[koeJ007]

Sorry, this may be long so I want to just apologise in advance!

This is not a thread about my pitbull, but it IS about my husky. I just don't know what to do and thought I would come to the most knowledgeable dog people I know!

As I mentioned previously, we moved on Saturday and I was really excited. I expected my dogs to be a bit out of sorts, but it has gone beyond that and reached the point of ridiculous! We have always had a bit of a problem with Dakota and her control issues. It doesn't help that we got her when she was 4 months old and running almost wild with her parents and a couple of other huskys. She had developed a lot of bad habits and an almost pack like wildness that I always thought I could train out of her. I guess I should have always expected this behaviour because when we went to get her she was running around on a farm with 5 other huskys who all jumped on uis and yapped around us.

Anyway, since we moved she has started nipping at the kids, she even left a long scratch down my daughters leg. Two days ago, she got this weird 'wild' look in her eyes and started yelping and whining to get out of the backyard. Yesterday, she managed to squeeze herself through our security gate and sneak through the kitchen while we were in another room unpacking. I managed to get her just before she ran across the road and I brought her safely back inside.

But, my daughter was admitted into hospital this morning so I haven't been home the whole day. I got a call from my housekeeper around 1 o' clock this afternoon, telling me that she actually managed to eat a hole- Yes, a hole- through the back door to escape. She escaped twice and has gone even more beserk now. She bit my son's arm again after this too. My husband is at his wits end and we realise that we can no longer trust her around the kids so we are seriously considering giving her away to someone who doesn't have kids.

I don't want this kind of behaviour to rub off my well behaved, and well mannered pit. But I also feel like such a bad person as I have never given up on a dog before. I now see firsthand how byb can ruin things by not taking into consideration temperament issues before deciding to breed. But how does that help me now?

What do I do? Do I keep her and keep trying to change her behaviour? Or do I give her away? I feel bad dumping all these issues on someone else too, but the thought of putting her to sleep gives me chills. Will this behaviour affect me pit?

 

[EckoMac]

How much exercise is she getting? Huskies are a VERY high energy dog. Without the proper exercise they become destructive. I would suggest a treadmill and about 3 hours of HARD exercise per day. (not all at once) I would also recommend some flirt pole action for her as well. High prey drive and high energy dog needs massive amounts of exercise to maintain sanity.
Hope this helps.

 

[koeJ007]

Please excuse the spelling and grammer, it is about 1 am an I am using my cell phone. I can't sleep but I was too tired to read through it.

 

[koeJ007]

Thanks. I have to admit that the move put me behind with her exercise. And I didn't think huskys would be into the flirtpole! As soon as I am home I will get right on it. I hate the feeling of giving up on a dog, but you have given me hope.
I actually can't believe I didn't think of that :hammer:

 

[EckoMac]

Awesome!!
A few other ideas too...
Skijoring if you live in snow
Cart pulling if you don't
Biking with the contraption on the tire to keep her a safe distance away
Weight pull
Agility
Lure coursing (I saw this at an expo a month ago... amazing stuff)

Huskies love work, hunting, chasing, running, hauling, dragging, there are so many things to do with a dog like that if you are an active person. Find what your dog loves and make it a job. You'll have an obedient mush ball in no time.
I'm a couch potato with a bad back so I went with Pet Bully. He likes Animal Planet and 20 min walks. LOL!!

 

[angelbaby]

How much exercise is she getting? Huskies are a VERY high energy dog. Without the proper exercise they become destructive. I would suggest a treadmill and about 3 hours of HARD exercise per day. (not all at once) I would also recommend some flirt pole action for her as well. High prey drive and high energy dog needs massive amounts of exercise to maintain sanity.
Hope this helps.

:goodpost::goodpost:

 

[koeJ007]

Lol, Angelbaby!
Jip, I'm gonna start googling how to build some contraptions and get to work. I used to be very active but after having a baby 7 months ago, I have slowed down a bit. Pity I can't put her on the orbitrek!
Anyhow, there's no excuse- I will start working her again and will get my pit pup involved too. I couldn't sleep cos I'm still not home in my own bed but now I can't sleep out of excitement!

Thanks guys, you are the best! This forum is TOPS!

 

[dixieland]

If it was me I would PTS.I have a no tolerance policy when it comes to my kids and my dogs.I would never trust that dog around my kids again and I wouldn't want to chance placing it with someone else and risking it biting another child.
A dog who acts this way has no place whatsoever in my family.I don't care what the reasons are as to why they did it

 

[koeJ007]

I completely know and understand what you are saying. I just couldn't handle the thought of this being my fault due to lack of exercise. I will keep my kids away from her for now and try the exercise. If she has indeed changed and turned aggressive I will consider PTS. However, I owe it to her to give her another chance.
I always said that if my dog were to hurt one of my kids I would PTS without a second thought, but when reality is staring me right in the face- it makes the decision a lot tougher. I have always felt that a dog needs to be treated like a dog, but at the same time it is my responsibility to do whatever is in my power to do right by that dog.
I really value your opinion and thank you for sharing, it will always be a consideration until (or if) I can sort her out.

I just need to hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel. I am not a quitter and have never quit on anything yet. But I get what you are saying, and my kids safety does come first. Maybe I just need to prove to myself that it is not my fault. If it is a heredited character trait, I will deal with it as you suggest. But I need to know for certain first.
Thanks again DixieLand

 

[dixieland]

I hope everything works out for the best and nothing else happens.Please keep us updated on the situation and tell us if it seems more work or exercise helps.

I'm so glad this isn't the apbt you're talking about or I'd be singing a way different tune.lol

 

[koeJ007]

Its so ironic cos when I first joined, one of my first questions were whether my pit would turn on my kids or be a suitable family pet. I have only had husky's before (although none have been as difficult as this one), and was concerned about a pitbull. As much as I have always wanted one, everyone said I should wait until my kids were older.

Now I can honestly say that my pit bull has been the easiest dog I have ever had! He is the first dog I have bought from a registered breeder, and I see that in itself is an added bonus- but I also get to experience how eager to please pits are.
My pup did pick up a bad behaviour from my husky that I will have to train out of him. He growled when I touched him under his chin while he was eating a bone. Now this is something I cannot allow as my kids are always around the dogs and even feed them by hand while I'm around. My husky did it at first, but she is over that now and my kids can even put their hands in her food bowl while she eats. (Now this is not a normal occurance, but my daughter has been known to disaobey me sometimes). However, when my pup did this the other day, I let him know it was not acceptable and sternly said no before taking the bone away. When he realised I didn't like his reaction, he put his head on my shoulder and just stood there until I patted him and let him know he was forgiven. I will continue to touch and pet him while he eats until he understands that I am not there to take his food and that food comes from us. But his reaction surprised me and made me appreciate this breed all the more

 

[Acaldeira]

If it was me I would PTS.I have a no tolerance policy when it comes to my kids and my dogs.I would never trust that dog around my kids again and I wouldn't want to chance placing it with someone else and risking it biting another child.
A dog who acts this way has no place whatsoever in my family.I don't care what the reasons are as to why they did it

Completely agree with you dixieland.

 

[Acaldeira]

To the OP, i recommend you to expose your situation in this forum: Husky Owners - The Siberian Husky Forum

Surely there are people there that had similar problems.

The Husky is an extremely high maintenance breed, sometimes even higher than most APBT's i know and they need to work in order to be happy, otherwise they can become destructive and most of the times, aggressive.

Hope you find a solution for your problem, good luck!

Edit: Almost forgot, even though it has already been suggested in previous posts, what you should definitely do is order a proper mushing harness, if you want i can recommend you a great one (where i buy my professional dog accessories). Huskies love to pull and i can assure you if you never tried it before, it will be a blast! Teaching your dog to mush, turn right, turn left etc... is an awesome workout, both mental and physical!

Here's my boy at 10 months of age, learning to pull for the first time:

It's even easier to train if you have more dogs, so include your APBT in the workout!

 

[dday]

If it was me I would PTS.I have a no tolerance policy when it comes to my kids and my dogs.I would never trust that dog around my kids again and I wouldn't want to chance placing it with someone else and risking it biting another child.
A dog who acts this way has no place whatsoever in my family.I don't care what the reasons are as to why they did it

I second this. Who cares about the possible lack of exercise!

 

[koeJ007]

Thanks for the great advice. I will def try getting a harness. I'm in South Africa so I will have to try and find one here as ordering one and having it posted might cost a pretty penny. We do have WP activities for pits so it shouldn't take long to find one.
I will keep you all updated and I'll look at that forum now.
Thanks again- you have been a great help!

 

[koeJ007]

Also, your boy looks fantastic! I have been waiting for my pup to get a bit older so I can start WP, they look like they really enjoy it. I'll just start my husky first and let him watch and play around a bit with it until he is older.

To dday: I am still considering it and will make mention of it to my hubby. I do just want to give her one more chance. I do know the consequences if something were to go wrong and they are unacceptable: but I'll give her maybe a week or so to prove to me that she is not aggressive. Until then, I will keep the kids away and just work with her myself.

Again, I'm not dissing the advice. I really am thinking about all that has been said and carefully weighing my options. Thanks a million to you all

 

[koeJ007]

Is a WP harness the same as a mushing harness? We don't get snow where I am.

 

[aus_staffy]

Try looking for a sled dogs club. If there's one in sweltering Perth where I live there should be one where you are.

I know nothing about huskies but it does sound exercise related. Hopefully you can get it sorted out.

 

[koeJ007]

Heya Guys. Just an update........

I met a woman at the hospital strangely enoughl she heard me talking to my husband about my dog and came up to me. She is an experienced husky owner and mentioned that they like a routine and a stable lifestyle. If it changes too much it causes them to get unstable.
With the fact that we were on holiday for 10 days, then the moving and then with me being away with my daughter in hospital:it must've been too much change too quickly- couple that with the lack of exercise around this hectic time and I realise that it must've hit her really hard.

But on the day we came out, I gave her some TLC and spent the weekend just doing things we usually did before the move. She is back to being the same sweet girl she was before she turned crazy! She isn't tearing at doors and barking like mad. Instead she waits for me to come out and prances around me like before. There is only one thing different she has done so far; this morning I didn't have to go and get her rawhide bone to play fetch- she brought it to me. Yay!!!

Thank you to everyone who gave advice. You really helped me. I am still going to get a harness and a spring/ flirtpole set up. I was also really inspired by the "Dosia dock diving" thread and want to see if I can get Dakota jumping into the pool.
She is really a fantastic dog and I'm glad she's back to her old self again.

 

[koeJ007]

To everyone on GP:

YOU GUYS ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!