Hello,

I have "Flash" For 2 Weeks now, we are together all day and night everyday.. We run together, we go outside together, I feed him, We sleep in same room close to eachother, i hug him a lot, i give him snacks..

Is that normal? He doesn't recognize me, or come to me when i call him? I never saw him with his tail straight up of his ass as it supposed to be, like an happy dog.. at best his tail is not between his legs.. I dont know if you know what i mean.

I buyed him in animalery, He's 4 Month and 12 days old today.

Today, i get back at work for first time since i have him.. I went away for 8 Hours, and my mom took care of him while i was away.. When she was there, he apparantly went to poo outside by himself, he just pee inside the house.. When we are together its impossible for me to make him poo/pee outside when we walk together at dog park, he just dont do it, no matter for how long we stay.. And she went to the exact same place.



When i entered he hear me.. He was outside the house, i came to see him, he recognized me, walked 1m from where he was to my position, then i came to him and he get back outside.. Like he was affraid, when i tried to take him to hug him as i do everyday, he tried to escape from me..

I know it take times, but i still paranoiac i've read so much things about husky and about animalery ( After buying him there.. Unfortunaly ) and i'm deadly scared he was took too early from his mom, and his neurological brain dont have the necessary connection to ever be close to me..

He dont play at all.. He's just like serious constantly.. Not bad, or mean, but serious and cold.

I dreamed about this dog for over 10 years.. I waited to have enough money/time/maturity to buy one.. I just want him to be my best buddy.. I already love him so much.. Thats why i'm so scared.

Thanks, in advance,

Carnage.

Sloooowwww down! Give your pup some time and some space to decompress from all the changes in his life. I adopted my boy from the local shelter at 1 year - it took, I think, 6 months before he even let me touch him anywhere except for putting on a collar and leash (and even then it was a big dance.) Even now, 4 years later, he still becoming more close, allowing "some" cuddling. BUt most of all - its the walks with me that he loves.

You may be coming on too strong for him. Be quiet with him, let him set the distance between you. Lots of short walks (at 4 months, 20 minutes sustained walking is about it) Walking is a great bonding experience. Not a lot of talking, just walking and being with him. Take your cue from him - if he's quiet and held back, be quiet and respectiful. Talk slowly, talk to him before you approach him.

Use his food/treats to teach him his name and to look at you - gently, gently. Say his name, hold out a piece of food, say his name. Don't rush him. You really want to mirror his state of being.

Your pup sounds shy and untrusting, that may really be more natural temperament then any neurological upset. The best way to gain the trust of a shy dog is just being consistent with him, walking, feeding, taking him places with you. Play if he's interested but to me, though I may be wrong, he may not be ready for play. You can try just sitting on the floor in the same room with him, roll a ball, toss a squeeky toy. Don't expect much, just keep it low key.

Two weeks is a short time. Be patient and over time, I will bet you have the companion you are looking for.

Thanks for your answer ! Its make me feel so much better about it !

I might be actually too quick you're right, but i don't really know the standard.. Thanks anyway i will apply ur advice!

Yeah, there is no standard, unfortunately. Every dog is different. It sounds like you're starting from a place where your puppy probably needs a loooooot of personal space and quiet. I might instead focus on some mellow trust-building exercises instead of showering him with affection. To humans, a lot of affection is great, but dogs don't always need the hugs and kisses as much as humans do. A quiet walk, or even a low-key training session where he's learning to communicate with you and understand what you want might even be better than affection. (Btw- if he's fearful on walks, maybe just start with hanging out in your front yard or a park, so he has some time to soak in his surroundings and figure out that it's not going to hurt him. That might build his confidence for walks.) Dogs enjoy cuddles and stuff when they're comfortable, if he's not feeling safe and comfortable yet, he may not be ready for the petting and hugging. This can take time, I know it can hurt your feelings when your dog doesn't want affection or give it when you want it, but dogs have their own pace that just needs to be respected. Hang in there!

BTW- I know this from personal experience. Since you have this adorable husky puppy, everyone is going to want to come up and pet him. It sounds like he's not ready for that yet. You might want to tell people "he's in training" and that he shouldn't be petted. Having his back and keeping other people from making him fearful will only shine you in a GREAT light.

That's not to say no one should touch him at all. He needs to get used to petting and being touched, I'm just saying that strangers and family members will want to shower him with attention that he may not be ready for yet. It can be scary for a little pup when these big humans lean down and touch you when you didn't ask to be touched!

I've had my boy since February, nearly 8 months, and he's only just started to come around to us. Some take longer than others.

As GoldFlecks said, each dog is different.  Through different backgrounds, different set of circumstances, different pool of genes no dog will be or act the same.  But one can make generalizations, and I think huskies are known to be more independent and stubborn in nature.  So don't be offended if your husky will never show you the affection that is stereotyped by society.  I would not call huskies a lap dog by any means, though I'm sure there are exceptions.  

My husky Echo HATES getting hugged, it sounds like I'm fighting him every single time.  You can also overpet him.  I always like to "try" petting him while he's lying down but he'll just move away.  But he shows affection in his own way and on his own terms.  He gets very excited to see me when I pick him up from the dog sitters, and does come when called about 51% of the time .  He has never shown any interest in sleeping near me or even try to sleep on my bed, but will always come greet me in the bathroom when I wake up and use it in the morning.  When we're at the park, he likes to go explore on his own despite me being near the group of dogs playing, but will make sure that I'm always within his sight and will check-in with me from time to time.

In short I don't think your dog is unaffectionate or hates you, he's just more independent and shows his affection towards you and your family in his own way.  If he's healthy and somewhat obedient and not a devil at home...you've got a winner in my books.  

Good luck!

I've had my dog for 2.5 months, and he's showing more and more affection as the days pass.

I've also heard that a dogs stress level stays elevated for a few weeks after a big change (like moving somewhere new), so he's probably not settled in yet.

I made sure I was confident in reading my dogs body language when I got him, this way I could tell if he was uncomfortable and back off (this took a bit of trial and error). I think it really helped him trust me once he realized that I wasn't going to do things that make him uncomfortable. He really doesn't like being touched when he's lying down, once he decided I was respectful of that, he would start to lie next to me on the couch or the bed - he only felt comfortable with this when he knew I would respect his space. I started seeing changes once he felt safe.

Also did short, low key training sessions when I first got him with good treats, which helped him realize I was a bringer of good things. I tried not to push him too hard or get him too wound up while he was settling in, but I liked to do a bit of training at the same time every day to give him some structure.

Goldflecks made a good point about limiting his interactions with strangers if that makes him nervous. You don't need to let every weirdo on the street put their hands all over him.

Good luck with your new puppy, I'm sure he'll settle in fine. Takes longer than we want sometimes, but he'll get there.

I've had my sibe for 10 years, he's 12 years old, and he has never been an "affectionate" dog. He likes to lay near us but isn't a big fan of petting or being fawned over. And that's fine, he has his boundaries and we respect them just as he knows what his boundaries are. And those boundaries and preferences will be fluid and changing for days, months and even years...especially in a younger dog/pup. As Amy said, give it time. And don't set your personal expectations on him.