Andrew Posted July 31, 2011 Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 Hello everyone! I'm new to the forums and have been doing a bit of research before attempting to look into owning a husky. I found one at the shelter and she quite beautiful. I was able to interact with the dog, they say the dog is roughly between 1-2 years old. She seems to roam around quite often and was able to do the 'sit' command. During the adoption, she will be spayed, and my concern was they dont ever give the dog a wash or anything. Wouldn't infection occur easily if fleas and other bacteria may be present? Because you aren't suppose to bathe them for 2 weeks. Another question, would I try to train her immediately or wait until shes fully heal to know what bad habits she has? Just want everything to go smoothly, which may never be the case unless i'm lucky. If you have any tips for a newly adopted adult husky, please feel free to comment or anything suggestion! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lurchybold Posted July 31, 2011 Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 First things first, we will need pic's ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tan J P Posted July 31, 2011 Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 hiya and welcome when you get your girl home because she has just been spayed you will need to try and keep her calm and relaxed for a good few days no jumping about and running,although gently walk for a few mins will be fine. you can start training her with a few tricks,but i'd let her settle into her new home 1st she's going to find things a bit strange for a while. she should be fine in not needing a bath,just ask them to flea treat her before she comes home. good luck with her and dont forget pics:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mazz Posted July 31, 2011 Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 Welcome to the pack. They will shave the area and apply a disinfectant to the area of the incision, so I would not worry about infection. Just keep her calm and don't let her lick the incision. Hope they give you some pain meds for her. If not, you might ask for them. I'd also wait on any training until she's used to her new home and the healing is well underway. If she knows the command "sit", you may have her sit before putting her food bowl down. Also, make sure to see what she's been fed, and try to keep her on the same food, at least to start. When we brought Eisa home from the shelter, she was on Purina Dog Chow. Not one that I would consider giving my dogs, but since that's what she was on, that's what I bought, to at least keep things as normal as possible for her. Then after a week, we started the transition to the food we feed Zoya. Oh yes, when you bring her home, lots of pics please. Do you have a name for yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paranormal Wolf Posted July 31, 2011 Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 Tan J P and Mazz gave some great advice. Also welcome to the pack Always great to have a new member. Hope to see pics when you bring her home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BingBlaze n Skyla Posted July 31, 2011 Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 welcome to the pack - well done on rescuing - im sure she will be fine but maybe u could request they clean her first - or offer to come n do it urself? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadowpup Posted July 31, 2011 Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 It takes dogs a couple of months to settle in. As Tan said keep her calm after her op and keep the walks minimal. Bathing shouldn't be an issue, if the rescue don't flea treat her get some advocate and do that. I've not had fleas at all since I got advocate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted July 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 You guys are right, I'll have her settle into her new home first. Hopefully she doesn't mind the crate and is comfortable. Do you leave the bowl of food and water inside the crate or just outside? The current food shes having is 'Science Diet', but whats the brand that is recommended for a husky? I read on the forums, that you only need to bathe the dog roughly 3 mos or so? Since they are very clean dogs. Do you let your dog stay inside your house? I was thinking of transitioning her from the garage and eventually inside my house, because I dont know if she is a destructive type yet. Forgot to mention, they do give the first dose of Advantage. I'll ask the vet to see if theres any problems. I'm going to name her Ellie. I will definitely post up pics once she gets home! Picking her up Tuesday Thanks for the advices Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tan J P Posted July 31, 2011 Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 @Andrew cant wait for pics as for keeping her in the house thats your choice all mine are house dogs,they even sleep in our room,lol,but thats how i like it. we bathe ours only once maybe twice a year,they are very good at keeping clean themselves. if you are going to change her food make sure you do it over a week or so with a little added to her food she is on at the moment or she'll get the runs. gradually swap the new food amount so it is greater than the old and she should be fine. if you are keeping her in the garage bear in mind she may well be unsettled and even lonely the 1st few nights if you are crating her,could she not be in the house from the on-set? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted July 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 I could do that, would have to put the crate in the living room, since my terrier is currently staying in the kitchen. Once or twice a year to bathe a dog is amazing, I always thought I would be bathing it more often than that. Good news for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tan J P Posted July 31, 2011 Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 try if you can to introduce her to your terrier outside on neutral ground just seems to make the ''getting to know you'' a little easier. or if you have a garden,have them both on their leads so at least you have control if they are a little tetchy at 1st. congrats on rescuing Ellie....lovely name you have picked i have rescued 2 now,and the sheer joy of knowing you have helped give one a forever home is fantastic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mazz Posted July 31, 2011 Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 I would not keep her in the garage. It's probably best to keep her inside if you can to start. That way you'll only have to go through the transition once. Garages can be terribly hot in the summer, and extremely cold in winter. Of course, don't know where you live. As far as Science Diet goes, keep her on that to start, but look for something better. We feed both ours Taste of the Wild. It's a grain-free kibble. Each get one cup twice a day. There are plenty of great quality foods available. Some things to consider: Avoid foods that contain corn or maize, wheat, soy. Corn is a cheap filler and if not handled properly during storage and transport, can develop a chemical toxin (aflatoxin), which can make them very sick, or be fatal. Wheat is an allergen for many dogs, so it's best to avoid. Soy is added for protein because it's cheaper than using meat. However, protein from meat is more digestible for dogs. Avoid any food that contains "by-products". These are the things that are not fit for human consumption and can contain sinew, skin, and other non-tasty things. Avoid foods that contain brewer's rice. That is a real cheap filler. Look for a food that contains things like chicken, chicken meal, lamb, lamb meal, salmon, salmon meal, beef, beef meal. You get the idea. Best if there are at least three meat sources right at the top of the list. Sweet potatoes, peas, blue berries, carrots are also good. There are also good quality grains like barley, rice, and oats. So if you choose a food with those grains, they provide good quality carbohydrates. Now, when you make the switch from Science Diet to whatever food you decide to go with, do it gradually, over the period of a week. Huskies are very efficient with their food, so the amount listed on the bag is most likely too much to feed a Husky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Posted July 31, 2011 Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 lovely name - welcome to the pack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Removed #5 Posted August 1, 2011 Report Share Posted August 1, 2011 @Andrew since we cover the globe (everything but South America - what happened to them?) it really helps if we have some idea of where you are. And it looks like the the unofficial "Pin yourself on the map!" guy, take a tip over to the member map http://www.husky-owners.com/forum/memberMap/ and pin yourself, would you please. Since you're feeding Science Diet, I'm going to assume you're in the US somewhere ..... and of course Welcome to the Best Husky Forum ever. Open 24/7 since we ARE scattered all over the globe! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
<3Jess<3 Posted August 1, 2011 Report Share Posted August 1, 2011 hi welcome to the forum cant wait to see pics good on u for rescuing =D hope it all goes well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roxy1 Posted August 1, 2011 Report Share Posted August 1, 2011 Welcome to the forum- Congrats on the new pup and rescuing too! I would definitely get all the introductions taken care of 1st (with your terrier) and crate her in the house. Husky's are pack animals and she would be very lonely out in the garage. Could end up being very noisy. As far as training goes, there are a lot of "casual" training things you could do in the 1st weeks, such as "wait" (for dinner) reinforce the sit, leash walking gently while she heals, "leave it" things like that you could work on sitting in your living room. The 1st couple of days she may be sore, but after that you might have to make an effort to keep her from being too active. Especially if she gets on well with your other pup and they want to play. I agree with others that you should keep her on the food for now and gradually ween her over when you decide what you are changing to. But I would definitely keep her inside (if your going to anyway) and let her get the feel for her new home. Best of luck and Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted August 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2011 I will post up pics! The days are going by slowly, but its just around the corner. I have to try and hopefully my terrier and her will get along well. My terrier has a problem with strangers (shyness) and dogs (snarling) at times; I've been introducing my terrier to dog parks and such to get her more sociable. Think its best to slowly let them interact day by day? How should I approach it, if my terrier shows aggression/shyness? I was thinking eventually have them walk together and my terrier will get used to Ellie. I'm going to work on the simple house training, and warm her into the crate. I'll try to reinforce anything she may know. What kind of treats does everyone use? And how useful are clickers? I'll definitely switch out the food gradually. I might switch it to TOTW, heard some good reviews on them. But it may depend on the sibes, since they may or may not like it? She was in the shelter for over two weeks and when I saw her, I just knew she was the one. Shelters are depressing environment..if I could adopt all of those dogs, I would. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tan J P Posted August 1, 2011 Report Share Posted August 1, 2011 i've not used a clicker but some people swear by them,have a look at some vids they are a great tool but must be used correctly. as for treats........chicken,cheese,hot-dogs or even her kibble(some are food orientated and will take it as a treat too) i also buy little bags of treats but usually break them up so they just get a little morsel be careful that you dont treat too much which along with her food could lead to over-feeding and poorly tum! take her and your terrier(name please and pics:)) on walks together,i'm sure they will soon get on,but dont be surprised if you have a couple of spats so be on hand just incase you need to step in. good luck and cant wait for pics when you bring Ellie home:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Posted August 1, 2011 Report Share Posted August 1, 2011 Well done for adopting your girly. Welcome to the BEST husky forum in the WORLD. Follow the advice and you won't go far wrong. as you get to know Ellie and her personality then you can work on what kind of training needs to be done first. Good luck on your new adventure Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMac91 Posted August 2, 2011 Report Share Posted August 2, 2011 The only type of food I use is Blue Buffalo, that's the type of treats I buy only as well, mainly because we don't have a huge amount of decent treats here. Congrats on your Sibe! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Removed #5 Posted August 2, 2011 Report Share Posted August 2, 2011 Okay, you got me! Location: Fountain Valley - yeh, Fountain Valley what and even what continent! << laughing >> But I see it's Fountina Valley Cal so it's all good. Looked at the map and realize you're not far from Huntington beach - can you take the dogs there? The Husky would either love it or hate, there isn't much of an inbetween. Old memories, I used to spend as much time as I could over at Huntington library ( I realize not close ) but this is what they call loose association .... in between getting dizzy going between Blueboy on one wall and Pinkie on the other I spent time in front of the Gutenberg Bible - gawd was that (for me) the place to spend free time!! (( as a teenager I lived in El Monte and Baldwin Park )) I didn't know at the time that I'd be spending almsot 3 years in Japan and I loved the Japanese Garden on the grounds there. /fin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Removed #5 Posted August 2, 2011 Report Share Posted August 2, 2011 First things first, we will need pic's ! Gee, you're not even nice!!! You could at least say "Hi!" and then tell him that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Removed #2 Posted August 2, 2011 Report Share Posted August 2, 2011 Have you considered bringing your other dog to the kennel where your husky is coming from to meet her? It might be better if they are familiar with each other first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loriam Posted August 2, 2011 Report Share Posted August 2, 2011 about TOTW, i kept buying the different flavors of the 5lb bags to see what athena liked... she doesn't care for pacific stream and hates sierra mountain but absolutely loves high prairie and wetlands. for treats, we give her chicken, cheese, or any kind of fruit (besides citrus and grapes) and we also have a pet health store just around the corner that has fresh baked doggie biscuits made from all natural ingredients. since it's more popular now, more than likely they'll use buried sutures for the spay. i opted for no pain meds because i've read that it's the pain that settles the dog and if she feels just fine (no aches or feeling sore) she'll be more likely to try to jump and run and that's not what you want. also, it might not be the best idea to introduce her to your terrier as soon as you bring her home. since she'll be a little more on guard (the anesthesia and pain from the surgery are sure to leave her feeling vulnerable and confused) the vet might actually advise you to keep them separated, at least for the first night home or so. you shouldn't have to clean it but because i'm an absolute worry wart, i used a little bit of Bactine on a gauze pad to gently dab the incision and the area around it before bed every night. it dries fast and doesn't leave a residue. it's also a good idea to take a picture of the incision everyday to assess the healing. memory is often unreliable but if you have pictures to compare it can put your mind at ease or let you know more clearly when something doesn't look right. i know what you mean about shelters. i went with a friend when she wanted to adopt and all the poor things had kennel cough i'm glad that you could give this girl a home <3 anyways, welcome and good luck! can't wait to see pics! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mydiamond Posted August 2, 2011 Report Share Posted August 2, 2011 hey congrats on rescuing Ellie! ^0^ I think you should take your terrier to see Ellie before you bring her home, just to see will they get along or not. Other than that, I would recommend taking both of your dogs on a looooong walk before taking them home. So make sure the weather is nice and the sun is still going to shine for good few more hours when you pick Ellie up, 'kay? ^0^ The pack walk will surely tell both Ellie and your terrier that they belong in one same family. (try to) Make them heel behind or beside you, so that they can both see YOU are the pack leader not one of'em. If there's any fight between the two of them, go ask for advice from ppl who own more than one dog I only have one furbaby so can't help you with that, but tell you what: they say the first days will always be a bit rough between the two dogs. Will take time until they accepted each other and get along like real friends Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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