My husky Dakota suddenly starts biting everyone and howling like crazy at the most random times. We have fun when he's like that but he's getting kind of rough. Does anyone know why he does this or what I can do to stop him?
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It sounds as though you may have unwittingly encouraged this behavior by laughing or paying extra attention when he did it the first few times. You say "we have fun when he's like that," which indicates you have possibly smiled, made sounds back to Dakota, or just looked his way a lot more than you normally would. Dogs are pretty smart at getting attention, so he has probably increased the behavior. Who knows what might have caused it the first time -- he is doing it more and more, which is the problem.
Does he know the word "no" or "all done?" We use these to get our dog to stop a behavior.
At this point, you could simply ignore the behavior totally. That might help to decrease it.
Or, you could assign a verbal command to the behavior (such as "Dakota, sing!") and encourage it only when you give the command. This would eventually give you more control over it.
It will take a while to get this under control. My dog taught me ;-) a long time ago never to encourage any behavior I didn't want perpetuated.
There could be another cause. You also might try consulting a local dog trainer or dog behaviorist. If Dakota is not already obedience trained, it would help to take him to obedience classes.
Good luck with your patience and perseverance.
zballoongirl
Having lived in Hawaii for three years, I'd venture to say two things:
1) The Husky is HOT because he is bred for cold weather, so you should shave him/her regularly, regardless, or keep the dog in cold AC. It almost ruins their appearance, but Hawaii is no place for heavy fur coats, right?
2) Reduce the salty dry food and instead feed mostly raw eggs mixed in corn meal and gently cooked chicken, beef or fish seasoned with a little garlic powder, once a day, which I know is expensive and somewhat scarce in Hawaii. Do NOT feed the dog canned dog food, if you love it, because it is made from diseased animals.
This is not a good breed for the islands, except in your winters which are only cool, compared with the Artic cold of Alaska, where they are meant to live.
Could you have mercy on him and perhaps sell him to someone moving to Alaska, perhaps from the military bases there with an ad? I';ve known lots of military personel transferred to Alaska.
Then get yourself another dog which would be much more friendly and comfortable in high humidity and frequent rains with hot sun? Small short haired dogs do better in Hawaii, you know. I wish you well in your decision before the dog just goes crazy from the elements and too much dry food, which can destroy the nervous system, perhaps, or hurts someone out of utter frustration? Keep lots of ice cubes in lots of water for him, regardless, o.k.?
Remember also that he's a runner, so if you have a big yard, let him get lots of excercise, not tied up often on the lanai or confinedd in a tiny apt. He may also be in need of a companion dog, but please don't try to raise two huskies in Hawaii. Good luck and God bless you. : )
dont listen to lynda, your not supposed to shave huskies because their furr is meant to keep them hot when its cold and cold when its hot. if you shave him he might freeze in air conditioning or after swimming. as a vet i recommend getting obediance training for you husky.good luck!-janiis
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