posting on behalf of smokey

[Sarah]

have just read smokey's blog and think our members could help (taken from http://www.husky-owners.com/forum/index.php?/blog/21/entry-55-questions-advice-help/)

Hi everyone,

I have several questions. I am new to the doggy owning world and through research have realized how much of a challenge owning a husky can be. Please help me be a responsible owner by answering my questions.

1. Smokey has really runny stools. I feed him 1 cup of Blue Buffalo in the morning (8am) and evening (5:00pm). Sometimes he gets random treats like cheese, doggy biscuits, boiled chicken breasts, yogurt, strawberries, baby carrots, etc. Any advice?

2. Smokey and I go walking at least once a day for at least an hour. What is a good pace and is that a decent amount of exercise?

3. Is there any real way to get Smokey to ignore rabbits, squirrels, birds, lizards etc?

4. I live in Las Vegas. It gets hot here in the summer (100-120 for weeks on end). How can I protect Smokey from this heat, keep him hydrated and exercise him? He is an outdoor only dog.

5. How can I tell if Smokey is a happy dog? I have a genuine fear/phobia of being a terrible doggy owner.

6. Smokey is learning to do tricks/obey commands. For the most part he has gotten some stuff down: sit, down, leave it, shake, roll over, stay, go, come here...I want to continue. I only do positive reinforcement and it is in 15minute intervals probably about 2 to 3 times daily. He is really stubborn and I'd say he listens about 50% of the time and if that with a lot of growls and anger even though he knows what I am asking him to do. Is it hard on a husky to do obedience training?

7. I have tried to let him roam around off leash but it scared the bujeezies out of me even though he did come back to me. Has anyone been successful with a husky off leash?

8. I am having A LOT of difficulty with loose leash walking. He pulls and pulls me until my arm feels like it is going to come out of my socket. Advice, tips etc or is this how it's always gonna be?

9. Smokey doesn't like other dogs. I am taking him to doggy kindergarten training classes to try to get him socialized but most of the people there don't like us because Smokey is a bit aggressive/overly happy to play?--I don't know. Smokey will sniff another dog and then put his paw/leg around his neck and try to jump on it or slap it with his paw. if it is a smaller dog Smokey will put it on it's back. Most people that see Smokey on their dog walks will walk away from us because Smokey goes nuts--he will bark incessantly, cry, jump like a pogo stick, pull the leash etc. Help? Will a doggy park be a good idea? I don't want to put any other dog or Smokey in danger....

9. Just general advice for me? Any comments concerns with my ownership? I am new to all of this, very open minded and very hard to offend so PLEASE PLEASE keep an eye on me and help me out.

Thanks!

Smokey and his master

[Sid_Wolf]

hmmm, my main concern is the heat since he's an outdoor dog... is there no way he could be inside? no only because of the heat but they're pack animals and im sure he would much rather be with you than outside all day

If not then get him a large kennel, and place it in the shade, dig out a nice big hole under the kennel and keep about half the loose dirt in the hole, he will turn this dirt over to get to the cooler dirt underneith .

Make sure there are LOTS of shady places for him to lay if he wants to, and a nice LARGE water bowl, biggest you can get, placed in the shade and kept filled up, a few times a day make him a giant ice cube (ice cream tub sized) and put it in his water bowl for him.

Get him a paddling pool

NEVER shave him

walk him early morning and late at night, when its coolest.

[Tikaanis_mommy]

i can help with some issues.

So with the runny stool issue, how long have you been feeding him blue buffalo? it can take up to a month and a half after you change food brands before poo will harden. sometimes the dog just dosent do well on the brand, if you have been on the food for over 2 months i suggest changing brands.

Excersize- it depends on the dog. Ask yourself this is smokey destroying things in my home? is he Overly excited all the time? if the answer is yes he need more excersise, if no then hes fine. Huskys when bored will normally reak Havok & mischif. when proplerly excersised they are quite calm....well as far as huskies go..

I live in hawaii and it gets hot here no where near as hot as there but still pretty hot. Dont SHAVE your husky, whatever you do. just make sure there is shade for him to stay in and lots of water. I also suggest buying a plastic kiddie pool and filling it with water so if he is hot he has somewhere to go to cool of it works for my furballs lol. they love it.

Unhappy dogs always try to escape. I have a 5 foot wall i know my dogs can jump easy but they never try because they are happy where they are. Does your dog come to you when you ask? are you caring for him properly? if so then OF COURSE hes happy lol.

huskies are a very independent breed, but they are VERY intelligent. Obidience training isnt hard on a husky but they learn what they want, you must make it fun for him to learn. positive reinforcement is good, i suggest clicker training my dogs exceled with it.

I dont Recommend off lead huskies unless SUPER trained, even then i still dont recommend it. but it is possible just remember you are risking your dog everyime you let him off. Are you ready for vet bills if hit by a car. searching for hours upon hours because huskies can run miles.

thats all for now good luck

[Arooroomom]

1. You can try adding some Pumpkin (not pie filling) to his meals. It's pretty good at stiffening things up. How long have you had him on this food? And has he been checked for worms?

2. How old is Smokey? And is he neutered? Guage his exercise needs off of his behavior. Is he constantly bouncing off the walls and crazy even though he's been exercised for the day? That's an indicator that he needs some more If he's a young pup the 1 hour all at once might be a bit too much for him to handle at first. If he's younger than 6 months take it slower doing 4 walks of 15 mins per day or 3 20 min walks ect.ect.. All dogs are different. Cheyenne is a very easygoing Husky and is fine without much exercise. Mishka & Mickey are not. They'd rip my house to shreds

3. Not really. Resistance is futile. Pretty much anyway. You'll soon develop Husky-senses that will help you catch sight of a rabbit/bird/squirrel faster than he can.

4. That's pretty brutal for a Husky. Does he really HAVE to be an outdoor only dog during those days? You can buy a dogloo (dog house) and i'd definately invest in a plastic kiddie pool. Also, many sibes love LOVE ice. My dogs are indoor dogs so i can't really help much on this. The ice and pools do help though in Florida summer months. I wouldn't be too concerned with much exercise. Heat exhaustion would be too easy to come by.

5.As long as your feeding their tummies and loving their hearts, most dogs are very happy

6. Huskies are a very stubborn breed. If it's not in it for their benefit... why bother? Basically that's their mindset. You have to trick them into thinking that they really want to do this. High value rewards work well for Huskies. They are very intelligent... once you get past the thick heads What you're doing for training sounds right. Short multiple sessions are the key.

7. They can't do off lead. It's way too dangerous. I know a couple who were convinced their 2 male Huskies were "beyond" this and constantly had them off lead. Well, one of them got clipped by a car because they ignored a recall. It's too risky.

8. Loose lead walking isn't something that comes preprogrammed into a Husky brain. They need to be taught this. Teaching them to heel is the first step. And slowly you can add more leash room. Just don't give them more leash than they can handle. Some people use Halti Collars: Halti

But i don't like them. You can try it if you want but most dogs freak out over having something like that on their face.

9. What does the trainer say about Smokeys behavior? Ask them. Since your a first time dog owner it's much better (and safer) to get someone like a dog trainer/behaviorists thoughts on his behavior. There are some dogs who are much different when they're off the lead. I can't see your dog so i really can't say if it's overexcited play/dominance/aggression.

BREATHE. Relax. That's the biggest piece of advice i can give you. And the best They can sense tension and apprehension like a steak dinner. And they'll use it and feed on it. Try to be confident in yourself at all times with the dog around. Good leadership is the groundwork for a good dog.

[BingBlaze n Skyla]

not sure on all ov them BUT i can help on a few 1st is

3. Is there any real way to get Smokey to ignore rabbits, squirrels, birds, lizards etc?

i doubt it - BUT if you do find a way 2 do this PLEASE let me know - huskies have a very high prey drive

6. Smokey is learning to do tricks/obey commands. For the most part he has gotten some stuff down: sit, down, leave it, shake, roll over, stay, go, come here...I want to continue. I only do positive reinforcement and it is in 15minute intervals probably about 2 to 3 times daily. He is really stubborn and I'd say he listens about 50% of the time and if that with a lot of growls and anger even though he knows what I am asking him to do. Is it hard on a husky to do obedience training?

huskies are VERY head strong if they dont want 2 do something or theres nothing in it for them - they wont do it - if hes growling maybe hes trying 2 tell u hes had enuf - y not start at 5 min intervals and work your way up?

7. I have tried to let him roam around off leash but it scared the bujeezies out of me even though he did come back to me. Has anyone been successful with a husky off leash?

nope not me - theres a few people on here who do but if i let mine off they would just RUN AND RUN AND RUN i prefer 2 take mine out for lots ov walks and if i take them sumwhere where they can run around and play away from roads ect (like a field) i use 100ft leads so they still have the freedom ov being offlead but i know they are safe and that im going home with my dog that day its not worth the risk tbh

8. I am having A LOT of difficulty with loose leash walking. He pulls and pulls me until my arm feels like it is going to come out of my socket. Advice, tips etc or is this how it's always gonna be?

what i do is walk Blaze on a SHORT leads - its more like just a handle rather than a lead he HAS 2 walk next to me then and when the lead goes slack i give him a command and praise (hes not there yet but hes getting better) - just keep it up perseveer - and treats work wonders lol

9. Smokey doesn't like other dogs. I am taking him to doggy kindergarten training classes to try to get him socialized but most of the people there don't like us because Smokey is a bit aggressive/overly happy to play?--I don't know. Smokey will sniff another dog and then put his paw/leg around his neck and try to jump on it or slap it with his paw. if it is a smaller dog Smokey will put it on it's back. Most people that see Smokey on their dog walks will walk away from us because Smokey goes nuts--he will bark incessantly, cry, jump like a pogo stick, pull the leash etc. Help? Will a doggy park be a good idea? I don't want to put any other dog or Smokey in danger....

it doesnt sound like he doesnt like dogs it sounds like he is trying to dominate them and when u say this - Smokey goes nuts--he will bark incessantly, cry, jump like a pogo stick, pull the leash etc - it just sounds like he wants 2 play an agressive dog would b barking lunging and growling (and/or bearing his teeth)

i hope this has helped abit

[Smokey]

omg Sarah I just saw this. Thank you too all who responded. As far as those questions go, I've learned a lot and am doing well with Smokey. I think those questions were from an overly terrified new husky owner. I'm not that person any more

[davidjk]

1. yoghurt and cheese are most likely to upset his stomach from the list of things you posted, either stop giving him these things or continue, and he will become used to it eventually

2. as long as your husky isnt getting destructive, destruction is usually a sign of boredom i would sugest a morning and evening walk if possible

3. sadly no,

4. make sure you always have water for him to drink, and also for him to play in, also provide an area of shade

5. the fact you are trying speaks volumes

6. huskies can be trained with extreme patience, micha learned all the usual things when she was younger, then refused to do them, the only one she does all the time is sit

7. there are a few people who let their husky off lead, including me. we started with micha as a puppy letting her off lead and so far so good. i would not recomend it to any one.

8. whenever micha or suki pulls i stop till they sit then we carry on, they can still pull at times, but generally they are very good.

9. huskies play rough, the paw thing is a play with me request. also looking like he is bowing is also a play request.

9. huskies like to push the boundaries, its like they are testing you to see if you are a good owner, stick to your rules 100% and you should be ok. at times it can be trying owning a husky, but be patient and consistent.