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How Does Your Husky React To Other Dogs?


sharloid

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I'm just curious as to how your dogs interact with other dogs they meet on a walk?

We've got Broder to the point where he ignores people unless they fuss over him but he still gets really excited to meet other dogs, especially puppies. He met a 5 month old husky puppy on tonights walk and she was really quiet, maybe even a little skittish whilst Broder was jumping all over the place trying to play and even did a back flip!

He does get lots of chances to meet dogs and sometimes can pass them by. We find he's calmer and more gentle around smaller dogs. However he is our only dog and so doesn't have long exposure to other dogs (he did go to puppy socialisation classes at the vets and loved them)so maybe that's the problem?

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Charlotte & Robert

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My sibe is 5 months and she responds based upon the size of the dog. Right now she continues to prefer playing with smaller dogs, but she is getting more comfortable the more she is around larger breeds. We have a local dog park that allows her to run around and play with dogs of many breeds... the only downside to her socialization is that we don't have many huskies in our area ( at least that we know of ) to play with her.

We are learning that the more she gets to play, the more confidence she is showing especially when walking. She still gets excited, but she can walk past a dog if it does not grab her interest. I have heard that huskies tend to sense other huskies and this could be why you got an excited response!

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Depends on the dogs n situation any female dog skyla won't get on with and can be weary ov dogs bigger than her due 2 an attack , but she gets on well with most males n if we encounter a dog on a walk across the road she will look but keep walking

Blaze won't tolerate offlead dogs n is very protective ov skyla and bings but on his own once he gets 2 know them n know they won't hurt him he is fine - this is from being attacked aswell

On walks he usually has a look n keeps walking unless the dog reacts then he will try n protect the pack by diving towards the dog and growling 2 warn it off

Bings isn't a sibe but he will pull and bark when he sees a dog n I've never had a problem with him not getting on with another dog

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This is the only grey area for us, we don't know how Czar Demon would do with other Husky's because he hasn't met any to play with yet and we live in the country where when we see other dogs, they are usually aggressive because its a territorial thing, they are telling us to "scoot along" and "keep away" from their property, so unfortunally thats the only exposure to other dogs he's had-we have no dog parks here, so...

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During walks:

Whenever he sees or hears another dog coming, he tenses up and stares RIGHT at it. As we get closer, doesn't matter if the other dog is moving in the same direction or not, he either growls low in his throat or lunges at the thing while snarling and yanking my arm off (or pulling me down if I have the belt on.) So I try to avoid dogs while on walks for that reason.

[Although, it has been improving cause I've been using his martingale collar to 'check' him while saying 'leave it' whenever his attention shifts back to the dog again. Aaaand, I probably just jinxed it. :P )

At the dog park:

As Ravenwolf pointed out, he struts around the park like he owns the place, and he asserts himself over dogs in the park (mounting.) Doesn't really get into fights, and usually avoids them if he can, but he will fight to defend himself if attacked. Also he avoids other dogs at the park, unless he hears any sort of aggression and he comes running. Then, oddly, as soon as he arrives and smells both of the dogs (nose to nose), the 2 dogs calm down and go their separate ways. So maybe a bit like a...peace keeper as well? Or another dominance thing.

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On walks excitement normally but is always mistaken for agression by the other dog and it starts a fight (i suppose a big wolf like dog jumping and barking can be scary lol)

but sometimes he can just take a disliking to some dogs and not get on. Generally excitement though. Unless its been a long meet or something then he'll be tired and snappy

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My 11 month old is basically the same as the OP post. When he sees other dogs you'll instantly notice he starts to pull ALOT more. he's not aggressive at all towards them he just gets very excited and wants to play. I let him play with the other husky in the village and they rough house but with smaller dogs he's a bit too rough for them

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Kiska will start looking a bit interested as they approach but doesn't start pulling. Usually even if she's pricked her ears and looks like she wants to greet the dog all she'll do is sniff them on the way past rather than wanting to stop and play. It's easy to get her to walk right past if I'm in a rush or something though.

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Mishka typically goes mental with excitement, and will jump around and get quite vocal (as a few on here will back me up on!). She's usually better once I've made her sit and calm down but even then she's always trying to goad the other dog into playing, regardless of their size or if they are infact being aggressive lol. She seems to have ever so slightly more manners with larger dogs, but small dogs she definitely seems to think she can order them into play time!

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Does this sort of behaviour just vary per Husky? Or is there a way of training them to calm down around other dogs when walking etc?

IMO you can definitely train them not to act that way. It's actually a really common problem in many dogs not just huskies.

Part of training them to act differently is by teaching them not to have such a high value for other dogs. IMO, nothing should be more valuable to my dog than me and the rewards I offer.

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Hammer: Ears pointed forward, runs over, head high and sniff... then 9 times out of 10, immediate play bow and away they go!

Sonoma: We need to work on how she greets. She rushes other dogs, usually setting them off, and jumps all over them. She's just an excited puppy, but I see alot of them don't really like how she greets. My neighbours dog HATES her for this reason. She just doesn't give any space initially, and that turns other dogs off, not sure how to correct it bc if i pull her back she just pulls forward and chokes herself...

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Andy will follow the "on by" command, though interested, he will stay quiet. Jack usually starts wooing and pulling. He will follow "look at me" and take a treat, but nearly immediately he will turn around again. Jessy does whatever the dog next to her is doing!!! She's such a copy cat! :rofl:

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So I guess a starting point is to make sure I show him treats when walking past other dogs to try and keep his eyes focused on me/the treat and not what's around him

If your dog already has a high value for other dogs, then waiting until they are distracted by another to try and get their attention back is setting both of you up to fail. Working with distractions needs to be gradual, waiting until your dog is highly aroused and distracted means they are less likely to learn. Start by teaching an 'attention' command at home, heavily reinforce it until it is reliable and go from there. I also don't like the reward to be the cue for a behaviour, I don't want to bribe them by saying 'look here is a treat pay attention to me instead!'. I give a command and then I reward it. The reward could be in my pocket, it could be behind me in a treat pouch, it could be on the counter and we could run over to it etc.

With puppies, I don't just socialise, I neutralise. Which means my puppies are raised to see other dogs as boring, whilst they are constantly around other dogs, I don't let them run with other dogs, I don't let them play with other dogs. If I do, it is only for a brief period and only with dogs I know are calm, well mannered and generally don't have a high value for other dogs anyway. They always learn that I am more fun than distractions like other dogs.

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Togo likes to jump about being very loud telling everyone he's in charge even though he's not. Loki pulls towards others has a sniff and is satisfied. Safi pulls towards and is on edge but that's since she was ill and Peppa is a bit bossy depending whether she reads the other dog is very submissive. They all get on with other dogs quite well after the first hoo haa and even get bored and forget they're there. They will also walk by other dogs on leads when told to 'get on'

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On walks: Wizard tries so hard to get to them. and if he does get to them, he sniffs and wants to play.

At the park: He runs up to them, sniffs them and runs away. if they dont follow him he will come back and nudge them. He loves when other dogs run after him. And of course he is always the fastest dog at the park.

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Jasper will immediately go still, then lower himself belly on ground and lay (or sit), alert, ears forward, staring, completely quiet. If the dog (regardless of size) approaches, he'll then stand back up, wag tail and leap forward with two huge paws. Most of the dogs in our complex tend not to like seeming threat of rough-housing play, though. Except for this one amazingly good natured Bichon Frese.

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Echo gets overly excited when we are out walking and she sees another dog. Once she sees another dog, it is very hard for me to get her attention back, even when the other dog makes it out of sight. She jumps around, lunges, tries to run and meet the other dog, stands on her hind legs and 'waves' her front paws, she gets absolutely loony! Her reaction when she meets another dog on leash really depends... she has nipped at other dogs before, which I feel is a mix of overexcitement and the restraint of the leash, or she'll just play. She is always much better when she's at the dog park, off leash, she is on her best behavior and tends to have good manners. She can be quite pushy when she's on a one on one playdate - all her focus and crazy energy is unleashed on just one dog, as opposed to having many play options at the dog park.

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Echo gets overly excited when we are out walking and she sees another dog. Once she sees another dog, it is very hard for me to get her attention back, even when the other dog makes it out of sight. She jumps around, lunges, tries to run and meet the other dog, stands on her hind legs and 'waves' her front paws, she gets absolutely loony! Her reaction when she meets another dog on leash really depends... she has nipped at other dogs before, which I feel is a mix of overexcitement and the restraint of the leash, or she'll just play. She is always much better when she's at the dog park, off leash, she is on her best behavior and tends to have good manners. She can be quite pushy when she's on a one on one playdate - all her focus and crazy energy is unleashed on just one dog, as opposed to having many play options at the dog park.

You are a good Husky Mom!:doglick:

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Mine is a special case because he acts happy and excited when he sees other puppies (mines 3 months) but as soon as they get close and either approach/sniff him his tail goes down and he runs away and even barks at them. I don't understand him. HELP?

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