Need Some Ideas From Husky Owners

[Katie (and Zara the Husky)]

Hi everyone,

This is my first time using the forum-I'm hoping all of your experience might be able to help.

We have a beautiful 6 month old husky, Zara. She has been a fantastic puppy, very friendly and has taken well to training. She has never had an accident inside or in the car (a miracle as I often take her to visit family, a three hour car trip each way!), and has always responded well to commands.

She's a very active dog, and we knew before getting her that she would fit well into our lifestyle. I take her for a 5 kilometre walk/run every morning and a bike ride most evenings. We play fetch and tug of war, and she LOVES running and swimming at the local beaches that surround where we live.

Two weeks ago we got her desexed/spayed. I tried to keep her quiet and still on the vets advice after getting her spayed (hmmm, quiet? Still? Not things that come naturally to a husky!). By day four she was climbing up the walls so we resumed her morning walk and after a few more days she was back running alongside my bike. Her wound is healing very well, you pretty much can't see it now and it does not appear to be bothering her.

My worry is, she is getting the same amount of exercise as before, but appears really restless and bored during the day. Pre-spaying she loved to lounge around during the day, and spent a lot of time inside with me. The last two weeks we have affectionately re-named her 'psycho puppy!'. She has started digging like there's gold to be found in our back yard, ripped her bed to shreds, bitten off the edges of her play pool, ripped up the sprinkler system in the garden and hasn't been able to come inside as she will not sit still in her mat. She does not respond to commands, other than sitting calmly for her food and waiting for our command that she can start eating. She pulls very hard when I walk her, which she has never done before. Our yard is now coated in citronella oil, in an attempt to stop her from chewing everything up!

We have tried to be very patient and calm with her, as I know sometimes pain can cause dogs to become defiant, as they don't want to lose their place in the pack. Most of the things listed above I know are quite common for huskies, but I am just worried about her as the behaviours have all come on so suddenly.

I have tried giving her kong toys and a ridged ball coated in peanut butter to try and help her calm down. These used to keep her entertained for an hour but her attention span lasts ten minutes lol.

Has anyone else had this experience? Should I be worried or are these all normal husky behaviours for a 6month old?

If anyone has any other ideas on he to entertain her I'd appreciate it. I bought a food puzzle but she is so smart, she figured the whole thing out in ten minutes!!!

I'd appreciate any advice

Katie

[DamirNYK]

To be honest, I don't think her behaviour change has anything to do with being spayed, it would have most probably happened even without the operation, it's just a normal husky thing, a normal 6 month old puppy thing.

[Storm Angel n Auroras Mum]

shes getting older and trying out her boundaries. perfectly normal. and thanks for reminding me Ive got this to come lol

[jmscott]

This is normal. One of my trainer friends jokes that at 6 months puppies' brains fall out and it takes them 6 more months to grow a new one.
 

This is more of a stage that you just have to work through, stay consistent, and not pull out all your hair.

[Katie (and Zara the Husky)]

Hahaha, damn. Was hoping that by some miracle we'd managed to pick a well behaved husky!

So just consistency, training and as much fun as possible will get her through the 'teenage years'?

If anyone has suggestions for activities to keep her mentally challenged I'd be really grateful. She seems to figure out every toy and game within minutes.

[BingBlaze n Skyla]

how far are u running her with the bike ? huskies at 6 months shouldnt really be running due to still growing and having soft bones , running with the bike should wait till around 1 year to 16 months old

[jmscott]

Have you looked into classes? Even if she knows the basics and has been to a puppy class, going into the more advanced classes should at least keep her brain busy for another couple months. Plus dogs do get tired when they use their brains. A nosework class would probably be a class with a good pace for an impatient teen pup. Plus it wont stress out those growing bones at her age.

[Katie (and Zara the Husky)]

The bike rides in the evening are around 1-2km, not very fast as she is just learning (we only started teaching her a couple of weeks before she was spayed). I take her at a pretty slow pace because of her age, just enough for her to be beyond a walk but not at a run. Would it be a good idea to stop until she is 1?

I've taken her to puppy socialisation classes. We live in country south Australia. Great because there is so much space and beautiful beaches for her to explore. Not so good for finding local dog obedience classes. Unfortunately the closest is over 100km away. I'll have a look into the nose work stuff though, might be able to replicate it at home?

I feel much better now-was just really worried she might be in pain or the behaviours were a sign of something we were missing. Thanks for the advice

[Austinville]

consider taking her to a training class, where she can learn obedience, how to heel, and much more. I took my girl, not because we were having any issues, but because she was bored and it is a great way to occupy their minds. Mental stimulation is just as tiring as physical exercise for young dogs.

 

Ryn learned to sit (what you might call a sit/stay - I don't use the command 'stay' as if I've asked her to sit, I mean to sit until released.) I can throw her favorite high-value treats all around her and she won't move. Even when released, the treats are left alone and she comes to me for a treat. (Any that were thrown down around her are to be considered 'trash' and not to be consumed.) It's just a 'parlour trick' but fun for both of us.

 

It's amazing what you and the husky can learn in a few sessions with a trainer. The one I used was also a behaviourist, so we really got a lot out of it. 

 

You might have read that I have another husky on the way (from Texas Husky Rescue) and I'm already planning on taking her to classes because she's 2 years old and needs some rules, but more importantly, I need to learn to work with her productively. She probably has many bad habits that will need to be put in check to make the transition into our home a peaceful one.

[jmscott]

I would stick to free play and rest until shes at least a year. Short practice should be fine. You should be able to replicate some classes at home.

[Andy]

_{Copied my reply from another similar post}

 

_{Your pup shouldn't be doing strenuous exercise before the age of 1 year old.}

_{The joints, bones and ligaments are still growing.}

_{Strenuous exercise puts stress on the joints, bones etc.}

_{You won't notice and the pup is happy to let loose. . . .} 

_{However. . . .} 

_{In later years the dog is likely to suffer from hip displacia and joint problems many years before they would normally be expected to.}

_{All because the owner couldn't wait 3 or 4 months to start running with the dog when a puppy.}

 

_{Also what need to realise is that the dog will be pulling you, not just running beside you.}

_{That will put even more stress on the developing pup.}

_{Please just wait.}

[Elyse]

I'd like to echo the points about the joint damage. Mine was diagnosed with arthritis at 4 years old - much too young to have to deal with it!! They don't have as good a quality of life, and it gets quite expensive when you have to pay for supplements and pain meds for a few extra years. 

Like, the other day, there were lots of huskies at the dog park (a rarity!). Mine wanted to run with them, but he couldn't keep up (arthritis). You could just tell he was sad...

[Katie (and Zara the Husky)]

Thanks for all your advice. We will stop the bike rides and stick to walks and free play for now. So fetch, hide and seek, chasey etc are ok because they aren't weigh-bearing and allow pup to run at her own pace? Or do we need to be a little careful with these too?

Glad I posted and that people with so much knowledge have contributed. I'm sure you've all saved us, and Zara, issues in the future!

I've been able to find a trainer locally who is happy to travel to us so will definitely get into that too!

[Elyse]

Thanks for all your advice. We will stop the bike rides and stick to walks and free play for now. So fetch, hide and seek, chasey etc are ok because they aren't weigh-bearing and allow pup to run at her own pace? Or do we need to be a little careful with these too?

Glad I posted and that people with so much knowledge have contributed. I'm sure you've all saved us, and Zara, issues in the future!

I've been able to find a trainer locally who is happy to travel to us so will definitely get into that too!

 

I think those are okay. I heard stairs are bad for their joints too, but I think that's for younger pups??

[Andy]

Free running around the house and garden are fine.

(not that you'd be able to stop her. . .lol)

Zoomies are so much fun to  watch. . .

Don't forget Huskies need mental stimulation too, that can tire them out

just as much as a good long walk.

simple things like

put some treats in an empty coke bottle.

Let her figure out how to get them out.

[Elyse]

...or something like this:

 

 

Although don't do what I did and show them where it is. Suka learned how to do it by watching me - it didn't take him long to figure it out.

[Katie (and Zara the Husky)]

Yes we've tried treats in a bottle, in ice, in kongs/balls, hiding food around the yard, puzzle toys. Our smart girl figures it all out in ten minutes flat and is back at the door or our feet proud as punch with a big husky smile on her face ready for the next activity lol! Only the frozen ice or frozen meat/treats/peanut butter in her kong seem to slow her down.

Luckily she does love fetch though, and is great at bringing the ball back and dropping it between our feet ready for the next throw (although she seems to have forgotten the 'drop' bit just the last fortnight!).

[Andy]

Yes we've tried treats in a bottle, in ice, in kongs/balls, hiding food around the yard, puzzle toys. Our smart girl figures it all out in ten minutes flat and is back at the door or our feet proud as punch with a big husky smile on her face ready for the next activity lol! Only the frozen ice or frozen meat/treats/peanut butter in her kong seem to slow her down.

Luckily she does love fetch though, and is great at bringing the ball back and dropping it between our feet ready for the next throw (although she seems to have forgotten the 'drop' bit just the last fortnight!).

My 2 huskies don't do "fetch" they'll take the ball and throw it around a bit then lose interest.

However. . .

Echo my white German Shepherd will play ball fetch all day non stop.

We have a 150ft garden.

I stand in the middle with 2 solid balls. launch one down the garden.

Echo chases it brings it back and drops it about 10 feet away while running.

I launch the 2nd ball and she doesn't have to stop.

The first ball rolls to my feet I pick it up and launch it as she flies past

repeat until she is exhausted.