A little about me: I just adopted my first Husky about a month ago. I'm no stranger to dog ownership and have had all kinds from the barking Beagle that hears nothing when on the hunt, to the ditzy shepherd mix that will openly run into trees, and lastly to a simi-aggressive pitbull mix that's territorial and hates small children (Scary during the holiday gatherings but undoubtedly the best dog I've owned thus far). Most dogs I have gotten as a puppy and trained them early. This is my first adult dog acquisition and where you guys come in.

A lot about my Husky: We've decided to call her Kenzi since she was a runaway picked up by animal control and no one had any info on her. She's estimated at around 4 years old and is believed to be purebred though she seems pretty tall for a female. I've wanted a Husky for a while, (Common story) but didn't really settle to get one until we moved to a new place with new jobs and our old dog (beagle/dalmation mix) was really lonely while we were at work. While we hunted for the right dog we sent our first dog to live with the in-laws so she had other dogs to be with until we found her a new friend. I drove about three hours away to get Kenzi when she showed up at a Petsmart adopt-a-thon. The day of she did good with the dogs at the event except for a pit pup that kept jumping in her face. She did good with my friends two dogs even when we went to her house after. There was a little growling between her and the male dog but nothing much. They got over it quick without issue. When I got her home she ran around the house sniffing all of our other dogs stuff (ie. toys, bed, food dish) then settled in and napped for about an hour until the in-laws showed up with our original dog then...all hell broke loose. Kenzi went full on wolf, hair on end, head dropped, lips pulled up her teeth into the foaming snarl of attack mode. Our old dog dropped tail, screamed (not yelp, actual scream), and nearly plowed my father-in-law over to get back to the truck. If we were petting Kenzi and she was laid on her back she didn't care if the other dog came over and smelled her but if she wasn't occupied she wanted our other dog dead and wasn't interested in returning sniffs. It seemed an odd reaction after meeting other dogs all day without freaking out that she would suddenly try to eat the dog whose scent was all over the house she was at, but then you guys have had this breed longer than I and know what could be going on in their head better than I and that's why I'm here.

We have since become a one dog house. The in-laws took our old dog home and added her to their brood and we've kept Kenzi. She's alone much of the day in a fenced in yard and hasn't been too destructive thus far and only broken out once to visit the neighbor, after which I bought a wireless fence system to serve as a backup plan fence wise, a topic that seems to get mixed reviews where this breed is concerned. Thank you all in advance for your thoughts and help with my new addition. She's a great dog and I wish I knew more of her history.

welcome to the site and congratulations on adopting kenzi, she is beautiful. it must be such a challenge getting an adult rescue dog knowing little about their past let alone a husky so i hope you are both very happy and i'm sure you will get all the advice you need from some of the more experienced owners

i got my first husky in December and second in February but i still have alot to learn

Ive found it to be best if the dog that was there first is there when you bring in another addition. That way its in the new dogs mind that they are in another dogs territory etc.... When Jax was at the rescue he was perfectly fine with all the dogs that where there when he came in. Now when Southern Siberian brought in other males after him things got pretty aggressive.

Sounds like Kenzi Claimed your home hers right away. Youll have to establish strict bounds with Kenzi and let the 2 work it out but under close super vision.

You should let them have another meeting session but this time on NEUTRAL territory. No meeting a place that has any significance to either dog. Let Kenzi know that her behaving like that is NOT acceptable. What I have done with meet and greats is a pack walk. Walking together seems to build a bond and them solidify it. There are of course still issues within the pack, but that is to be expected.

I agree, it sounds as though she claimed your house as HERS and the other dog was not allowed. She cannot get away with that behavior. A firm NO! and a time out should suffice. Treat her when she is being calm.

But definetly do another introduction, but take it nice and slow. It also sounds like she had a very busy, high stimulus filled day. She might have been stressed to the max and ready to just chill out. Don't expect too much too soon from her. She is in a new house, with new people, new sounds, new smells, and a new dog. Give her time to adjust and make sure she has somewhere she can go to get away from everything if she needs to.

Thanks guys. We had hoped to have the other dog at the house during the meeting and things just didn't work out that way. We also hoped that having the other dogs scent everywhere would have done something but obviously that didn't happen. We're shooting for a meet on neutral ground sometime later but after spending a month as it being just the three of us and that seeming to work we maybe better off with just Kenzi. I think after the first meet our other dog would never relax around her even if Kenzi did get accepting of her. After studying her it seems Kenzi was originally the only dog in a house with little kids and probably a stay-at-home mom. Just kind of the vibe she sends off with her behavior. She LOVES little kids.