Russ

Adrienne: She is fluffy for sure. It will be interesting to see what happens this spring. Both other huskies shed 24/7/365. Skye is retaining her fur over the winter. She finally finished the game above without help. However she still cannot do it every time. Using nose to turn wheel but then forgetting to move cylinders. I will tell you she is exhausted after this expert level game. One area where I require help. She gets excited (early morning & mid afternoon) when it's time to go for a long (2+ mile walk) or going for her run on my long lead mid morning. (she runs and I walk. 🙂 ) She will sometimes get the zoomies and run through the house jumping from area rug to area rug. Then in an effort to get your attention and move faster she nips at clothing and many times gets more than clothing. She understands NO but pays little attention when excited. By going into a bedroom and closing the door then opening in about 30 seconds will slow her down for a few minutes. I have taught her to sit when i reach for the door knob, again to slow her down. My concern is when my granddaughters (13 & 7)visit, I do not want her to have the zoomies or nips. Again this is an excitement behavior. She will even nip as I am putting her game down. She is now about 21+- months old. Suggestions? Thanks for your assistance. Russ Tuttle

Adrienne: Thank you for the input. Thought I'd show you the pup. We had Skye 2 weeks (from Releashed Rescue) when the pic was taken on the porch. Although undernourished at 48# she was still a stunning dog. Today she is 54# and just a huge fur ball of winter coat. These taken last week show her in foyer and working on the advanced puzzle. I'll let you know when she masters the Worker Dog game. Best regards, Russ and Gwen Tuttle

Adrienne: We tried both the Black Kong and one called Monster K9 dog toys. Both are virtually indestructible and the K9 brand offers lifetime warranty. Skye loves to chew these toys. She still prefers a rope toy, so we got her a Mammoth Flossy Chew toy that is a three strand rope 1 1/2" in diameter with 3 knots that are 4" across and 36" long. She has been working on it for over a month now and although it is definitely well chewed, she hasn't gotten through it yet. So thanks for your assistance. I did want to ask you what you think of the Nina Ottosson Puzzle Game Dog Toys by Outward Hound. Similar to playing "go find" Skye has to really think about how to get her treats. The first one we got was the intermediate "Hide and Slide" puzzle game. It took her about 5 minutes on day one, three minutes on day two, and about two minutes each day since. She uses her nose to move the slides. So we moved her to the Outward Hound Advanced Worker Dog Puzzle. (Hide and slide and rotate) She is a bit stumped as she has to move a wheel to get at some treats. Just wondered if you were aware of them and what you thought about them? Thanks, Russ Tuttle

Thank you for your quick reply. There are several things my wife and I will initiate immediately in the slowing down our actions to change her behavior. To explain her tug of war traits, your info on adolescents is entirely correct in the transition phase. When we got her she was and is a chewer. My vet wants no hard chew toys, so of course we got pull ropes and rope balls Kong chews, etc. She will not chew a toy long but will want to nip with her front teeth. There is no toy (except for rubber) that can last more than an hour with her. She nipped the cloth strips off of a large $17 Kong chew in about 1 hour. She destroys rope pulls and rope balls in short order. We got a Kong rubber (figure eight) type of pull toy. She has been unable to chew through it but doesn't like it as much as a rope pull. We also have a 6" squeek ball with handles on each side and a ball inside. We will tug with this. Being as close as she is, she just puts her paw up to help pull and it can land anywhere on a hand or arm. Again, it is unintentional. As for nails, she has been professionally groomed twice, (bathed, deshedded, fur cut between pads and nail trim). You asked about the fetch ball. We found out she can destroy a tennis ball in 1/2 hour by removing the outer layer and working to tear apart. So I got her the orange and blue "Chuck-It" ball. I have two sizes, and believe it or not she has had these for several months and had not been able to nip them apart. These are what I would like to use for retrieving. So you know, this is our first adolescent Husky. Our first was a well behaved 1 year old Husky/Akita mix (Patti) who became an 85# girl that was so gentle my granddaughter could lay on her when watching TV. She lived to 15. (first pic Patti age two) Then we found a 3 year old runaway at ASPCA who was the sweetest girl that we lost this past February to a Hemangio Sarcoma at age of 8. (Second pic Sierra the day before we lost her.) Now we have our new adolescent. Again thank you for the assistance. You have given me a lot of reading material and I'll check back in as we initiate further training. Best Regards, Russ Tuttle

Quick background. This is our third Husky, all have been rescues. Skye (our name) came from a hoarder with a couple dozen dogs in a trailer. The dogs were sent to a kennel to be put down and Releashed Rescue in GA was notified of several Husky"s. They picked them up and we got this sweet girl (at approximately 12 - 13 months old) within about a month of her release and vet shots and spaying. She is now about 17 months and full of energy. She was not a good eater when we got her and under weight at 47-48#. Our vet said she needed several pounds and we've now got her at a good Husky weight 52.4#. She has been a quick learner but still some problems. Had her house trained within two weeks with rewards. She now comes and puts a paw on my leg to go out. She learned sit, shake, lie down (with coaxing) and I had her partially whistle trained at two weeks. I mention coaxing and partially whistle trained. I do not know what may have happened in her former life but I have to assume some abuse. I can get her to come during training with treats, but sometimes she will sit and look at me for 15 - 20 seconds before coming at other times. I am only giving her the command once. Most likely due to being in a trailer for her first year everything is new to her. She had never seen children, bicycles, trucks, people on tennis courts, etc. She is fascinated by them and can watch for several minutes without moving. When concentrating on that she rarely hears a name call or whistle. I would think as she gets used to the world around her it will become commonplace. If she is trotting around on her lead she will hear the whistle and come running flat out as she loves those freeze dried chicken liver treats. She is comfortable with her forever home. However, she is still just a large puppy with high energy. I walk her approximately 2 miles every morning early and mid morning we go for a run. I walk, she runs on an 80 foot lead with harness and looks forward to it. The afternoon walk is 1 - 2 miles depending on the heat index as we live in coastal South Carolina. Training to fetch has been less than great. Too many smells and distractions outside. When she gets excited she will jump and or and nip at your pants. Sometimes she may get skin. Today she would go after a rolled ball but turn and want to jump on me excitedly. When we play tug of war she uses her paws which are pretty heavy and not meaning to, can break the skin. She is sweet and likes to cuddle near us. She will also find furniture to sleep under or get under our legs between an ottoman and chair. Possibly due to her early situation. I am looking for suggestions to stop the jumping and nipping when excited and not use paws to play. I believe the nipping is her way of trying to get us to move faster, like pulling on a leash with her mouth. I know it is all playful for her but needs to be addressed now. Thanks for your assistance.