I was wondering if anyone else had trained their husky to "show their teeth" on command? And also, how you went about successfully getting them to go it.

I want my Colby girl to show her teeth on command [not attack or anything like that] when i say the word "protect" because my partners x-husband has been coming by lately to pick up his daughter, which is totally fair and fine, but he's recently gotten pretty aggressive towards me, threatening me to "watch out" and shoulder checking me on his way out. I could stay in the house or out of his way when he comes, but he has been physically abusive to my partner in the past and i stay with her to make sure he never lays a hand on her again... and when he came yesterday [this big macho, body builder Brazillian dude], he turned white when he saw my husky . Come to find out [from my partner] that he's terrified of big dogs and, although i wouldn't consider Colby to be big per-say, [maybe medium] i figure i can use this to my advantage.

i know huskies don't really have a mean bone in their bodies, but when any dog bares its teeth, it can be frightening if you are unable read the body language of a dog. And lets face it, this guys a moron. So i though if i taught Colby to show teeth when i say "protect", it will eliminate his aggressiveness towards me even though the dog wont actually be "protecting" me lol.

That would be a hard one to teach. I think the best way would be to "capture" the moment and use clicker training. Like say you want to teach a dog to blink. You wait for the dog to blink and then you click right when it blinks to mark that that is the behavior you want and then reward with a treat. Do this enough times and then add a cue to it like "blink!" After a while the dog will put the two and two together and there you go! But it's easier said than done! lol. You'd have to find some activity where Colby shows her teeth naturally and click and treat when she does. It might take a while.

If this guy is the piece of garbage I think he is then the last thing you'd want to give him is any sort ammunition to get your dog put down because it's "aggressive".

This guy shouldn't even have access to his daughter if he's been physically abusive in the past. I'd explain the situation to the police and take him to court for full custody and a restraining order.

At least maybe a grandmother or something can transport the child between you guys if he can't be civil.

SaraB wrote:

That would be a hard one to teach. I think the best way would be to "capture" the moment and use clicker training. Like say you want to teach a dog to blink. You wait for the dog to blink and then you click right when it blinks to mark that that is the behavior you want and then reward with a treat. Do this enough times and then add a cue to it like "blink!" After a while the dog will put the two and two together and there you go! But it's easier said than done! lol. You'd have to find some activity where Colby shows her teeth naturally and click and treat when she does. It might take a while.

i was thinking maybe during her teeth brushing, which we do every day [when i adopted her she had gingivitis]

I was thinking you don't want to give him a reason for "self defense".

But if you're real quick with markers I wouldn't think it would be that hard to teach. Does she bare teeth when you're brushing her?

Snow White wrote:

If this guy is the piece of garbage I think he is then the last thing you'd want to give him is any sort ammunition to get your dog put down because it's "aggressive".

This guy shouldn't even have access to his daughter if he's been physically abusive in the past. I'd explain the situation to the police and take him to court for full custody and a restraining order.

At least maybe a grandmother or something can transport the child between you guys if he can't be civil.

his mother is illegal and afraid to drive and her mom works all the time. i don't want to be that partner who tells their significant other that i don't want the father to be able to see his daughter. he's never been abusive to her [yet, anyway] because the baby [who's 4] trusts me n my partner because i've been with her since the baby was 6 months old... and my partner wants her to have a dad, which is totally understandable and i couldn't agree more because my father has played a huge role in my life, i've just been lucky because my parents never divorced.... i just wish this asshole wasn't the father.

also, he's barely legal as well. he married my partner mainly for legalization [its a long story... she made him fall and marry him, all the while he has another girl he never told her about... blah blah blah] but wasn't with her long enough to get it... so he likes to stay away from police confrontation as much as possible, especially since we live in such a close-knit neighborhood and my neighbors on every side have seen him be a dick on more than one occasion. plus, the police are familiar with me [my best friends father is the chief of police] and know every animal i've ever owned has been well trained and friendly.

but i never thought about him trying to get my dog put down... i thought there had to be physical contact for that to happen.... so this is a bad idea?

harrise wrote:

I was thinking you don't want to give him a reason for "self defense".

But if you're real quick with markers I wouldn't think it would be that hard to teach. Does she bare teeth when you're brushing her?

she does, but not directly at me or because she's upset. i think the weird feeling of the bristles on her gums are the reasons she does it. she's very docile and doesn't have an aggressive bone in her body.

also, i didn't ever plan on him being near the dog when i did it, just close enough to hear the word protect and see the teeth.

It sounds like a complicated situation for you there. My fear would be how quick agencies can be to reach a conclusion, or take action with just the safety of the child in mind. If he can paint the right picture to the right person, I see nothing but a world of hurt.

I've thought about that command before. With my dogs I would try teaching it with a rope. They really get amped up and snarly for a rope. Marking the lip curl and not a growl would be tricky though. I swear someone here had trained that, but I could be wrong.

harrise wrote:

It sounds like a complicated situation for you there. My fear would be how quick agencies can be to reach a conclusion, or take action with just the safety of the child in mind. If he can paint the right picture to the right person, I see nothing but a world of hurt.

I've thought about that command before. With my dogs I would try teaching it with a rope. They really get amped up and snarly for a rope. Marking the lip curl and not a growl would be tricky though. I swear someone here had trained that, but I could be wrong.

mine doesn't get snarly about anything, even tug-o-war.

I would be REALLY careful about that. Like it was meantioned, if Colby bared her teeth, it would only take a SECOND for an agency (IE CPS) to jump to conclusions. My mother was a foster parent for 40 years, and she had kids come in all the time that were taken away from the parents because their dog "Showed aggression" and that can be as simple as the dog showing their teeth.
ETA: It was always reported by the parent that didn't have custody, and in most states, even just an investigation means removing the baby.

With things like this, you have to be VERY careful. I'm very happy you don't live in Texas, because the baby would have been taken and given to the dad already. (Texas SUCKS). I would fight for full custody and get people to confirm that they have witnessed his attitude etc.

Tiff&Kya wrote:

I would be REALLY careful about that. Like it was meantioned, if Colby bared her teeth, it would only take a SECOND for an agency (IE CPS) to jump to conclusions. My mother was a foster parent for 40 years, and she had kids come in all the time that were taken away from the parents because their dog "Showed aggression" and that can be as simple as the dog showing their teeth.
ETA: It was always reported by the parent that didn't have custody, and in most states, even just an investigation means removing the baby.

With things like this, you have to be VERY careful. I'm very happy you don't live in Texas, because the baby would have been taken and given to the dad already. (Texas SUCKS). I would fight for full custody and get people to confirm that they have witnessed his attitude etc.

thank you. now i know that im not going to teach this. maybe her "talking" will be enough.... she loves carrying a conversation. and her voice is very deep

lizzyduhh wrote:

Tiff&Kya wrote:

I would be REALLY careful about that. Like it was meantioned, if Colby bared her teeth, it would only take a SECOND for an agency (IE CPS) to jump to conclusions. My mother was a foster parent for 40 years, and she had kids come in all the time that were taken away from the parents because their dog "Showed aggression" and that can be as simple as the dog showing their teeth.
ETA: It was always reported by the parent that didn't have custody, and in most states, even just an investigation means removing the baby.

With things like this, you have to be VERY careful. I'm very happy you don't live in Texas, because the baby would have been taken and given to the dad already. (Texas SUCKS). I would fight for full custody and get people to confirm that they have witnessed his attitude etc.

thank you. now i know that im not going to teach this. maybe her "talking" will be enough.... she loves carrying a conversation.

Just get her to go off "talking" every time he comes in. That would definitely be easier to train and safer, stupid people, wise.

Tape him when ever he comes around to pick up the child. Either video or where a spy bug of some sort and save every damn one of them in case you need the previous references in the future.

(pain in the ass but better safe then sorry.)

I've actually been teaching my husky to show his teeth. What I do is get him all wound out and he will start showing his teeth in a playful way (he's really mouthy) and I have treats and will say "teeth" and give him one every time he does it. Keep in mind I would never do this out in public, I just think it's a cool little trick he does in the house for treats and pictures.