Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello, first time poster! I currently have 2 huskies, Male and Female, Yuri and Lola.
We purchased Yuri at 3 months old, and he has always been an amazing dog. VERY great with family.
Now, when he was about 8 months, we decided he needed a friend, so we found Lola in NC, in which she lived with 25 other huskies.
Lola and my girlfriend never parted the first two days we had her, and then suddenly, she doesnt want my girlfriend NEAR her. If my girlfriend goes to pet her, she moves away, if i am not home and my girlfriend goes to put her in the crate, she very meanly growls at her. But when I am home, she never does such. I would just love some advice on how to correct this and get her close to my girlfriend.

Also, we just moved back from NC to MA. Since then, lola's fur on the hind legs has been shedding, ALOT. I mean like you brush and BIG clumps of hair are coming, yet her legs still look perfectly normal, as if no hair was missing.... what is this???

Adam,

You have 2 beautiful Sibes! As for the hair, the back legs is the area they shed first. They shed at least 2x a year. You will fill a trash can with the hair they shed! It comes out over a period of weeks. Just keep brushing and brushing. It's their undercoat and should be pure white. It helps if you get an "undercoat rake". It looks like a torture device, but trust me, they love it. It has points, but won't hurt your dog. It grabs that undercoat and gets it out.

As for the behavior, I've never seen a Siberian growl at a person. They are normally very submissive to humans, especially children. Usually growling is either as a reponse to fear or as a challenge of dominance (normally with another dog). So you're saying you've never seen it, though? Make sure your g/f is reading the dog's message right. What is the position of the tail and the ears when this happens? This is VERY important! Is she baring her teeth (rolling up her lip) when she does this? We REALLY need to know all this before we can interpret the "message" your pup is sending to your g/f. It also could be she was mistreated by a female in the seller's home... it may take work on your g/f's part to earn her trust. (try food! like cooked chicken or beef, fed by her hand while she pets her)

Lastly, does she freely go into her crate at other times (by herself or for you)? Is she afraid of the crate? Is it big enough?

Give us more info and MORE PICS !!!

Good Luck,

Walt

Hello!
Thank you for the compliments... your Husky is BEAUTIFUL by the way!

Thank you SO much for the advice on the fur, we have just been brushing her down for a good 30 minutes.

now, on the aggression, brushing her was a perfect example. Kim tried, and she kept backing away, even cowered against the wall, and she looked afraid. So i picked her up and laid her down, where Kim brushed her. She only was calm and non aggressive because she was cuddling her head into my lap.... so i guess she is doing this in fear. also, she does like the crate, something she did at first was when anyone, mainly females, went near the cage, she would emit a low growl, like a warning... any advice would be apprechiated!
" alt="Image">

Picture of Lola
" alt="Image">

Neither pic worked. You need to go to "Photo Gallery" at the top, create a personal folder, upload your pics, and then select them from the box at the bottom of the page when you "post". You can select multiple pics by using the CNTRL key or SHIFT key.

If your Sibe shows aggression towards Kim, she needs to roll the dog onto it's back, stare at her eyes (don't get face to face), and hold her there with one hand on her chest until she gets submissive. Kim could also growl low in her throat. Your Sibe will get submissive by looking away and/or stopping squirming. Repeat upon any challenges to human dominance. (Do this on a hard surface because it's possible a dog may pee when becoming submissive).

Keep in mind by bringing a new dog into the mix, it creates a period of determining pecking order between the dogs and you guys. I think your dogs view you (Adam) as "Alpha", and Kim at this point is not second in line. Kim needs to assert herself. Obviously, love, praise, and play will go a long way, too.

If you can get a book on "dog language", that may help both of you. You need to know what is a sign for "play with me" vs "leave me alone" vs a real threat. Again, I've never seen a Sibe that's aggressive to humans, much less vicious!

Lastly, how do the dogs do with the child in your first pic? Any other kids in the mix? Again, pecking order includes them.

Let us know... and thanks for the compliments on Nikki! Here's a pic of Shadow.

Walt

Hello! here is Yuri and Lola

Something you can try is called a "Comfort Zone" plug-in. It releases pheronomes that calm them. You might want to try that. I have one and it's really cut down on their destructive behavior when I'm not at home. I believe there is also a spray that you can use on her bedding in the crate. Give that a try!!

Hope it helps!
Becky