Leash Training Your Husky

I am not a big fan of choke chains. I don't see the point in jerking and pulling on my dogs neck to get them to stop jerking and pulling.

Avoiding the pain of a choke collar is not the same thing as training.

What else is there? The best husky leash training tool is the gentle leader (sometimes called dog halter, halti, head harness).

Training Tip Don't jerk on the gentle leader like you would a choke collar. It does not follow the same principle as a choke collar. A gentle leader turns your dogs head while the body follows. Jerking on the gentle leader can hurt your husky's neck.

Training Tip Your husky can chew thru a gentle leader, so make sure you do a trial run (or two) inside the house before venturing out. Make sure your husky has a collar on in addition to the gentle leader.

Training Tip A gentle leader is a training tool. A training tool is exactly that...a tool. It is not to be used in place of training. Training your husky always comes first!

Training Tip A gentle leader might seem like a miracle tool at first because your husky will not pull on it. BUT, if you do not spend time working and bonding with your dog, he will pull on any tool you use... eventually.

Finally, you have to train your dog to get used to the gentle leader. Some dogs don't like it immediately. Do a trial run inside your house. Make sure you have really good treats handy if your dog does not like how the gentle leader feels. Put the gentle leader on and then offer your dog treats while he is wearing it. Take it on and off 10 times in a row while offering treats when the gentle leader is on. It might take a few days before your dog will allow the gentle leader to be used.

What about leash training using a harness?

Harnesses are designed to be pulled against (leaned into). Therefor, if you ever decide to train your dog to pull (on skis or a bike) he needs to pull using a harness. If you teach them not to pull while wearing a harness, you may not be able to get him to pull wearing a harness.

Training Tip Don't let your dog pull using a regular collar. It's the wrong tool for the job and he can injur his neck and back. Click here to learn about pulling and harnesses.

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