Siberian Huskies > Siberian Husky Discussions

Friends Husky going after baby..

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NoDogNow:
Huskies will get all KINDS of unstable if they're not getting enough exercise--and some of them need a LOT. Like, MILES of exercise. He should also have some kind of pack to carry water or something else in. Huskies were bred to be the 18 wheeler of the 19th century North, remember.

For example, when my brother was distance running, our friend Gavin's sibe used to be entirely happy to run 5-7 miles with my brother at 5 am, another 6 miles to work with Gavin at 7 am, and then run 10 or more miles after Gavin got off work, followed by a late night run with another runner friend. Jack's favorite TREAT was to run marathons, and he wouldn't bat an eye at a 50 mile bike ride, from Provo all the way north to Bountiful and back south home again. Gavin kept running 5 years longer than he probably should have because Jack HAD to run, or he got very depressed and would become frustrated-aggressive. They ran a 5 K just a couple of days before Jack went to the Bridge, and even at 13 (maybe it was 14), Jack was NOT happy to stop.

That's the kind of breeding and mindset your friend is likely dealing with. She's going to have to work on training him to run with a bike, and she might want to look around to see if there's someone who can help with the exercise, because one person may not be able to tire him out.

Until the dog's getting enough exercise, it's likely your friend's going to have issues training him with boundaries, too. He'll be too frustrated to be willing to work at it. Get him running, though, and the toxic behavior will resolve much, much easier.

ZooCrew:
I guess maybe I'm reading the post differently than the others, but to me it sounds more like he's trying to correct the infant as an adult dog would do.  The other nipping he's done sounds like it is in play.  But b/c of when he grabbed a leg........... ..when the baby tried to crawl away........to me at least it sounds like he was thinking the baby wasn't supposed to leave.  Of course I wasn't there so I don't know exactly how he grabbed the baby, only that he did.

It is probably a combination of things.  For sure huskies need a ton of exercise.  I have a husky/shep mix and when young she was horribly destructive if not given something to entertain herself with and keep her busy.  And I would tire out long before she would.

Secondly, have they ever taught him bite inhibition?  Nipping, even in play, shouldn't be tolerated and should be started as soon as one brings a puppy home.  At almost 2 yrs old it will take alot longer to teach him the rules as he's been doing it awhile.  I will assume no damage has occurred from his nipping or he probably would no longer be in the household.

Thirdly, he does need to learn who is in charge in the household, with himself being on the low end of the totem pole.  I don't really agree with takedowns once they are past 4 mo of age and it really depends on the dog as to whether it will work.......... .or make it worse.  Instead, I would work on NILF with him.  Involve the children and work with some basic obedience.  Enroll him in a class.  Teach him phrases like "nice" or "gentle" so he understands that behavior like that is not acceptable.  If they have to, remove the baby entirely, then gradually start reintroducing them again once the dog has learned some basics.

I don't see what the dog is doing as aggressive.  Huskies are a very mouthy breed and unless taught otherwise, will use their mouths to communicate.  Since he is still young, hopefully he will catch on quickly.  Being a male, and a husky it will bring some challenges, but if they follow thru I'm sure he will soon understand what is expected of him.

schelmischekitty:
personally, i wouldn't do the biting thing.  for more than one reason.  first off, the dog doesn't stop doing it because he learns, he will stop doing it out of fear.  second off, it can cause a reaction where he will bite you back out of a pain response.  finally, third off, eventually during his "re-training" he will try to take control again and if you bite he may try to bite you to challenge you.  maybe she should also try the NILIF program.  when he comes back after she corrects him, he's trying to see if he can get away with it "now."  she has to be persistent.  the first week or two are going to be tough, but after that it usually starts to work out.  there aren't any miracle cures, just like kids, teaching them takes time.  i know how hard working around hubby can be.  mine is the same way when it comes to misbehaving dogs, but once he starts seeing a difference in their behavior he always relaxes about it.  we've fostered several behaviorally challenged dogs over the years, and i've found hubby "hates" them all at first. 

ButterflyChaser:
Hi, I'm new here and new to huskies.  Just rescued my first one two days ago.  But I've been doing a lot of reading, and from what I gather, they're not too much different from Samoyeds.  And I've had my Samoyed now for 9 years.

I also didn't see the husky's nipping as aggression, but maybe rather playful.  Huskies are very mouthy.  Mine uses her mouth to grab and she growls anytime she wants attention.  It's not a hostile growl, but rather a "notice me, play with me" growl.  Perhaps your friend's husky likes the baby and wanted to play.

It could also be that the husky was "herding" the baby.  My husky is trying to herd or roundup my two cats.  She doesn't hurt them.  She just corners them somewhere, as if that's her job, to corral.  Then she's happy and walks off.  In the two days I've had her, my two cats have already learned that my new husky is not a threat.

Another thing I would like to mention is that no child should ever be left unsupervised with any animal EVER.  There should always be close supervision.  Both children and animals are unpredictable.  And even the sweetest, gentlest animal can get vicious if a child hurts them in some way.  Children often pull tails or get careless, and injured animals just react without thinking.  My Samoyed will snap at me if I accidentally step on his tail.  He loves me and would otherwise never hurt me.  But he does snap if hurt.  I don't consider it aggression really, just a shout of OWWWWWWWW, DON"T DO THAT, YOU BIG CLUMSY GALLOOT!

One last thing, if the dog's owner doesn't feel she can walk the dog, she needs a fenced in yard so the dog can just run free.  They're easily bored and need entertainment, much like children do.  They need physical activity to work off their energy and keep them from getting bored and irritable.  If she doesn't have a fenced in yard, maybe she can set up "play dates" with another friend who has a dog and a fenced in yard.  I do this with one of my friends.  Her little Scotty just loves my Sam and they have a nice fenced yard.  So the two dogs lope around the yard together chasing squirrels while my friend and I work on a project.  When I get Sam home, he crashes on the couch for hours.  LOL

Huskies, like my Samoyed, are powerful, energetic, ambitious animals and thrive on activity.  Your friend's husky would probably quickly learn some of the rules of football if her older kids wanted to play. They seem to be intelligent and easily trained.  So spending some more time with the husky might be a solution.

NancyAnn

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