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Hello everyone! New here. :D


zatch

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post-9104-13586087027293_thumb.jpgHi! I'm Jessie! I'm a stay at home mom to a couple of cute kids (3yr and 14 months) and have a really great hubby. We have a furry dumb cat named Cairo (no really, this cat will not win an award for intelligence), who is a cuddle bundle of cute but can be mischievous when he wants to be. We decided that we needed to add another set of 4 legs to our family. We knew we wanted a dog, but wasn't sure what kind. Did a LOT of research on the breed, talked to some people, and narrowed down to a few choices. A local friend's two full breed (unpapered) Sibeys had some puppies on my oldest son's birthday, if that's not a sign I don't know what is! :) When they were about 2 weeks, we were interested. We picked out little Zatch because he has tons of energy (which my kids love) but he's also very cuddly and sweet. He came home right before his 6 week "birthday" and we could not be happier. He is so smart! He is not a biter, chews on his toys and while occasionally trying to chew on the kids' toys we have separated out all the tiny stuff so he doesn't choke, and just encourage him to use his own things, haha! He is really great about potty training, so far. He is on a pretty decent routine. He does NOT like his crate at night (he will go in there to nap on his own) but we are hoping with some persistence and consistency that he will get used to it. :)

Anyway, my husband named him Zatch, and he is just part of our family, and I cannot picture our family without him! He's had all shots and wormings so far, and his next appointment is in a few weeks! I will likely have a lot of questions but I'm glad I ran across this forum. It looks to be a lot more active than others I've run across and I'm very thrilled to be a part of a husky-loving community!

I will add some pictures momentarily!

Edited by zatch
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Hi and welcome. I am reasonably new to this site as well but have found the members to be so helpful. If you have any questions, no matter how daft you may think they are, you will always find someone on here who will give you a sensible answer. Good luck with your new addition, although 6 weeks seems a little early to leave mum.

Gary.

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Thank you everyone for the welcomes! I have been told varying things about 6 weeks being too young, but I have yet to figure out why. We've only had him for 4 days and he is just amazing! He is really so well behaved, especially from being outside (he was from a friend, not a breeder) and not be accustomed to being indoors, he has just adapted so well! :D

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6 weeks is too young to leave the litter because the puppies are just weaned at that age. From then on, all the lessons they learn are behavioral. Things such as bite inhibition and good doggie manners are learned in the next few weeks after being weaned. Make sure you enroll him in some training classes where the puppies will have a chance to interact with each other. So long as you take the proper steps to socialize him, he should be fine--most trainers say 50 new people 50 new places before they are 6 months old, however, since he was taken from the dam young, I would try doing 100 people/places.

Edited by jmscott
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Hiya Jessie, a huge welcome to Husky Owners to you & your family - Zatch is a little cutie!

As has been said, with leaving his Mom so young, he still has to learn puppy etiquette that his fur family would have taught him, but taking him to training classes & socialising him with other dogs should help him learn quickly. Keep those great pics coming too so we can watch Zatch grow up :D

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Thanks for the warm welcomes everyone!! :) Zatch's name comes from an Anime that my husband likes. LOL He named him!

As for the 6 weeks things, they stopped nursing completley at just after 4 weeks. I *think* it was momma's first pregnancy too so I don't know 100% what is up with that, but they were 100% weaned from milk. They were already on puppy food! :)

Zatch is doing great so far! He's pottied in the house a total of 6 times, two of which were poops. :) We take him out every 3 hours like clockwork, he goes every 40mins-hour after eating when he has his meals (we go by recommendations on dog food bag, lol). He is really a great dog. Hasn't chewed on any cords or wires, torn anything up, etc. First two days of crate training sucked. Poor little dude howled and howled! Now though, he is quiet the entire time, and patiently waits to be let out. Goes a whole night without pottying! He will whine when he has to go though, he really likes 5am a lot. Haha! He's so good with the kids too, so relaxed. And he likes to torment the cat, which we're working on. LOL The cat starts it though!

Overall I'm just very happy with him. I can't imagine life without him. He just fits into our family perfectly! I was expecting a LOT of terror and stress the first few days, especially with him being young, but nope, totally fine so far! I'm sure he'll give me a run for my money a few times but we're doing great. :)

One thing we are trying to work on right now is the leash. He tries to squeeze and shake out of his collar. Any tips on getting him from doing that? He won't run away, but he just doesn't like the collar. Will he get used to it over time?

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As mentioned, the issue with taking them that early is behavioral.

With the leash, I honestly wouldn't take him out on walks until he has had at least his second round of parvo shots. You can practice at home offering treats and praising when he moves forward. Letting him drag around the leash can also help him get used to the feel of the feel of it.

Are you using a retractable leash? Get him off that and onto a normal flat leash until he has learned to walk politely. Retractables encourage bad pulling behaviors.

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  • 2 weeks later...

He is on a normal leash! I am not a fan of the retractable ones. At least not now. LOL! He is doing great though. So far, behaviorally, he is doing really well. He's VERY energetic and playful and the only issue is that he likes to try to wrestle with my toddler, but that has since slowed down. :) We just walk him around in the driveway and around the area he potties, no walks yet until his next set of shots! :) He is wonderful though. Maybe has an accident every other day, just one, and its usually because I'm busy with the kids. No pee pee accidents in a long time though! We're working with bells on the door now. :)

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