So, Tobi has been wanting to spend a lot of time...AWAY from me.
Poppy likes to sleep in my brother's room, but Tobi doesn't like to be in there. Instead he prefers to sleep in the kitchen where his dog bed is. Which is OK, but normally, he will sleep in my room.
Some reason...it seems like he doesn't even seem like he wants to be around me anymore.

When it's my brother's turn to take them out on a walk, Tobi used to come up to me excitedly and sleep near my feet. He now comes inside and goes through the back doggy door to take his naps outside.
Other than walks and food time, I don't see him throughout the day because he chooses to nap outside or be somewhere else. Poppy LOVES to be around us, so he will follow her when she's excited about something. Besides that, he prefers to be alone when it's calm.

I don't know what's going on, he just doesn't want to be around me. He just seems uninterested when practicing training sessions or even when I give him a belly rub.

I know Huskies are pretty independent, but is there a such thing as TOO independent?
Is this normal behavior? How do you know your puppy likes you?

how old is Tobi now? Do you two only interact at the house, or on walks?

When Keeonah was around 5 and a half months old, she went through a phase where she seemed pretty disinterested in me too. It was at that time though, that I was working 40 weeks in a restaurant setting (working evenings when normal people are home), and she was more used to hanging out with my roommate and his dogs. It definitely does suck to feel like you ves tso much time and love and energy into a dog that doesn't seem to care less if you are around. When I am at home it is usually just us in my room. Since i have calmed my hours down, I have had more time at home to spend with her, or do things with her.

I really do believe a puppy grows a certain bond as it grows. That's why i love the idea of having a puppy from 8 weeks. Every single day that they grow, so do you, and you have the opportunity to grow together. It's really pretty amazing. Because I am living on my own (i.e. not with parents, or with a spouse), when i am at home, it is only me and her, 90% of the time. So we have gotten used to seeing a lot of each other. However, I also do make an effort to involve her in everything that I do, whether I'm going downtown to grab a bite to eat (sitting outside, tying her to the bench) or hiking, going to the beach, etc. Everything is an opportunity to get her involved, and out in the world with me, which definitely also helps with her socializing, and behavior around other people/dogs, etc.

One of my favorite things to do, is take her for a walk at like 1am or later. The town I live in is so empty at night, that you could walk all the way through it without seeing a soul. Soo peaceful. When we go on walks like that, I really get a sense that she knows it's just me and her, and she sticks with me, like we're a team. I know at that point, that she wants nothing more than ot be right there with me. It's definitely pretty awesome.

I'd say, just set aside some time to spend with just you and Tobi. Take him somewhere new, keep it exciting, and make it stimulating. If he sees his time spent with you is spent better than anything else he could be doing, I bet he'll come around more, and it will translate into regular wednesday nights at home too .

I wish malamutes were like that. I trip over maggie because she doesn't leave me alone! lol

MyKeeonah wrote:

how old is Tobi now? Do you two only interact at the house, or on walks?

Thanks for replying

He is about 5 months old. I try to take him everywhere I go. Lately, because of work, I havent been able to. When I cant be with him he is left with my dad and Poppy during the day.

Other than that, I take him on the car ride when I drop off my brother at school in the mornings, walks, quick trips to the store, etc..
Before I got overwhelmed with work, I used to take him with me on the weekends to hang out with my friends. He usually gets a lot of attention and social skills when I do because they live in a place where a lot of people, dogs are coming in and out and we get to hang out in the city and stuff.

So, maybe, like you, he hasn't come around because I havent had time for him. It really does feel weird when they aren't giving their unconditional love. My workload wont be so crazy after this week, so hopefully I can spend more time with him