Hi all - brand new husky parents of an 18 month old siberian. He’s GREAT, but we’re his third owner in his first 18 months, so we have a lot of manners to learn. One of the pieces of feedback we’ve received from doggie day care is that he doesnt know how to identify dogs who want to play with him. He’s not aggressive, but he goes to every dog and tries to engage, bumping, pawing, etc. and he won’t stop even when they don’t respond. He was described as the awkward kid on the playground (aww....).

We’ve had him a week, and the last owners didnt exercise him as much, but did some dog park time. We’re getting him around other dogs every day, with 90 to 120 minutes of exercise a day (some walks, some runs, some daycare, some dog park).

My questions are:
- does he need less or more time with other dogs?
- Will he learn through dog play?
- Should we do something different?
- and generic advice for new husky owners who are used to border collie’s?

Is there a reason you want him to be better at interacting with other dogs?

*disclaimer*- I don't go to dog parks and I don't let our dogs around other dogs if I can avoid it. I don't know them, their behavior etc. Better safe than sorry. They don't need to be around other dogs to be happy, in my opinion.

I've never done the doggie daycare thing, I have friends who have though, and it's always been my understanding that a good doggie daycare puts dogs that are more alike in energy, personality, etc. together. Yours may be doing that but it doesn't sound like it. Huskies kinda are "the awkward kid on the playground", but so are some of the other breeds, they are high energy and their play is somewhat "rough" compared to some other breeds, and if you can find a daycare that takes the time to "match" dogs together, it'll be a better situation for all. Maybe even asking your current daycare to try it out. Lumping all the dogs together is not only not beneficial to your own pup, but it's trouble waiting to happen if a dog with behavioral problems comes along.

Hi Ziman and welcome to the forum.  As the others have said, Huskies tend to be the odd dog in the crowd.

Like most dogs, when they get the chance, Huskies want to play; unlike most other dogs, Huskies play ROUGH!!!  We get the occasional new user who wants to know why their Husky is always trying to pick a fight - well, generally they're not - that's how they play!

Like the others, I've never done doggy day care - shoot, I don't even know where the nearest one is but I'll bet it's well over 100 miles from here!  

Your pup isn't completely clueless, btw.  He's the new kid in the schoolyard who's trying to find a friend.  He doesn't know who's going to be friendly and who isn't so he's pushing his luck ... but that's also about normal.

It sounds to me like your guy is exhibiting a pretty good degree of control.  He's not making like the biostrous bully nor is he making like a wall flower.  He's doing what comes naturally and he's looking for a playmate.  That that concerns the day care people kinda concerns me.  If the other dogs react aggressively then, yeh, there's a problem.  If they just ignore his ... <<oops>> then they're doing what well mannered dogs do ... and any decent day care should know what to look out for and which dogs to watch.  I'm suspecting that eventually he'll find a playmate and the day care is going to be concerned that he's being too rough - when he's doing what comes naturally.  If the other pup disagrees then he'll let your pup know - normally in no uncertain terms.
ETA: two Huskies playing can often sound and look like a full on dog fight! The thing to look for is anything more than the occasional bit of blood. In a full fight there will be blood and plenty of it, in normal Husky play there won't be any (or at least not much.)

To finally really address your question - coming from border collies, you're going to have a tendency to let your dog run because they know to come back when they're called.  DON'T DO IT!!!  Huskies are bred to run and they will run ... they don't care who or what is around they're gonna run!  A long leash (like 30" / 10m) comes in real handy!!

And finally, thanks for taking this guy on,  there's nothing worse than a dog that gets passed around.  It's not the dogs fault, he's only doing what comes naturally (or what he's been taught)

Thanks all. Yes, I was wondering if we should consider a day care that has bigger/more energetic breeds. I do want to find a day care that works because I’ve read that the husky loves being social, and it isn’t his fault we work long hours. I don’t want to crate him all day every day (and we plan to night crate for the foreseeable future).

As I have said, he really is great. Loving, fun, and smart. A wee bit stubborn but so is mom. He just doesn’t know what we expect and hasn’t had a schedule or structure. We’ll get there together... and maybe with a little wine for mom!

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Hi ZiMan!

I don't think you should stop what you're doing at all! I think socialization is key especially with such a social and pack oriented breed as a husky. My dog is always in everybody's face, and he's gotten told off a couple of times, but it just shows how outgoing and social he is. I don't think it's something to be afraid of or to stop. As long as it's not aggressive or territorial I don't see it being a problem at all.

For me, the more exercise and the more park time/socialization the better. But that's just my opinion. I live in a very densely populated city so it's necessary since social interaction is the one thing that will really teach your dog how to behave around other dogs especially since I can't turn a corner without bumping into another dog even if it's 2am in the morning. It's always easy to tell when you meet other dogs how well adjusted they are. There are those dogs that curious and say hi, those that lunge and bark at you incessantly and those that are timid and hide behind their owners, the later two which you don't want.

Keep doing what you're doing and don't let anybody tell your otherwise. Your dog deserves to have fun, be happy and be around other dogs. I know I'd want that for my husky, even if he does get into an argument from time to time, it's just all part of socialization.

cheers!

I have become one who is more wary of dog parks. For me personally, they have just been a disappointment. We go to one and there's a several elderly people (not the problem, I am elderly, too :p ) with small or obese or elderly arthritic dogs. Not much of a choice for an active, younger Siberian husky. Another dog park we've been to is somewhat better but is so large and interesting, Ami is more interested in exploring than socializing.

However, I belong to several husky fb groups and I'm hearing multiple horror stories of attacks by dogs with clueless or obnoxious owners. In addition, several of the trainers I follow discourage dog parks and daycare saying that many of the traumatized antisocial dogs they rehabilitate are the result of attacks at dog park or clueless day care providers.

Perhaps the safest place for socialization is either an obedience class, a breed specific gathering such as a local H2M2 or friends with known appropriate dogs. Ami had my son's dog Archer, a husky mix, that loves to visit Grammy a few times a week.

That happened to a good friend of mine, Amy. She had a Lab who she took religiously to a dog park (in one of the best areas in San Diego!) her Lab was about 2 years old at the time when another dog attacked him. Changed that dog forever, it was truly sad to see. He went from a happy go lucky pup, to a dog that wouldn't let any other dogs near him. Not even dogs he knew, like mine. He was "ok" with the female dogs, he liked Anuschka, but Malukhai and Kohdi he would growl at. He used to play with both of them in the past. He just recently passed away at 10 years old from bone cancer, having never returned to that happy, go lucky, cutie that he once was.

The thing with taking a dog to the dog park is you don't know, you don't know the dogs or their temperment. If your dog park is like the parks around here there is no vetting required, so you don't know what you are exposing your pup to. Also, unless you've spent time learning about dog body language, you won't see the subtle signs of a dog being irritated.

If you don't feel like the first daycare you took him to was a good fit then take him to another. There is no shame, just like if you tried out a book club and didn't really enjoy the members its okay to look for a different book club. Just make sure that where ever you take him that their staff is well trained about dog body language and that their training values a line with yours. Generally a Doggie DayCare will be much safer, because they will know the dogs, know what to look for, and know how to handle any problems and get everyone back to a happy state.

Side Note: Training a husky can be way different than training a border collie, and I've gotten many comments about how brave I am for working with my girl and taking her to different training classes. But she loves it, huskies are dogs and as such are trainable, just work with your pup to find what works for y'all the best!

I definitely don't think a dog park is for everyone, and you definitely hear a lot more bad stories than good, but then again nobody would typically post a good story about anything really.  You only generally hear bad things.  The same can be said about human news.

I think you really need to get to know your dog and understand their body language like NovasHuman touched upon.  For my dog, he's one that will greet everybody at the door with vigor and LOVES to play.  He's been been bitten and scratched many times but will still initiate play with the very same dog a couple of seconds later  He's never bitten anyone, always been on the receiving end.    So, I personally trust him.   Minor scratches heal over time and he ends up learning and sniffing out the bad dogs and staying away from fights =D.

I will say I definitely prefer parks with larger spaces, and I only like to go during non-peak times.  The larger parks typically are where all the dog walkers go, and so you usually have someone that has done assessments with these dogs to make sure that they get along with their existing pack/clients and are dog friendly.  They are also much more responsible and have a bit more experience in handling dogs in general.  I find once you get into a routine you see the same dogs all the time and it becomes very enjoyable to for me to interact with all the dogs, owners, and dog walkers.

I find parks are also a great way to find and meet other huskies/dogs and swap stories.  We have so many huskies in our area that we end up having a WhatsApp group where over 12+ get together and we have nightly meetups if people are available and we meetup, play and swap stories and tips.  It's all a very positive experience for us.

Lastly I also think parks are a great place to train your dog.  My dog is by no means obedient and the picture perfect dog especially in a park environment, but it offers a great place to correct and teach your dog good manners in a more controlled environment when it's the hardest for him to focus on you with all the distractions around.  It's so easy to just let your dog free and chill with your phone on a bench, but if your dog is running around terrorizing the park that's when you start getting bad reps about dog parks.  90% of bad stories that come from dog parks is really all owner created rather than the dog itself in my opinion.

While I am advocating the use of dog parks for socialization, I will reiterate it's not for everyone. I have seen my share of bad habits and terrible dogs/owners that are out there.  But all in all I definitely have many more GREAT stories than bad, and in my pro/con list about them the pros outweigh the cons by a huge shot.  And the benefits for Echo is very obvious.  His energy levels are always in check, he is very well behaved at home and just sleeps all the time knowing that he needs to conserve his energy for the next playfight at the park .  If you're COMFORTABLE with using one and RESPONSIBLE enough with your dog while visiting one, I think it can be a very ENJOYABLE, REWARDING and POSITIVE experience for both dog and owner.  

Cheers!

One of our nightly husky meetups =D

BChan - husky meet-ups are wonderful. Usually, the owners are responsible, there is group camaraderie and the dogs get to know one another. These I have no problem with...it's the going by ourselves with unknowns that I am wary about.

Ahh...husky meetups are only at night...daytime is the super big dog park with dogs of all shapes and sizes!

See here =P...sooo many dogs!!!

Thanks all. I appreciate the various perspectives and you’ve given me food for thought. Based on his energy level, I am going to continue with day care and dog park. He really enjoys both. I’ll be sure to stay an active parent at the dog park and help him navigate around the dogs that might not be as friendly. Our dog park is HUGE, so there isn’t risk of too many pups clumped together. I’ve also been researching day cares and found one that is used by other local husky owners. So apparently days there are like mini husky meet ups and they can rough house like husky’s do. This has been a great discussion and I really have learned from all of your comments. Much appreciated!

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