So my girlfriend just got a husky. He is 9 weeks old. He is stubborn, smart, independent, loves to play, and his attention is everywhere, but we love this dog. His energy seems endless right now and he always wants to play. What do you guys think of rough playing between humans and dogs? I'm not sure if i should encourage this or shy away from it. I dont mind the rough play and the nipping but i do mind when he starts to bite to hard.

He also has a weird eating schedule. He will one day eat 3 times a day then another day he will only eat once. Sometimes he will eat a couple bites and walk away then walk back and take another bite. Is this weird behavior? I don't want the dog to not get enough nutrients.

About training, I have read that these dogs are generally not the do as I command type. Will they however, learn and respond to these tricks eventually with training? Also I have read positive and negative things about the "alpha roll". I have tried it a couple of times when Thor acts out but he doesn't like it (and for obvious reasons after reading the negatives about it). So i am weary to try and do that anymore. Have I already damaged our relationship by using that method? Or by stopping now will it be ok? Now we have tried to take him out on walks, and i think he likes it (sometimes). He usually gets distracted and ends up trying to bite our pant legs. Is a stern "NO!" then continue walking with a "good boy" when he starts walking the best way to handle this?

The biting seems like this is normal husky behavior after reading a lot of the posts. So i think I'll try a combinations of redirecting with a toy, leaving the room, a stern "no", and the lower jaw grab with the fingers in his mouth. My question is sometimes when he is laying on the ground we will go over to pet him and he will try and bite. Is there anything we can do about that? Besides just the methods i stated above? He sometimes does act aggressively and will try to bite and we will tell him "NO". Do you have any recommendations for when he is acting aggressively and biting? (I am saying he acted aggressive because while crate training, he was in there for a little while, then was let out and bit my girlfriend and her brother.)

So after a lengthy first post, I say thanks in advance! And this is just the start of all the questions I have. Boy this breed is interesting!

Huskys can go for periods of time without eating. So that is normal, just try to encourage him to eat his food when you can.

You can teach him tricks just like any other breed, positive reinforcement works wonders. Treating and training go hand in hand. You can also do it with his food, like make him sit before letting him eat it, stuff like that.

About the alpha role, that is up to you. You do need to let him know you are in control and that "nothing in life is free." When we first got Karli, I made her eat her food out of my hand. It showed her that she was getting it from me and it made her not food aggressive at all. I also made my hubby do it so she would see that he can control her food as well. My hubby does rough play with her, but she knows that's not how me and her play and will play differently (less aggressive) with me verses with him.

I've never had the biting issue with Karli. There are a lot of threads on it here, keep doing what you're doing. The toy replacing really does work, Karli doesn't even chomp on my hands during play anymore, she goes right for the toy instead. Being consistent is key, if you let him get away with something once, he'll remember it and try to do it again.

Good luck with the new pup!!!

You'll get plenty of advice on everything else, so I'll respond to the last thing you said.

He's not aggressive, he's a puppy Puppies are mouthy from the start and huskies use their mouths to communicate a bit more than most other breeds. Puppies learn bite inhibition from their littermates. Sometimes, they are taken away from their brothers and sisters too young and don't learn these lessons; sometimes those lessons just take longer to learn.

I would start by reacting ANYTIME your dog's teeth touch skin. Correct him consistently. Be calm, firm, and patient. He doesn't know that what he's doing is wrong. You need to teach him.

I could rarely pet Lucian without him trying to bite me at that age, lol. Still at 5 months old if he gets wound up, and excited he still tries to bite. He's also teething right now. It will seem like the biting will never end, but it does take time to get them to stop.

They are trainable. Lucian knows quite a few tricks. You just have to find something they like. Lucian is food motivated, so I can use his kibble as treats.