I have a few different things I would like to ask you guys.
I have a 1 1/2 year old husky, Kobey who strives to get all of the attention from my fiance and I. I live with my parents now who have 2 dogs (who are literally 2 times the size of him) and Kobey is clearly the alpha male. It's doesn't really seem like that big of a deal that he thinks he is boss but if another dog comes near us he has to get in between and nip at the other dogs. We yell at him and we constantly try to give the other dogs attention. Any suggestions on ways of dealing with this behavior?

Also, my fiance and I will soon be moving to a new home. We aren't quit sure whether or not we should get another dog. If we do, we will probably be adopting a full grown husky. Right now Kobey gets so much attention. If I am not going to work/school he comes with me. He goes everywhere: swimming, jogging, hiking, ect. and it's always just the three of us. I am not sure if he would be lonely being the only dog in the house when we move. We will be gone, obviously when we work all day during the week, so I would think that he would be happier with a friend. On the other hand, he has shown to want all of our attention when other dogs are around.

My family has told us that maybe we should get another dog to get Kobey over this behavior because it would be an even bigger problem when we have children years from now.

The reason we are discussing this before we even move is because we were wondering if it would make a difference if our adopted dog was to be in the house before Kobey. Maybe Kobey wouldn't be so dominant?

If we were to adopt, we would want another husky. However, I was always told before I got Kobey that I shouldn't because huskies run away. Kobey does not. We often leave him off-leash in areas that are not fenced in. He does not run away, he listens very well. He just follows us wherever we go. I am not expecting to get this lucky again. At our new home we will have a large fenced in area. We are concerned that perhaps if the other dog wanted to run away, the two of them would gang up and keep digging and then be gone. This is my first husky and we got him when he was only 9 weeks old. I am wondering if maybe this is why he does not even consider running away. If we adopt a husky that is a little older, do you think he/she is more than likely to want to run away?

I honestly hear so many things about huskies running away and am wondering if any of you have problems like this. I would not want to get a dog that would be constantly wanting to run away.

I know I have said a lot! Thank you for reading!

If you have any suggestions at all, I would really appreciate it!

ok I know I have some answers for you but I will have to get back to you after I get some work done at my job. hopefully by then some others will chime in.

I only have a moment to respond here, so one at a time.

Jess wrote:

I have a 1 1/2 year old husky, Kobey who strives to get all of the attention from my fiance and I. I live with my parents now who have 2 dogs (who are literally 2 times the size of him) and Kobey is clearly the alpha male. It's doesn't really seem like that big of a deal that he thinks he is boss but if another dog comes near us he has to get in between and nip at the other dogs. We yell at him and we constantly try to give the other dogs attention. Any suggestions on ways of dealing with this behavior?

You're going to want to work on this one first in my eyes. There's a technique that many call "yielding" that works very well in training your dog to respect space and react to your posture/body language. Say you're walking through the living room and the dog is relaxing on the floor. You want to approach the dog and make a sweeping motion with your arm then pointing to where you want him to go. As you're pointing, shuffle into the dog lightly, getting him to move in that direction. A command can also be applied at that moment if you desire. When the other dogs are around you want to be more proactive in body blocking your dog. Since you know he's going to nip and find his way between you and the other dog, just head him off at the pass and shuffle directly into him (moving in the direction you want him to go). Keep practicing this randomly when he's the only one around, but do it EVERY time the other dogs are around. That behavior of getting between owner and other dogs is a big fight instigator for some dogs. When you go to add the second dog, having Kobey understand when to yield and back off will help prevent the majority of fights. But I assure you there will be fights.

Here's a good introductory write up about yielding:
http://www3.sympatico.ca/tsuro/_articles/yielding.html

There's a lot more around the internet about it, just sift through some Google results and you'll be good to go on that one.

Oh, and ditch the yelling. I'm sure he doesn't believe you mean it.

Jess wrote:

Also, my fiancé and I will soon be moving to a new home. We aren't quite sure whether or not we should get another dog. If we do, we will probably be adopting a full grown husky. Right now Kobey gets so much attention. If I am not going to work/school he comes with me. He goes everywhere: swimming, jogging, hiking, ect. and it's always just the three of us. I am not sure if he would be lonely being the only dog in the house when we move. We will be gone, obviously when we work all day during the week, so I would think that he would be happier with a friend. On the other hand, he has shown to want all of our attention when other dogs are around.

I think if you do get another dog/husky both should be moved at the same time. if the new dog is there first and based on kobey and how he is he might go making up you new place. and I am also taking it that he is not crate trained either? I hate to say this but it seems a lot of people are going around thinking they "got lucky" in there husky does not act like a husky and they might get a 2nd one that really does act like a husky. I think you need to work on crate training Kobey now as when you get a second and you leave the house and come home to it torn up you would have wished they were in a crate! to me a lonely dog is never a safe thing. I will say a second dog will make him happy since he will be leaving a home with other dogs. when we got Sierra she was in a new home and also alone and it was not till we got Jack that she seemed to act herself. you do need to work on what Harrise (aka Eddy) was saying for the attention. I am also bothered by the fact that you do not leash him, even though he is just 1.5yrs he has not hit his disobeying stage yet. I am also for leashing ANY dog regardless of what breed it is based on safety, any dog can have the best training but all it takes is one cat, rabbit, plastic bag and the dog is off and running and that means cars and other things that can run it over or it getting lost cause it took off of maybe you are walking and someone else has their dog leashed and your dog goes up to it and get attacked because that leashed dog is not nice. there is just too much that can go wrong with an unleashed dog in my option to let them go. and yes getting a 2nd you might not be that lucky so leash training now will be helpful. like eddy has said 2 huskies just make their brain work better and all of a sudden it not what you say that matters but what the other husky thinks that is right! I know many that have raised their dogs from pups and they still run away, yes getting an older husky which I'm all for as we adopted sierra at 6 and jack at 1.5yrs it will take them time to listen to you, hell it's been over a year and we are still working on it! Not every husky runs away and digs out of the yard but some do, I have been lucky that jack has gotten out the front door and has only gone 2-3 houses over and comes back when called, that being said he was not cashing anything either. Ours did but not to get out and Jack started a hole by the gate because a unleashed dog was coming over and picking on them! Ok I'm sure I missed on something's but I'm not going anywhere and will chime back in.

Thank you both for the input.
Kobey is crate trained. He used to be in a crate when I would leave and he was eventually fine with it. He does get put in a crate at times but is usually free to rome in the house while I am gone, and is well-behaved. If we do get another, I will definitely keep that in mind. I think I should expand on the fact that he is not always leashed. If we go to public places, he is ALWAYS on a leash. I do not believe any dog should be off leash when near people/dogs that are strangers or near roads. My fiance lives on a horse farm (24 acres) and this is where he is off leash. There are horses/people/other dogs around all the time. If we hang around outside we do not leash him. He does not wander far from us at all and comes when he is called. And he does not bother the other animals. I am aware that at some point he may, and I am always cautious about it. Where he does roam is no where near the road.
And yes, he was leash trained very young and does well on it.
I understand that huskies are runners, so they should not be let free. I was really just wondering if they often try to escape. We will be putting chicken wire underneath the fencing. Do you think this would be good enough? The road that we will be living on is a pretty busy road, this is why I am so concerned.

thanks for clarifying some points on the crate and leash, as long as you are aware that he is still younger and when he hits that 2-4yr stage things might change:) are you talking chain link fence or wood fence? our 2 have dug out of the dog run we have for them that is chain link but like I have said they have not bothered our wood fence that is 6ft high except on one side that is 5ft. we are hoping to do the chicken wire under the dog run this summer and fill it with playground wood chips. and hope that that works.

I think that 2 huskies are better than one! Heck, we have three! Leash training, I am still working on (thanks Eddy! I can now bring the leashes out and things aren't QUITE so hectic). We did the chicken wire along the fence line, because Mika is a digger-outter. (Is that a word?) So far, so good. We dug a trench, not too deep, and laid it in there, then brought it up about 3-4" and attached it to the fencing with zip-ties, and then covered the trench with the dirt. Mika & Isis still dig, but once they hit the chicken wire, they stop and go to a new place. Under the gates, Tommy laid pavers, since they moved to digging under the gates after they realized there was no chicken wire there. As has been stated here, two is good for friendship, but also makes for twice the smarts! Remember that. We are CONTINUALLY trying to stay one step ahead of them. When Nanuk & Isis got out together, they ran together until our neighbor found them. (Isis is a follower). When Nanuk got out on his own, he ran and ran and RAN until he came across the fencing for the county park behind us and could go no further. (On Thanksgiving, no less.) When Mika got out, she came right away when called. There is no rhyme or reason to their thinking.
I think Eddy has it when describing "yielding". I tend to do this with our three, and didn't realize there was a term for it. There is a husky at the dog park that has to be the one getting the attention, whether his owner's, another dog's owner or even his pack mate's, and he is the ONLY dog that Nanuk was not able to make friends with. Nanuk tried, but Ceasar's attitude just finally ticked him off and he let him know who was REALLY in charge!
Good luck with your decision. Patience and repetition is key.

First of all, my recommendation is NOT to get another dog until you have solved the guarding problem with Kobey. Having him guard you is just the start, he could easily move onto food, treats, toys, etc with another dog around and until you nip this problem in the bud, you need to hold off on bringing another dog into your home (wherever it is)

I might try a little bit of training with Kobey. You'd need both you and your fiance and another dog. Find a high value treat (bacon chips, chicken, hot dog) and have your fiance stand with the treats and Kobey. Then let the other dog approach you (or you approach the other dog). Your fiance should try and hold Kobey's attention with the treats. Anytime he focuses away from the other dog and on your fiance/treat, your fiance should reward him with the treat. This may take a long time, but eventually you want Kobey to focus more on the treat than on you lavishing attention over the other dog. Do this for maybe 5/10 mins, then switch positions. What you're trying to do is associate another dog + you with reward and positive things. Also, the yielding is a great thing to do as well.

I'm always so scared for first time husky owners who try to tell me that their husky is different Huskies are intelligent and independent. They learn, acquire information and act on it. They also get bored. Kobey could do this until he's 6 years old and then one day take off (I've heard it happen before). It's not a matter of "my husky is well behaved" it's a matter of you trusting what you're seeing and thinking that that overrules instinct.

Huskies don't "run away" because they hate you or don't want to be with you anymore. They run because they're curious and love to explore. They also like to just RUN. What ends up happening is that they run until they don't know where they are anymore. They end up wanting to come back, but don't know how. Or, what's more likely is someone picks them up, or they get hit by a car before they can come home. It is your decision, and I'm happy to hear that you're going to have a fenced in yard at the new place, but I seriously caution you against false hope and securities here. He is your first husky... I would hate to see him give you false impressions of what his character may be.

But yeah- moral of the story, it's not an issue of "constantly wanting to run away." It's more the desire to explore. Other than that, I agree with the others, two are GREAT... but they also give each other bad habits as well as the good. Fix the problems with Kobey first, then get another

Hello There!

I am going to be in a similar problem soon, I recently got engaged and will be moving in with my fiance, who will be inheriting his dad's two beagles which are brothers and 4 years old. They were not very socialized, and are not neutered. I am moving next weekend, and wanted to take all 3 dogs to the new house so it would be neutral ground, but the beagles are not neutered yet, and I wanted to get that done before they live with Sora, who is spayed, but still think she would be annoyed by unfixed beagles.

Sora plays rough like most huskies do, which tends to get a negative response from other dogs at dog parks. She has lived alone with me since she was a puppy and the beagles have also lived alone with each other. They have met before, but not off leash, because they began barking and it seemed to get Sora on edge. I am afraid to let them loose and have them fight, but the only fenced in yard we can introduce them, is in mine, which is already Sora's territory.

Basically, what are some pointers for introducing new dogs, and having them build up a back and live together. I know one will eventually become the alpha, but I want to try to make this transition as smooth as possible.

When mine are introduced to new dogs, I keep them leashed (and have the others leashed). I make Koda lie down and stand over him if I need to in order to make sure that he knows I'm not fooling around. He tends to get very over-excited when near new dogs. (Another thing you can do is to walk away from the other dogs, and turn back towards them only when she is calm... this may take a while, but you're trying to hammer in "we only approach other dogs when we are calm").

Eventually, once they are calm, I let them sniff each other. Any sort of jump to play and he gets pulled away again. When he's calm, I walk back over.

If the other two haven't been socialized, I can see them not really taking well to adding a high-energy dog to the mix. You might need to do a LOT of in house training before you can trust them together. If this is the case, invest in baby gates!

However... it might be just fine You won't know until you try