Introducing my self and the pack.. and also the missus.

[PanicAcid]

Hey hey hey, don't worry this isn't another one of those "I've purchased a Husky and I know nothing about the breed and I have no idea what I've gotten my self into because I'm incapable of doing any research I just purchased the animal on a whim because they look awesome and wolf like although I feel that I may have taken on too much and I thought these working dogs in non working environments would yadda yadda yadda" threads.

I've owned my 3/4 Siberian Husky 1/4 German Shepherd (Mother was a half and half - Daddy was a Pedigree) named Tehya now for nigh on eight years. She's not a pure breed pedigree but dag-nambit her personality rocks and I wouldn't change her for the world.

This is Tehya Sleeping :

This is Tehya Stretching :

This is Tehya mothering a squeeky rubber chicken my house mate got her for Christmas that she treat like her own child for a while.. :

Although she started getting very protective over it and snapping if anybody made it squeek (she thought it was crying for it's mummy) so we had to make it vanish one day when she wasn't looking.

So that's Tehya my eight year old puppy.. Yes I said it, puppy. She's the dog that time forgot although my girlfriend says it's because I'm too soft on her and she's a big daddy's girl. But I just can't get mad at her because she's a talker and when she starts arguing back and chattering away... well I'm sure those of you who also have the chatty types.. you just can't get mad at them.

But yeah, eight years and I'm just signing up now? Why you may ask.. Good question, I rescued a pure bred 10 month old male at the weekend. His owners couldn't handle him any more and he was too rough and tumble in an environment with 4 small children and an expecting mother so they decided he needed to go to a home that could give him the attention, freedom and training he really needs.

So allow me to introduce to you *drum roll* :eek: :

Phoenix

Or at least that's what the previous owners called him, he doesn't really understand that is his name and my girlfriend and I are tempted to change it.

Now Phoenix isn't that much of a hand full as far as we're concerned, I've grown up with dogs as pets my entire life. I got Tehya at the tender age of 16 while living at home and she raised the total dog count to 3 along side our female bitsa called Skully and a female pure white Alsatian called Sasha. I've always grown up with bitches and we only ever had a dog for a short period of time that my parents couldn't handle and re-homed (little jack russell) but that's neither here nor there.

So I've rescued this young chap and couldn't have asked for more in a dog. He's placid and gentle but can get a little carried away when play fighting but he's young and hasn't been raised with the best training - so I'm not expecting miracles.

He's due in for the snip this Thursday which I'm hoping wont make him hate us as he's just moved into a new home, new environment, new people and suddenly lost his bollocks. But we'll see. The only thing I've had a problem with is separating him from Tehya when he tries to mount her, he shows a little bit of sexual aggression but then suddenly realises what he's done and from the look on his face feels bad for getting 'snappy'. But again he's young not used to being around a bitch and has had little to no training and again - I'm not expecting miracles.

One thing I may need some advice on though is this guy has never climbed a set of stairs in his life. When I went to pick him up the first thing I noticed was a baby gate at the bottom of the stairs. So it's safe to say in the 10 months he's been with them he's not had much experience on the old manual escalators. He seems quite scared of the steps and he fell down the two into my garden resulting in a grazed chin - so anybody got any experience of removing a fear of stairs?

And for the sake of sticking with the title, here's the missus (with Phoenix)

If you have actually read this far, congratulations and thank you.

Much Love

Panic

[robke]

to

[Cherrie-Nanook-Indy]

Hello and welcome!! I'm afraid I can't help much with the stairs situation as my 2 charge around the house all the time (stairs included) but you have come to the right place I am sure there will be someone here who has some advice. Hope to see more pics of your beautiful fur babies x

Sent from my iPhone using Forum Runner

[Stranger]

wow, i love your intro, very pleasing to read lol....

welcome to the forum.

My two boys are not allowed up stairs in our house, but when we took them to france they needed to go up the stairs to get into the place we stayed at, we just lead them up the starts with treats and "oooo whats this" "ahh look at this wowo" sort of noise lol.

if he was taught not to go up the stairs he is more than likely going to be reluctant in fear of being told off?!?!

I am no expert but my two will attempt the stairs, see us and pretend they was dared to by the other one.... "wasnt me mum" "it was a dare...what you think i was going to do refuse and be accused of being a chicken"....that sort of look lol

if he is still reluctant, just try one step at a time

x

[tracey8]

hello and a big welcome ,beautiful dogs you have there:)

[Removed #2]

Treats...one tiny one on each step, he'll only be able to stretch his neck so far...as far as the garden step, my guess he didn't see it. Love your intro....good luck with the rehome!

[PanicAcid]

Thanks for all the warm welcomes so far.

Phoenix 'the destroyer of harnesses' (he's on his third now) feels quite welcomed. (He spent his first night with us leaded to the radiator as we were unable to gauge his nightly activities. For those who believe this is cruel and horrible it was a one off and only a precaution for us and him. He slept like a baby didn't cry and as you can tell from other pictures is happy as a pig in ****)

I've contemplated the treats idea but thus so far I have been unable to find a treat that he likes. I got him a huge raw hide chewie bone and after watching Tehya go at it and copying her he seems to have taken a liking to those. One thing I have to give him is he is exceptionally observant and mimics Tehya perfectly which has made teaching him to walk a breeze, Tehya is showing him everything he needs to know when it comes to walking including stopping and waiting at the curbs and even crossing the road on command. They're currently walking on a split lead and he's taken the left hand position and she's taken the right. A system they've come up with and seem to be sticking to.

Once I find a treat the little bugger likes that may make things easier. At the moment I'm carrying him up and down two flights of stairs on a regular basis but as we all know these dogs are creatures of habit and I don't want him thinking I'm some organic Stannah Stair Lift who's going to cart him up and down the scary things for the remainder of his life.

My girlfriend who's at home with him while he settles in has been resided to sleeping on the floor:

and she's just told me that he's just spotted his reflection in my PC monitor and seems to be quite the vain pup as he can't take his eyes off him self:

and if he's not looking at his self he's looking at Tehya's bottom while she's not looking.

To be honest we weren't prepared for his arrival, we were looking at getting another to keep Tehya company and while looking saw him, went to see him and fell in love. He has now inherited Tehya's old cage which I'm very concious to ensure is only used for bed times and when we have to leave the house for a short period of time. His bed/cage is NOT used for punishment or time out's etc. and is not permanent. Tehya was raised using this same method and now sleeps on the bed with us and we have no worries about leaving her on her own in the house. I use the theory that it's easier to stop a habit from forming than it is to break it once it has. Plus the cage is HUGE. Sorry to those that disagree but I'd rather him sleep in a cage for a few months and be happy and stress free, than get told off every night and upset / stressed out as a result for chewing something, pooing somewhere and all the other mischief that comes with the package (He can turn taps on...).

But so far so good on the re-home. I'll keep you posted on the stairs situation.

Thanks again for the warm welcomes.

Much love

Panic

[Rosemary]

Hi and a huge welcome to you and your gorgeous huskies My Micah is a huge talker and has us in fits of laughter when she gets going. Ozzy talks when he wants something - and gets carried away at times when I don't jump and do his bidding immediately Look forward to seeing you around the forum

[stormchaser09]

welcome and I look forward to reading many more posts as your introduction made me laugh. Love the pictures and I actually do like the name Pheonix. We are in a similar position as we are taking on a new girl at the weekend but she is a little older and I'm not sure it would be fair to change her name, but it is very similar to my parents dog's name which could be confusing as we all talk about the dogs all the time.

[Povodny]

As previously suggested, treats and lots of coaxing welcome to the forum )

[BingBlaze n Skyla]

welcome to the pack , they are lovely

[Mazz]

Wow, what an intro. Enjoyed the read very much, and Thanks for the pics! Welcome to Husky-Owners. Enjoy the forum as we all do.

Sent from my HTC with forumrunner.

[Austinville]

Welcome the forum. Enjoy!

[Removed #5]

Hey Panic and welcome to the forum!

I've only had one dog who was unsure about stairs - the others have all just "gone with the flow". I moved from a ground floor apt to an upstairs unit and the stairs were strictly steps with no back - and she wasn't too sure about that. I left her on lead, walked upstairs a ways and called her, she gradually accepted that she wouldn't fall through and was soon taking them as if they were just another path.

I'd stop carrying him ( well, maybe when you bring the poor boy back from the vets ) and let him deal with them - he'll learn quickly enough.

I also have to agree with everyone else, it was a pleasure reading your intro and seeing the pictures ... you made yourself a grand splash!!

[mydiamond]

welcome to the big husky family your babies are gorgeous haven't read all the posts yet so I'm sorry if I'm repeating something but when it comes to stairs all you need is a leash and a little bit of patience guide him slowly one step at a time, would take quite a long time but he'll be there soon my boy has never seen a stair his whole life (a year when I adopted him) and it's quite troublesome as there are lots of stairs in my house so I'm quite experienced with the stairs problem took mine about a week and a half to be running around up and down without any problems

[PanicAcid]

My girlfriend has just taken the two for a walk and keeps sending me pictures ha ha

Phoenix Left - Tehya Right (if you don't know the two apart yet )

Nice to see Tehya with her tongue not hanging out of the side of her mouth for a change.

[mydiamond]

btw [MENTION=8078]PanicAcid[/MENTION] this is a very friendly forum and one of a few that is almost fully troll-free. We don't judge people and would gladly help anyone that requests for advice so please don't be afraid of sharing your training methods about the first line of your first post up there, we actually don't mind helping people who bought/adopted a husky without sufficient initial preparation the most important thing is the fact that they DO ask questions and is willing to learn more was just saying because some of your writings indicate that you're a little nervous and wary

[PanicAcid]

btw @PanicAcid this is a very friendly forum and one of a few that is almost fully troll-free. We don't judge people and would gladly help anyone that requests for advice so please don't be afraid of sharing your training methods about the first line of your first post up there, we actually don't mind helping people who bought/adopted a husky without sufficient initial preparation the most important thing is the fact that they DO ask questions and is willing to learn more was just saying because some of your writings indicate that you're a little nervous and wary

Sorry if my opening line was a little condescending no harm intended. I may pre defend some actions as I'm used to the usual "You keep your dog in a cage? well that's just cruel" etc. etc. also not used to sharing stuff like that and worried some people may think it's cruel, barbaric or idiotic etc.

[stormchaser09]

A lot of the people, although not everyone, on here with huskies use crates at some point. My Storm chooses to go to her crate on warm nights rather than sleep in our room. So you are definately not alone.

[Stranger]

Sorry if my opening line was a little condescending no harm intended. I may pre defend some actions as I'm used to the usual "You keep your dog in a cage? well that's just cruel" etc. etc. also not used to sharing stuff like that and worried some people may think it's cruel, barbaric or idiotic etc.

My boys are crated while i am at work all day

we all have different routines, and preferences, but i have found that the people here are less likely to judge than other places....i have to say this is the one place i have stayed, normally by now i have left because i dont like the way people can be so full of themselves and stuck up...not much of that here, we're all from different back grounds, some with extreme knowlegde, some with no knowlegde and then average joe, like me who has owned dogs, but is a first time husky owner, and am learning every day.

again...welcome to the forum...keep writing and posting pictures

[Removed #2]

A lot of the people, although not everyone, on here with huskies use crates at some point. My Storm chooses to go to her crate on warm nights rather than sleep in our room. So you are definately not alone.

Many who have used crates, or tried to have been unsuccessful since their huskies did not like being confined. pictures to follow another time.

[Removed #2]

We have had Jessy for just over 1/2 a year and finally pulled out the crate when she chewed up a piece of wooden art that was hand made and she was peeing all over. Every time she'd pee, the boys would run and pee on top of it. She has taken to it just fine, has not peed in it, and gets special treats in there that the boys don't get and can't get at either. Everyone is happier. If I were you, I would not carry him up and down the stairs. Move his feet one at a time, put his leash on and have the other dog show him how, especially if they are walking good together. The leash and treats might work. Try some pieces of steak or little pieces of cheese. One of our favorite treats are called Charlie Bears, they are like goldfish crackers, which might work also. Don't give too many choices, it sounds like he is training you somewhat. If he won't go up the stairs, then crate him downstairs so you know he's safe. I was not liking the leashed to the radiator and hope you will consider the crate instead. Good luck. We also are lucky to use mini milk bones.

[PanicAcid]

*snip*

Thanks for the reply, I think you might be right about him training me to be a treat dispenser ha ha. With regards to the leash on the radiator was only for the one night as stated until I got the cage.

[Hyshqa]

Welcome to the forum! I have the same stair issue with Freya - doesn't matter too much now as my bedroom (where she sleeps) is on the ground floor, but when I move next month she's going to have to learn!

[Dunc]

Welcome to Husky owners