Why Does Husky Run Away? Know The Reasons

Huskies first originated in the cold tundras of Siberia, where they used to drag sleds across long distances.

Eventually, they developed independent traits, which helped them in surviving the climate and wilderness.

So, you might have heard the stories of Huskies running away from homes. It might be interesting to know whether your Husky is prone to run as well. So, why do Huskies actually run away?

Huskies are an independent breed that loves to run around. They are also quite intelligent to know how it can achieve something it wants.

There can be several reasons why a Husky can run away. Apart from being an intelligent and independent breed, huskies can run away if they suffer from boredom or anxiety.

If you are looking for all the possible causes behind this behavior and thinking about how you can stop them, you have come to the right place. Let us start by briefly discussing the reasons why Huskies ran away.

Why does husky run away?

Husky can run away because of boredom and their usual running tendency. They could also escape for many other reasons like not getting proper food, too many restrictions, mating time, sensing of other small animals, or hunting instinct.


Let’s explore more:

1. Born To Run

When you think about the origin of Huskies, you will realize this breed is born and bred to run. The Chukchi people of the Siberian were the first to use Huskies to cover hundreds or thousands of miles through the snow.

So, it is very natural for the Huskies to run as much as they can. Experts say that Huskies can run as much as one hundred miles every day.

It is not always possible for you to make it run for that long. So, the huskies have an inexhaustible source of energy that needs its release through vigorous exercise.

We suggest that you have to go through at least two extensive exercise sessions. If you cannot do that, the Husky can jump over the fence and make its playground run freely.


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2. Independent and Intelligent Breed

Huskies are an extremely active breed, and you might expect them to get distracted easily as well. Apart from their indomitable requirement to run, the intelligent breed can also investigate things that are beyond the four sides of your compound.

If you are not taking proper precautions, the Husky will behave on its own and skip the fence.

As the Huskies are good at both jumping and digging, you need to be highly efficient at keeping the Husky inside. We will cover more on this in the subsequent sections.

3. Attention Seeker

Apart from being one of the most beautiful dog breeds globally, many also believe that Huskies are the most attention-seeking dog breed.

You have to train them well, spend sufficient time with them, and play as much as possible to keep them invested. In return, they will show you love and affection all the time.

If you lack in any one of them, there is a severe flight risk. No hard feelings, but they are known to find their share of attention from elsewhere.

4. Mating

Huskies become more prone to leaving the house if they have to mate. This statement is also true for most dog breeds if you do not neuter them.

However, you might expect to observe this trait amongst the male population. Finding another husky might be challenging, but that doesn’t stop the Husky from leaving your backyard and search for a partner.

5. Hunting

Huskies used to survive hunting in the wilderness, and naturally, they have an immense prey drive to this day.

They hunt smaller animals like squirrels, cats, or raccoons. If they see such an animal run outside the fence, the Husky will not think twice before running after them.

6. Searching For Old Home

If you have adopted an adult husky, they are at greater risk of flight. It has been reported the Huskies often leave the house searching for their old home. You have to be patient and loving towards these Huskies.

Knowing all this will help you in preventing the Husky from running away. We will cover the prevention methods in more detail later in the article.


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How Do I Stop My Husky From Running Away?

Understanding the leading cause behind this behavior will help prevent this from happening in the future.

If you find out that your Huskies have run away, you need to understand what led to this. Depending on the leading cause, we have provided a few methods to make sure that it does not happen again.

Restrictions:

Installing proper restrictions will save your Husky from running away and hurting itself. It does not take away the main reason for them running away.

But the Husky will not be able to run away if you have these restrictions. You have to do quite a few things to make sure that the Husky doesn’t run away. We are going to list some of them here:

  • High and Deep fences
  • Keep the doors closed at all times
  • Having a chain lock will help the Husky in staying inside.
  • Install baby gates
  • Have sufficient toys to keep it busy
  • Keep the Husky on a long leash so that it has its freedom while being secure.

Daily Exercise:

All the husky owners should keep at least two exercise sessions every day. As Huskies were initially working dogs, they need to get rid of the immense amount of energy.

So, you have to make sure that the Husky gets enough opportunity to do so, and exercise is the most efficient way to achieve that. Having a dog walker also does the trick if you don’t have sufficient time on your hand.

Training Off the Leash:

We can keep Huskies on a leash to prevent them from running away. It gives much-needed control over the intelligent breed.

However, you cannot always keep them on a leash as it will make them bored. So, you have to start training the Husky without a leash.

You can do it easily with continuous practice sessions. You have to buy a long leash for the initial stages of the training.

Train the husky to do basic tricks while increasing your distance with it day by day. Eventually, you can remove the leash and ask it to perform the same tricks.

Keep some treats handy so that you can reward positive behavior. You have to continue this training till you are confident that your Husky will behave without a leash.

Attention:

Giving attention to a Husky is one of the earnest demands from them. You have to pay attention to your dog by playing with them, going on walks, training them, or simply hanging out.

Even a good exercise session will work. As long as you have taken proper care of the Husky, it will not venture out of the house independently.

Do All Huskies Try To Run Away?

Huskies are born and bred to run. But that does not mean that all the huskies will run away at some point in time.

If you are attentive enough towards its demands and taking all the precautions, you do not have to worry about your Husky running away from you.

You can also go over the special training to make them more independent and well-behaved without a leash.

Do Huskies Come Back When They Run Away?

Huskies are known to have an excellent sense of direction and the area they live in. So, you might expect them to come back when they hop over the fence or dig their way out of the backyard.

Most of the time, it is not far from the truth as they come back after some time. However, there are cases where they haven’t.

So, you cannot take a chance with their well-being and take appropriate steps so that they stay inside while being happy.

Can Huskies Find Their Way Home?

You can take a quick look at the origin of the Siberian Huskies. They used to pull sleds across frosty tundras for thousands of miles during the 19th century.

So, it should give you an idea about their sense of direction. If you get lost with your Husky, you can rely on the husky to show you the way.

However, the Husky should have the proper training to keep them away from any distractions. So, yes, Huskies can find their way home if adequately trained.

Conclusion:

Huskies are amazing, goofy, friendly, and hard-working dogs, and having a Husky sets up the mood for any household.

However, the story of Huskies running away is becoming more frequent these days.

So, this article will help you a lot when you are a Husky parent. Keeping the husky happy does not ask a lot from you, and following the simple methods will keep your Husky stay safe and happy.