Shanstamania Posted February 3, 2015 Report Share Posted February 3, 2015 Moony has somehow gotten into playing with smaller dogs by picking them up by the scruff of the neck and shaking. Has anyone else had this happened? How do I stop it? He's now not allowed to go to 'doggy daycare' because of it and he loved going. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mydiamond Posted February 4, 2015 Report Share Posted February 4, 2015 I'm afraid that's prey drive kicking in what about Husky owners meet-up instead? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmscott Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 · Hidden Hidden That is a death shake! Do not allow your pup to play with anymore small dogs! Link to comment
Shanstamania Posted February 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2015 He hasn't done it like a vicious way. From what I've seen its him trying to pick them up and carry them around. From what the person who runs the day care has said its him trying to do that and shake them up a bit. And I don't mean like small small dogs he's been doing it with boarder collies at the day care apparently. He's not a bad dog this is the only problem I've had with him and I'm just at a loss of what to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmscott Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 · Hidden Hidden Ah, thank goodness. With bigger dogs, it can be just rough play. Typical of Siberians. When he gets that excitable with other dogs, leash him and take him on a short stroll away from the other dogs and then release him. If he continues the rough play, repeat. Link to comment
Jase Posted February 4, 2015 Report Share Posted February 4, 2015 (edited) Wow, that must be worrying for sure. I think you really only have three choices, in order of desirability ; one is get a good behaviourist around to help you. I can't remember which part of Oz you are in, remind me and I will try and recommend someone. Two, completely avoid any interaction with the medium and smaller dogs. Three, get a muzzle Edited February 4, 2015 by Jase Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shanstamania Posted February 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2015 I'm in Vic, and I'm hoping it is just rough play because he's not aggressive or anything and the only day he gets to see bigger dogs is again at doggy day care because everyone I know owns smaller dogs who can't play like he does. He was fine until puppies came to doggy day care and he just wants to play with them but he just can't. so I guess he just won't be able to go anymore I'll try to avoid him with the smaller dogs and hopefully I can find someone who has a bigger dog so Moony can play with them instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmscott Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 · Hidden Hidden Prey drive pretty much never presents as aggression. Because to them, its not anger, or dislike. Its the exact opposite. How old is he? Dogs usually mature around 2 and sometimes these traits can become apparent. And he most definitely is NOT a bad dog. Everything he is doing is normal dog behavior, even if its not the behavior we want. Link to comment
Jase Posted February 4, 2015 Report Share Posted February 4, 2015 (edited) It is really hard to say if it is just rough play, but picking up a dog or shaking it would worry me too. I can't say I have ever seen it except on one occasion when a Dane killed a poodle These people are highly regarded and have a lot of experience with Huskies, its probably worth calling them even if it is just to allay your worries. http://www.underdogtraining.com.au edit typo Edited February 4, 2015 by Jase Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clare70 Posted February 4, 2015 Report Share Posted February 4, 2015 Personally I don't think it's anything to worry about. My three do this to each other all the time, bite at the neck and shake. They've never broken the skin and you never hear any of them cry out in pain. They are just playing with each other To non husky owners this may seem like aggressive behaviour, especially with all the growl sounds that go along with it, but in my opinion its not, they just play hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mydiamond Posted February 4, 2015 Report Share Posted February 4, 2015 I have no further advice, but I'd like to once again highlight that prey drive does not equal aggression. Many breeds have a high prey drive but it doesn't mean they're trying to be mean. It's just... nature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jase Posted February 4, 2015 Report Share Posted February 4, 2015 if it is the normal husky rough play on the neck then it does sound pretty normal and I can relate for sure . When I read your original post it sounded like he was picking up a dog by the scruff of the neck and shaking it? Ronin definitely plays rough, but generally leave the little ones alone, he may paw them to get a reaction, but when they don't want to play he will leave them alone. I really don't know what the situation is really like, so it is up to you to decide on what you feel is acceptable and typical husky behaviour or if you need to get some help. Most other dog owners couldn't care less if it is typically husky-like, they will simply not accept it or appreciate it. But like you said, you can avoid the situation and just allow interaction with bigger dogs. Best of luck in going forward Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shanstamania Posted February 5, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2015 Thanks for all the advice guys. My brother bought over his smaller dog and I watched how moony interacted with it. The most the happened is the smaller dog kept trying to rile moony up and snap at his ankles in order to get a reaction out of moony and he picked him up and just kind of walked a few steps and put him down before walking back and laying down. In the end they both fell asleep. So I don't think he'd be meaning any harm to any dog. But alas he has been officially kicked out of doggy day care because of the way he plays. Sad because he can tell when he usually goes and always gets excited. And when his excitement died down and he knew he wasn't going anywhere he laid down and slept all day, wouldn't even play with me. But thank you all, I really appreciate it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BingBlaze n Skyla Posted February 5, 2015 Report Share Posted February 5, 2015 Is there anywhere that does a big doggy day care? Or when they let the big dogs n smaller ones play separately? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SibeHush Posted February 27, 2015 Report Share Posted February 27, 2015 Would you want a Giant Malamute bread weighing in around 220lbs doing that to your dog? The answer is no. It would make you feel threatened for your dogs safety and rightly so... so don't let your own do it to others. Even if he never hurts another animal by doing this... it's still bad behavior and poor social skills. If he is only trying to play with them, teach him the appropriate way to play with smaller animals. He shouldn't be treating them as if they were a 100lb dog or even one of equal size and heartiness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOBELHOWLUC49 Posted February 27, 2015 Report Share Posted February 27, 2015 My husky and my Mals play this way, Great they are all big enough to handle it and love it. Bella my GSD will chase Noah and grab him by the neck and floor him by grabbing him by the neck and shaking him. Some little dogs accept and even initiate this play, some do not. I have been considering opening a doggy day care, but would not entertain the idea of mixing, just in case. X By small I mean small not collies etc. Some training with this should help, but this would mean that it would be for all sizes and this play would be taught as not appropriate ever. If you do not know Huskies then this behaviour will seem aggressive. Signs of the kill are Pinned down and pointed foot, no facial expression just pure concentration. A misconception is that they shake their prey to kill. That's why you teach them always paw off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shanstamania Posted March 3, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 Is there anywhere that does a big doggy day care? Or when they let the big dogs n smaller ones play separately? sadly no, that's what it was suppose to be as he was going on 'big dog days' but they put puppies in with them Would you want a Giant Malamute bread weighing in around 220lbs doing that to your dog? The answer is no. It would make you feel threatened for your dogs safety and rightly so... so don't let your own do it to others. Even if he never hurts another animal by doing this... it's still bad behavior and poor social skills. If he is only trying to play with them, teach him the appropriate way to play with smaller animals. He shouldn't be treating them as if they were a 100lb dog or even one of equal size and heartiness. of course I wouldn't, and since then I have been training with him and he's getting much better with handling 'play time' with smaller dogs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shanstamania Posted March 3, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 My husky and my Mals play this way, Great they are all big enough to handle it and love it. Bella my GSD will chase Noah and grab him by the neck and floor him by grabbing him by the neck and shaking him. Some little dogs accept and even initiate this play, some do not. I have been considering opening a doggy day care, but would not entertain the idea of mixing, just in case. X By small I mean small not collies etc. Some training with this should help, but this would mean that it would be for all sizes and this play would be taught as not appropriate ever. If you do not know Huskies then this behaviour will seem aggressive. Signs of the kill are Pinned down and pointed foot, no facial expression just pure concentration. A misconception is that they shake their prey to kill. That's why you teach them always paw off. my brother dog is a staffy x and I've noticed he'll go up to Moony and try to get him to play rough quite a bit. But since moony is bigger he freaks people out and they think he's attacking him when really it's not that. But I've been working with him and he's slowly getting better in time. I always make sure he never goes over board Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SibeHush Posted March 3, 2015 Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 of course I wouldn't, and since then I have been training with him and he's getting much better with handling 'play time' with smaller dogs. Good stuff. Mine used to chase the little guys, grab them by the neck, and pin them to the ground until they stopped struggling. Once they stopped struggling she'd let them go and forget about them until they started running around again. Luckily for me, my girl Dakota has a rock solid 'leave it' and 'no' command. I didn't have a hard time stopping her from continuing the behavior but it took awhile for her to all together stop initiating the behavior on her own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austinville Posted March 3, 2015 Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 My girl plays well with our cat, but absolutely not with the daughters' lhasa. It began with the actions you are describing and has escalated into the death shake. They are not allowed to be alone together at any time. Not a risk I am willing to take. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amozo Posted June 17, 2015 Report Share Posted June 17, 2015 I am looking into adding a husky to my fur baby family. I currently have two mixed rescues one at 18 lbs beagle/dachshund mix and one 22 lbs. min pin/jack russel/spitz mix. I am not 100% sure on their breeds, this is just a guess from temperament and looks. If my Siberian husky is raised with these small dogs as a puppy, will it still have a high tendency to play rough or even go into prey mode with them? They would be kept separated while I am not at home to supervise (max 4 hours at a time and 8-9 hours per weekday, weekends are mostly spent with my pups). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mydiamond Posted June 20, 2015 Report Share Posted June 20, 2015 (edited) I am looking into adding a husky to my fur baby family. I currently have two mixed rescues one at 18 lbs beagle/dachshund mix and one 22 lbs. min pin/jack russel/spitz mix. I am not 100% sure on their breeds, this is just a guess from temperament and looks. If my Siberian husky is raised with these small dogs as a puppy, will it still have a high tendency to play rough or even go into prey mode with them? They would be kept separated while I am not at home to supervise (max 4 hours at a time and 8-9 hours per weekday, weekends are mostly spent with my pups). Hey there! I'm afraid there is no one-size-fits-all answer to questions like these. Are you getting a puppy or a rescue? How socialized are your two current dogs? What are their temperaments like? Every dog is an individual, so all you got to do is find the right one! For example, my boy is one of the calmest Huskies out there. He likes my cousin's teeny tiny Pekingese mix, and is very gentle with my neighbor's Shih-Tzu. But then again he's highly socialized and is six years old now, so obviously he's calmer than, say, a one-year old. Puppies are not my area of expertise since my boy is rescued, but personally I would recommend older rescues over pups. First off; there's no way of telling how high of a prey drive puppies will have later in life, and some Huskies have *very* high prey drives. Second off, puppies will take you through two dreadful stages: the teething stage, and the teenage stage. The teething stage is exactly how it sounds like, and although I doubt the pup would seriously injure any of your dogs while nibbling around, I assume it's gonna be pretty stressful for your two. Remember that a 16-week old Husky is already far bigger than 22 lbs! Teenage stage is... just teenage stage. Picture stubbornness, rebellious periods, and a whole lot of energy. I never have a small dog but I imagine that for some of them, life with an energetic 8-month old Husky having constant zoomies is pretty stressful. A good rescue can recommend you a dog whose temperament matches your household, and will even help you introduce all the dogs. So yeah, that's what I think. Edited June 20, 2015 by mydiamond Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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