Fox
1178619 | 
 | | Barked: Sun Jan 1, '12 9:35am PST |  | |  | | I tend to go point by point when there are as many things going on as you have, so bear with me...
We just got our first husky about three weeks ago. Her name is willow she is almost 5 (Feb. 2). Is she pure with papers and everything (not that it makes her more or less of a better dog without pure blood or papers). She has had 5 homes in the last year or so. But she at last has found her forever home.
Congrats on your girl! I think 5 years is a wonderful age - Em is almost 5 now (March 17) and she's really come into her own, as did Vance when he was 5. Having 5 homes in the past year sets off an alarm bell for me, though. Do you know why she's had so many homes? And if not, can you find out? Fox had 6 homes in 6 years - it's because she hates other dogs (she does not mix with V and Em), likes to roam and kills small animals, including cats. Em had 3 homes in 3 years because she has enough energy to power a small town and can break out of anything. I'm fine with all these things, but knowing about them in advance can save you a lot of trouble down the road.
I did a far amount of reading about the breed but she is really nothing like them but for three things. She never never tells us when she has to pee. She sheds like crazy! And as an older teen we had a very longed haired golden retriever.
The first point is actually not typical. Huskies are usually very tidy and will go out of their way to keep their home clean. Vance actually gets irritated with me if I don't vaccum enough. She could be an anomoly, but this could also be part of her 5+ home past. She may have been in a place where she was not let out to use the bathroom.
Huskies and Goldens have completely different coat types. The stress of yet another new home has most likely triggered a coat blow. So, expect her to lose her entire undercoat in the next month or two, and then the shedding should slow down. Feeding a diet of real, unprocessed foods will help quite a bit with shedding overall. The more nutrition they get, the more they have to spare on maintaining their coat. There is all kinds of info the homecooking/raw forums, and you don't have to go 100% with it - many people do real food and a high quality kibble to save time/cost.
Other than that she is nothing like the breed.
I can’t train her for nothing. Training dogs has always been a gift of mine.
I can’t get her to sit but that’s it. Lie down and off are the only ones that I NEED her to know. All the rest would be fun but I can live. I work with her 5 to ten minutes at a time 2 to 5 times a day.
I want her to walk with me. She won’t. She doesn’t pull too much but she walks in front none the less.
I don't know what on earth you read that said Huskies were easy trained! Smart - yes, absolutely. But being smart does not equal biddable. Most Huskies have to be thoroughly convinced that listening to a human is worthwhile.
Contrary to what certain highly popular television personalities would have you believe, dog training is not a supernatural gift that we are born with. This belief has become the bane of my existance, as I constantly have people assuming they cannot train their dog themself because they aren't gifted enough, or conversely, that they should go into business as a dog trainer right now because they trained their dog and their neighbor's dog so clearly they are gifted. Some people relate better to dogs from the start, but the actual process of educating them is something we have to learn. Dog trainers (the good ones, anyway) typically spend several years educating themselves and apprentancing for experiance before officially going into business.
That being said, the fact that she's only been with you 3 weeks, and has already been bounced through 5 homes this year is working against you in a huge way. She is not yet bonded to you, and probably will not settle down and feel truly comfortable for quite some time. Right now, she has no reason to believe it is worth her time and putting her emotions on the line yet again to respect and love you. The standard time line we give for rescue dogs is 2 weeks to feel ok, 4 - 6 to feel comfortable, 4 - 6 months to feel truly at home. All of the Huskies I have worked with have taken longer than average. Typically dogs who have had 3+ homes take longer than average. There is no way to expediate this process. All you can do is keep working, and be understanding of what she has been and is still going through.
In any case, find a good, POSITIVE training class. If you go to negative training (pinch, choke and shock collars), you'll shut her down even further. Most of what you need is pretty straight forward. Leashwalking will be challanging, if she's been walking in front for 5 years, and being of a breed that was created to walk in front. It can be done, but you'll have to decide if it's important enough to you to put the work in, or if you're happy just to have her not pulling. All of my guys walk in front, but I have taught them to fall back to my side on request, in case we're coming around a corner on a crowded street or something that I don't want them encountering first.
I would also like her to make noise. Funny thing to ask but is she would ‘talk’ maybe she would tell us if she has to go out. She doesn’t make any noise at all. No barking no howling no talking no noise even when she yawns.
She either will or she won't. Some Huskies are just not talkers. You can get excited and praise every little sound she makes, in hopes she'll make more. Either someone had an issue with her talking and punished her for it, or she's just naturally quiet.
It probably won't help with potty stuff anyway. Vance is the only one who will go to the door and "woo" if he needs to go out. Ember sits on my feet and pants, Fox turns in circles in front of the door. She may be indicating, you just haven't picked up on the cue yet. You can try the bell trick - hang bells on the door knob and ring them before you go out. If she goes over to investigate and rings them, happily drop what you're doing and take her out.
She was breed to be a miniature but her daddy was normal size so she is a bit tall for the mini.
There is no such thing as a miniature Husky. They have a set size standard and will be booted out of a show ring if they are over or under height.
There are Alaskan Klee Kais, but these are actually a different breed created by mixing Huskies, American Eskimos, and others, then breeding only the offspring until they bred "true." So when you breed two Klee Kais, you will get more Klee Kais that look exactly like them. They are not just small Huskies.
Do not breed her. She already came from an irreputable breeder, if they were creating "mini" Huskies. This immediately throws her genetic health and linage into question. Plus the fact that she's lost two litters already, and is almost out of prime breeding age.
If, hypothetically, you could look up her linage, find full health reports on all of them, show and title her... Then you could consider breeding. But... You're looking for needles in a haystack. Overall, it is not worth the heartache. Bad breeders are the reason Vance has one eye, arthritis in his spine and hips (since age 4!), chronic malabsorption issues and liver failure. I love him to death, but no one should ever have to go through what we have been through. Ever. Appreciate her while she's here, and when you're ready for more Huskies rescue again or look for a wonderful breeder. |  |  | |  |
| | my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals | [notify] |
|
|
0
