we got after she had been abandoned by her people when they shipped out to Germany. She was given to a home that had a German Shepherd and a Husky, both of whom terrorized her.

A few weeks after she came to live with us, a lot of her behavioral problems disappeard, but she was always a problem to travel with. She had very good car manners, laying quietly or sleeping - as long as she was in the middle of the front seat. She rarely disobeyed enough to escape from the car - until she got to be very old. Then she'd leap from the windows or scuttle out through a closing door and head for the hills - or just play 'catch me if you can!'

I would never have thought a 15-year-old arthritic dog could have that much energy!

Now, all our faithful dog friends have passed on, and we just adopted two kittens - night and day personalities. It's going to be interesting to see how we cope with two cats and two rats in a 14' Burro!