Hi, Im new to this. I was wondering if any one could help. My husband and I have two female huskies. Luna we have had since she was 2months old and we recently started to foster Koda Bear going on two weeks on friday. We are hoping to adopt Koda, however, we are still trying to get the girls to get along. They are fine most of the day and when we go out side they are attached to each other. Koda semi plays with Luna. But randomly they will go at it. Luna is 20lbs heavier than Koda so we definitely worry about Koda. Any advice on how we can help the girls have a better transition? We have taken things slow with the girls. Letting them bond on their own terms. But while in the house they keep themselves separated by their own choice. We just love Koda and we want to be her forever home but we do worry about the girls bonding. We don't like the girls fighting and we do understand its early in their relationship. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks a million

-Ann

I've never fostered or adopted but I'd say two weeks really isn't that long a time. They are trying to establish themselves and establish pack order. As long as things aren't getting out of hand between the two of them, I'd just let them hash it out. I've seen people's posts on here that it could take months before they are comfortable with each other and even longer before they bond (if they're going to). My two grew up together, are litter mates and have only really been separated when one has a vet appointment the other doesn't. They still fight each other on occasion.

Give them time and let them work it out within reason. I'm sure the members who have done fostering/adopting will be able to chime in with much more help.

Welcome to the forum and good luck.

could you be confusing "fighting" with true husky play? or are they really fighting like hair raised, tail low, dirty play? i have heard that it is sometimes harder to bring in a new female with a existing female but mindy has brought in 2 girls to her original girl and its working out.

Is this the Koda Bear from FL? One of our other members recently ended up having to return her after issues that were just a bad situation. You can probably read more about Koda Bear and their issues with her here:
https://www.itsahuskything.com/t3815-koda-has-been-very-bad-today
https://www.itsahuskything.com/t3777-a-couple-of-quick-questions-regarding-koda-bear
https://www.itsahuskything.com/t3782-found-koda-on-craigslist

One way to help them bond is to walk them together. It surprisingly helps a lot.

It will take time for them to be comfortable with each other. The best you can do is maintain consistency with them and separate when needed. Some suggest letting them work it out to an extent but I've had faster better results with group walks and showing the dogs the right way to interact with each other rather than letting them figure it out for themselves alone.


If this is the Koda Bear from FL her previous actual owners said she wasn't very good with females.

Yes this is Koda from Fl. They play once a day. Koda will play chase Luna and howl at her. But when they fight Koda's hair gets spiked and her bark gets deep and I can tell she is pissed. And to be honest the past 3 times Luna started them which is not what I expected. They play on their own and when I play with both of them. I've heard a lot about Koda and the problems her previous foster had ( who I keep in contact with daily) however, Koda has not been anything that I was prepared for. We were prepared for the worst and what we received was Koda who is sweet and playful and loving. It took the girls 3 days to play with each other on their own. Koda has not fully started playiong with Luna but she will chase Luna. I guess I just want both my girls happy and that is all I care about. I dont want either dog to be upset or stressed and sad. I know two female dogs take a lot longer than normal. But is letting them just fight it out ok? Luna has a few scratches and Koda has none. But when they fight I go into mommy mode.

-Ann

Like Ann said, we keep in contact daily and she's aware of Koda's history with me and her previous owner. I recommended the forum because you guys are so helpful and figured it would be a good resource. As a side note I guess I should update my profile and avatars. Koda has an awesome new mommy now. :-)

Aw Rachel you'll always be Kodas other mommy.

And Koda and Luna go for 2 mile walks Monday through Friday and 2 Four mile walks on the weekend. When we walk them they are both attached at the hip. They put their noses together and sniff the same thing. They both must walk side by side. If one stop the other stops automatically. You would think they are best friends outside our house. And for the most part inside they act well together. If Koda is laying in our foyer Luna will go and check up on her. I think Koda is afraid of Luna. Because Luna goes to bed always at 9pm. Usually she goes in her crate before we even tell her bed time and when Luna goes to bed thats when Koda starts to walk around the house and thats when she comes cuddles with us. I know it will take time and patience. I just wanted to make sure I was doing things the right way. We can see that in just a week and a half both girls have made amazing progress but this is our first time ever having two dogs and we do second guess our methods sometimes.

Things will certainly take time ad work themselves out. Just maintain control of yourself when they do get too rough so you don't add anything to the fight. Fights in the beginning are common and will happen

It's great that Koda has a new family and it's really nice of Rachel to recommend the forum. It can sometimes take a rescue dog six months to settle in fully, so it's early days yet. The fights will probably become less frequent over time. When we adopted our second dog (not a husky) it took a little while before they were fully comfortable with each other, but within six months they were inseperable. I would suggest stopping the fights when they happen, and rewarding any positive behaviours that they show each other. It sounds like the walks are going really well.

jbealer wrote:

have heard that it is sometimes harder to bring in a new female with a existing female but mindy has brought in 2 girls to her original girl and its working out.

All three of my females are doing wonderfully together and I attribute that to house rules and a consistent routine. It may not work for everyone and I am no expert but I know my Willow (my original female)! She flourishes with rules and boundaries. She has a dominate personality and I don't give in to it. Instead we have rules and she is more of a relaxed dog now that she knows what's expected of her. She reverted back to her dominate side when I first brought Aspen home and I did let them work it out to an extent. Like you, at first I wasn't sure if I should step in but then it dawned on me that the house changed in her eyes becuase there was a new female in the house. That's when I realized I had to step in and take over. I had to show Willow that there are still house rules and those house rules applied to the new addition as well. As soon as I stepped in, Willow relaxed and they have been getting along beautifully! I have a pretty set routine in my house and I also think that is why Aspen and Piper settled in so quickly. They knew what was expected of them from the start and they were able to relax and get comfortable here. I really think it helped that I worked with them together as well. All three have to sit and wait while I prepare their meal. If they don't, I stop and give them a command to sit back down. Now, if they get up, I just have to turn and look at them and they will sit back down. I also feed in order... Willow goes first, then Piper then Aspen. I do the same when giving treats and even when I let them outside to pee. They know the routine, so there is no guessing for them. I also didn't lavish alot of attention on Aspen when she first came here. I treated her as if she has always been in my home. Anyway, that was just my experience. All dogs are different and everyone has different outcomes, but am a believer in the rules and routines!

I just edited and added this since Mindy posted before I could post this. Mindy is 100% right. Routine and structure make a huge difference - they love it!

This sounds like it's normal and she's just settling in. Luna is setting the rules of the house and trying to set the pack order. The way they interact outside the house reinforces this theory! Luna can relax outside her territory and just be a dog. It was very similar with us. We had some bad fights and the rescue just advised us to let them work out unless major blood was shed.

They do become less frequent over time, it was every couple days, then every week, then every few weeks and now they've been good for about six months with a small scuffle a week ago - sounds like your situation is not as extreme as ours was with two very dominant/alpha-type dogs.

This forum was very helpful to us during that phase and kept us going by knowing it was normal and just a phase (especially Kristina's comments - she's got a bunch of dogs! ). Sounds like you're doing the right things. Walks together. Koda is settling in and she's being submissive to Luna right now. Expect a few setbacks once she settles in and gains confidence - but stay the course and keep up the positive training and walks. Good luck!

rnelsen wrote:

Like Ann said, we keep in contact daily and she's aware of Koda's history with me and her previous owner. I recommended the forum because you guys are so helpful and figured it would be a good resource. As a side note I guess I should update my profile and avatars. Koda has an awesome new mommy now. :-)

Thank you, Rachel, for speaking up for Koda Bear. Since you're the one who knows all about what she went through with you.

Rachel has played a huge role in helping my husband and I work with Koda. If it wasnt for Rachel I would of been lost. But thank you all for the advice. I Know it may take a little while for the girls to get along like I want but i love Koda just like I love my Luna so we are being patient with both of them

anasrallah wrote:

Rachel has played a huge role in helping my husband and I work with Koda. If it wasnt for Rachel I would of been lost. But thank you all for the advice. I Know it may take a little while for the girls to get along like I want but i love Koda just like I love my Luna so we are being patient with both of them

That's great!

Hope all works out w/you and Koda! She sure is a pretty girl
Rachel is awesome, so I'm sure everything will work out with her guidance
Congrats on adding her to you're family!

Have you seen my post on my Koda and Hailey? This still sounds like adjustment to me

If there's one thing I can confidently say about KodaBear is that she is EXTREMELY insecure. She craves human attention, she is on guard with other dogs, the incident with the maintenance man and the bite... she needs consistent rules, boundaries, and to know her place in the pack. She needs these rules CONSTANTLY reinforced.

At this point (and I apologize, this is not a dig at Rachel, I know she did everything she could), KodaBear has been through so many different homes, she has no idea what people expect of her. She doesn't know if those strangers coming through the door are there to take her away. She doesn't know if she has a place to call home yet. She is so very unsure of everything which makes her a LITTLE unpredictable. The next six months (a rescue's typical time to adjust) will be crucial. Reinforce the boundaries. Reinforce the rules. Because the only thing besides that that will take away her insecurity is time.

I agree with Tori 100% she needs someone who can make clear boundaries and rules and stick with them. She needs to feel that she is safe and she has no reason to be fearful. This will take time and it will take trust.

Always set her up to suceed and never allow new people in the house without her being on a leash a safe distance away (safe for Koda and her insecure self) or put away in a safe place (such as her crate.) Do not force her into doing anything she is obviously very uncomfortable into. While I know the woman from rescue was just trying to see how bad Kodas reaction to her entering the home were... that is the perfect situation of what NOT to do. Koda won't "come around" if left to assess the situation herself. She will move to bite if she feels her other communication of being uncomfortable isn't being listened to. That's where you come in. You need to be her interpreter as well as her guide.

I know this may seem like a lot but you will see in just a short amount of time when she is normal and comfortable and when she changes and becomes the fearful insecure dog when faced with uncomfortable situations. We are here to help and want Koda to have a great home and family

We have had a lot of people over and she hasnt bit anyone yet. When we have new people over we bring Koda outside and the guests give her a treat and then we bring her and the guest inside. On St. Patricks day we had a BBQ and once everyone got there she was perfectly fine. She laid right next to the guests and demanded her belly rubbed. And then a few days ago we had two people over and she barked for a little but the second I made eye contact with her she would stop. We dont acknowledge her until she stops barking and if she doesnt bark we give her a treat. She is doing good with people entering the house. Every weekend we have people over and Koda barks less and less when they enter. She seems to be doing very well.

We have a routine that Koda is getting used to. Koda is interacting with Luna on her own a lot more. Before my husband and I used to have to start the playing but this past few days Koda has started playing with Luna on her own. To me that shows improvement.

Thank you all for the advice. I do agree with Koda needing structure. Im shocked at how well the girls act together in such a short period of time. We still have a ways to go but so far I am very proud of the girls.

Awesome! Routine is fantastic and that will really help her. I'm glad you're working on people coming over.. Sounds like everything is going so well.. I'm so happy!

We're hoping that in the next two weeks we will start the adoption process <3 if things keep on the same track <3

Yay! It sounds like you are doing everything exactly the way it needs to be done Good for you! I hope that she finds her forever home with you

anasrallah wrote:

We're hoping that in the next two weeks we will start the adoption process <3 if things keep on the same track <3

I hope so too. Glad to hear she is doing so good with you both and Luna!