Demon

[Shaan]

Hi there,

I have just got a second husky after seeing him for sale on another website. He is 6 months old and called Demon. Fully vaccinated and knows a lot of tricks already, which is great, however there are a few problems that I would like to ask some advice on.

I was told that when he eats, he is posessive over his food, which I have found. if I walk past him while he is eating, he will growl and go for me. How can I get past this?

Secondly, he is drinking far too much, literally a whole bowl at once and just weeing like mad.

I was told that he has to sleep in his crate every night as that is what he is used to, however for me, he will happily go into his crate but when I go to lock it for the night, he will go for me, however if I leave it open, he will constantly try and play with my other husky, causing them to both stay awake, barking and howling at each other, keeping me up til the early hours.

Any advice will be appreciated.

[KSNS]

1st food.

Do not let him have any food unless given it he is not allowed to have what he wants only what he is given dont give him a whole meal at once give him half of his food or quater of it then make him sit give him some more make him sit make him wait for his food not for ages but untill he learns he will get it when he doin what you ask of him. Also if you feed kibble try feeding him it by hand little bits at a time he must learn the meaning of gentle at 6 months you need to kick this is the ass this is when they start to become dominant an sexual maturity he will learn you are incharge not him.

2nd water dont fil the water bowl up as much yo need to controll his intake try replacing some water with ice cubes he will still get water he needs but not as fast pluss it will help keep him occupied you cant let a dog have no water as you are fully aware so replacing it with substitute will help a lot.

Some people will say you need adjustment time for a new dog this is not true you have to start as you mean to go on dogs respond better to this than any sympathy or an aww look a puppy given his age firm not brutal is the key.

Same goes for the crate you are not asking him to go in you are telling him to go in I would suggest when locking his cage maybe putting a sheet over it to block his vission yes he will know his play bud is there but by not seeing her he may calm down an rest easier a firm an sudden NO when he shows his teeth or growels at you should be put in to effect no fear an no backing off what so ever should be done 6 months he will be testing everything an it's make or break time the out come is entierly up to you

Good luck

[Taylor Piskorski]

Good luck with the training, I think Keath just about covered everything. And welcome to the site, can't wait to see some more pics and some of your other husky of course!

[Arooroomom]

I would be nervous hand feeding a dog who is already lunging (i'm assuming that's what you mean by saying he goes for you?) I would break his meals up into very small portions. Have him sit and wait until you place the food bowl on the floor. Only put in a little at a time. About 1/4 cup maybe. When he is done have him sit again and repeat the process until the entire meal has been fed.

How tired is he at night when you put him into the crate? Perhaps a good long walk will settle him a little better so you are at least able to follow him with the crate door as he goes in.

Are there any other instances where he shows this sort of behavior? Also, do you have any additional info from the old owners? How long this has been going on? How they're attempted to deal with it, ect. ect. ect?

[KSNS]

Being nervous will only make situations worse I can see why you would be cautious but at 6 months old I dont think nerves is some thing you let the dog get the better of you for it. this is my opinion an we all have ways of doing it I am sure there is no one right way to go about it and you need to do what you feel is best doing. I just feel hand feeding will show an teach him you will not take his food from him gain trust an teach him manners while at same time being in complete control very importent lessons in young dogs

[Arooroomom]

Didn't mean it that way. Meant it as I wouldn't feel safe hand feeding a lunging dog. Regardless of age, being lunged at hurts. I'd rather avoid getting bit. Once the dog is more comfortable with you around food (seeing that the person is always giving food, not taking) I would begin tossing food in and then assess if it would be safe to hand feed the dog.

[Shaan]

Being nervous will only make situations worse I can see why you would be cautious but at 6 months old I dont think nerves is some thing you let the dog get the better of you for it. this is my opinion an we all have ways of doing it I am sure there is no one right way to go about it and you need to do what you feel is best doing. I just feel hand feeding will show an teach him you will not take his food from him gain trust an teach him manners while at same time being in complete control very importent lessons in young dogs

The previous owners didn't tell me much actually. Only the tricks that he can do - which I am amazed at what he can do already at his age.

With the hand feeding, I am already doing that successfully, however he will still continue to growl when I go anywhere near him, his bowl or his crate.

I am concerned about the wee, he won't hold it until outside, yet he will hold it in his crate. I mean, I will walk him outside yet on the way through, he will wee on the carpet as I walk along, no matter how fast I run through the house.

@Arooroomom - he only shows this agression when near his cage, toys, food or his new spot in the garden

[KSNS]

Hmmm it isn't his spot it is your's How about moving his crate to different place nearer the back door? less of a journey. Tricks are good but he is working dog not clown lol do you have access to a stream or lake buy a long lead encourage him to swim this will drain his energy no emd

[Shaan]

Hmmm it isn't his spot it is your's How about moving his crate to different place nearer the back door? less of a journey. Tricks are good but he is working dog not clown lol do you have access to a stream or lake buy a long lead encourage him to swim this will drain his energy no emd

The only space in the house now is my bedroom lol, that's where his crate is. He shares a sofa with my other husky that I bought specifically for the pups, so when he is downstairs, he is happily on that. I'm new to the area so not sure of any lakes, but I will keep an eye out for them.

[snssewell]

Oh wow. Sounds pretty bad for such a young dog. This might be the reason the other people sold him? Did they mention any of this to you? I don't have much experience with aggression, but I saw on TV where they worked with a young dog that had food aggression. How is he around his bowl when it is empty? When I saw this show what they did was drop a few pieces of Kibble into the bowl, let the dog eat it then drop some more in it, let the dog eat it, and so on. The point of it was for the dog to learn that each time a hand goes near his bowl good stuff happens such as kibble falling in the bowl. Now it's your decision to make if you feel comfortable enough to do that.

Where are you feeding him? Does he go in the crate during the day to sleep on his own? Can you try throwing some treats in the crate and shut the door while he is picking up the treats, then open it again after a few seconds and praise him if he is not growling at you. Then repeat it and increase the time the crate door is shut by a few seconds each time he is doing well. And keep treating while the crate is closed if that is safe to do and he is not launching. Just make sure you don't treat the bad behavior as that would make it worse.

Maybe he was not properly crate trained and forced to go in there or they had him in there for long periods of time with the door shut. Or used the crate as punishment as well and locked him up in there. Good luck with that. Hope you can work something out with him.

[HuskyCouture]

Demon is stunning, but wow he does have some major issues that need sorting out.

Keath gave you some great info, good luck

[Spinstorm]

I would rename him because that name hardly inspires positivity! Give him a new name as he is really young so it isn't a big deal.

I would agree with what everyone else says. Feed him by holding the bowl and giving him a bit then taking it away or drop food in as others have said.

Treats in the crate is a great idea too. You may have to drop them inside the crate if he doesn't realise where you want him to have them. If you give him a really

tasty treat then close the door he won't notice and will associate it with good things.

I haven't tried to close my doggy in his crate yet as I don't need to but he loves going in it and sleeping but he also doesn't have another friend to play with.

I really want him to meet other huskys as he gets so excited when he sees other dogs on TV... he will be sitting down and his tail will be wagging, I am not even

sure how that is possible!

[KSNS]

Oh and one more thing game wise do not play tug of war games might seem fun to you but increases prey drive as mad as it sounds it teaches them to fight for what they want the shaking of the head motion at what seems like a game to you is part of how they ravish prey when on the attack you encourage the use of force it may not seem it as you are playing but take for example litter mate practice on each other when they are young an playing it's all development.

Just another idea

[Andrew Entz]

When Zoey became food agressive during her pregnancy, I fed her by hands but with my fist closed and only if she was being "gentle!" did she get to nibble while I slowly opened my hand. It made her slow down her gobbling as well, and saved my fingers from getting chomped while she ravished her food. I would definitely cut his water back, that way he won't need to pee so often since his water intake is spaced out throughout the day, not so much at one time. Remember, you've just brought him home and he is still a puppy who obviously needs a refresher on house training. Good luck with everything, Demon is a great looking boy who needs these problems straightened out asap before it turns into something worse.

[Rosemary]

Ozzy also developed food aggression as a pup (4 months), it was as if it happened overnight - it was quite scary as I had never had to deal with something like that before. I started feeding him by hand, and within days, it was over. When we brought Micah into the mix I used to stand between them, but she knew her boundaries and it has never been an issue. I can, if need be, take anything I feel is unsafe from them without any aggression from either of them.

On the water issue. If he is on kibble he will drink a lot more water than a dog on a raw diet. He will also drink a lot more water if he is on one of the cheaper brands of kibble. It takes a lot of water to re-hydrate those little nuggets.

[snowpups]

Keath has done a great job where about do u live maybe someone from here could help u out if they have had the same problem wid there dog. You need to claim the food, toys, crate and spot in the garden there not his there your he sounds like he trying to be the leader if the old owner didn't set down rules when he was young now he setting his own. I would defenlily feed him by hand it builds a relationship and he will learn you don't want his food you are giving him it. With his crate I would throw some bits of chicken in then close the door keep repeating it he will learn when the door closes if means tasty chicken how is he when your other husky goes near the crate or his food. He is still a pup you need to stop it now before he gets older and he gets worse. I believe that is your the old owner got rid of him because they couldn't deal with the problem so past him on to someone else to deal with the issues. Show him your in charge and don't be scared as he will pick up on your fear hope all works out for you.

[Shaan]

Hi guys,

thanks for all of your input.

The previous owner got rid of him, although she didn't want to because her father passed away suddenly and she had to take on his dog (sentimental reasons) and her house wasn't big enough for the 2 animals, along with 3 young children.

I'm in Newcastle

When my other pup goes near the crate, he is fine with her. He will quite happily talk to her, or settle down. Although that is another thing. He won't seem to settle in the crate, will just keep chatting / whining.

I will try the hand feeding, the previous owner only fed him wagg kibble, however I am feeding him some wagg kibble and a bit of wet as my other pup is on that and I don't want him thinking he is getting anything different.

He is doing a little better with where he is weeing, now that I have tried a new routine myself.

On the name situation, how many of you would recommend changing it? I mean, it's only negative if he has been called it in a bad light. Any input on that?

[SarahNukka&Shadow]

GREAT advice there already from Keith!

The only other things I would add is what brand of food are you feeding? If its a brightly coloured one all those chemicals will add to his hypa behaviour.. get him onto a good grain free kibble or alternativly check out our raw feeding threads, a more natural diet will mean he is calmer and will poop less.

Finally is he still entire? If so I would have a chat to your vet about fixing him and soon.. if hes of a dominant disposition fixing him a little early SHOULD help calm him down.

[snowpups]

I would defo think about changing his name he might take on new things with a new name if I was you I would change the food wagg is not good for a husky even I know a few people do give them wagg go for a food with no wheat or soya in and tht his high in protein maybe even a raw diet there are a few threads that talk about the different stuff to feed them myself I feed harrigtons with a couple of days of raw to make sure they are getting all the stuff they need I have 2 huskies a malamute and a gsd harrigtons is from 8 weeks onwards so u won't have to change the diet as they get older but taste of the wild is good for a husky but mine won't eat it read the thread it got great info on diets. Good luck wid the training

[snowpups]

Lol sarah I was writing tht about food then I saw u said it already then I posted mine

[Andy]

Hi, Welcome to the Forum.

Keath has done wonders with his two Huskies and his advice is always sound.

As you live in Newcastle

Why not PM Racheal, forum name Dygosamikita

she may be able to meet up with you.

She has experience with her two and food aggression.

and you'll get to meet two of the sweetest furry members of the forum and one of the most ahem, unusual.

Good luck

[BingBlaze n Skyla]

erm not sure a name change would help - i mean its not going to change his behaviour is it

keath has given you some EXCELLENT advice - good luck and keep us posted on how you get on

[Arooroomom]

Keep his name if you like it. Seamus' original name was Floyd and I hated it. That's the only reason why I changed his. The others had names but I didn't find out what they were until I had them for some time and did some searching on their old owners. Odin was a stray and the woman who was fostering him before I got him was just calling him Wolfie for the hell of it.

If he's responding i'd keep it the same unless you don't like it. As Nix said, changing his name won't fix his behavior lol

[Celestial Echo]

Awesome advice, everyone.

Good luck with the training. I hope you

can nip that behavior in the bud!

[snssewell]

From what you been saying it sounds to me that he was not properly crate trained. Could be that they just threw him in there and closed the door. So instead of making the crate a nice comfy place for him they made it a very uncomfy place for him. I think that you can fix this with positive reinforcement such as lots of treats in the crate. Put a Kong in there with Peanut Butter when it is bed time. Anything to make him feel good being in there. Also lots of praise when he goes in by himself etc etc.

As far as the name....I heard that it can create bad energy for some if they give the dog an evil name. Personally I think Demon is a pretty name for a Husky. But some people may think of an actual demon when saying the name and that can cause bad energy that will then be picked up by the dog. But I don't know how true that is. Just something I heard.