So Timber has arrived-  5 yr old Dixie dog.

She's very vocal in her crate, but she has taken to laying down intermittently and has had a few quiet spells.

As of right now I've brought the crate into the dining room next to me as I type.  She seems to need the contact.

Two kids under twelve, over nine- she's awesome with them.

She's a runner, she's already escaped today once.  Other than, she's pretty good except...

She's deathly afraid of me.  She's doing much better with me right now, because I'm next to her and passing small, high value treats through the cage when she stops freaking out.

Any tips or tricks?  Major things to look out for with a bitch?  Are they really food conscious (i.e., table sniffers and trash eaters)?  How about CHICKENS-- we have some.  Should we be worried.  Let us know.

Looking forward to this next dog journey.  Any advice you can give about from-the-shelter transition or stray-to-home transition is helpful.

Patrick

More than likely the chickens will be a no no. Chickens, cats, small dogs I would proceed with caution. Huskies have a huge prey drive and small animals are unsafe unless the dog has been worked with rigorously from a pup to be good with them. How long have you had her? Biggest thing.g is it will take time for her to settle in and her nerves to calm. What you're doing with the treats to get her associating good things with you is a good start. Walking her and positive enforcement training will also help the two of you bond and her build trust. If you use the search button at the top and look up crate training there are several threads that should help you ease her into liking her crate and not freaking out. As for escaping, exercise, exercise, exercise and never let her out unattended. Most of all, welcome to the forum. Huskies are an addicting breed. Good luck!

Hi - welcome to the forum. Whereabouts in Massachusetts? I have a son in Westford, there is a member here from Billerica...

Our dog came from a shelter. We put him on a 100 ft overhead trolley and I swear, he did not stop running back and forth for 3 days (He had been in the shelter for over a month and before that, he had been kept of 6 ft tether with little exercise.)

If she is food oriented, then treating her often will get her interest...I always have kibble in my pockets. Ami knows this and now, when I do laundry, he sits on the stack of dirty clothes and searches for any kibble I've forgotten

Chickens...could be dinner for a husky. My boy is a MAJOR counter surfer! Here's a thread with suggestions:
https://www.itsahuskything.com/t12836-how-to-teach-house-manners?highlight=house+manners

Trash? Oh yes- look through the pictures in "adventures with ami"...

As for escaping - there is a siberian rescue in the midwest called "Hairy Houdini"...if that's a clue Lots of exercise and my boy when he's on tether, has double shackles - he figured out how to undo them. So now, when he gets one of them open, he gives up since he's still not loose. He also no longer seems interested in taking off since we let him in the house daily and he has playtime several times a week with his doggy pal, Archer.

I'm sure your girl will come around from what you're saying about the crate next to you and treating her - excellent plan, I would think...

Enjoy your dog - pictures?