A major concern for many wannabe dog owners is recall. Huskys are renownked for their head strong attitudes and their tendancies to run and keep running when off the lead. I once came across a husky who had run 3.5 miles from its owner and if we hadnt caught hold of her I honestly think she may have ended up on a another continent! OK slight exaggeration there but you get my point.
Pomskys, although half huskys are easilt trainable, providing you get started at a young age and make sure you establish yourself as pack leader early on. With Azera I was incredibly nervous. Not only was she half husky and may have inherited the running gene, she is also my very first dog. From the day we brought her home she was establishing her escape artist traits, some from the pom side: Climbing! She climed up the side of her crate and playpen and out onto the sofa within 5 minutes of being left alone in there.
I called her to me from a different room at every opportunity and treated her everytime she came, I would have my other half keep her occupied then go to the end of the garden and call her to me, again treating everytime she came, and always using the same command "Azera Come Please" (You will get to know that I have instilled manners on Azera, unknowingly may I add, and she now will not sit, stay, come or heel without me saying please at the end).
Once she had her injections and was allowed out we went to a nearby field, it is very large as you will see from the video and reasonably safe and closed in, she prob could fit throught some gaps in the fences but we always kept to the middle in the hope she just wouldnt run.
On her second walk outdoors we let her off the lead. It was terrifying, heart wrenching and I felt sick, what if my beautiful puppy that I had fallen irrevocably in love with over the past 4 weeks ran and I never found her again? I tried hard not to show her the fear I felt and remained calm on the exterior, I chatted away to her on our walk to the field, on the lead, as I always do and then when we got there I called her to me on the lead and made her sit at my feet. I gave her a treat so she knew what I had and left her off the lead.
She did not let me down, she didnt wander more than a few feet away, always circling and coming back if she got too far. Every time I called she came without fail. To this day I do the same thing, everytime we are out, she is braver now and wonders a little further, but always comes back to me when I call, as long as I say please!
The video shows her recall, this was the early days, Azera was just under 4 months here and had been allowed out for about 3 weeks.
Hopefully this post will ease peoples minds and demonstrate as long as you are consistent and believe in your pup they will make you proud.
With Love,
Steph & Azera