I created a username for this forum strictly to seek advice about my almost 3 month old Siberian Husky, Hawkeye. The last couple days he has been more aggressive than usual. He will bite our hands/fingers, much like a normal puppy does, but as of lately he is biting harder and not listening as well. This all started shortly after my sister watched him by herself. I don't know if she did not pay much attention to him and he just took full puppy advantage of her or what. She watched him overnight while I was at work and my boyfriend was at drill for the army. Was he mad his daddy was gone for 2 days?

In addition, Hawkeye just started a weeks worth of probiotics because he has "poultry parasites" in his stomach. Could the probiotics make him act differently?

And lastly, he has started to "hump" blankets, pillows, and piles of clothes. He is not neutered yet-we were told neutering should occur at/after 6 months. Is this factoring in to his aggressiveness?

He is a very playful puppy and we get him plenty of exercise. He plays well with other dogs at the dog park and hasn't seen any other dogs be aggressive towards their owners/other dogs. My boyfriend and I are very confused and a little frustrated with him right now. If anybody could help us out that would be very much appreciated!!

I am a first time Husky owner-I have only had labs and never had to deal with this problem


Thank you,

Katie

As he ages the energy will only get more so thus needing more exercise and stimulation. Also, if he didn't feel well from whatever parasites he has but is now being treated for them as the treatments kick in and he begins to feel well he is going to have even more energy that he isn't used to having which will make him a little nutty. When I got my second dog he had a lot of health issues but had good energy despite them. Once I got him cleared up it was like a whole different dog in the energy department. A day of free reign and feeling better can make them holy terrors. Don't let him nip at you. When he bites too hard yelp and then walk away. Also tighten down on house rules. don't let him get away with anything you don't like. He needs more structure to get him back to an acceptable level. If he has to stay with someone else again set rules with them and express to them how much not holding him to these standards sets him back in his training.

You say he is three months old? It usually takes awhile for them to get comfortable in their surroundings, so this might not necessarily be "new" behavior, but more of an expression of the active personality he has. First thing is not to stress about it. To be honest, every dog I have ever had has chewed and nipped that way around that age. It's not good, but pretty normal and usually not a sign of aggression. They're comfortable with you, they're teething, they want to play, and they haven't yet mastered bite inhibition. Definitely listen to Jenn on this. No matter what, you cannot let him chew on you. Make sure he has plenty of toys to teethe on. If he bites you, yelp (its supposed to imitate what his pack mates would do in the wild), and withhold affection for a few minutes. Don't look at him, talk to him or pet him. Once he's calmed down and stopped biting, you can once again show affection.

It's hard to do, it takes awhile, and he'll probably regress a few times, but just keep at it and he'll figure it out eventually. Don't get frustrated; you got this!