Reptile & Amphibian Forums

So, we have a female husky/shepard mix (I think) that we got from a family who didn't want her any more for whatever reason.. That was about five years ago; she was three according to them, so I believe she is about eight now. I am posting here because she seems to exhibit mostly Husky type behavior.

I am having trouble articulating my thoughts here, as we don't actually have a "problem" with her, I am just feeling like our care is lacking after doing a little 4am Googling about Huskys. She has very little training. She spends a lot of time alone in the apartment. She has never been a big eater (her bowl will be full for two days or longer) but she loves to beg for our food and we often oblige her. She is a maniac when she wants to go out or when she sees that we are going to take her out (fairly normal? but annoying, as she runs around in circles for 2 minutes straight before I can put a leash on). She eats the trash, she seems to pee in my mother's room occasionally; I am not sure if this is acting out or from necessity..

She is very friendly and lovable, I have never ever seen her do anything that could be called aggressive or violent.. If she is on our balcony and wants to come in she will bark one time and wait.. She hardly ever barks otherwise. I am just wondering if it is ideal for her to be living alone in an apartment, if the food situation is wrong, if we should expect more obedience from her, etc. I believe that each family member (3 total) treats her differently, so that might be confusing. I feel like such a jackass but that is why I am looking for advice. Is it possible to modify the bad behavior now that she is obviously past normal puppy training age? Are there husky-specific care or information we should be aware of or is the normal dog stuff we do fine? Is there anything that you should NOT do with Huskys?

Wow sorry for the long post. I think I woke her up clambering around so I took a picture (her eyes are both blue):

Thanks for the help (hopefully)!

I don't know about that breed specifically, but in general, I think the dog needs a lot more exercise. As far as running around in circles you have to train to sit stay and wait for them to calm down. I would also suggest the whole family getting involved and taking to a basic obedience class near you. Remember a tired dog is a good dog.

Just my 2 cents.

Cheryl

Never feel bad about asking for help! It's a good thing- especially since you are trying to make her life better as well as everyone else's.

Also, it's never too late to train a dog- especially one as smart as her.

You have tons of options open to you. Personally, I would go to an obedience class with this middle aged lady. The reasons are two fold- 1) by actively getting her out of the house you are stimulating her mentally and that will automatically help behavior because she won't be as bored. 2) Classes keep people honest about training because you are accountable for the homework and have to go back to class every week.

Many people don't realize that teachign a dog to "sit", "down", "heel" etc is more than just a formal exercise that you only do in class. It's a tool you can use to teach a dog to sit politely before having the leash put on.

Another thing to try- there's a program called "Nothing in life is Free" and if you do an Internet search for it, you'll hit 100s of pages describing it's use with dogs. Basically, a dog has to "ask permission" before being given a privaledge. That includes it's meals. So, the pup doesn't "sit" before getting the dinner bowl put in front of her, she doesnt' get fed. You'd be incredibly surprised the # of dogs who are encouraged to eat when food isn't out all the time. You'd also be surprised how willing to work for food an otherwise non-food motivated dog becomes.

These are jsut a few suggestions to try. Good luck and ask more questions if you need clarification.
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Chelle and the rest of the crew including, but not limited to Kita and Taiko (the shiba inu wrestle maniacs), Adi (reserved and dignified tabby cat), and all 28 reptiles