Siberian
Huskies are extremely intelligent and stubborn. If you keep the
mentality that you now own a very furry 2 year old child, you are
half way there! Some Siberians will stare blankly at you when a
command is given to them, even though they have done it perfectly
when you’ve asked before. This is because they are thinking,
"Well heck, I just did it 5 times why do I have to prove to
you I know these commands? Maybe if a yummy treat is offered I will
consider doing it for a 6th time." They also might "talk
back", basically asking "Why?". If you sometimes
find yourself talking to your Sibe trying to get them to do what
you have asked them, prepare for a lengthy conversation, and like
a 2 year old, the answer to each of your questions is always "Why?".
Siberian's,
with their independent nature, sometimes are thought to be "stupid"
or "hard to train". This is NOT true. As with a 2-year-old
child, they require consistency, patience and praise. As a Siberian
owner, be ready to train, but also limit your training time. If
you dwell on one command too long you may lose your Siberian's attention
as they get bored sometimes doing the same thing over and over.
If you see your Siberian's attention starting to leave you, you
may want to end your training session and continue later. Try to
limit your sessions to 10 minute intervals as this helps keep the
dog’s attention on you. Any longer and your Sibe may lose
interest. You will also need a sense of humor, as sometimes Siberian's
can be frustrating to the new Siberian owner, especially when they
did the command so beautifully yesterday and now, today, in front
of company, all you get is the blank stare.
To make
training your Siberian Husky a success you need to use positive
reinforcement training. "What is positive reinforcement training?"
you may ask. This is a training method by which your dog is praised
for performing the desired task or behavior. There are several ways
this praise is given. It can be by voice, clicker, or treat. Positive
reinforcement training is the best method to use when training your
Siberian. As a working dog, they love to learn new things and enjoy
having a job to do. When the dog is happily learning something new,
and the owner is happy to be successfully teaching the command or
behavior, it becomes a positive experience for all concerned and
an excellent way to bond with your Siberian.
As stated earlier, it is important to be consistent and patient.
Remember, training for your Siberian should be done for no more
than 10 minutes at a time, as your dog may become bored. If you
want to devote 30 minutes a day to training, you will see much more
improvement from three 10 minute sessions than one 30 minute session.
Siberians are highly intelligent dogs, and as such, can become easily
bored during training. Because of their high intelligence it is
recommended to continually teach them new things throughout their
lives, even if it’s as basic as catching a treat from a distance
or touching your hand on command.
But all
training and no play makes for a REALLY hyper Siberian. Please remember
your Siberian needs a break from "work" as much as you
do, so playtime is an excellent outlet for your Siberian’s
energy and also keeps them from becoming bored and destructive.
"Idle paws are the devils playground". As you can see
below some of our Sibes got bored...and destructive! This boredom
destructiveness can be curbed by several things - - another dog
to play with, crating when alone at home and not keeping yummy antiques
at chewing level..LOL. But fret not, as your Siberian learns new
things, you will see the bond between you and your Sibe grow and
blossom.
