New here! And some ?s

[snow white]

Wanted to share my gorgeous boy, Nico. He's 2, and came to us unexpectedly when he was 4 months old. Im sure I would not have chosen a Husky if I had to choose, but I love him anyways. He is very rambunctious and Im afraid since we hadnt planned for him, we probably didnt train him properly as we were not familiar with huskies (or dogs in general for that matter.)

Some issues that im not sure are husky-specific:

Food aggression - you will lose your hand if you try to take food from him!

Other dogs - we like to take him to the dog park to run off some energybut he doesnt seem to do well with a most dogs. He'll growl and seem to start fights with many dogs and I cant tell if hes playing or not, so I get nervous and take him out.

Foods - doesnt seem to like many foods. Weve tried 100 brands, he never seems to carefor them and will leave it untouched. of course if someone goes near his food, then he will scarf it down in 5 seconds (while growling at us, lol). He is pretty thin, about 45 lbs.

Escaping - we have a fenced in yard which he manages to dig under. we then fill the hole and block it with a boulder. @@ we do have a long line on a run which we use but he howls sometimes on it.

Aside from the above issues, he is really super loveable and im just hoping he mellows over time.

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[goingsolo]

Welcome to husky owners xxx huskies are known escape artists. They do have a tendency to get under your skin somehow xxx

[Emma]

Welcome to the forum.

Like mentioned being an escape artist is definitely a husky trait. They can be quite picky eaters too.

Food aggression is something that needs to be worked on. When ice was little we practiced the "nothing in life is free" method and got him to perform a few commands before giving him his food. We also would do treat training with him, he'd perform a command and we'd treat him from our hand. He's pretty good with most things now.

Other dogs. If he wasn't well socialised as a pup then it could be the cause. However, Huskies are rough players and will grab each other and bash into each other as the norm but if it's a fully fledged fight that is breaking out then that's gone too far. If that is the case then a dog behaviourist could be something well worth looking in to.

If you are walking on lead with other dogs is he ok then?

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[robke]

  TO  

[Andy]

[Jay]

Welcome!

 

Food aggression - a good tip is to keep training with this.  Maybe put treats in between your fingers, and keep saying "easy" and dont let him have it until he takes it nicely.  It will take some work but once he knows that he will always get fed, i think he will do better. 

Other dogs - Over time this should get better, and rather than keep him away, just work with him with other dogs.  Start out easy, in neutral territory and on lead.  Then work up to off-lead parks, but make sure he is exercised prior.  If you take him there when he has all this pent-up energy with the excitement it will make things worse. 

Foods - Pick a good quality food and stick with it.  Don't mix in other stuff or treats or he will expect it.  He won't starve himself, and he will get the hint that he's not going to get anything else.  If you are always changing up his food he may get bored easier.

Escaping - This is the husky trait that is going to be impossible to train him out of.  Just make sure all gates are locked, and if he is digging then you will need to make sure there are blocks or cement under the fence.  Never let him out unsupervised, or get a tether.

 

Good luck, and he is a handsome one!