new owner starting to panic

[Nikki Bridgeman]

Hi everyone!

We got our first husky 5 weeks ago, and before we did, I spent a lot of time doing my research and learning about the breed because we we're planning to get a pup from a local breeder, but then we heard about an 11 month old in desperate need of a home. We went to see him and two things happened, we fell in love with him and wanted to take him home, and we realised what appalling conditions he was living in and wanted to rescue him from there. He came to us in quite a state, he was riddled with fleas, behind on all vet treatments, and even though he was in the middle of shedding, I don't think he'd ever seen a brush. I was unable to get him to the vet until 2 weeks after we'd had him, and by that time he had gained quite a lot of weight already, at the vet's appointment I was told he was 3kg under a healthy weight even after the increase we had seen.

He's getting a lot better already, he seems like a different dog. From the way his behaviour has changed I assume he's happy with us and feels safe. But I'm still really worried about a lot of things, and don't know any other owners.

First of all, can any one tell from the pics if he is pure husky or crossed with another breed?

Is His pink nose normal? He seems to be constantly trying to relieve itching around the nose, he rubs it against everything; carpet, furniture, kitchen floor tiles even me!

Another thing that worries me is he seems happy enough to just go and lay in another room, typically when we are in the lounge, he'll be sprawled out in the kitchen. He doesn't seem to mind if he's near us or not. Is this normal? And should I move his bed to the kitchen?

The other thing is that he's a puller, harnesses haven't worked, and he came with a choke chain (which I threw in the bin the day we got him as I personally can't stand them) I've had to resort to getting a canny collar ( the one that has a strap over the nose) And i'm worried that this is bad for him, the pet shop owner said that it was painless, and it probably is, but is it hurting him emotionally?

Thank you for taking the time to help one very worried parent. I'd appreciate any advice whatsoever :-) x

[BingBlaze n Skyla]

welcome to the pack - well done on rescuing ur boy hes gorgeous! whats his name? he looks like my skyla she has the same coloured nose too (ill add a pic at the end) - completely normal for him to not want to be around people aswell - they are very independant - he might start coming to you once he has settled in about more n learnt theres trust with you - by the sounds of things his old owners didnt care much about him so probably didnt spend time with him which could be why he is out chilling on his own as thats what he will be used to

ive used a canny collar on my male who was also a chronic puller - so long as you get him used to it and introduce it as a positive thing he will be fine - have a read of this thread for help - http://www.husky-owners.com/forum/threads/getting-used-to-a-head-collar.12059/

heres a couple of pics of my girl (click to see bigger pic)

[bex0409]

hello first of all that was such an nice thing to do and rescue him he looks purebreed to me. my huskies nose is pink/tan so i think its perfectly normal in the lighter coats. you sound like describing my husky with the sleeping in the other room thing, i always try n get him to come and lay down on the sofa with us or on the floor in the living room but he just wont he walks straight back out and either lies on the kitchen floor or lies outside he just prefers his own space i guess. diesel pulls all the time hes 6 months old, ive tried various things such as the canny collar which he just wriggles and wriggles to get out of, i know just have a flexi lead i try and wear him out abit before the walk and after about 20 minutes he calms down and stops pulling i think its the first excitement of going on the walk lol he nearly has my arm off, you sound like your doing a really good job with him. hope some that helped xxxx

[Millie & Poppy]

Im a new owner, so probably know as much as you...

But... hes gorgeous!! in fact my pup looks exactly the same but a smaller version!

xxx

[elenamarie]

Hi everyone!

We got our first husky 5 weeks ago, and before we did, I spent a lot of time doing my research and learning about the breed because we we're planning to get a pup from a local breeder, but then we heard about an 11 month old in desperate need of a home. We went to see him and two things happened, we fell in love with him and wanted to take him home, and we realised what appalling conditions he was living in and wanted to rescue him from there. He came to us in quite a state, he was riddled with fleas, behind on all vet treatments, and even though he was in the middle of shedding, I don't think he'd ever seen a brush. I was unable to get him to the vet until 2 weeks after we'd had him, and by that time he had gained quite a lot of weight already, at the vet's appointment I was told he was 3kg under a healthy weight even after the increase we had seen.

He's getting a lot better already, he seems like a different dog. From the way his behaviour has changed I assume he's happy with us and feels safe. But I'm still really worried about a lot of things, and don't know any other owners.

First of all, can any one tell from the pics if he is pure husky or crossed with another breed?

[ATTACH=full]17242[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]17244[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]17243[/ATTACH]

Is His pink nose normal? He seems to be constantly trying to relieve itching around the nose, he rubs it against everything; carpet, furniture, kitchen floor tiles even me!

Another thing that worries me is he seems happy enough to just go and lay in another room, typically when we are in the lounge, he'll be sprawled out in the kitchen. He doesn't seem to mind if he's near us or not. Is this normal? And should I move his bed to the kitchen?

The other thing is that he's a puller, harnesses haven't worked, and he came with a choke chain (which I threw in the bin the day we got him as I personally can't stand them) I've had to resort to getting a canny collar ( the one that has a strap over the nose) And i'm worried that this is bad for him, the pet shop owner said that it was painless, and it probably is, but is it hurting him emotionally?

Thank you for taking the time to help one very worried parent. I'd appreciate any advice whatsoever x

First, welcome to the board! What is your boy's name? He's had a rough start, but I'm glad he found you!

What a beautiful boy! There's no way to know for absolute certain that he's full-blooded but I'd guess so. The bi-eye is a standard Siberian trait, and because blue is a recessive trait both his dam and sire have to have blue eyes or a blue gene. Also, his muzzle and eye shape look to me like a Siberian.

And ONLY Siberians get the "snow nose," or that's what I've read. That's what the pink on his nose is called. A white Siberian can have a totally pink nose too (which isn't a snow nose) but when the nose is two colors that's a "snow nose." It's perfectly normal, nothing to worry over. I'd have the vet look at him about the itching, just in case, but Sarah loves rubbing her nose on the carpet, etc. too and she's perfectly normal.

Siberians are very independent souls. While it may vary by the dog, Siberians aren't like labs or whatnot, they're very "in themselves." Not that they don't love their humans, mind you! They just don't feel the need to be next to their humans at all times.

The canny is fine, but you should use it in conjunction with a good training routine to stop the forging (pulling.) There's lots of info on the training section of the board.

What are you feeding him? That might cause some itchiness too.

Again, welcome to the board! We're here to help you and your dog have a lifetime of love and laughs! Feel free to ask anything.

[Liz Jones]

There are alot of more experienced people than me on here but I would say that he looks pure husky to me with beautiful bi-eyes.

I use a halt and there are many people who use the canny head collar on here so don't worry are you planning on other forms of exercise as well? We run ours and let them have a good pull on harnesses but when the weather is cooler

Where abouts are you we have regular meet ups all over the UK so keep an eye on the events and meet up section. It is a great chance to meet other husky owners face to face

You'll find this forum brilliant for answering your questions and don't worry we where first time husky owners two years ago and still learning from our girls

[jess86]

He's really cute, looks exactly like my Poppie eyes, pink nose and all! Poppies nose has only just started turning pink, So I was going to ask the same question as you about that but she's not itching it, the first thing that came to my mind was maybe it was sunburnt cause I noticed Poppie likes to lay in the sunshine, maybe you could try putting some soothing cream on it? I can't really help though with anything as I'm a first time Husky owner, but I will tell you about Poppie if it helps any. She is more than willing to lay in another room on her own, sometimes she'll lay by my feet, could just be personal preference for your dog?

Poppie is a puller as well I also got a canny collar (although the one i got was called a head halter) Poppie didn't like it at all no matter how much coaxing or rewarding her with treats would make her keep it on so I don't bother and I'm going back to the good old harness and training her inside and out in the yard to not pull, I'm having better success.

it's not really advice, but just what I'm dealing with...just so you can get a picture i guess, to me sounds like your doing a good job

[Luna's Mum]

First of all, congratulations on rescuing him!!!

How tall is he from floor to shoulder? He seems quite stocky, I wonder whether he's got some Mal in him? I'm absolutely no expert, @BingBlaze'n'Skyla will probably be able to tell you, she's really good at that!

Pink nose is normal but he will need suncream on it if he's out and about in the sun...Luna's is mottled black & pink and she can get sunburnt if we're not careful! He may have burnt it recently and the skin is tight and uncomfortable, hence the rubbing. I do find though that Luna rubs her nose against her crate liner quite a bit and I only figured out the other day that she's trying to "bury" her bone and doesn't understand that the liner won't move like dirt does! Is he rubbing his nose towards a treat when he does it?

Do not be worried about him being okay to settle away from you! Huskies are prone to Seperation Anxiety and if he isn't showing signs of being clingy then you're lucky. He's probably had to fend for himself in the past which has made him more independant. He might like the kitchen because the floor is cool to lie on, I wouldn't worry about moving his bed.

Pretty much all huskies pull...it's in their nature. They are unbelieveably smart though so you can probably sort the pulling problem with a bit of training. One method I've heard that works very well is you walk with them alongside you and every time they pull ahead you turn them around and walk the other way, then turn back and try again. Keep doing this over and over and soon he'll understand that if he pulls he doesn't get anywhere but if he walks beside you then he gets to where he wants to go! You might want to do this after exercise though...an energetic husky is far more likely to pull and less likely to listen.

Best of luck with your new boy, he's a real cutie!!!

[Nikki Bridgeman]

He didn't respond to the name he had when we got him, so I let my little sister name him. He's called stitch! he answers to it every time already. Thank you, it's good to know we're doing ok with him. And i'm glad it's normal behaviour for him to want his own space, I was kinda worried he missed his previous home or something. I don't have a measuring tape, but I just had a go with some string and some rough measuring, I think he's around 25 inches from floor to shoulder.

[BingBlaze n Skyla]

First of all, congratulations on rescuing him!!!

How tall is he from floor to shoulder? He seems quite stocky, I wonder whether he's got some Mal in him? I'm absolutely no expert, @BingBlaze'n'Skyla will probably be able to tell you, she's really good at that!

lol thanks - god u really need to have met skyla b4 her weight loss - 24 inches from floor to shoulder/withers and 33.20kgs - n pure female sibe lol but he does look like a bi-eyed version of skyla to me

[BingBlaze n Skyla]

He didn't respond to the name he had when we got him, so I let my little sister name him. He's called stitch! he answers to it every time already. Thank you, it's good to know we're doing ok with him. And i'm glad it's normal behaviour for him to want his own space, I was kinda worried he missed his previous home or something.

awww stitch bless him he is gorgeous he will soon settle in with you n might even turn into a cuddle monster given the time

[elenamarie]

He didn't respond to the name he had when we got him, so I let my little sister name him. He's called stitch! he answers to it every time already. Thank you, it's good to know we're doing ok with him. And i'm glad it's normal behaviour for him to want his own space, I was kinda worried he missed his previous home or something.

LOL Now you gotta get a Lilo. Did anyone warn you about sibes being addictive?

Have you started working with Stitch in terms of training? There is a training routine you can use with him to help him learn that ALL good things come from you. Once he realizes that he can depend on you, trust you to meet ALL his needs, he will listen to you and see you as HIS person. If you need details let me know.

My Sarah is food-motivated like nothing I've ever seen, so I use food extensively while training new behaviors. Does Stitch pay close attention to you when you have a treat in your hand?

[elenamarie]

lol thanks - god u really need to have met skyla b4 her weight loss - 24 inches from floor to shoulder/withers and 33.20kgs - n pure female sibe lol but he does look like a bi-eyed version of skyla to me

Mals never, ever have blue eyes do they? It would be impossible for a Mal to cross with a Sibe and result in a blue-and-green bi-eyed dog if the Mals never have blue eyes.

I don't know much about Mals but did read in a breed book that they never have blue eyes.

[BingBlaze n Skyla]

Mals never, ever have blue eyes do they? It would be impossible for a Mal to cross with a Sibe and result in a blue-and-green bi-eyed dog if the Mals never have blue eyes.

I don't know much about Mals but did read in a breed book that they never have blue eyes.

no thats true - im sure sibe mal crosses could have however but im not sure - only mal x huskies ive met have had brown eyes

[Nikki Bridgeman]

we're feeding him on 2/3 tins of win-a-lot per day, and he always has a bowl of bakers dry food to nibble on in-between. He's learning things very quickly, He does all the basics like sit, stay, come and leave it, and he's learnt 12 other 'tricks' like hold hands, play dead, high 5 etc.

this may sound silly but where can i get doggy sun cream? i haven't seen it in the pet shop.

he does pay close attention when there are treats involved

[lebe03]

Welcome to the pack.

Just a quick thought, as I'm supposed to be working but his nose itching / rubbing maybe the result of allergies so if he keeps doing this a trip to the vet maybe in order.

He's very handsome by the way

[Luna's Mum]

no thats true - im sure sibe mal crosses could have however but im not sure - only mal x huskies ive met have had brown eyes

I didn't know Mals only have dark eyes TBH. I should imagine the blue is recessive though so the result of blue eyed husky and a mal would most likely be brown eyes. Sounds more and more likely that the beautiful Stitch is a pure Sibe. The novice in me has been shown up

[Luna's Mum]

this may sound silly but where can i get doggy sun cream? i haven't seen it in the pet shop.

I don't know if there is such a thing, I just use regular human suncream on Luna. I do re-apply if she's in water or licking her nose alot....but generally she tries to avoid the hottest part of the day and finds the shade!

[shenn]

hello and welcome, if u think hes underweight i wouldn be to worried some huskies are just naturally skinny my male just wont put on weight i used to get a worried about it but have just realised thats how he is, stitch looks fine and healthy in them pics though so fairplay to us for rescuing him

[Nikki Bridgeman]

If we were to get another husky, what sort of age would stitch need to be?

He just seems so desperate to play with other dogs when we're out walking.

Sorry about all the questions by the way, I don't mean to get on anyone's nerves

[BingBlaze n Skyla]

we're feeding him on 2/3 tins of win-a-lot per day, and he always has a bowl of bakers dry food to nibble on in-between. He's learning things very quickly, He does all the basics like sit, stay, come and leave it, and he's learnt 12 other 'tricks' like hold hands, play dead, high 5 etc.

this may sound silly but where can i get doggy sun cream? i haven't seen it in the pet shop.

he does pay close attention when there are treats involved

have you thought about switching him to a better quality food - wainwrights is a good food which is hypo-allergenic and james wellbeloved is a good food aswell

[BingBlaze n Skyla]

If we were to get another husky, what sort of age would stitch need to be?

He just seems so desperate to play with other dogs when we're out walking.

Sorry about all the questions by the way, I don't mean to get on anyone's nerves

we got our 2nd sibe (3rd dog) when my male was 16 months old - i would wait till he has settled in abit first and abit better 'training wise' before introducing another dog as you dont want the new dog to pick up any bad habbits stitch might have like the pulling - but still try n get him out n meet as many dogs as possible when out on walks if u can

[elenamarie]

no thats true - im sure sibe mal crosses could have however but im not sure - only mal x huskies ive met have had brown eyes

If Mals never, ever have blue eyes, a Mal wouldn't have a recessive blue gene to add to a Sibe blue gene to create blue or green eyes (noting, of course, that eye color is more complicated than that! But that's the basics.)

Given that, I don't think Stitch is a Mal cross. The bi-eyes indicate to me pure Sibe but of course, I could be wrong. @sutsibe Gigi, help!

[elenamarie]

we're feeding him on 2/3 tins of win-a-lot per day, and he always has a bowl of bakers dry food to nibble on in-between. He's learning things very quickly, He does all the basics like sit, stay, come and leave it, and he's learnt 12 other 'tricks' like hold hands, play dead, high 5 etc.

Sibes are SO smart! My Sarah picks up new things so quick it shocks me still. And continuing training helps keep their minds occupied. Mental exercise is just as important to Sibes as physical exercise.

this may sound silly but where can i get doggy sun cream? i haven't seen it in the pet shop.

I haven't used sunscreen on Sarah's nose, it hasn't seemed necessary.Whatever you use make sure it's as nontoxic as possible, as continued licking of some chemicals over long periods might cause problems. Perhaps baby sunscreen would be best.

he does pay close attention when there are treats involved

LOL Yep, typical Sibe.

I saw you allow him to free feed kibble and given his weight gain needs that makes sense. I don't allow Sarah to free feed, though. I use feeding time to teach and now reinforce that all good things come from me. I also make her mind her manners at feeding time, and occasionally will take up her food and return it to avoid any food guarding problems later on. Adding high-fat, high-protein supplements to Stitch's feed will help him gain the weight, as will feeding him raw chicken with the bones intact--which also help keep their teeth clean. NOTE: it MUST be raw chicken if the bone is included. NEVER feed cooked chicken bones, but raw chicken bones, eg thighs, legs, wings and necks, is wonderful for them.

Since I'm in the US I don't know much about the common dog foods over there, but in general the best feeds to use are those that contain no corn or wheat. Meat-based feeds are the best, those that use rice or barley are better, corn/wheat/soybean are the worst. I'd begin transitioning to a better feed to address itchiness, coat condition, etc.

[Nikki Bridgeman]

The raw chicken idea makes me nervous, i don't know why, i'm not silly enough to believe dogs in the wild have ovens or anything , it's just the worry of bacteria and things in raw meat. This is the first time i've ever heard of feeding a dog raw food really. would anyone mind telling me a little more about it?