jbealer wrote:

Is it bad I want to call her Willow instead of maui?

She looks like my Willow

26nikita wrote:

jbealer wrote:

Is it bad I want to call her Willow instead of maui?

She looks like my Willow

your willow is a cutie!


well we are on day 3 and Sierra is showing no signs of warming up to her we did not have any fighting last night or this morning but Sierra has been showing her teeth and looking as mean as can be if Maui even looks at her! Maui is wearing Jack out in the back yard with play. Sierra is acting just like she does with Gunny around and Jack no longer plays with Sierra so i think she feels hurt and has been following me where ever i go. maybe we can't be a 3 husky home at this time.... we will see how the weekend goes. and i hope to catch up on more post, work is crazy busy and i have not had the time.

Maui may just need some time to calm down. Cheyenne hated Mishka in the beginning. Completely and totally hated her. And now they're inseparable. Keep us posted of course!

Honestly? Hailey hated Koda when we first got her. She bared her teeth and growled if Koda looked at her, walked near her, or was just in her general vicinity and she felt he was too close. It takes time. Having a new dog in the house can be a big change and Sierra might just need time to adjust. So far every new dog she's had in the house has left except for Jack. Give it time. All hope is not lost. You'll know more in a week or two.

arooroomom wrote:

Maui may just need some time to calm down. Cheyenne hated Mishka in the beginning. Completely and totally hated her. And now they're inseparable. Keep us posted of course!

Koda wrote:

Honestly? Hailey hated Koda when we first got her. She bared her teeth and growled if Koda looked at her, walked near her, or was just in her general vicinity and she felt he was too close. It takes time. Having a new dog in the house can be a big change and Sierra might just need time to adjust. So far every new dog she's had in the house has left except for Jack. Give it time. All hope is not lost.

Ditto on both these cases. Our first two dogs hit it off from pretty much the very beginning. But when we brought home our third she hated our sibe and was constantly baring her teeth, growling and snapping at him if he so much as looked at her or got within 3 feet of her. It took a lot of correction and time (at least 3-4 months) for them to finally co-exist peacefully. And it wasn't until 8 months after bringing home the third that she actually liked my sibe and even instigates play with him all the time. But I would strongly advise correcting Sierra when she aggresses. I wouldn't even allow them to bare their teeth in my home, she needs to know that you are in charge, not her and that behavior is not acceptable. If there is an object(s) or person in the home that either might be protecting it helps with removal in the moment of aggression and reintroducing later. I like to distract and redirect the dogs' attention onto something else if anyone starts showing the slightest hint of aggression. Something as simple as a hand clap and walking out of the room can break the tension.

Val,
I have been correcting Sierra when she shows aggression but i fear im the one she is guarding! i can get them next to each other and pet them at the same time and they walk next to each other ok with the exception of Maui putting her head on top of Sierras every now and then. but then something happens in the home where sierra will just not put up with her. i have removed all the raw hides but not the toys as Maui love to play with them and S&J seem to be sharing those ok. i know its all time and waiting.

i do have one question about Maui though. because she was a BYB husky and from her size i know the parents were not the best match, and we have no info on them. i am concerned about future health issues if we do keep her, mainly with her hips and joints, is there any way to know about that other then testing as she is only 15 months. there might be a lady wanting to look at her i was informed so im just thinking a ton of things right now. i really am thinking the best 3 husky match for us might be a male between 3-4yrs old.

jbealer wrote:

Val,
I have been correcting Sierra when she shows aggression but i fear im the one she is guarding!

Our third dog is one we have an ongoing problem of aggression and guarding problems too. And the main thing she guards is me which is a problem. I treat it like I would any guarding behavior though and we have taken steps and made changes in our daily life to curb and put an end to this behavior. I always issue a correction each and every single time, repetition is so important, don't let them get away with it even once. We brought home our third dog, Glory, 10 months ago and we are still dealing with her guarding of me to this day. The guarding thing is flattering because she's protecting what she values most, BUT it is not what I asked for so it must be stopped. Although we are still working on it with Glory even after almost a year, we have seen some improvement...however slight. Just be aware, every case is different so take your time, be consistent, and don't expect to see changes overnight and don't put time limits on when you expect to see serious progress.

jbealer wrote:

i do have one question about Maui though. because she was a BYB husky and from her size i know the parents were not the best match, and we have no info on them. i am concerned about future health issues if we do keep her, mainly with her hips and joints, is there any way to know about that other then testing as she is only 15 months. there might be a lady wanting to look at her i was informed so im just thinking a ton of things right now. i really am thinking the best 3 husky match for us might be a male between 3-4yrs old.

You can have a vet feel her joints at this stage and get a general idea of her structure. When she turns 24 months (if you still have her) you could get her hips x-rayed. I would also have her eyes looked at closely in addition to a thorough exam since this breed is also known for hereditary eye problems.

Our third dog we adopted knowing she was from a BYB. We were told she was perfectly healthy and had no health problems. The night we brought her home I noticed she was walking funny on her hind legs on and off a few times. We also noted she had trouble seeing in the dark. We took her to our vet 2 days later and found out she has 2 hereditary health problems, both of which could have been avoided through proper breeding practices. BYB's make me so mad, especially since I live with a dog whose health problems are directly the result of a selfish person breeding just for $$$. Glory has juvenile cataracts in both her eyes (why she can't see in the dark) AND she has patellar luxation in both her knees (why she falters when walking). There's nothing I can do about the cataracts right now, possibly surgery later in life if it gets bad enough...$$$. For her luxating patella we spend a lot of extra money on supplements just to keep her legs from getting worse. If her knees do get worse it will cost $1500-$2000 PER KNEE to fix surgically. I share this with you because taking on a dog costs a lot to begin with, but taking on a dog with health problems costs so much more. Just keep that in mind as you make your decision, if money is no issue then you can disregard all that, but if you're like most who do have a fixed income that isn't out of this world then definitely plan and prepare as necessary. I hope no one thinks less of me but if I had known about Glory's health problems and behavioral issues before adopting her I would not have taken her on. It is a huge sacrifice and commitment both financially, emotionally and physically.

Only you know what is best for your family and situation and of course we support you both in whatever happens. Maybe this person who is interested in her will be the best home for her, maybe not. Play your hand and let the cards fall where they may.

Huskyluv wrote:

Only you know what is best for your family and situation and of course we support you both in whatever happens. Maybe this person who is interested in her will be the best home for her, maybe not. Play your hand and let the cards fall where they may.

Fantastic advice, Val

jbealer wrote:

well we are on day 3 and Sierra is showing no signs of warming up to her we did not have any fighting last night or this morning but Sierra has been showing her teeth and looking as mean as can be if Maui even looks at her! Maui is wearing Jack out in the back yard with play. Sierra is acting just like she does with Gunny around and Jack no longer plays with Sierra so i think she feels hurt and has been following me where ever i go. maybe we can't be a 3 husky home at this time.... we will see how the weekend goes. and i hope to catch up on more post, work is crazy busy and i have not had the time.

I think Sierra is probably definitely hurt that Jack is paying no attention to her. Poor baby =(

Huskyluv wrote:

I hope no one thinks less of me but if I had known about Glory's health problems and behavioral issues before adopting her I would not have taken her on. It is a huge sacrifice and commitment both financially, emotionally and physically.

I certainly wouldn't think less of you! You're being honest, and your right, it is a commitment in several ways and that's tough either way you look at it. And I would also not take on a dog if I knew about behavioral and health problems...

You know what's best for your family Jenn, and if Maui isn't the right Red Number Three, keep looking and Maui will find her forever home soon I'm sure

We are gonna keep her till she finds a forever home. Well I might revisit that thought if it takes longer then a month and her and sierra are still having issues. I will keep u all posted. We are going to the dog park later today to see how she is with other dogs

Good luck and keep us posted, Jenn!

Love the new siggy, Tori!

And thank you Claudia.

Huskyluv wrote:

Love the new siggy, Tori!

Thank you! I do too I can't take the credit though, Jennet made it for me!

It is sad to report but we are. Between any of them :(back to 2 huskies. We took maui to another forster home last night. Ken and I tallked and we needed to do what was best for our pack and maui. Sierra bit maui real hard on her hind leg sat morn, no blood but lots of crying and limping. After that all 3 got very quite and there was no interaction between the 3 we gave it some time and the feeling around the home was not good. Since we knew we were not keeping her we did not want to drag it on any longer and godforbid something worse to happen to any one of them. We migh try again at some time but for now I think 2 is the magic number. We hope she gets adopted soon and at her new forster home she has 5 new huskies to play with!

It was noble of you to take Maui into your hearts, home and your pack. I'm sorry it didn't workout, but you did the right thing. Maui is still in a good home until she finds her forever home.

So sorry to hear that but you did the right thing and it's better for you and your family as well as Maui in the long run. She seems like such a sweetheart and I'm sure it won't be too long before she finds her forever home.

Sorry to hear, but it's in everyones best interests. Maybe an older male would be better suited for Sierra. Hopefully this hasn't turned you off!

Texted you earlier. So sorry to hear this, but I know you made the right choice for everyone involved. She will find a home and Sierra and Jack will find a new friend if that's what's meant to be. Hopefully if another foster comes around, you can try it out again!

.

To the original question, I think if you can handle 3, then have 3. I have 4 and I can tell you that 4 is too much for me but we are a "blended family" so we have 4 until some go to the Rainbow Bridge. I would prefer 3 because I could walk 3 by myself. Four I can not do.
However, it is always best to let your current dogs pick out the 3rd. Lilly picked out Ginger. It was the most amazing thing. We went to Ginger's foster home to meet her. The door opened, Ginger ran to the door, saw Lilly and (I swear this is true) said "there you are! i've been waiting for you." They started playing and have been heart sisters ever since, over 6 years now. When my husband and I first met, he had a black lab and ended up taking in a lab/husky off the streets. Lilly and the black lab, Molly, did not get along from day 1. They still don't. They just don't like each other. They have to live together because it is my house and I make the rules but if they had a choice, they would not. Now, the lab/husky, Congo, is a different story. Lilly and Ginger LOVE him. Those 3 are like 3 peas in a pod.
So, the moral of my story is, don't try to force them. Taking Maui to another foster home was smart. As you foster various dogs, you'll likely find one who both of your dogs like and you'll know that will be the dog you keep. I've fostered quite a few dogs of various breeds and, while most of them go along ok with everyone, none of them were dogs I knew I wanted to keep.
I would also suggest an older male, see how that goes. Females are notorious for not particularly liking another female.

BTW, Maui has been adopted and has 2 other playmates in her pack!
Yay for Maui!

Yay Maui!

Great advice, April.

awwww yay for Maui!!!!!!!!!!