I just recently adopted a husky who is 1 year and approx 8 months. He is getting along pretty well with my 9 month old husky and my 5 year old lab cross. However, we are having mouthing issues and nipping issues and as I have a 1 year old and 3 year I am concerned.

He has been mouthing my son to play which I corrected by giving him a play toy and telling him no in a stern voice. However, my son was climbing over my 5 year old lab cross. The new husky ran over and snapped at my son. Then again when my son touched his paw while he was laying down with the other dog. This time he got ahold of him and actually caused bruising in 3 spots.

I am asking advice as the previous owners who originally said if there was any issues would take him back. Now don't want him back. Is there any advice you guys can offer me.

Thanks!

Has this husky ever been around babies before? And I don't just mean kids, I mean babies, because to dogs, infants are entirely different than kids. Honestly, it sounds like normal husky play, but the husky has never learned how to behave around infants. Quite frankly, just because your lab is bomb proof and allows your infants to climb all over it, doesn't mean that you can expect the same thing from the new, young husky in your house. I don't think he snapped at him in an aggressive way, it sounds like he wanted to join the game of 'let's wrestle around on the floor!' Huskies play with their teeth, and although he should have learned not to use teeth on skin during human interaction, it sounds like he wasn't taught that in his former home and it sounds like he hasn't been socialized around toddlers and infants. Also allowing babies or toddlers to climb on any dog, no matter how sweet and sedate, is a recipe for disaster, but especially with a 20 month old husky. You might want to look into finding a rescue group to take in the second husky. It sounds like you really have your hands full, and may not have the time to devote to training the dog to behave around the kids.

How long have you had this new husky? Also, which child did he react to, the 1 yr old or the 3 yr old?

As Jen mentioned, it's never a good idea to let children climb on dogs no matter how gentle or tolerant they may be. When he grabbed your son when laying, could it have startled the dog? I know that's not an unexpected reaction when startled or awakened. My sibe does the same when his feet are touched or grabbed but the difference is that my sibe knows to be gentle.

It'll be your job to teach the newbie what is acceptable and what isn't. Until then, it would probably be wise to keep the kids separated from the new dog until both the dog AND the kids learn appropriate behavior and boundaries when in each others presence.

My dogs are excellent with my kids, even my baby, but it takes a fair amount of work to stop the mouthing and teaching them to grab softly when playing with my toddler. And I always separate the dogs when I cannot pay very close attention to their interactions with the kids. Now we've got the issue of teaching my 2 year old to be gentler with the dogs when it used to be the other way around, teaching the dogs to be gentler.

My husky wears a muzzle when roaming around children for this reason(i.e. if we visit my parents and my sister's children are there). Its not that I don't trust him, its that as he is learning to play with children I want him to know explicitly that his mouth is off limits.

We've been working with him daily. Mouthing has almost stopped completely. He has it done it twice now since working with him and it was once with me and once with my son. The previous owners had told us he was around kids and babies.

Thanks for all the advice we also purchased a muzzle just to be safe.