jnetser

I agree that you really shouldn't repeat commands. If you have to, it means that you are progressing too fast in the level of distraction or you need a higher reward or both. It is said you should get the desired response 9 out of every 10 times you ask for a behavior before you change anything (location, level of reward, etc). If you don't get the response at that level, you need to go back to the previously successful level and repeat again. Unless you can get a recall in your house 9 out of 10 times you shouldn't even try it in your backyard or elsewhere as you will essentially be setting your pup up to fail. You will need to use some level of treats forever during training and to reinforce learned behaviors. At some point you will be able to decrease the frequency of treats (ex. he gets a treat every third time you ask for a behavior instead of every time). But he will get one often enough that it is worth his while to do what you are asking, just in case there is a treat. Husky's are too smart. If you teach him to sit (using treats of course), then you keep asking him to sit and he never gets anything for it, he will most likely stop sitting for you, because "what's the point" (unlike a border collie, who will sit just to please you, lol). You will have to continue to train and occasionally reward him for sitting. Also, when training recall, you should be using the highest level of food reward there is for your dog. There should be nothing more important to the dog then getting back to you.

So sorry to hear this. I know a little about bone cancer in dogs (osteosarcoma) because it is unfortunately common in greyhounds of which I have 3 and have many friends who have gone through this with their hounds. Keep in mind it is the most painful kind of cancer there is. If the dog is limping at all he is in pain. Meds have to be titrated so there is no visible pain. A good orthopedic vet can usually make the diagnosis without a biopsy. The point of amputation is to control pain, not cure. Osteo has almost always spread when diagnosed, you just can't detect it yet. But that being said, you can get potentially many months of good quality life with amputation. The chemo is typically not too hard on them also. There is really not much physical therapy needed post-op. Once they figure out how to get about with 3 legs you can't even tell they are missing one. If you want a quick education on this diagnosis, I highly suggest you go over to the website greytalk.com. There is a whole thread devoted to osteosarcoma (it is that common in greyhounds) under the medical section. Search the site for Osteo thread part 7. There are also many archived threads under the same name. There is much talk about treatment decisions, chemotherapy and palliative care. They are a friendly, knowledgeable bunch. The beginning of the thread has useful links for more information about the diagnosis. Again, I'm sorry you have to possibly face this. Julie

Husky x Shepherd are gorgeous dogs. Love her markings!

A dog is forever...Girlfriends come and go

Its the only way Gracie eats too. She flops on the kitchen floor and waits for me to fix her bowl, then I set it down beside her, lol.

Unless you want the mothball lady from down the street, I'd wait a few nights so she is under your husky spell, then go for it! Gracie

Squashed like a bug....lol

Well deserved Z'zzzzzzzz. What a cutie

I will comment on the dog door. I have had one for years but just this summer started letting them have access to the yard when no one is home and at night. This was a big deal for me as I am a very conservative, paranoid owner. It has been working well for the most part. We are gone about 9 hours a day and accidents are now rare. I will say, I have an 8 foot fence that is buried 2 feet, so 6 feet above ground. All gates are padlocked. My dogs are not barkers. The only problems we have had are occasional household items found outside and a few outside items found inside. We are not sure what we will do this winter as the dog door is in an unheated porch that has to be closed in the winter. If my yard was not 100% secure I would not do it. One of my dogs has fear aggression toward strangers so no one will be climbing my fence either. I think you just have to carefully look at your own situation.

Coming from a greyhound owner.... a greyhound should never be out of the owners immediate control when small furry creatures may be running. That is a disaster waiting to happen. Many greyhounds live successfully in homes with small dogs and cats, but if you take them out of their home, unfamiliar small cats and dogs may be seen as prey. If I was you, I would keep your pup in the small animal portion of the park (if there is one) or if you see an off-lead greyhound I would leave.

What a beautiful girl. I can understand why you wouldn't want to give her up after all you have been through. It is so wonderful that she has bonded with your other two. She is quite lucky she crossed paths with you.

Definitely start crate training right away. Although 8 weeks is the "typical" time to get a puppy, there is some school of thought that says a few weeks longer with mom and pups is better. They learn so many important things from their siblings. If you got a pup at 12 weeks that had been in an isolated enviornment and not socialized, that would be a bad thing. Congratulations on your addition!

Also, be very careful what you give them to destroy and frankly, I wouldn't let them have anything they can rip up when you are gone. They WILL ingest it and you will end up with a dead dog or a huge vet bill from surgery. This is where crate training comes in too. They typically just sleep in their crates and don't need a bunch of toys for company. Save the toys for when you can supervise or till they are a little older and are less inclined to be so destructive. Some harder chew toys like nylabones may work when you are gone, or kong toys filled with frozen peanut butter (although not if that would cause the two of them to scuffle over it) Taking on two adolescent huskies at the same time is definitely not for the faint of heart!

Hi Kristin Having an indoor option is really going to make it much more difficult. Honestly, your best option would be to get two crates and crate train them. Lots of information on this site about that. 10 hours is really pushing it. Would it be possible to have a neighbor stop by in the middle of the day to let them out once? Crate training would help with the destructiveness too, as they could be crated when you can't supervise them. It sounds like they shouldn't be allowed out of your sight at this point, in other words they should be in whatever room you are in. Take them out every 2 hours, whether you think they need to go or not and praise the heck out of them when they potty outside. Frankly, if your husband is not stepping up, don't leave them in his care if you can help it. My husband try's but constantly forgets about them. All dogs I've had prior to him never had accidents. All dogs acquired after him, have accidents. Consistency is the absolute key. If you think of every accident as your fault, it helps you figure out what you need to change. Is your yard fenced? Julie (across the state

Shes beautiful. Love, love, love the ears. I don't know if any of them are lady-like:) I know mine's definitely not either.