I am looking for any helpful tips on raising a new husky. We just picked her up 12/23 and were told she is 5 weeks old. I am getting her into the vet in the next day or two. We have a 12yr old Catahoula/blue heeler mix female that wants nothing to do with the pup and has snapped at her once. Any tips getting these two cooperating would be great, the puppy just wants to play and older dog is having none of it. hopefully she will grow on her. We are feeding canned puppy food 4 times a day but only about 2-3 spoonfuls at a feeding, is this enough? I have never crated a dog and most have always slept in the house. Is the crate more for the owner and to keep them from tearing things up or do they feel safer in a crate? I live on 10acres with a good boarder fence. I was hoping the 12yr old dog would teach the pup to stay on the place as she as never left even if I am working outside the fence she always stays inside by choice.

Is there a reason the puppy was separated from it's mother this early? 8 weeks is typically the soonest you'd take a puppy from it's mother.

None that I know. We actually went to pick up another pup that was 7 weeks old but they sold it before we got there. Different owners, we had driven 3 hours to meet. Found another listing and went to see the litter we chose from. I asked about first shots and he said no it’s only 5 weeks old. I asked about it being to young and he said no it’s already eating food. We went ahead and took her. Been really good so far just chewing and biting on everything like a normal puppy.

Huskies are NOT cattle dogs. They will not learn their area and just stay on it. They are runners and roamers. You will have to have an actual containment fence or electric fence. They will chase every critter you or your neighbor owns.

Not sure what state you are located in but many states now it is illegal for a "breeder" to give a puppy away under 8 weeks old. This is for good reason and your older dog is receiving the brunt of that right now. They haven't learned bite inhibition or manners. The mom and siblings teach that to them. A dog who doesn't know the pup is less likely to tolerate the biting and could be much more forceful than mom in teaching the puppy boundaries. Biting and chewing on everything now will increase 10 fold as the pup ages and starts to teeth.

The crating is for both you and the pup. Huskies get bored very easily and have a large amount of energy. They will tear your house apart and get into things that can harm them if left unattended and loose, especially if they aren't getting enough exercise.

We are in Texas. The fence around the place will hold her unless she jumps over it. The older dog hasn't had to deal with the biting or anything for that matter because she wont let the puppy close enough to her. What is the best way to teach them not to bite? It's not like she is biting hard at anything more just chewing like when teething. we have several chew toys for her and give them to her when she starts chewing on shirt, finger or whatever. She does have a lot of energy right now in short bursts mainly after she eats. She will play hard for 30min or so and then go back to her bed to sleep.

Redirecting her with the toys away from things you don't want her chewing and biting on helps. Giving a loud yelp when she bites you like her siblings would do is another method. Also, just stop playing is a method. If she can't play nice, then she doesn't get to play. This works for jumping too when the time comes for dealing with that. Excited nipping can be a pain but breaking that excitement, bringing them down to a calmer level by stopping play and getting her to focus by working on commands like sit can disrupt the behavior.

In Texas the only limit is on a licensed breeder - in which case the pup must be 8 weeks or older.

The following is an extract from AnimalLaw  The formatting isn't too good but the idea should come across.   That's an interesting table.  Some states forbid anyone from seperating a pup from its dam while others specify a licensed breeder.

State	Citation	Persons Covered by Law	Minimum Age Under Which Cannot Sell Puppy	Actions to Which Law Applies	Penalty
Texas	16 TAC § 91.113	Licensed breeders, which is defined a dog or cat breeder who holds a license issued under chapter 802. V. T. C. A., Occupations Code § 802.001(13)	A dog or cat at least eight weeks of age.	Sell, trade, or give away	May not exceed $5,000 per day for each violation License may be denied, revoked, suspended, or refused to renew V. T. C. A., Occupations Code § 802.251

If you don't mind my asking, which part of our Great State? I'm over by the Big Bend in far west Texas.

For biting, we did the "OWWWW!" yelp thing. That seemed to work pretty well.

Keep in mind, this will may take quite a bit of time so be patient. When we first got our Aussie, I went through a couple pairs of jeans because she kept grabbing at my pant legs trying to herd me. After a few months, I was able to safely wear jeans again.