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new husky owner help training diet and more


chaitmaster

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There is a lot of information in various threads around the forum - your best bet is probably to take a good look around and read - on any given thread, you'll find a variety of advise, as what works well for one dog or owner, doesn't work quite as well (or not well at all) for another. If you have a more specific question, that would be easier for us to answer...

For starters, decide ahead of time what you want your "house rules" to be, and then stick to them! What's adorable in an 8 week old puppy - usually ISN'T in a full grown Siberian! Be very consistent in enforcing your rules, or your pup will quickly figure out that if s/he pitches a fit or gives you a cute look, you'll relent/change your mind - they're very smart and can be very manipulative!

Consider getting a crate and using it to contain your dog or puppy at times when you can't adequately supervise, such as over night or when you're out. If you've never crate trained a dog or puppy, there's a lot of advise on that - both on Husky Owners and on the web in general. Covering the crate at night (for wire crates) can be helpful; never give in and simply let a screaming husky out of the crate (wait until they are at least momentarily quiet), or they will NEVER give in! Some dogs take to crates right away, some take a while, but most will eventually consider them to be a comfortable and safe place that is their own...

Most Siberians seem to do better with food that is animal based and with few or no grains. Many seem to have difficulty in particular with wheat, corn and soy - brewer's rice is also a poor-quality grain. Rice, especially brown rice, barley, and oats/oatmeal tend to be better grains. Look at the first 5 ingredients in a food - you're going to want more animal protein sources in those ingredients, and especially among the first 3 ingredients. You also want the source of the meat protein to be listed - chicken, lamb, fish, and so on, as opposed to something like "meat meal" being listed. Chicken meal is a better source than chicken, because pound for pound (same with any other kind of meat), you have more chicken in the meal form than you have in chicken itself, which contains a lot of water. Chicken is better as a source than chicken by-products, which may include such appetizing and nutritious components as beaks, feet and feathers!

Siberians tend to shed - a LOT! There are a number of good products to use for grooming - I like to use a metal-toothed comb, either a grayhound comb or one with a handle, a rake with 2 rows of pins in a v-shaped formation, a slicker brush or a shedding blade, depending on what works best at any given moment! A warm bath is also helpful during shedding season - it loosens up the dead coat so that it's easier to comb/brush out.

As to training, consistency is again a key. Most Siberians are not good off leash, especially after around 3-4 months of age. As adolescence kicks in, they tend to decide to test what they can get away with... A good training class/puppy class can be very, very helpful!

Hope that this has answered a few of your questions and been helpful!

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Welcome to the forum. Already some excellent advice. Sorry, I'm not much when it comes to names.

Sent from my HTC Desire using forumrunner.

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It would depend what he'd look like and his colour....but in general for huskies I find that Inhuit names are really suiting!

http://www.lowchensaustralia.com/names/eskimonames.htm

Some names on that site are pretty hard to pronounce, but there are a few ones there that are good!

For not inhuit names, I've always been a fan of 'Apache', 'Troy', 'Falco', and 'Fenris'

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:welcome: Good luck with your Siberian puppy, remember day one, you are ALPHA, and always hold this position no matter what. Siberians like to push the buttons to see if they can take that title, but always push them back into their place. Ask your questions as you need, somebody here (HO) has certainly dealt with the topic you will be wanting to discuss. Have lots of fun and enjoy your pup and on name suggestion another thought would be to look up "Russian" names.:doglick:

Husky Lovers in Vermont

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