Can Huskies Open Doors? Read This First!

The Siberian husky, a breed everyone adores, is one of the most energetic, highly capable, active, graceful, athletic dogs. It has high endurance along with the right amount of mischievousness.

First bred as sled dogs, they are majestic breeds with great ability to learn. With proper training, love, and care, huskies can make an excellent companion.

Can Your Husky Open Doors?

Despite the loving demeanor and high intellectual huskies is challenging to train. As they belong to the hierarchy of the pack system, they will challenge your leadership.

Keep in mind that they are intelligent enough to understand the frustration, nervousness, or doubtfulness in your conduct. If they catch a hint of these, they will judge your leadership and start to disobey. 

No matter, with proper devotion, and attention to the fact that they are highly intelligent, huskies can be trained on how to open doors.

And it is just one of the many things they can learn. 

Huskies are natural-born escapists. They tend to run around a lot, dig things up, jump over the fence, pry on all doors, break tie-up chains, etc. They love to run around and chase after tiny creatures around the park.

In short, they need utmost attention, proper supervision, stern curriculums, etc. This activeness, if not attend to it, may become destructive for them. 

Sometimes huskies can do things even without being taught, given the level of intelligence. What’s more, they are keen observers of the daily routine of the house. 

Appearance of the Siberian Husky

Generally, huskies are medium-sized working dogs, quick and graceful on their feet. They have an adequate amount of fur on their compact body with alert, erect ears, and a brush tail, suggesting their Northern heritage.

They have double-coated fur, which can be of black and white, grey and white, pure white, and sometimes rare “agouti” colors.

The eyes are the most distinctive features of the huskies. They possess brown, blue, or black eye colors and sometimes heterochromatic eye colors.

Another unique feature of the huskies is they can adapt to different environments. The husky can adapt to icy and cold climates, and the coat is the testimony of such.

However, surprisingly they can adapt to more temperate climates, which no other Nordic dog can display.

Personality of the Siberian Husky

Unlike any other breed of dogs, the Siberian husky has the closest resemblance to the wolves. However, a recent study shows that it is a close relative of a wolf rather than a direct descendant. 

Given the wolf-like instincts, they prefer to be in a pack and hate to be alone. They also have a great need for daily exercise and strong leadership. They are brilliant but also very stubborn and independent. They thrive for human attention, but they need stern, proper training right from puppyhood.

Apart from being majestic in appearance and resilient in nature, huskies are also known for the eccentric capacity for vocalization. They tend to be quite talkative dogs, able to emit a variety of sounds. They usually howl instead of barking.

They are smart and can learn a lot if appropriately taught. If you own a Husky, you will probably find yourself vigilant at all times. But keep in mind that they are very stubborn. They will never do something they are not interested in, even if it is forced upon them.

Huskies, overall, are friendly and gentle but also vigilant and sociable. It will adequately protect you will not display the possessiveness of a guard dog.

He will greet you with anticipation and wet kisses when you come back home as he considered you as a part of his pack. Most huskies fail to be a watchdog due to their overall friendliness.

Things to Keep in Mind before Training Your Husky To Open Doors

The first and foremost point to remember; be a good leader. Be self-assured and confident.

Huskies come down from the linage of sled pulling breed, and they are accustom to the pack system. So it is important to establish your position as the alpha of the pack for your huskies to be submissive to you.

If your resolve is weak, they will automatically think of you as inferior and will not obey you at any cost.

Set rules are to be implemented. It would help if you planned out everything. It includes where to sleep, what food to be given, the potty area, the amount of time to go for a walk, etc. You can set a routine that will be followed and established as a repetitive scheme of action.

Get yourself well informed about husky beforehand. Be mentally and physically prepared. It’s essential to understand the behavior and personality of husky before you bring home one. 

Be fully prepared to welcome a husky into your household. Have a proper high fence around your house, enough backyard area for their outdoor activities, selecting the right collar and leash. Also, you need to get familiar with the basics of potty training, crate training, etc. 

Punishing the dog while training is not a good idea. Beating them, confining them to their crate, or depriving them of their treats will do no good to both you and the dog. It will convey the message that your resolve is bleak, and you are weak, and they will not listen to you.

Start training as soon as possible. You can start with a simple and basic command such as “sit,” “stay,” “stop,” “good job,” etc. Try to implement obedience training by repeating the basic commands on a daily basis. Anything more will confuse your dog and result in frustration.

Rewarding your huskies with treats when they obey is also an effective way to teach them. 

Huskies are generally stubborn. So you should keep in mind that it’s time for you to play the strict math teacher role you hated from your high school.

Be firm, consistent with the dog. Learn to be more stubborn than the dog. If your resolve turns out to be stronger than theirs, they will accept your command.

It is important to correct your dog when necessary. Huskies are easily distracted, and if you do not pay attention to such details, they will be hard to control.

Ignoring their mistakes will only lead to misbehavior and disobedience.

You need to keep in mind the needs of your dog.

Husky has basic needs. Remember the proper timing for food, outing, walk, playtime, etc. All he wants to be a dog, and you have to give him what he needs and lead them in the right direction. 

First, make sure your dog understands your position in the house and allow him to submit to your commands gradually. You can then go ahead with more complex training for different things.

How to Train your Husky to Open the Door?

Despite the high intelligent level, husky or any other breed of dog cannot open all sorts of a door. A dog can’t twist a doorknob. There is a sure way to help them open the door, mostly by attaching a piece of cloth or rope on the doorknob. 

Training Steps to Follow

1. Tie a piece of cloth or rope around the doorknob where he can easily get to. Teach him how to grab it by his mouth and pull it. If he doesn’t understand how to do it himself, get his attention and demonstrate the feat of pulling the door. Using your mouth will be clearer to them. And slowly, he will eventually get the hang of it.
2. Tell him to pull it. Wait for him to pull the door, then click and reward him with treats. Keep on doing this.
3. Encouragement is one of the ways to teach your dog. Praise and encourage him to play with the handle. They love to play, and if they think the exercise is playtime, they will likely be able to catch up quickly.
4. Do this feat repeatedly, and eventually saying “open” or any command you are comfortable with whenever he pulls the door open. Click and give him a treat and praise him every time he is successful.
5. Practice the same feat for a specific time every day, without skipping the training or shuffling the schedules. Consistency is the key to successful training.
6. Once he gets the hang of it, stop the treating process, and he will successfully be able to open the door at your command.

Note: To perform such a feat, like his master, you need patience, perseverance, and time-consuming. So don’t get disheartened if he cannot master it in a day or two. As said, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” 

With the right amount of training, attention, and love, huskies are considered the best for the companionship of humans. They are also much loved among children.

Siberian Huskies can be considered the additional member of your family. They could even be the partner who rides the shotgun on your travels or the funny guy who photobombs every family picture.