The husky’s trainability is often questioned due to their stubborn streak and not having the motivation to please their owners by doing what they’re told. They simply aren’t your typical working dog that follows commands blindly; huskies require a lot of work to be trained for even the simplest tasks.
However, don’t make the mistake of thinking that huskies are difficult to train, also because of their intelligence. These dogs are actually among the most intelligent dog breeds out there that can think for themselves and solve problems without relying on their humans. If you know how to train a husky, you can get the most out of their intelligence and have an easier time during training sessions.
In this article, we will discuss the best methods for training a husky to ensure you can reach training goals with one of these dogs without it becoming a trouble.
How to Train a Husky for Basic Obedience and Essential Skills
Training a husky for basic obedience and essential skills like leash walking and recall is important in the early part of these dogs’ lives. You must get yourself involved in training them for the basics, along with socialization, to ensure your husky becomes a well-mannered adult in the future.
However, the training approach to take is the same regardless of the husky’s age. You must follow positive reinforcement training, the only type of training that’s proven to work with these dogs. As for the reward to use, the majority of huskies are receptive to food-related rewards like small, tasty treats the most, though many also show motivation towards a quick game of fetch or having possession of their favorite toy.
When training your husky, whether it is for things as simple as sit and stay or more complicated things like loose leash walking, using the right reward will go a long way in training. Try a mix of different rewards to see how your husky reacts, especially for more demanding training goals. You can then incorporate what motivates them the most and have the upper hand in training.
In addition to this, you should also keep training sessions brief and break them down into multiple parts rather than going through everything at once in one long session. Due to their personalities, huskies are quick to get bored if training gets repetitive or stretched out for too long. Aim to keep training sessions between 10 and 15 minutes with huskies for the best results. Following all this, you will have a husky that’s well-trained in just a few weeks of solid training.
How to Train a Husky for a Job
While going through basic skills with a husky is relatively straightforward, as long as you commit yourself to training, training these dogs for a specific job is a lot more demanding. You will need to structure everything around training in order to make notable progress, especially for anything that isn’t related to pulling sleds.
Huskies experience what’s called repetition fatigue quite fast, which limits the number of practices they are willing to do before losing interest. To tackle this, stopping before boredom appears and giving them rest with lots of praise and play is essential.
It also helps to get themselves familiarized with the environment to make them think that the training/job only exists there. For example, if you’re training a husky for service dog work, train them outdoors in specific places, like near stores and malls, to stimulate everyday situations rather than at home. This helps build them a clear expectation for training/working time.
However, even professional dog trainers need to be prepared for the fact that the husky they’re trying to train for the job might not be suitable for it in the end. This should be kept in mind, especially for jobs that aren’t given to huskies traditionally, like search and rescue, autism assistance, and detection work. That’s why it is essential to take your time to select a husky to train for a job.
Setting Realistic Expectations for Training a Husky
It is no secret that huskies don’t have the best trainability. Any breeder or organization that helps you get a husky should know that, and if you come across one that claims otherwise and compares their trainability to dog breeds like the German shepherd it is likely a scam. Keep this in mind as you look for huskies for sale online and before you go through all the trouble to meet and pick up the husky or put down a deposit.
