19fee92 Posted January 20, 2014 Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 Hi, My name is Fiona, I have a Siberian husky called Maple, she is 5 years old. Maple was in a foster home before I adopted her and has had no training whatsoever, even the basics. She will not listen to me at all. Does anyone have any ideas on what to do with her? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunc Posted January 20, 2014 Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay Posted January 20, 2014 Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 Hello, and welcome! I would suggest finding a professional trainer to work with her on the basic commands. Training classes are helpful not only for the dog, but help YOU learn how to train her Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Removed #5 Posted January 20, 2014 Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 Hi Fee and welcome to the forum. Suggest going out to the pet store and buying a BIG bag of patience and a small bag of treats. Most Husky's are food driven and using that as a tool to get her to do what you want is probably going to be the easiest way. Now, you've got a beautiful dog there, laying nicely while you take her picture - what is it that she does or doesn't do that's the problem? (( Uh, is that a piece of your coffee table she's got between her paws?? )) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
19fee92 Posted January 20, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 Thanks! Yeah i'll try that, hopefully it will work! haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emma Posted January 20, 2014 Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 Welcome to the forum. Huskies are pretty stubborn at the best of times but even more so initially. Over time as you develop a bond, they do tend to listen a bit more. if no trainings been done then you'll need to start from scratch like you would a pup. Training classes as mentioned can be beneficial. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
19fee92 Posted January 20, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 Hi Fee and welcome to the forum. Suggest going out to the pet store and buying a BIG bag of patience and a small bag of treats. Most Husky's are food driven and using that as a tool to get her to do what you want is probably going to be the easiest way. Now, you've got a beautiful dog there, laying nicely while you take her picture - what is it that she does or doesn't do that's the problem? (( Uh, is that a piece of your coffee table she's got between her paws?? )) thanks so much she just doesn't do as she is told ever haha, n0o thaats her dog chew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Posted January 20, 2014 Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robke Posted January 20, 2014 Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 to Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goingsolo Posted January 20, 2014 Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 Welcome, maple looks lovely. We've had Solo just over a year, he will do the basics if we have a treat and he can be bothered lol. On the flip side if he wants something he will go through the whole lot in a bid to impress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wy Renegade Posted January 20, 2014 Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 Welcome aboard. A fair bit of research has shown that the critical time for training your pup the basics is from 6 to 16 weeks. Obviously you are out of that critical period - that doesn't mean that Maple cannot learn the basics, it just means that you are going to have a bit of an uphill battle. Unfortunately Siberians aren't exactly know for doing what they are told anyway, so an older dog that is already well past that critical time is going to be even more of a challenge. Certainly hiring a professional is not a bad idea at all, but it can be expensive and it can be done by you if you have the time and patience. But you are going to need a LOT of patience. Consistency and patience are going to be the keys, and food is going to become your absolute best friend. First thing to figure out is what type of treat will Maple do anything to get. Every dog has one and it varies considerably. My male, Tayga, could care less about most treats - if I want to give him one fine, he might eat it and he might not bother. If I pull out one of the Blue Wilderness cookies however, he will stand on his head to get it. Every dog has that favorite treat, it might be bananas, it might be grapes, it might be a cookie. Whatever it is, once you figure it out, you are good to get started. Remember that Siberians get bored very easily, and once Maple gets bored, she is going to stop paying attention to anything and will stop anything you ask. Once she hits that point, don't force the issue, it is counter productive. Stop and give her a break, let her play, let her rest, let her run whatever. Then come back and do it again later. Keep your training periods short. First thing she needs to learn is her name, just like a brand new puppy. Start by simply saying her name and giving her the treat. Then slowly moving to only giving her the treat if she actually looks at you when you say her name. Gradually, she will learn that when you say her name, she needs to look at you or she might miss that treat. Once she gets to the point where every single time you say her name, she looks (even if she is across the room and you have to throw the treat to her), you can start weaning her off the treats and you are ready to progress forward to the next step. Hopefully that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tatipu Posted January 21, 2014 Report Share Posted January 21, 2014 Every dog has that favorite treat, it might be bananas, it might be grapes, Welcome to the forum! Also note that grapes are toxic to dogs and can cause kidney damage in the long run! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BingBlaze n Skyla Posted January 21, 2014 Report Share Posted January 21, 2014 Welcome to the pack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wy Renegade Posted January 21, 2014 Report Share Posted January 21, 2014 Welcome to the forum! Also note that grapes are toxic to dogs and can cause kidney damage in the long run! Thank you for that clarification - I was simply throwing out examples, and didn't think that through very well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chula Posted January 21, 2014 Report Share Posted January 21, 2014 I definitely suggest using the Nothing in Life is Free training method. If she is food oriented, use her food as currency. If she wants a treat, she doesn't get one until she "sits". Before meal times, she does not get her food until you allow her to. I think there are a lot of posts on this forum about NILIF and you can google it too, there are a lot of articles. She sure is a sweetheart though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cas Posted February 16, 2014 Report Share Posted February 16, 2014 Hello and . Maple is lovely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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