Eddie was purchased from, in retrospect, a backyard breeder. In that, anyway, the guy lived in a trailer and had a backyard full of huskies. Several dozen living on an acre. He asked me a bunch of questions before I drove out there, I asked him several when I arrived, I met the mother and then drove off.

The breeder's situation is key because I think the dog has genetic-based social problems. Like I say, a trailer, an acre or so out back, concrete poured well below and high fences. A main yard with 30 or so older dogs, and three or so separate gated yards with dog houses and dens. A lot of yapping.

Mom (I admit with chagrin) was pure white and hid from everything, staring out and far away with her blue eyes.

In any event, I got Eddie at 3 months and he had lived in a den, with Mom, before that. He was positively catatonic for the first week I brought him home. As in inability to move.

I took him to the vet and everyone agreed the only Huskies that acted that way presented as Parvo. He tested negative. I took him to training classes and the dude advertised as a husky specialist said he'd never seen a husky act that way.

Many months of training, running, and socialization followed. Eddie seemed to be doing well. He's a year old now.

Then I moved. Nice house, half acre yard, children around, basically I moved for the dog. There's another dog here, female, but they play fairly well together--Eddie constantly adopts a play position and they chase around the yard. I _have_ tried to make the other dog the leader--food first, first out the door, etc--AND Eddie is basically the outside dog now.

All of the above is basically rationalization. Eddie has totally withdrawn and will not come near me without food. The worst I have ever done to him is comb him, but he acts like an abused dog. It's been a month since the move. Recall is totally out of the question, it's like I'm a stranger. I can't even get him to come close enough to leash him for walks. I've tried re-training on 'name game' and 'hide and seek' but if I'm honest with myself I believe there's something off-kilter with this dog, always has been, and for all my efforts I haven't been able to correct it.

Whew, so there it is. I've always worried I made a bad decision with the breeder, and while Eddie has never been cuddly he's now gone back to the bad old puppy days where even casual friends spontaneously say that he acts like an abused dog, hiding around corners and refusing contact. But--this dog is spoiled. I've put everything I can into him.

What can I do?

Sorry for your troubles, sounds like he may have had issues but you broke that, and then the move has been too much for him. Maybe see if you can visit back to his old stomping ground. I'm not expert but I know they aren't overly territorial but Luna always visits the same spots in our yard, a water table she drinks from and the cats feeding bowl for a start.

I am no expert believe me, but a dog that is raised by a breeder in that way is abused. I bet none of them including the pups got any socialization at all. This is why the Mom had that far away look in her eyes, many abused animals have this. Socialization is so important with dogs of any breed, and especially when young. I adopted a retired racing greyhound whom I feel was abused at the track. My son was trying to play with him and he gave him a pretty aggressive warning snap! I did not give up, I continued to work with him, and I kept him away from kids that came over. He was very very timid and scared (I had a female at the time too) of everyone and every thing. It took me a year to get through to him that no one here would hurt him. It took that long before we could hug him. He did come around, but he was always timid. But he knew he had love here, and he became very affectionate.

I am so sorry you are having this trouble, but I do believe it is the way he was bred. Can it be fixed, I don't know. It sounds like you had made much progress until you moved, and then it became worse again. I would seek the advice of a professional, perhaps you could get in touch with a Husky rescue and see what their advice would be on how to move forward.

I wish you good luck, and I really hope he turns around he is gorgeous!

Im sorry your having these issues, I know how hard it is to get an abused dog to come around, I had my girl Isis that I had rescued and she was very stand offish, I would just sit like 5 feet from her daily till i brought her home and even then it still took alot of time for her to fully recover, but Im sure with time and love and lots of TLC Eddie will come around.

Can you get Eddie on a leash at all? My suggestion to starting the trust back between you is that you unbilical him for a period of time. If you can ply him with food. Get the lead on him and work your way up, you dont have to start with 8 hours of him attached to you, but maybe 10 minutes, then reward him wiht excessive praise and food when he follows. start small and increase the time spent.

I would also just try sitting next to him while he's inside, You don have to make contact, just sit next to him until he relaxes and when he does, again, praise and reward.

I think you should go back to another vet just in case, to make sure his lethargy isnt physiological, since at 1year, he should be runnign circles around you and any other dog.

Hope this helps a little bit, dont get discouraged, keep at it, it will be worth it when he comes out of his shell

Kelly

Im sorry Eddie is having issues.
First I have a question as to why are you trying to make the other dog the lead dog? And why is he an outside dog now?

This is my personal opinion and thats all, Im not an expert of any kind. I am wondering if he is feeling neglected and replaced since he was your primary dog and now someone else is getting the food and attention first. Is the other dog an indoor dog? Im sorry for the questions, but I am just trying to understand the stuation more. Since you said he runs and plays with the other dog, he is feeling neglected by you in some way.

Good luck and hope it gets better.

libbybell74 wrote:

First I have a question as to why are you trying to make the other dog the lead dog? And why is he an outside dog now.

i have the same question, to me it sounds like this is the reason for his actions now, it sounds like you worked a lot with him and he was better before the move, he might need a few more months to feel settled again but putting him outside and below another dog is not the thing to do.

jbealer wrote:

First I have a question as to why are you trying to make the other dog the lead dog? And why is he an outside dog now.

It's a roommate-type situation. The other dog was here first, and is older. I knew I needed to be clear about who was the leader, and sided with the older dog. I should put Eddie at the top?

Basically, we didn't have a yard before and now I have a biggish one with high walls. Also the homeowner/roommate expressed a desire to keep Eddie outside when neither one of us was around. Personally, I think being outside so much is the biggest difference for him, that and the new dog. I've thought about crating him, but how could that be an improvement over a nice big yard?

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Can you get Eddie on a leash at all? My suggestion to starting the trust back between you is that you unbilical him for a period of time.

yes, I have just that kind of hands-free leash, for hiking. He does great on it, that's a good idea.

He still wants to go for walks, but he's just got this weird thing where he doesn't want me to get his collar, he's not showing any kind of affection, really it's like I'm a stranger and all the love I've sunk into him has been forgotten. he was shedding a lot so I would often catch him and comb him, at first I thought that was all, but it's really gotten worse...

Crating is better than leaving him outside I think. Why would your roomate want him outside but allow theirs inside?
As far as the leader thing goes, you have to let dogs sort that out themselves. Tika was our first and our baby, but when Ripley showed up we let them figure out who was higher up the totem pole. Rip is way more dominant and it got sorted very quickly. When she gets dominated in her own house she pouts.
I would talk to the roommate about leaving him inside. its not exactly a fair situation for the dog.

I have 3 dogs, two are big and both male and in all honesty neither of them is "leader" they eat together, drink together, do everything together and they both do better that way plus its easier for me also. But its just my opinion but I really would never keep any of my dogs outside, to me they are like my children and I wouldnt let my kids sleep outside, but thats ME and I wouldnt be anywhere that didnt allow my dog inside with me.

I agree with all the above ^. Your dog may feel even more as though he is being abandoned by you because every time you leave, he is being left outside alone while the other dog is in the comfort of the home. Also, your dog isn't going to know that you left so he may think that you are inside loving/paying attention while he is outside without that extra human interaction. I know it sounds a little far fetched but you would be surprised at how much your dog understands and reacts through your emotions and actions. I would as said above, try leaving him inside- in a crate or otherwise. He would then have his own place to be that would be a "safe" place to him where he can go when he wants to get away. You want to be able to create a bond with him and I think him being outside may be as I said helping increase his feelings of abandonment. Just my opinion.

Howdy, Sorry your having all this trouble Poor Eddie.

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It's a roommate-type situation. The other dog was here first, and is older. I knew I needed to be clear about who was the leader, and sided with the older dog. I should put Eddie at the top?

The problem with that statement is that it is a VERY HUMAN way of thinking about things. Just because a dog is older or has been there longer doesn't cement it's position as DOM.

That's not really how it works. You can't will a leader, or top dog, into an animal pack. The best way, in my experience, is to let them work it out themselves. I'm not saying you should let fights progress and let the dogs hurt one another. I'm saying however that they should be able to work it out on their own easy enough.

It make take some time, and it could lead to some challenges for positioning from both parties, but in the end it should be made clear to one of them by the other who is top dog.


Kelly and I went through the same process when we picked up Ripley. We had had Tika for almost a year at the time and she meant everything to us. Ripley was being welcomed into our house and our set of rules, but we both agreed we were never going interfere with their who should be the Dominate Dog in the house. As long as they both obeyed us.

Ripley came in and dominated Tika in seconds. If we would have tried to keep Tika at the top it would have just lead to confusion and problems for both pups.

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Personally, I think being outside so much is the biggest difference for him, that and the new dog. I've thought about crating him, but how could that be an improvement over a nice big yard?

Leaving a dog alone outside for an extended period of time without human contact is the fastest way for them to revert to feral instincts.

Some do well and can handle it, others don't and start to develop weird / wild tendencies.

You also have to think about the fact tat you are dealing with a Husky here. Having a stable pact, even of one person, is huge for their development and stability. I know mine, at least, hate it when they are left alone or are separated from one another (not that we can't, they just prefer being around people or one another more so then ever being alone).

Crating also isn't the evil or unfair thing many people think it to be. It, in a way, mimics dens which many dogs sleep in. The loss of mobility while crates also places the pup into a more relaxed state (After they are crate trained and when SA isn't an issue anymore) placing them into a state of sleep more times then not.

They don't need to move around as much as if they are left out and don't need to be in a constant state of stimulation. They relax and go to bed.


I would really try to sit down and talk to the roommate in your position. Explain what is happening to your dog and that you believe it is getting worse. Work out some way you can at least bring Eddie inside the house... I think that ALONE would go a long way in his rehabilitation. From there just making it a point to be around him more, play with him more, talk to him, run with him... Anything to really bring that level of human contact back up.

I don't know what else I can say. I don't envy your position... Work with him slowly and work something out with you roommate as soon as you can.

He sounds like a very special and fun pup.... I can only wish you the very best of luck!
~Chris~

I agree with Tika. I don't think you should be getting involved with which dog is going to be the "Alpha". That's for them to decide. Interfering may cause confusion, as they don't know where they stand in the new "pack". Which may be why he's so distant? Just speculation.

I would never leave Kale outside unattended for long periods of time. The yard would be destroyed and he would definitely find a way out. But that's just my dog. I'd try and find a way to have him in the house with you, as it will help strengthen your bond. Huskies are very park oriented and when they are separated from you, they can become withdrawn and mopey. I see it all the time at work (vet hospital). Either they mope, or they panic. Kale panics when he's away from me lol

I meant to say something about the dominance issue as well. I had Ruby my lab first, she was about 10 months old when we got Balon. As little as he was it was clear that he was going to be alpha! I let them sort it out. Ruby is quite comfortable not being dominant, she is rather submissive. It is always better to let the dogs sort it out, if you try to force it, you may end up with major fights.

Wow this topic is a tough one for me to comment on best I leave it alone unless I can get my thinking cap on straight. I really wish you and Eddie well he is a beautiful Husky.




Kelly and Chris offer great advice.

Please keep us updated on Eddie's progress. There is a lot of good advice here. Best of luck.