16 Month-old Male Husky Getting Aggressive?

[HollyFerguson]

Hi there, 

I am new here so have not implemented anything yet as I just signed up. I did sign up for an online dog trainer program almost one year ago but my lack of consistency and roommates lack of consistency maybe ended me up needing more support. 

I always was aware that huskies (especially males) could be challenging and quite energetic. Malakai and I live in a small fly-in community in Northern Canada and it is normal to leave your dog outside on the leash while at work. Malakai has had children and adults in the community kick/punch and throw rocks at him which has instilled fear in him. Malakai will now randomly start a bark attack at people who walk by and are minding their own business. It is quite frightening even for me because he can be laying down sleeping and then jump up and start aggressively barking and lunging at someone.

Malakai is now lunging at people/kids in the community (I'm assuming the kids that have hurt him before) but is also doing it to random people. The other week Malakai was off leash (we walk up to the tundra) and he ran up to a lady with a new baby on her back and went right up to her and began barking aggressively. She froze. The next day, him and his husky buddy ganged up on another dog and got into a dog fight. I walk Malakai about 2 x per day, sometimes 3 and try to do training with him daily. 

Malakai still bites slightly but tonight when him and I were out for a run in the tundra, he became aggressive or way overly excited and began biting me like crazy, latching onto my parka and pulling/biting down quite hard. Malakai has had an issue with biting me before and it had been quite bad at one point, but I thought that subsided. I am completely lost, I love him so much but a part of me is feeling a massive disconnect. Lately I have been sick to my stomach with anxiety over what he could do to another person, especially a child. I have a roommate who knows NOTHING about dogs, and each time I try to implement training its like she just does not understand how to be consistent and then in turn, I am not consistent. However, she is moving out next week so this could be my golden opportunity to do some solid work with Malakai. 

 

Thank you, 

Holly 

C6E9C71C-A527-4E28-BCD0-053E69EA6F7E.heic

[Adrienne]

Hi there,

Welcome to the forums,

I am sorry to hear that your dog has undergone such personality changes. I agree with you that it's likely stemming from potential frustration of being on leash, and on top of that, exposure to the adults/kids mistreating him. I hope they were reported as this is abuse that can have an everlasting impact on a dog and no other dogs deserve to undergo such awful treatments!

The thing is, being leashed takes the dog's flight option away (option to move away) so dogs become inclined to use fight more (aggressive behavior) rather than avoidance. This becomes even more problematic and established if something happens while the dog is leashed that the dog perceives as threatening. The same dynamics take place when dogs are chained, which is why it has become illegal in many States. Too many dogs getting aggressive as a result.

I am not very familiar with how fly-in communities are arranged, but are there any other alternatives to leaving dogs leashed and at the mercy of wrong-doers? Also, considering your dog's behavior now, we also need to consider the importance of keeping other people/animals safe from your dog as this sounds like an accident ready to happen-you never know a child or person may get too close. What other options do you have? Does your home have a fenced yard? Can you build a kennel? Is he destructive in the home? Where do you leave him when you need to do something like go grocery shopping? How many hours are you at work?

He also needs to be on leash since his behavior around people and other dogs sound unsafe too. Off-leash adventures are a privilege that should only be granted to highly-trained dogs under excellent voice control and with non-aggressive tendencies. Being off leash is a privilege and it should be warranted only once the dog has proven himself to not get into trouble when there are people or other dogs around. 

If you want your dog to have some freedom to sniff around and explore, a long line may be good compromise. A long-line is a long, light rope or cord that may range anywhere between 10 and 50 feet long. In your case, 10 feet would be ideal until you can work more on getting Malakai under control. You can often find long lines in horse and tack stores as the ones for horses may also work well for dogs, but nowadays more and more companies are crafting long lines specifically for canines especially for tracking purposes. Generally, I start with the shorter ones and increase length as the dog proves himself worthy of more impulse control. If he is leash trained (doesn't object to being on leash, doesn't get frustrated), I would therefore consider keeping him on leash or 10 foot line at the most. 

When using a long line, you will always need to be scanning for triggers ahead so that you can quickly reel your dog in closer to you for better control.  I like to wear gloves to protect my skin from rope burn, but it's nice to see that lately some companies are making some lines in leather which are much more gentle on the hands. However, the rope ones offer the advantage that you can tie knots every few feet that you can use to gain traction and hold on to have a better grip in case your dog takes off running. You will also have to keep a close eye that the line doesn't get wrapped between your legs or your dog's legs. Ideally, the line should stay to your dog’s side so to not interfere with movement.

Unlike a retractable leash, a long line encourages engagement with your dog and provides you with a "life line" for emergency situations. A long-line as well can help in modifying a dog's behavior because it prevents him from rehearsing troublesome behaviors that may lead to a bite one day. Rehearsing problematic behaviors is a big issue considering that the more a dog rehearses them, the more they put roots. 

At 16 months, your husky is in the full adolescent stage. This is often a time when undesirable behaviors pop up:

 https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/survive-dogs-adolescent-stage/

At this point, more than actual training, to undo the negative associations with people, you will need behavior modification. This entails changing the dog's emotional response to them through counterconditioning and taking a very systematic approach with the use of desensitization. 

You can read about these two behavior modification methods here:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/desensitization/

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/counterconditioning/

On top of this, dogs who are reactive need to be kept as much as possible under threshold: 

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/

Here is an example of behavior modification for dogs who are reactive towards other dogs on walks:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/attacking-dogs-walks/

And here you'll find a paragraph on dogs barking at strangers:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/behavior-training/barking/other-triggers/

As mentioned many times on the forums and articles here, for safety and correct implementation of behavior modification, consult with a dog behavior consultant for an in-person assessment and in-person coaching/guidance. This is very important.

For the biting you, have you noticed whether it happens in specific circumstances? Like has it happened before when you were running? Could he have seen something that may have overstimulated him? I hope he has good bite inhibition. I have had some dogs who would bite me almost non-stop when they were anxious, frustrated, cranky or overstimulated. I would put a halt to the running with him if that seems to be a trigger for him at least until he has attained a better level of impulse control. You will need to train him calm behaviors more than overstimulating ones until he's better able to cope. If you ever see him getting revved up, try to redirect him by tossing some high-value treats to the ground to chase and eat or engaging him with a tug-toy or flirt pole for dogs. 

Here are some impulse control/frustration tolerance exercises:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/impulse-control-frustration-tolerance/

I would also offer lots of calming activities such as brain games and food puzzles. Also make sure he gets deep REM sleep every day. 

I hope this helps,

Let me know if you have any other questions,

Best,

Adrienne 

Disclaimer: behavior modification comes with risks. If your dog shows signs of potential aggression (lunging, barking, growling, snapping) for safety, please consult with a dog behavior professional who uses force-free behavior modification techniques for direct in-person guidance.