Thanks everyone (especially Candy) for your advice. I'm a wolf freak, so I know a lot about their behavior. And out of all the dogs I've met, Nebo reminds me the most of a wolf (and not just in looks). I'm hoping he doesn't have bad breeding...he doesn't have AKC papers. But I met his parents, and both dogs were very friendly and sweet. They were very calm and quiet too. We do not allow dogs on the furniature, so that is not a problem. He sleeps in a large kennel at night. At first he cried, but he's doing really good with it now. I have been brushing him every day, but I can't say he likes it. He doesn't like to be held (unless he's half asleep) and he struggles and whines to get free. I also have brushed his teeth every day (he likes the doggy toothpaste, but he'd rather eat the brush lol). We did clip his nails a little bit, and he really struggled with that too. He is great with potty training (as Mckinney was awful). He'll go do his job right when I put him outside. There has been a few mistakes, but I think it's just because I didn't get him out in time. He's even started going up to the door when he wants out. I did research the breed, I have 3-4 books on siberian huskies...see I've wanted one for years.I knew they could be stubborn, but I must say I really wasn't expecting much of any aggressive behavior from them. I've also been reading a lot of dog books period. One book said to rub/play with their feet often, so they will be better with trimming the nails, and I've done that. Another said that it's better to allow puppies to eat as much/whenever they want, as they need a lot of nutrition. And to change into scheduled meals when they are older. Is that a good idea or not? I need to get him a better food. He is eating Ol'Roy puppychow...he loves it...but I know he needs something better. I was thinking Pedigree, because I can't afford the top quality foods. I just bought a small bag of that when I got him. I'd already spent $300 on him and more $$ on tons on supplies. A book said to move the food in different places sometimes, which I have been doing. And I have practiced taking food away, and he has no problem with that. Anyway...I also have been rubbing his belly often, as I know that is the subordinate position. And I do pick him up often and praise him when he behaves nicely. His main problem is if you try to hold him and he wants loose, or you pick him up when he is busy with something else (playing, etc.) He'll struggle, and start growling/yapping, sometimes biting at me. He is really a biter. I try not to let him chew on me at all. I'll stuff a toy in his mouth instead if he tries to chew on me. But it's quite difficult. He just comes right back, biting again, and it's very hard to get him to stop. Sometimes if I yipe like a puppy would, like I'm telling him that it hurts, he'll stop for a sec and look up at me. I avoid playing tug-of-war. My family is kind of a problem. I tell them not to do things (such as tug-of-war) and they still do. I just don't want me yelling at him for doing something, and then get away with it around everyone else. It will just confuse him. Like if I put him in the kennel, I will not come to let him out until I hear he is quiet. And they let him out when he is barking. They are also a problem in getting him into the classes. They think I am nuts for spending this much money on him already. My dad found some guy that will do the training for $50, but the dogs have to be 4 months old and I don't think I want to wait that long. I WANT to have a well behaved dog. As much as I love Reggie and Smokey, I don't want this dog to have all of their bad habits. I want a dog that I can take in public and be around other dogs. And Nebo seems a bit of a snot around other dogs, so I guess that part really needs to be dealt with. He has been around kids, been in the car, and around loud noises...I don't really know how I could socialize him with a cat lol....every cat I know lives outside and is not particularly friendly. He seems to like kids, he sleeps in the car most of the time...except a couple of times he's just started up yapping and struggling...but when we stopped he peed right away, so that could be it. I don't think loud noises bother him, except barking dogs. When I take him for walks, if he hears dogs barking he gets scared and won't move. Ok this post is really long. If you are bored enough to read the entire thing, any more advice is appreciated.~~Amy
Oh...and I'm looking at the clicker website here.......if I had money I'd buy a book lol. I'm going to read more about it before I do anything else.
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