Hello everybody,
I am writing here because I need some advice on a new puppy I got. He is 8 weeks old and I got him from someone who was not prepared for raising a puppy, especially a husky. I've had him for a week now and have been dealing with some health issues -- think he may have come from a puppy mill originally, and spent ~200 at the vet, but his cough is gone his worms are being treated and his eye infection is clearing up, so doing much better. His next set of shots are on friday.

I've had large active dogs my whole life and spend abundant time with them. I work from home and I love playing with my dogs. We go on long walks and runs and I have a big yard for them to play in. The dogs have a doggy door to the backyard but really like to be inside on the couches or something. I have orthopedic dog beds in the bedroom, office, and living room. I have an 8 year old husky lab mix that I got as a rescue 6 years ago. He is the perfect dog. He is my best friend and I thought it was time to get him a friend. The new puppy absolutely adores him. He tolerates the puppy, they play frequently, but the puppy is still a bit much right now. I'm sure that they will be great friends when the puppy is a little older. I also have a cat, who hates the puppy, but they have at this point figured each other out for the most part and leave each other alone.

The issue is that the new puppy is the least affectionate dog I have ever met. I've spent the last several days reading forums about husky's and see that many people say this about them, and other people have very loving and affectionate huskies. I had a temporary roommate for a few months last year that got a husky puppy. He was wonderful. He would wake up in the morning and go outside and then run into my room and jump on my bed and lick my face and cuddle. He would play and be happy to be petted or get his ears scratched and it was obvious that he wanted to make you happy. This new puppy (Niko), doesn't really seem to care about anyone but our other dog. He doesn't seem to like being petted at all. If we grab toys and play tug of war or give treats he will pay attention to us, but usually doesn't seem to want anything to do with us. If I put my other dog outside so that Niko will pay attention to only me, he will go off by himself and play with a toy or eat a bone. I can sit on the floor for hours waiting for his attention and he doesn't give it unless I start physically playing with him, like hand spiders or tug of war or something. The affectionate type things he does do are follow me around when I walk around the house (maybe just curiosity?) and will sometimes lay down within 5 feet of me, like he does want to be near, just not touched. If I lay closer to him he will get up and move further away.

So...advice? I can imagine many people saying things like dogs have different personalities and you can't force him to be something he's not. And I agree with that, but if I am only going to have 1-2 dogs for the next 12 years and spend thousands of dollars and several hours a day playing with them and doing all the work that a husky requires, and getting up every 2 hours to take him to the bathroom, I'd like to have some sort of relationship with him. My dogs are a huge part of my life and I am so happy to do all that is required to own and give a great life to my dogs, but I can't handle owning a dog that doesn't seem to love me. I expect my dogs to be part of my family. So, he's still very young and very new to me (though so was my friend's husky puppy) so he may get more affectionate with time. I'm thinking puppy training classes might be a good idea, though I've always spent so much time with my dogs in the past it's never been necessary before. Idk. What do you guys think? Do I stick with him and live with whatever affection he shows? Do I rehome him quickly while still a puppy and find someone he is a better match for? I could really use some advice from other husky owners. Thank you so much.

i think you are reading into this all to much. you have only had him for a week, and by the sounds of it, he is pretty sick, but on the mend. Do you feel like being playful and affectionate when you are sick? I say give him time, like a few months, he will come around im sure.
My 2 are not sit by me and get loved on huskies, BUT they do love me very much and show affection in many ways, like i took my boy hiking on Saturday and my girl cried to my husband for a few hours after we left. my boy on our hike trusted me and walked behind me on tough sections of the trail to follow my footing as he knows i will lead him the right way with out me asking him to, that is trust. so even though they don't show love like other breeds they do let me love on them and show love other ways.

I say hang in there and let him settle in

I'm going to second Jennifer on this one. Every dog I've ever had did a 180 in the first month as they settled in and assimilated into the "pack." Loki was actually very shy when I first got him, and after a month he was a rambunctious, adorable little nightmare.

That said, there are lots of activities you can do with el pupper to foster a good bond. Consider this article or this one (just remember no strenuous activity or running until the growth plates are sealed). I also think once he gets older things will turn more cuddly, too. I've honestly never really cuddled an 8 week old puppy for more than like two minutes because I could never get one to just chill for that long, haha!

Whether you decide to keep or rehome, there is no shame. I've run into people who think it's cruel to rehome, then proceed to neglect the dog for its entire life. If you decide he's not a good fit, it's perfectly good to find him a place he'll fit in better. If he is a good fit... well you know what to do

Hello,

I will just give my advice, as I am a new first time husky owner. My husky puppy who is 8 weeks old too, at first was also least affectionate and is not like my other puppy Pomeranian who loves cuddles, however I have noticed that my husky is now wanting more cuddles and now loves belly rubs and he will whine if I go off to another room, so he is becoming more attached, I make sure I pat each dog either at the same time or straight after the other so there will be no room for jealousy or feeling not as loved.

Your puppy is still at the settling in stage, and just like a human if you met, some take their time to build trust and get to know, while others are right in there at the get go. What I think is he is just more reserved personality at the moment. Give him time and he will come around, also it sounds like he was maybe not cared for due to health issues perhaps ? so you don't know what the previous owner was like.

What I did was continue to show love, pat him regardless if it looks like he is reserved and I think this helps. I give him a lot of attention the same as my other puppy. They both follow me around they have their own unique personalities.

I've been reading this and one thing that no one has said is that some dogs are naturally affectionate and some aren't. Of my two, Sasha will tolerate being petted and played with but it's not really her thing, on the other hand Avalanche has never met anyone who isn't a friend (human or canine) and he's ready to play!

As Jennifer an Danielle mentioned though, you have a young pup and he's only had a little time to get used to you and the new home. Give him time and he'll adapt.