"ewww... boobies"


"*snore*"

Locke (formerly known as Hucksey) is a 6 year old Sibe that I adopted just yesterday. I thought it would be interesting to post what he is like and to get people's insight on him.

Locke came from a multiple dog home, although he was the only Husky. The owner had to surrender him because their new home had those ranch style fences enforced in the HOA, so there was no way this escape artist would be able to play outside freely off leash.

I have never had a husky before - this is my first, and it took me quite some time to get him as many rescues turned me down for 1) never having a husky before (this kind of confused me...) and 2) having small children. Locke does great with my two kids, although they aren't super rude to him, they like chasing him around and laughing, but Locke has never done anything so far, not even a growl. He'll just give them a funny look when they aren't making much sense, which is often.

I am not sure about his previous schedule. So far, he has eaten very little, but is drinking normally I would assume. He has no problem letting us know when he needs to go to the bathroom either, which is great. We have taken him on multiple walks so far, but nothing too far, maybe a mile or so. He leads a bit on the leash, we need to probably get him and one of us to obedience school. it might also be like this cause the area around us is brand new to him. Even with just a brisk 1 mile walk, he seems contented. I am happy about this to some degree as I cannot run (asthma), but I did worry about his energy level before I got him.

In fact, he sleeps, a lot. The picture of him sleeping is actually him, right now. He takes turns sleeping next to me in the office while at work or down in the basement with my wife with the kids. I am hoping this is OK. Outside of when he first got here, he hasn't been jumpy or misbehaved at all. Out in the yard, he does give sneaky looks as he seems to have found all the weak spots in my wooden fence, but otherwise, he has been really really quiet (no barks, no howls) and just chill.

As for his crate, he wanted nothing to do with it, even though I was told he was crate trained. At night, we let him free in the house and laying a blanket down at the food of my bed worked - he slept there most of the night.

So far I am shocked, but I wonder if this is just cause hes still learning us. I thought he might be depressed, but there is one thing that Locke does that makes me not think that. He loves to be petted, I have even allowed him (with a hand gesture) on the couch with me and he snuggled right up. He is def. a lover boy, so I figure he might just be a mellow husky. Which is great for us - he is 6 years old, but, I am sure that is the exception and not the rule for when a husky might start "calming" down in their life style.

Congrats on the new addition and thanks so much for adopting.

As for being calm . . . I wouldn't get my hopes too high yet. Give him a month or two to settle in and see if his personality changes. Saphire was very reserved for the first couple of weeks after we brought her home at 10 weeks old and then one day everything changed, almost suddenly, and we started to see her true mischevious personality.

As for the idea that husky's must live with a runner, I also do not run and have found that regular walks and trips to the dog park where Saphire can run off leash are sufficient for her exercise needs. I think its a bit overkill to tell someone that a husky must be run X number of miles X times per week. It is in their nature to run but there are ways to allow them to run without having to do so yourself.

As for the sleeping arrangements its all about what works for you and your family. Saphire seems to prefer to sleep in her crate most of the time although she will occasionally insist on sleeping at the foot of my daughter's bed.

That said keep working on crate training for those times when you must leave Locke home alone. There are lots of great threads here to help and you may have to start from scratch. It may be that Locke is crate trained but just unsure of it since its in a new home with new people and in a different place than he is used to. I know Saphire does extremely well in her crate at home (which is in the dinning room because its close to the back door and was easiest during potty training) but when we travel she will throw the biggest fit you ever saw if her crate isn't in the same room I am sleeping in.

On a final note I would say now is the time to get the weak spots in your fence secured. He may not be confident/comfortable enough to take off yet but if all goes well in a few weeks all bets will be off.

Other than that I am glad to hear everything is going well and wish you the best. Enjoy your new family member and keep the pictures coming!!

Welcome and congrats!

He's still settling in, so some of what you see now is his true personality and some of it will adjust as he settles in and gets comfortable. However, if he's mellow now the will likely stay mellow unless he's feeling under the weather. He's already 6 and past he crazy husky phase! Congrats! We have one mellow husky, too! It's a great sign that he likes to cuddle, that will also not change.

Definitely double-check the fence and watch him while he's in the yard. Any newly rehomed dog is a flight risk for at least the first few weeks until they realize you're their new forever home. Some dogs are flight risks forever, so you'll want to reinforce the fence - we're happy to give tips if you post pictures.

I wouldn't worry about the sleeping. Our dogs sleep most of the day, and definitely were exhausted the first week we got them.

Thanks for adopting him. He is a real cutie.

We have two huskies as you can see from my sig. We adopted one at 2 plus years old the other we we got at 9 months. It helps having two they can entertain each other during the day which helps. we are both home all day my husband works from home and I am not currently working. We walk ours twice a day about 2-4 miles a day they are currently 2 1/2 years old we are not able to run I have had both knees replaced and my husband has back issues. We let them sleep in the bedroom on dog beds at night and they have dog beds in the living room they can use during the day. We do crate them when we leave and are not able to take them. Also when the people that clean my house come (once a month) it is easier to crate them then The biggest problem we are having with our two is digging in the yard. Do fix your fence we replace our a couple of months ago because it was bad and they had gotten out when I did not get one of the gates closed while mowing the yard.

We do take ours to the dog park a couple times during the week and maybe doggie day care once a week it really helps.

Good luck with him he is good looking looks somewhat like our Kerian the light one in the sig.

My recent adoption, Carter is about 5-6. Similar to your Locke, he's pretty low-key and calm. I've had him for about a month now and in that time he's opened up a bit and does git a little energy in the house and initiates play time with my other husky, Sky. But for the most part, he has the same energy level as when I got him.

If you're worried about the not eating, don't. When I got Sky, she was my only dog. She literally did not eat a bite of the dry kibble for a month. I had to mix with some wet food/chicken broth (about 2 tablespoons wet food) to get her to eat it. I recommend it if it will make you feel better. Just make sure to mix the food real well so he won't pick out the good stuff. Eventually you can just ween the wet out and stick with kibble.

Congrats! You're lucky you got a cuddling husky! There's truly nothing else like it!

WOOHOOOO so happy u got him chris! Come to our H2M2 next weekend and join the FB page so u get updates on meet ups, husky huddle malamute mingle colorado.
I'm so happy our rescue gave u the time of day.
As everyone said locke is still setteling in and in a month or so u will see his true colors. We got sierra at 6 and I swear she is more of a firecracker at almost 10 then jack is at 5! Please feel free to hit claudia and I up with any questions, were not that far away

You are describing exactly what Ginger was like when we adopted her in 2010 from the rescue! We think she was about 3.5 years old back then. She hasn't really changed much, other than the occasional zoomies when the weather changes to snow in the winter.

Locke is settling in and is still unsure of his surroundings, so give him time. The more time you can spend with him, the easier he'll settle in and the faster he'll settle in. His slight pull or lead on the leash is probably also because everything is new. Both Ginger and Storm used to pull slightly in the beginning (Storm pulled harder, but he is also a lot bigger!).

A good 6 months will show his true demeanor and my guess is that he will be similar to some of the forum member's pack that are around his age - they sleep most of the day and will perk up when going for a walk or headed out for the dog park, or hike, or whatever your activity is.

Ginger wasn't interested in food at first, and she refused to go in her crate. As she settled in, she ate more, and with a little coaxing with some treats, she became comfortable in her crate. Now, we don't use the crate at all.

As Jenn says, we're here if you have any questions or need help!

Ginger was my first husky...we didn't go to obedience school or anything...just guidance and a little training research did us just fine. Unless you have a bigger, more serious issue that needs to be worked out, I think you'll be OK without a trainer. This forum is a wealth of information to get you started!

Thank you for giving Locke a furever home!

Looking forward to meeting you at one of the meet-ups!

First off thanks everyone for your replies and insight! It is the 5th day now with the guy and so far he hasn't eaten any of his food. Not used to this sort of thing so it kinda worries me. And we do have some of the food his previous owner gave, he won't touch it. He has nabbed a few bites here and there from my 1 year old in his high chair (he is a pro at this probably from previous toddlers). He is still drinking water.

There is another issue that has popped up though and we are waiting to see if it is related to him. Alex, my oldest, has eczema, but since getting Locke, he has broken out in hives and rashes on his face, arms, and legs. We are not sure if this is a result of a cold - because when gets mild colds, he breaks out. We will be setting up a visit with the allergist as soon as possible. WE love this dog and want to make sure 110% this is related to Locke. I will also be getting him professionally groomed and washed this weekend to see if it helps. He came to me with some knots in his fur as well.

Outside of that, everything is fine, just waiting for him to actually eat something of his food. I refuse to feed him human food. By the way... I tried giving him both mixed wet food and kibble and normal wet food by itself. He doesn't touch it

jbealer wrote:

WOOHOOOO so happy u got him chris! Come to our H2M2 next weekend and join the FB page so u get updates on meet ups, husky huddle malamute mingle colorado.
I'm so happy our rescue gave u the time of day.
As everyone said locke is still setteling in and in a month or so u will see his true colors. We got sierra at 6 and I swear she is more of a firecracker at almost 10 then jack is at 5! Please feel free to hit claudia and I up with any questions, were not that far away

Hi Jenn, do you work with the North Star Husky rescue? The H2M2 sounds like fun, where is it located? I could probably bring me and Locke along for a visit. I am sure he'd love it.

If I remember correctly, when we adopted Ginger, she ate carrots and Beggin' Strips for the first 2 weeks, or so. She was uninterested in her food.

What are you currently feeding?

(Jenn and I both volunteer for North Star and we are both board members).

So, we want to feed him Arcadia or Eukanuba. We bought Eukanuba - we know someone who works in the company that makes it and he speaks highly of it. The previous owner fed him regular Pedigree. :/ Not the best choice in my book.

At first we mixed very little of the Eukanuba into his bowl and mostly his Pedigree. Didn't touch it. He won't go near the Eukanuba. We tried JUST the pedigree, still won't touch it. I think he was probably table fed with his previous owners, because he begs like no other, hes gone very very close to snatching food, but never goes through with it. He already broke a glass butter dish we thought we had far enough back on our counter. So far, that is the only thing he has gone up and brave enough to try and nab. He went crazy for the butter though, thankfully he didn't eat any of the glass.....

I got a question for you, that you might be able to answer. I honestly never really thought feeding him anything but a dog food, but is there anything I can feed him that he might want because he perceives it as human food? I am not sure if he will eat a carrot, but I am worth trying that. But like you said, this may take a few weeks to get past. He'll eat dog treats, but I don't want to feed him that making a standard that it is normal affair...

I am really thankful for you guys giving us a chance. Richard went to bat for us with Faith.

Sarvoth wrote:

I think he was probably table fed with his previous owners, because he begs like no other, hes gone very very close to snatching food, but never goes through with it. He already broke a glass butter dish we thought we had far enough back on our counter. So far, that is the only thing he has gone up and brave enough to try and nab. He went crazy for the butter though, thankfully he didn't eat any of the glass.....

I hope you corrected this behavior when it happened. If you don't want him to beg at the dinner table and you want him to take treats or any other food items gently, you'll want to work on that and be consistent. I'm more concerned if your kids had a treat in their hand and Locke snatching it.

Sarvoth wrote:

I got a question for you, that you might be able to answer. I honestly never really thought feeding him anything but a dog food, but is there anything I can feed him that he might want because he perceives it as human food? I am not sure if he will eat a carrot, but I am worth trying that. But like you said, this may take a few weeks to get past. He'll eat dog treats, but I don't want to feed him that making a standard that it is normal affair...

Boiled, boneless chicken (you can sprinkle a little parmesan cheese if you want), or plain cooked meat (or even a little pink in the middle is OK), plain cooked salmon or canned tuna packed in water, hard boiled eggs, plain non fat yogurt (with live cultures), carrots, green beans, green peas, apples (no seeds), bananas...

I know what you mean by not wanting to make treats a standard as I thought Ginger would end up eating only carrots and Beggin Strips! Eventually, we had to buy cheap salmon, cook it plain and flake it over her food to get her used to eating her kibble. Locke will eventually eat and eat more as he settles in, but don't give up. When we just adopted Storm, he absolutely would not eat any fruits or veggies. He would eat around them or take it in his mouth, and the spit it out hard. When we gave him lettuce, he would shred it and with conviction as if to tell us 'How dare you feed me rabbit food!' But he eventually got it and now would eat a salad if that's what we fed him!

cmanding wrote:

Sarvoth wrote:

I think he was probably table fed with his previous owners, because he begs like no other, hes gone very very close to snatching food, but never goes through with it. He already broke a glass butter dish we thought we had far enough back on our counter. So far, that is the only thing he has gone up and brave enough to try and nab. He went crazy for the butter though, thankfully he didn't eat any of the glass.....

I hope you corrected this behavior when it happened. If you don't want him to beg at the dinner table and you want him to take treats or any other food items gently, you'll want to work on that and be consistent. I'm more concerned if your kids had a treat in their hand and Locke snatching it.

Sarvoth wrote:

I got a question for you, that you might be able to answer. I honestly never really thought feeding him anything but a dog food, but is there anything I can feed him that he might want because he perceives it as human food? I am not sure if he will eat a carrot, but I am worth trying that. But like you said, this may take a few weeks to get past. He'll eat dog treats, but I don't want to feed him that making a standard that it is normal affair...

Boiled, boneless chicken (you can sprinkle a little parmesan cheese if you want), or plain cooked meat (or even a little pink in the middle is OK), plain cooked salmon or canned tuna packed in water, hard boiled eggs, plain non fat yogurt (with live cultures), carrots, green beans, green peas, apples (no seeds), bananas...

I know what you mean by not wanting to make treats a standard as I thought Ginger would end up eating only carrots and Beggin Strips! Eventually, we had to buy cheap salmon, cook it plain and flake it over her food to get her used to eating her kibble. Locke will eventually eat and eat more as he settles in, but don't give up. When we just adopted Storm, he absolutely would not eat any fruits or veggies. He would eat around them or take it in his mouth, and the spit it out hard. When we gave him lettuce, he would shred it and with conviction as if to tell us 'How dare you feed me rabbit food!' But he eventually got it and now would eat a salad if that's what we fed him!

Thanks for that advice, I'll let my wife know. We have stocked up on a lot of chicken breast, so we can def. spare a few for him. (I actually don't like chicken and she does , more of a red meat guy). We only buy salmon when its not farmed salmon, which is rare around here sometimes.

Let me correct my prior statement, he looks like hes sometimes going to snatch food out of Alex's hand, but hes never gone for anything I have had. He might be trying to smell what he has, and we always correct the behaviour when we spot it with Alex.

Anyways, just went down stairs and tried to get him to eat a carrot. He liked it enough to pick it out of his bowl of kibble and put it on the ground. He kept nipping at it, not sure what to make of it. I put some peanut butter on it and finally it looked like hed eat it, but he just put it in his mouth, got all the peanut butter off and spit it out. We have also tried to give him some banana the other day and he didn't like that either. I know he will eat the cooked chicken, so we'll feed him that tomorrow if we can, just to get something in his belly. Poor guy.

Sarvoth wrote:

Anyways, just went down stairs and tried to get him to eat a carrot. He liked it enough to pick it out of his bowl of kibble and put it on the ground. He kept nipping at it, not sure what to make of it. I put some peanut butter on it and finally it looked like hed eat it, but he just put it in his mouth, got all the peanut butter off and spit it out. We have also tried to give him some banana the other day and he didn't like that either. I know he will eat the cooked chicken, so we'll feed him that tomorrow if we can, just to get something in his belly. Poor guy.

Sounds like he's a combo of my two when we first adopted them. Give it time. He will eventually eat. If he does like chicken, maybe finely shred some and mix it in with his kibble so he can't pick it out. But not too small that the smell gets completely lost in the kibble. You can also try hard boiled eggs and cut it up and mix it in his kibble.

We feed S&J red and green peppers, apples, pears, strawberries, greenbeans, carrots, chicken,fish and what ever else I may be prepping for dinner, you may need to try other brands of food and flavors. Grain free foods tend to do the best with huskies,and the fish flavors. We buy nature doman from costco, salmon grain free and a great price.
I'm glad our rescue could help you, a good bath may be just what locke needs. As for you sons breakouts keep an eye on them, huskies tend to not cause issues unless they are really dirty.

https://m.facebook.com/pages/Husky-Huddle-and-Malamute-Mingle/195100320522212?id=195100320522212&_rdr#!/groups/67707519125?ref=bookmark&__user=1298822732
Come join our group. Would love to see you all there next week.

Right! I forgot about your son's breakout!

I am highly allergic to animal fur, pollen, grass, feathers, and whatever else allergists tests for except mold. Go figure. I will break out in hives with just about any animal with fur including dogs. However, I do not have any reaction with huskies. Huskies, and other northern breed dogs, have a coating on their fur that repels dirt and water so they typically do not carry the environmental allergens that other breeds do. I did break out this past summer, but it was easily brought back under control especially wiping down Ginger and Storm after they had been playing outside. The allergist also said that this past summer had very high pollen counts compared to previous seasons.

In any case, a bath for Locke could help.

The groomers told me that he might of been shaved at some point or bad diet as his hair on his back is very coarse.

My boy, Storm, had very coarse fur. And he used to blow coat that you can pluck like cotton balls, and he used to shed a LOT! With a good diet and/or supplements, you can get his coat feeling soft and reduce the shedding a little (it'll take a full season until you see results, but it's worth the investment, in my opinion).

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/index.php/cat/1

A lot of us like to feed dry food with a rating of 4 star or higher. Food with fish source for protein will help skin and coat. Or you can get fish oil supplements to help with skin and coat. I hope some of the members that add fish oil supplements will chime in for cost, and amount and brand they prefer.

Organic Virgin Coconut Oil can also help with skin and coat, among other health benefits for Locke:
http://www.petside.com/article/coconut-oil-miracle-jar-dogs

Unfortunately, moreso Ginger than Storm, coconut oil is a little too rich and will make their poop go soft. I cook with coconut oil, so I will on occasion give G&S 1/4 tsp on a treat to make it extra special, or put it in yogurt or pumpkin as a treat.

Claudia, good news! We found a dog food he actually will eat, well mostly. It is Merrick dog food - he at at least ate 10 of the kibble so far, we got the buffalo. We gave him some of the soft food (buffalo as well) and he devoured it in 2 seconds (we gave him a very small portion however, don't want to over do it).

I don't think I will make it to next week's event. I am having a friend possibly bringing over his dog to meet Locke and I want to see how they react. He is also not entirely obedient when it comes to the leash with me. I just got a easy lead (the mouth harness thing) to try out with him to help with this. If I was on a sled, he'd probably take me to work in Broomfield and be happy doing it.

I still might try to make it out to meet you all, we'll see (i also work every other weekend, but next week I am off)

cmanding wrote:

My boy, Storm, had very coarse fur. And he used to blow coat that you can pluck like cotton balls, and he used to shed a LOT! With a good diet and/or supplements, you can get his coat feeling soft and reduce the shedding a little (it'll take a full season until you see results, but it's worth the investment, in my opinion).

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/index.php/cat/1

A lot of us like to feed dry food with a rating of 4 star or higher. Food with fish source for protein will help skin and coat. Or you can get fish oil supplements to help with skin and coat. I hope some of the members that add fish oil supplements will chime in for cost, and amount and brand they prefer.

Organic Virgin Coconut Oil can also help with skin and coat, among other health benefits for Locke:
http://www.petside.com/article/coconut-oil-miracle-jar-dogs

Unfortunately, moreso Ginger than Storm, coconut oil is a little too rich and will make their poop go soft. I cook with coconut oil, so I will on occasion give G&S 1/4 tsp on a treat to make it extra special, or put it in yogurt or pumpkin as a treat.

By the way, thank you so much for all your advice.

Great to hear you found something he likes! If you notice his poop going soft, he may not be used to the buffalo, so ease in with the new food.

I am traveling when the next H2M2 is scheduled so I am going to miss it also, but maybe we can do a mini husky meet up a little north toward your way. It may be better to see how he does in a smaller, more controlled setting than a big meet up. With new surroundings, new food, new people, new dogs, he may become overwhelmed.

You're welcome for all the advice! That's what this forum is all about!

As claudia said many of us do mini meets all month, there are a few of us denver ladies all near by that get together between meets. We can shoot u a message next time. Glad u found a food, not sure on that brand, check the like claudia gave you. I know I will be at the meet as well as richard I think

I have been feeding my pups Merrick for about a year now. It seems to work out the best for them. I have tried TOTW and it seem to create issues with my female after trying a couple others on the six star and 5 star list we settle on Merrick. It is on the 5 star list and it very good. I am glad you boy is eating now. Good luck with him he is a good looking pup.

Thanks!