sophiegirl14 Posted July 13, 2014 Report Share Posted July 13, 2014 Hello, I am new to this forum thing but I absolutely have no idea now to make my 7 month old Husky Sophie stop biting my ferrets and carrying them by their head. She has been around them since we got her at 16 weeks. No issues until we got her a squeaky toy that looks like a fox. She would carry it by the head just like she does my ferrets. I took that toy away thinking she would stop but she wont. This behavior has just started in the last week. I tell her no and she stops and lays down like she has been taught, but within minutes she is doing it again. Any suggestions on how to make this stop? I am going crazy and don't want her to hurt them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay Posted July 13, 2014 Report Share Posted July 13, 2014 Huskies have very high prey drives and even tho she's been around them for awhile she may view them as prey. Perhaps the fox toy didn't help but I'm not sure what else to tell you other than making sure they are separated. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sophiegirl14 Posted July 13, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 13, 2014 She usually only does it when she wants to play. Any other time she lets them walk around and lay with her. That's what I dont understand. If she wanted to treat them as prey wouldnt she do it all the time? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Removed #5 Posted July 13, 2014 Report Share Posted July 13, 2014 Amanda, I'm going to be a bit more to the point. You've got a puppy and she's treating them as puppy would treat prey as they're learning to hunt. She's still at the age where hunting is play, but she's carrying them around as if they were lunch - but she's not hungry. She is not, at the moment, aggressive, but personally I think it's only a matter of time before she decides they're lunch. Ferrets are fun, and I know from experience that they don't like to be caged (unless it's a big cage) but I'd think that you're either going to have one of (the ferrets or the dog) caged when the other is out or prepare yourself for what most of us would consider inevitable. I'm sorry, I really am, but there's no real "nice" way to say that. Jason tried to be but this is just a fact of life with 99% of all Husky's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mydiamond Posted July 14, 2014 Report Share Posted July 14, 2014 I would have to agree with Al here. Usually in situations like this, you have three options: A. Separate the ferrets and the dog at all times, B. Re-home the ferrets or C. Re-home the dog. Sorry Amanda. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zanki Posted July 14, 2014 Report Share Posted July 14, 2014 Keep them apart, it's only going to be a matter of time now. I just got my dog and I also have rats. My rats are in a locked room upstairs and she is not allowed up there because this breed has such a high prey drive, she will never get to meet them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehairdresser Posted July 18, 2014 Report Share Posted July 18, 2014 Al's right, there aren't many dogs that could be left with ferrets let alone a husky. It is only a matter of time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diablo Posted July 18, 2014 Report Share Posted July 18, 2014 I thought the same with my rabbit. Hoped they would grow up together and be ok. The "play" got too rough and I decided the rabbit had to find a new home for his own sake. I will never know, maybe they would have been fine but I didn't want to risk his life finding out. I do also find though that my Husky uses his mouth a lot. He has tried this trick many times with my smaller dog and even though he sees her as a fellow canine he has proven just how easily accidents happen when he broke her foot last week running into her. Even if yours is not trying to hunt your ferrets just be careful that she doesn't hurt them or worse by accident. Mine leaves my rats alone. every now and again he stands and stares at them and yaps but now he has managed to kill a wild rat and has that taste so I have moved them to a new room separate just to be safe. I don't think you can trust any dog alone with a prey animal. We had a border collie who was great at herding sheep on our farm, but left alone she would kill if she had the chance. she attacked one once, tore its throat and tummy open and dragged in into the dam to try and drown it. We were fortunate to get there in time and rush the animal to the vet and have her stitched up. but That coming from a dog who would let the orphan lambs sleep in her kennel with her at night. It's just an instinct you can't trust will never surface. I suggest you keep them apart and monitor any interaction VERY carefully. every dog is different but rather safe than sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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