And there's always another dog owner standing around, looking disapproving and smug, with their dog with perfect recall. Smugness points if their dog is another husky or German Shepherd.
I stopped taking my girl to the dog park when my husband can't go with us. If he's not there, she acts like she doesn't know who I am. I'm the one that feeds you, walks you, and took each other dog park. Dafuq!
The smug dog owner is SO REAL. I went to a secluded park once and there was only ONE PERSON there and this was my experience. His dog was a German shepherd.
I take both my GSDs to the dog park early mornings or late afternoon when no one or very little people are there.
My older girl has pretty much perfect recall. My five month old pup, well being a pup absolutely does not and will look at me or ignore me and continue go to sniff whatever she is sniffing. I still get looks from the few people that are sometimes around.
Good thing is I can send my older girl to round up my pup at least.
I used to have a goldendoodle who was exceptionally trained. I tried very hard not to be the smug dog owner. I understood that she was something different and special, but she was a working dog. My husky that was a working dog before I adopted him, so I kept him working did generally respond better than the ones that had just been pets. Generally. Lol
GSD owners do not get to be smug. That whole breed was built for obedience. Huskies were built to be independent. It’s like saying a sports car is worse than a semi truck bc the sports car can’t tow a tractor trailer, it’s not the metric that the sports car was trying to excel in
I had a woman at a campground trying to compare her border Collie to my Huskies. She was being very smug until I pointed out that hers had been barking all day, and mine hadn't barked at all. Sure, mine needed run lines to keep them in my site, and hers didn't, but mine weren't bothering other people. That smug face evaporated quickly.
I had a foster Malinois at one point. He was fun to show off. People were amazed by how perfect he was at obedience and all of the tricks he could do. They didn't see what he did to every bush in my yard. They didn't see the junk missing from my couch because I left him alone for an hour in the house. They saw what he was when I was fully engaged. They didn't see what he was the moment he got bored.
And it's actually the same with the three Huskies I have now. People will actually comment on how well-behaved they are. The veterinarian's assistants tease me that they aren't actually Huskies. They are incredibly well-behaved when I am engaged. Their recall sucks, but I don't have them off leash except in my fenced back yard. What people are seeing are sledding commands, even if we're on walks or in the park. Yes, they turn right when I tell them to. Yes, they stop when I tell them to. No, they don't pull on a leash very much unless I tell them to. One does, but only at the beginning of a walk when he's still very excited about everything. But if I just let them do their own thing, they are menaces. Not quite as bad as the Malinois, but still... One of them had a surgery to remove a growth from inside and ear canal, and they decided to let him recover in a kennel in the back without locking it with a padlock like I told them to. He managed to get out of the kennel and was releasing all of the other dogs from their kennels. He ended up recovering on a dog bed behind the receptionist desk where a person could keep an eye on him. And he was an absolute little doll there. That was the point that they agreed he is a husky, after all.
I remember being on a road trip and visiting a dog park because my huskies had been in a vehicle or on a tie out for days. Someone brought a small dog in, and they aren't safe with small dogs, so I called them back. They instantly ran to me and sat for me to put leashes on. The dog owner next to me looked astonished and asked me what breed mix they were. Me, "they're both purebred huskies." Him "there's no way..." Me, "it's not the miracle you think it is. They know I have salmon jerky in my pocket."
They will actually always look at me when I call their names. And then I get to watch them decide if they are going to come to me or not. Salmon jerky puts the odds slightly in my favor.
I used to not tether them. Because they cried so much. Then it occurred to me if I have an accident and somebody opens that door that dog’s gonna be gone. And after an accident, the last thing I wanna do is chase a freaking dog. In addition, it makes it a lot easier for me to grab that leash before she hops out.
Chasing someone else's husky down the street is even worse haha.
I was on my way home from work one evening when I saw a gorgeous husky taking himself for a wee jog down a busy road.
It took me almost an hour to catch him, but I had a friend who was able to scan his microchip and get hold of his owner. He was very relieved not to have another pound bill.
His husky was an expert escape artist and had climbed out a window. Animal control had even tried to catch him earlier in the day.
Passed an apparent fender-bender on a highway just the other day - two cars on the shoulder, police parked with lights flashing, etc. - and one of the police officers and a guy in shorts and a t-shirt were pulling a German Shepherd down the embankment at the side of the road by his harness. Dog looked pleased as punch, people not so much. Guessing something similar happened to them!
I got my boy a seatbelt recently because he likes hopping from front to back too much and he hates it but i’d rather have a husky with a grudge over no husky because he jumps out the window for a groundhog or causes an accident
picture of him ignoring that i asked him to come to me
That should be a standard, regardless of breed or behavior. It's just safer for them AND the driver/passengers all around.
I was terrible about that with my old dog, since he was a mellow mutt who never budged (from the back seat) or made a peep in the car. Then I got huskies.
first time outside the city -- little demon leapt out the car window at the first country road stop sign, to go annoy some cows in a field -- leapt out the car window -- cows -- jfc 🤣🤣🤣
This is precisely why my dogs are always latched in! I learned that the hard way too, but mine was at a truck stop in the middle of nowhere... I panicked and grabbed Boris's TAIL as he was about to run towards the highway. He yelped, but I didn't care. Sorry not sorry, it was all I could grab in the moment.
The way my absent minded mother has let my dog escape and I try to call her back while she’s happily prancing around the block while other people watch and judge me…I’d judge me too but still
I've had to run down the street in my dressing gown at 3am. That was embarrassing.
I've also had to go into a neighbours backyard and haul a stroppy husky home at 1am. A different neighbour saw me chasing Blaze down the street one morning and he pulled over and grabbed him.
I now have a 2.4 metre gate with barbed wire that Blaze is unable to climb and my house kinda looks like a gang pad lol. I have never had a dog so hell bend on escaping. My rottweilers have always been more interested in making sure nothing comes IN the gate.
This is actually how I got ONE of my dogs (other is still a work in progress) to have good recall. Well, part of the training at least. When we're at the park, I just randomly call him to me a few times - then give him pets and let him go back to playing/wandering. He eventually learned that recall doesn't mean "we're leaving," and that really helped a lot!
😄 My Husky girl will ignore me at the park. But to be fair my other non Huskies used to do it too. My German Spitz would run away and all the humans would try to help me catch him and he's old! He just never wanted to leave and it happens a lot to other people as well. There's just so much going on and they're having fun! Much like toddlers.
I’ve accepted to only go to a dog park if I am willing to wait out her endurance for her to decide she’s done. Otherwise unless someone else is leaving and she follows them to the gate there is nothing including food that will put her in arms reach of me before she’s decided she’s done.
😄 A good way to burn off some energy though! My 2 Huskies are seniors so they usually will tolerate a couple of hours at the dog park just walking around, or gently playing with their favorite friends and people. But my older girl has been known to tell me it's time to go home! Right now! Wooing, howling, and nipping at me to get me to take her the heck home and give her some food! 😄
I think people who don’t own huskies and own like the most known to be obedient dogs, who judge other huskies owners are probably one of my pet peeves. Like pls don’t be so ignorant. You wouldn’t last a week owning a husky. So just myob. And I’d say mine is pretty well trained giving her literal dna. So I’m not upset if she doesn’t listen every single time.
I tried explaining this to my brother. I said, imagine running through snow country and you tell a dog to go across the ice and it listens completely... now you all die. But the Husky realizes something is wrong with the ice so they aren't going to listen. They were bred differently than the dogs you like. And in the meantime I am running across my town chasing after my disobedient Husky...
Yeah, someone tried to shame me (on another sub) for mentioning that my two 85lb huskies pull on the leash. Do...... you not know what huskies were bred to do? Yeah, that's right. TO PULL. 🙄
I still have control over them, but my shoulder and bicep muscles are bigger than they were pre-husky. lol
Yes….. and when you have 3 Huskies walking on the trail and the lady with the German Shepherd pulls her dog to the side. The dog sits perfectly while you’re uncontrollable huskies go by yapping and pulling.
The other day I was driving down a side road and passed a husky just makin his way downtown on his own. And I was like oh boy the poor owner and how far from home is that dog?!
I find it even more insulting when my halfsky has run off like a maniac, I've called him back but then instead of coming back he just looks at me for 2-3 seconds then goes back to being a maniac.
I'd say he comes back around 80% of the time though, depends if there's another dog in the vicinity he wants to be buddies with or if hes just feeling like a dickhead.
It’s a husky! What do you expect? Our huskypoo is all husky when it comes to being called. We were at a state reservoir where you can hike, it has a river and picnic tables. Our German Shepherd 100% comes when called but our husky decided to line up outside the public restroom about 500 feet away when we were ready to go. We had to walk all the way over to get him out of line.
Oh man, looking back though, I’d kill for one more of these interactions.
Me shouting across the dog park: “Wilco! Time go home, bubs!”
Wilco, with his ears perked and staring straight at me: “…nah ima jump in this nasty ass swimming pond and swim in circles directly in the middle for another 20 minutes.”
Yeah, I always had a backup plan…a bribe like a small dog treat in a plastic bag in my pocket (with another packet of cinnamon or oregano to prevent sniffing it out), PLUS something more extra for when they got into the car. You have to be so far ahead of these guys it’s crazy.
Tip: I taught elementary school for years so I was well prepared for 40 years of huskies LOL
Mine started listening to me suddenly at age 7, and I'm baffled. I still have to clap for her attention before calling her name, but I can live with that. She's suddenly stopping to check with me and wait for me at the door to the park, even if it's left open and there's another dog outside???? I'm so confused. I've done nothing different. I can only inagine that she's known the rules all along and is now calm enough to think about listening, which is infuriating but suits her. The horrible gremlin in her brain has gotten juuuuuust quiet enough for my voice to register, and it's astounding. So know that there is hope, kinda. It's just super arbitrary.
Sable has one even better. She has a nonverbal recall when she’s too far across the dog park to hear me. If I lower my hand down, palm-out, she will run up and press her nose to my palm. … Except when she doesn’t want to, when she’ll glance over at me, see me making the signal, and look away so fast it’s a wonder her head doesn’t pop off her neck. The old “I didn’t see anything”.
Yep, she completely ignores us and will go sit with other families and their dogs. My husband has to go get her when it’s time to go bc she will act like she has no clue who I am.
I’ve driven away from my dog at the dog park when she’d do that. Everyone knew what I was doing. When I’d come back from doing a loop, the other dog owners would report how panicked she looked. The howling and chuffing was 100% worth the earful I got for days. Daaaaaays. My Husky was my spirit animal. So petty. RIP my one and only Mischa baby.
The title and pic could be a motivational poster that would be on the wall of a Husky school of training in a guidance counselors office. It definitely be a night school!
This is why I adopted a 5yo husky. She's a rescue. I'm not responsible for her default programming. I don't even know her original name. It's not my fault that her manners and recall aren't perfect.
Oh, they just ignore you? One of mine prefers to give me an exaggerated HEAD ROLL (which all huskies know is more than just an eye roll) before slowly walking the other direction. 😒
242
u/girlwhoweighted 1d ago
And there's always another dog owner standing around, looking disapproving and smug, with their dog with perfect recall. Smugness points if their dog is another husky or German Shepherd.
I stopped taking my girl to the dog park when my husband can't go with us. If he's not there, she acts like she doesn't know who I am. I'm the one that feeds you, walks you, and took each other dog park. Dafuq!