Husky puppy...HELP!

[BlueAspen]

I just adopted a 9 1/2 week old Alaskan Husky puppy from the shelter. I know puppies chew and bite...that's just their way, but there is more to it than that. Akira actually gets...well, almost vicious. At first she just pulled on pant legs and shirt sleeves...that was no big deal... we could work with her on that. But now she goes out of her way to grab bare feet or hands. Once she latches on she starts growling and shaking her head like you're a toy. No matter how hard I try she doesn't let go... I have to pry her off and by then I'm bleeding. Now she has taken to barking at me and then attacking. I praise and scold...praise and scold... but nothing is working. She doesn't understand that she can't do this.... or she does understand but does it anyway. I've started giving her time otus. We are crate training her..and I hate to make it a place she associates bad to... but when I finally pry her off I put her in the crate and ignore her for 15 minutes..then let her out and start new by being affectionate and trying to get her to play with her toys. Nothing is working... she has perfect public behavior...acts like an angel... it is only at home she does this.

I don't mean to write a book but Akira also has a problem with peeing. She caught on to the housebreaking bit really quick. She will cry and prance around to let you know she has to go out. She will do her business and then when she comes back in she will pee again. She pees a lot. Yesterday I took her out countless times but she still peed on the floor close to 10 times. That's another thing, where is all this fluid coming from? She doesn't drink hardly enough to be peeing so much.

You guys are my last hope! I don't know what to do with her. I never had any problems like these with my Golden lab retriever back when he was a puppy. Also, he is 12 years old now. Never had another dog in the house until now. How likely is it that he will ever accept Akira? Right now we have to keep them separated. He growls and shows his teeth if she just walks by.

Also, call me a worried mom, but is hiccuping normal? Akira seems to have hiccups all the time. Mostly after a nap, after a meal, or in a new place like Petco or the vet's office. It is kind of cute because she's like a baby when they happen. She likes me to hold her close and pat her on the back when she gets them.

[lbaker]

I'm sorry your first post has to be such a distressing one I don't know much about the Husky breed but there are several husky owners here and I do know that Huskys do have some "issues" that make them different than many other breeds and in some ways more difficult. Hopefully some of the PT'ers with Huskys can offer suggestions. I do welcome you to PetTalk and hope you get some good advise and enjoy the fine company here. I'll be thinking of your situation and truly hope things will work out. Welcome.
Laurie

[lv4dogs]

Huskys can be free willed, therefore challenging to own. They are not really a breed for the unexperienced.
It is hard to give advice without actually seeing the aggressivness & how you handle it.

I would get her into an obedience class ASAP! That will help you tons. This should be done with every dog, especially a puppy & especially one of that breed.

For the bladder issue, yes it does seem like a lot of urine I would get her urine tested for infection asap. If that comes out clean then it is probably a housebreaking issue.

[wolf_Q]

I have a siberian husky. He's 2 years old now, I've had him since he was about 8 weeks old. He was a vicious little bugger as a pup. They are not your typical dog at all. What I found worked best for me with the biting was to either shove a toy in his mouth or just get up and ignore him. It took a while, but he did eventually stop the behavior.

I would definitely recommend getting her into an obedience class soon. Puppy kindergarten is great for socialization too!

I don't think peeing that often is normal. I would have a vet check her out, she could have some sort of urinary infection.

The hiccups are normal, my dog had them all the time when he was a puppy and I've heard that many puppies have them all the time.

[anna_66]

First I'd like to welcome you & Akira to PT. I'm sorry your having such a tough time with her.

I'm a husky owner too and know just how challenging they can be! I agree with the others in their advice to get her into obedience training right away. This did wonders for Roxey and I'm sure it will for Akira also.

Roxey was never really agressive in the biting department even though she did love to chew on you if you'd let her. I gave her lots of things to chew on. If she got tired of one I'd try another. Also whenever she would bite on me I would say 'Ouch!' and she would stop and look at me. So of course then I would praise her. It took a little while for her to stop but finally she did.

As for the potty issue I would definately have her checked to see if she has any type of infection.

Good luck and let us know how things go. And if you happen to have a picture, we'd definately love to see her!

[BlueAspen]

I really appreciate the repsonses. Thank you all very much. I plan on getting her in on some classes soon, but the local shelter who runs them wants puppies at least 12 weeks old. She has just a little more growing to do.

So I guess I just need to keep doing what I'm doing. She's just stubborn huh? I sure love her to pieces tho. It has become clear to me that car rides seem to tire here right out. She is sacked out as we speak because I took her to the park.

If she had an infection would the vet have noticed that at her visit friday? She pressed around on her tummy a bit and Akira never acted in pain.

Again, thanks for the help. I'll post a picture soon. She is very photogenic but she doesn't sit in one place long enough for a good picture. I have a few on the digital that need to be uploaded before I know for sure how they've turned out.

Take care!

[Shelteez2]

Originally posted by BlueAspen
If she had an infection would the vet have noticed that at her visit friday? She pressed around on her tummy a bit and Akira never acted in pain.

No they wouldn't. They would need a urine sample to run tests on.

As for the biting, the main thing is to be consistent. Pick your method and stick with it. She will get it eventually. Good luck!

[dragondawg]

be a form of territorial marking? Basically sounds like she is having problems figuring out her place in your doggy pack.

[Glacier]

Originally posted by BlueAspen
She's just stubborn huh? I

Get used to it! She's a husky, she is going to be stubborn. Expect another increase in weird behavior when she's about 9-15 months old. Huskies go through a "teenager" stage where she will likely act like she's never heard a command in her life!

Be very firm(not abusive, just firm!) and consistent in your training with her. If she thinks she can push you around, she will. Alaskan huskies were developed to pull a sled. Give her a job to do. She's a working dog, she needs to work--doesn't have to be pulling, just something she likes to do.

I own *um, um,* oh, lets say a good number of huskies. The best advice I ever got about them was this A tired husky is a good husky!

Have fun!

[lbaker]

HAHA BlueAspen! I just knew some Husky Moms would be able to - if not give a solution - at least give some advise and support. Support we have plenty of, don't hesitate to ask. Welcome again.
Laurie

[BlueAspen]

What kind of job would you recommend I give her? She has a bit of a short attention span... unless she's biting.

Here's a picture I have of her. Took it on my phone while we were at the park, so the quality isn't the best.

[Glacier]

Originally posted by BlueAspen
What kind of job would you recommend I give her? She has a bit of a short attention span... unless she's biting.

Here's a picture I have of her. Took it on my phone while we were at the park, so the quality isn't the best.

She's very cute!

At her age, jobs/training need to be very short sessions. Puppies of all breeds have the attention span of houseplants! LOL!! She's too young to train her to pull anything, but she could start to learn other kinds of doggy games---fetch, ect. Doesn't have to be a real "job" like a working dog, but something to do, that she has to concentrate on. If you plan on having her pull in the future, now is a great time to start teaching those commands--gee, haw, whoa...all that stuff.

[MariaM]

What I did when Major was biting was pull my hand away, say NO!" and ignore him for about 10 minutes. He caught on quite quickly, and rarely does it anymore. If he does though, I say NO and leave again.

I would get the book The Dog Listener by Jan Fennell. (or from the library) I recommend it alot but I don't think that many people take me up on it. It is one of the best books I've read though, extremely good, basically about how a dogs mind works. Very effective ideas, not so much training, but behaviour problems. Wonderful!