Austin Posted April 1, 2020 Report Share Posted April 1, 2020 I live by the highway near a small town, and have started having problems with my husky running off. He always used to stay close to the house but is now 7.5 months old and just wondered into town on me yesterday. I also spend a lot of my time at the farm and have him run off to the neighbours (up to 3-4 miles away) as they have female dogs. I tie him up when I can but I like him to get as much exercise as he can, and as I have long days sometimes, I don't always get the chance to walk him. I tried a shock collar that is suppose to keep him in a certain range but it does not seem to phase him. I'm told to neuter him, but i've read that it can effect his growth? Which i would like him to grow big and strong. And i've also heard it can make them more sensitive to heat/cold? Which is important as it ranges around here from -40 in the winter to +40 in the summer. I also never really wanted to neuter him just as it was a personal preference not too, but i'm starting to think its my only option other then get rid of him unfortunately. I've looked into setting up a fenced off area for him, but not sure how big it would need to be or if he would be very happy with it. Also if I neuter him will he for sure stop running off? Any suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelseafan Posted April 1, 2020 Report Share Posted April 1, 2020 Hi, the age that he is now is the time his prey drive is kicking in, he’ll take every opportunity he can to escape and hunt for prey. If he’s tied up for long periods of time he will become very bored and this can lead to separation anxiety, husky’s are an intelligent breed and as much as they love to be with us they are independent.Shock collars, in my opinion, are cruel and can lead to fear and aggression, using one of these will hinder your bonding with him.Neutering is a personal preference, for some dogs who’ve had the chop they can become overweight and lazy and for some it has made no difference to their behaviour at all. I’d do more research before you decide, there’s evidence to suggest it’s not as healthy for them to have it done as vets lead us to believe. I have 2 males and I decided against it after researching, one of mine had an undescended testicle and a vet I saw was badgering me to have both testes removed as she said the other one wouldn’t drop. I didn’t agree to it and it did drop. Neutering him would not stop him running off either, he was bred to run, it’s in their DNA, plenty of exercise, physical and mental is the only way forward. A fenced area is the way to go for safety and a chance for him to run his energy off, it would need to be at least 6 foot high and a horse wired fence is very strong. Husky’s can dig and are really good at it, you’d need to ensure he couldn’t dig his way out underneath the fence, they are Houdini’s!Good luck!Sent from my iPhone using Husky Owners Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austin Posted April 2, 2020 Author Report Share Posted April 2, 2020 How big of an area would he need? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelseafan Posted April 2, 2020 Report Share Posted April 2, 2020 That’s entirely up to you, as long as it’s safe and secure for him, you could add extra’s to keep him occupied, his own sheltered area etc. Sent from my iPad using Husky Owners Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolfpup Posted April 3, 2020 Report Share Posted April 3, 2020 For what its worth I agree totally with cheaseafan. Giving them the chop before they are fully grown interferes with the growth plates and is intimated in more likelyhood of cruciat ligament problems etc. For a husky I would leave him to at least 18 months if you want to go down that route. I have one rescued husky who was neutered before I got him and another that was not - and still is not 4 years later. No difference whatsoever in their temperatments - in fact the neutered one is more likely to make a dash 'for freedom' than the un-neutered one. Both are complete lunatics. The prey-drive of the neutered one is far higher than the un-neutered one - but that is more likely to be just down the the individual dog than anything to do with his 'bits' A happy care-free husky owner has high fences and secure gates - we have expert level Houdinis for companions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austin Posted April 4, 2020 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2020 Thanks very much I made a pen for him and he seems to be enjoying it with the company of our other dog very much! I don’t think I will be neutering anytime soon, if at all. Thanks to both of you for the information and help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.