huski

My vet told me Daisy's yeast infection in her ear can be a digestive problem which is why appropriate diet/nutrition is so important when you have a dog with yeast issues. I've recently started on the advice of my vet adding some colloidal silver into her water and also using them as ear drops once a week. Will be interesting to see if this helps, putting her on a raw diet to cut out the grains in her diet made a big difference but her ear (one is worse than the other) recently started getting a bit yeasty again.

I agree, it's different if it's a habit the adult dog has already learned. In hindsight I can so see where I went wrong with Daisy. Luckily, I saw a trainer before her pulling got really bad and I learnt how to teach her to walk on a nice loose leash. She walks very nicely the vast majority of the time now. Next time I get a pup I'm going to be so much more prepared to teach them how to walk on a leash, most owners just don't know any better and don't realise the pulling is much of a problem until the dog gets bigger and stronger, by which time they then need the aid of tools like checks and head collars to get the dog to stop pulling. I think the biggest problem is that a lot of people use them as a bandaid or quick fix (head collars especially) without actually using a training method to go along with the use of the tool.

If she's taught how to walk properly on a leash from puppyhood you won't need either If our dogs pull on the leash it's because we've taught them that's how they get where they want to go. Teach your pup that pulling gets her no where, if she's a pup you shouldn't need head collars or check chains to do this. What have you done so far to teach her to walk on a loose leash? I would never put a head collar on a pup. I walk my dogs on martingales for safety because Micha can slip flat collars over his head. I prefer them to check chains as you can adjust them easily. No puppy is born knowing how to walk nicely on the leash, it's up to us to show them how.

I would don't know how many aggression cases would be solved purely by pinning a dog to the ground. I was told to try this method with Daisy when she was six months old (or younger, can't quite remember) and it made her behaviour WORSE, because she took me up on the challenge and didn't back down. That's the danger with alpha rolling IMO, you risk getting bitten and having the dog take you up on the challenge. I consulted a behaviourist and I don't have any problems at all now, I changed my daily interactions with Daisy and gave her stricter rules and boundaries and she began to respect me and see me as the alpha. When I play tug of war with the dogs I don't ever "give" them the tug, I let them capture it and I tug with them, then I tell them to give and when they release it I make it come alive again by moving it around and that's their reward for releasing it. I don't let them run away with it and play with it on their own, but that's just me.

I think I've given the impression that Daisy's pulling is really bad. It's not at all, like I said, majority of the time she's really well behaved. I was just wondering why she and Micha are more frisky and tend to muck around when they are walked together. And it's not behaviour that's severe or uncontrollable - they appear more easily distracted and less focused on me. I know some people think using treats are a cop out, I just want to make it clear that never use the treats to bribe or lure the dogs, I only use them as a reward if they comply with a command I give. And I don't give them every time either, sometimes I just give them praise. Obviously using treats has worked for me on some level because both my dogs have very good leash manners in the vast majority of cases. I also said earlier that I DO give leash corrections if Daisy ignores my commands although it doesn't happen very often. I wish I hadn't mentioned the very rare occasions that Daisy gets stuck on a scent so much she ignores my commands because it obviously has come across as though I'm a terrible handler who doesn't have a clue what I'm doing and whose dogs have no respect for me etc, and that I have to rely on treats to get my dogs to obey me. I don't at all but I like to reward them when they do the right thing. If that makes me a bad dog handler because my dogs should be happy to only ever work for praise then so be it ETA: Rex, I do use the change of direction technique, and I do give a leash correction when I do so. As hard as it must be for some people to believe as my dogs must sound terribly behaved and very poorly trained going by some of the posts here, Daisy actually already does pretty good off leash heel work.

They do respond to treats - both of them do, very well, it's just not 100% of the time. But thanks for the advice as it's given me lots to think about.

I knew I would get told off for taking treats on walks. It's so hard to know whats right and whats wrong, you think you are doing an ok job handling them and then someone else tells you everything you are doing is wrong, you have no control over your dogs whatsoever and your handling is crap. I have no problems walking them on their own. I know they aren't perfect which is why I asked for advice about what I could do differently when we walk them together.

Sorry, it's my fault for not being clear Having a bit of a bad day as you know I do drive training with Daisy but we're only in an earlier module so we aren't really at a point where we would train in a higher distraction environment like the park. So I don't do drive training when I walk her - at this stage anyway

I don't use drive or do any drive training when we are on walks. ETA: Also just to add - she doesn't ignore me often. As I said on our walks she is great and very responsive the vast majority of the time. It's when I walk Micha that she seems too excitable and more easily distracted although definitely not 'uncontrollable'. The times that she gets really focused on a scent are, as I said, very very occasional.

Thanks Cos, I will see what I can do re the video

I can try filming it... There's not much to film though, she just gets more excited than normal if I take Micha out and seems more aroused if that makes sense. She plays up more and pulls on the leash when if she's by herself she's much more well behaved. She's fed on a raw diet so it's hard to feed her a meal on walks/when training.

Sorry, I should have phrased that better I mean I don't need to treat her much on walks as 99% of the time she walks beautifully. So I only treat her if she complies with a command I give her or sporadically if she's walking nicely. I didn't want anyone to think I rely too much on treats to get her to walk nicely, or that I'm treating her every second step or something.

I guess it depends what we are doing, if we are doing drive training it's always really high value treats like boiled chicken or steak, sausage etc. If we're on a walk (which we haven't been doing too much lately as most of our time is spent training) it depends what I have available but I normally take a mixture of dried treats (dried roast chicken/fish) and soft treats if I have some. I don't treat her much on walks though.

That's my point though... if I gave her a 'damn good hard leash correction' when she's in full scent drive it won't affect her. I could pull her up on her back legs with the leash and she would still have her nose out trying to smell things. She's not ignoring me on purpose she's running on pure adrenaline. I'm not too worried about the scenting as we are working on drive training at the moment so I know it will improve the further we come in training. Luckily on a walk it is not a problem I often run into, but she does get too excitable when I walk her with my husky and I'm not quite sure how to manage that better. Thanks for the feedback Shell. Mish and Daisy have no interest in each other when I walk them together, but they still seem to feed on each others excitement. It's only if mum walks away with Micha (i.e. walks across the sports oval) and Daisy can still see Micha that she loses focus on me and wants to run over to where Micha is. If mum walked out of sight with Micha then Daisy gets over it almost instantly. They tend to settle down as we're walking once they've lost the initial excitement, but sometimes that takes too long and I find myself getting frustrated with their behaviour

When she pulls on the leash it's normally because she's heavily distracted by a scent so I will give her either the heel or look command, if she responds I will give her a treat and if she doesn't respond (seriously distracted) I try to break her off the scent by stopping or changing direction. There's no point giving her much of a leash correction as if she's in serious "scent drive" she will ignore it A quick pop of the leash will work if she ignores my command and isn't really really distracted by a scent. Occasionally, she obeys me straight away, will heel nicely with me for some time until I treat her and once she's got the treat she'll run to the end of the leash and will go straight back on the scent. However, if I've got her on my own, she's very good 99% of the time. It's when we walk with Micha she seems to have a lot more energy and will muck around more.

Ah ok. Nope, never had them in a class together, as they are at very different 'stages' in their training, and I'm the only one in my family who does the training. Mish has no problems with focus around Daisy, I can leave him at home alone and he's an angel, if mum takes him in an opposite direction to Daisy and I he doesn't look back. He can be more exciteable on walks when we walk them together, but he's pretty easy to get walking nicely again. Sometimes I've been training with Daisy and mum's walked Micha down to the sports oval, the instant Daisy spots him it's hard to get her focus back as she LOVES Micha and gets really excited about seeing him. I've tried making greeting Mish a reward so I put her in heel position and get her to focus on me, when she does solidly I release her to greet Micha. It hasn't seemed to make much difference though.

Sorry, not quite sure what you mean by the first question... I normally train them separately. I've taken them to club but not together as their classes are always on at the same time. They are fine responding to commands at home, if (for eg) I go to give them a treat, I will treat whoever complies with my command first, so if I say sit the first to sit gets the first treat. They often comply at the same time. I've had problems taking Micha out and leaving Daisy at home, she carries on sometimes because she hates missing out. She has no problems being taken out on her own, but she can chuck a tantrum if she's left when Mish is taken out. She's been like that since a pup, has never been rewarded for it, but in hindsight I guess I could have done more intense work to get her used to being on her own without Micha. She always settles down eventually but it's almost like she's jealous.

Just wondering if anyone had some insight into this! Micha and Daisy when walked on their own, with me, walk beautifully. They are very responsive to my commands, walk on a nice loose leash etc. Minimal problems. I don't like to walk them together so I only walk them if my mum comes with me, which at the moment is majority of the time. For some reason when we walk them together they are far naughtier than when walked on their own! By naughty I mean pulling more on the leash, Daisy will ignore me more and appears more distracted by scents etc. I know part of the problem is my mum as I do all the training so the dogs are naturally more responsive to me, but Daisy especially is more poorly behaved when I walk her with Micha. Normally mum takes Mish and I take Daisy as Daisy will always take advantage of the fact mum is not as assertive as me and Daisy knows she can get away with more when mum walks her i.e. Daisy could be pulling on the leash mucking around when mum has her, she will hand her over to me to walk and there is an almost instant difference. Don't get me wrong, she puts lots of effort in but she still handles a bit differently to me and Daisy picks up on it. I don't know if it is because they get excited when we take them off together and 'feed' off each others excitement, or if they egg each other on, but they are both much more frisky when I walk them together. I thought it could be because when I walk them myself I spend more time 'training' i.e. giving them commands and (probably) treating them a little more often than when we walk them together, BUT I still walk Daisy whenever mum and I take them out together and I have been careful not to do anything too differently to when I walk her on my own, and she's still significantly more naughty. Micha is a big distraction for Daisy - sometimes when we get to our local sports oval, I will do one on one training with Daisy and mum will take Mish for a quick jog, but Daisy always wants to know where Micha is going and often focuses too much on where mum and Mish are. Not in an anxious way but a 'I want to be part of their fun!' way. Is this normal? Is there something I can do to stop it? Like I said, they walk beautifully when I walk them individually. It's not a huge deal but I am finding myself getting a bit frustrated as Daisy will be so well behaved one day and then the next day I'll walk her with Mum and Micha and she'll play up.

I agree with Shell, Sibes and Mals share some similarities in temperament because they are both Spitz breeds but that's about it. I often get asked if Mish is a malamute but they are two very different, seperate breeds. I've always found this table a good comparison of the two breeds, it links you to side by side pics of each breeds head and body too: http://www.minnesotamalamuteclub.com/malvsibe.htm Siberians and Mals were bred for different types of work too. Siberians were bred to carry a light load at a moderate speed over a great distance which lends to their finer build; Mals were bred to carry a heavy load at a slower speed and in a smaller team, which lends to their heavier and thicker build. They were also developed by different people, Siberians by the Chukchi in Norther Eurasia (Siberia) and Mals were bred by Eskimos/Malamutes in North America (Alaska). Mals can easily be double if not more in weight than a Sibe, so size is often the easiest way to tell them apart. As Shell described Mals have a much thicker and heavier build than a Sibe. Siberians also have a very different tail carriage, they hold their tails up with a slight curve whereas a Mal's tail will curl over. Unlike Siberians, Mals do not have blue eyes, so be wary of any BYBers and pet stores selling "blue eyed" malamutes as they won't be purebred.

Siberians are known for being houdinis, Micha can push his body through very tight, narrow gaps! He's never been a climber although I've never tested the theory as we have almost 3 metre high solid timber fencing. When we first moved into the house we are in now, one of the palings along the side of the house was loose - the house is raised about a meter or so off the ground. We were out the front of our house chatting to our neighbours when Micha suddenly appeared from underneath the house, still 'locked' in as the palings go all the way around :D We nailed it back on but a little while later we got a knock on our front door, it was our neighbour who had Mish sitting on the front porch. The neighbour had been having a pool party and they'd been making a fair bit of noise (happy, 'having fun' noise) and Micha decided he wanted to join them. So he pulled the paling loose, went under the house, found a gap in the palings on the other side that was big enough for him to squeeze through and ran into the neighbours yard to "join in" :p The neighbour was like, 'we were all in the pool mucking around and I looked up and he was just standing there' He's not escaped since as we've made it secure, but you can imagine the look on his face! He thought he was SO clever! I think the problem is that once a Sibe knows how to escape they will keep doing it, bored or not. You need to make sure the yard is secure and fences are a decent height because they will escape if they can. Naturally, a dog who is under stimulated and bored will be more inclined to try and get out of the yard, and Siberians are a breed that require a decent amount of exercise and mental stimulation. So it's a bit of both - there are many Siberians out there who are gifted escape artists.

Might be a bit of a drive for you, but Jane Harper works out of Redclife - I'm sure she could help you even if it was to refer you to a trainer or club closer to you Her email is [email protected] Many DOLers have used her and she's a lovely and very knowledgable behaviourist and trainer.

Unless they are prepared to commit to serious training I always tell new Sibe owners never ever to let them off leash unless in a safe and contained area. I usually ask them what would happen if a 'rabbit' ran in front of their Sibe, would they still recall? If the answer is no, it's just not worth the risk in letting them off leash just to see if they will come back. For most owners, a Siberian's prey drive, combined with their instinct to run and stubborn nature means that they will never have a solid 100% recall. It's not just prey drive - a Sibe could recall well and one day decide they just don't feel like it and want to come back when they are good and ready. That is what makes proofing a reliable recall difficult. I never say it's impossible to teach, it's not, but it takes a lot of commitment, experience and knowledge to get there.

I say go for it! I'm hoping to trial with Daisy by the end of the year, I have no experience with trialling and did not get her with the intention of doing competition obedience - but we both enjoy training and I figure why not give it a go We could be laughed out of the ring (she is a beagle after all and I'm a very inexperienced handler!) but I won't know until I try. Don't worry about trialling so much, worry about whether or not you and your dog are having a good time and go from there Do you have a club near you that does mock trials? It might be worth trying a couple to see how you go

QUESTIONS 1. What is my relationship with the breed? (ie breeder, first time owner etc) I'm a first time owner who has owned a Sibe for 6 1/2 years now. 2. Where and why was the breed first developed? The breed was originally developed by the Chukchi people of Northeastern Asia as an endurance sled dog. Despite common misconception, they have been a purebred dog for many centuries and are not part wolf, wolf hybrid, or any close relation to the wolf They are classed as one of the 13 ancient breeds. A nomadic, hunting people, the Chukchi required a dog which could withstand both the extreme arctic winters and the warm Siberian summers; could work amicably as part of a large team; could pull light loads over long distances at moderate speed; and which could live happily in the tents and igloos with the Chukchi and their children. The result was the dog which formed the basis for what we now know as the Siberian Husky. The breed started its new career as a working, racing, showing and pet dog after numbers were imported into the US, Canada and Alaska in the early years of the 20th Century, to work in the goldfields and compete in the developing sport of sled dog racing. 3. How common is it in Australia? The breed has grown in popularity in the last decade or so and is now quite popular. Unfortunately they are becoming quite popular with BYBers, as many people want a Siberian because of their beautiful looks and after movies like 8 Below and Snow Dogs, some people are trying to cash in on the craze 4. What is the average lifespan? A well bred Siberian will live between 12-15 years. 5. What is the general temperament/personality? As per the breed standard, Siberians should be friendly and gentle, but also alert and outgoing. They are stubborn and strong willed, and were bred to be independent thinkers. They are not a typically biddable breed, but are very intelligent dogs. They can be aloof, they are not often an 'all over you' velcro dog, but they can also be affectionate. Micha likes to be with me, but not all over me. He's happy just to sit in the same room and occasionally he'll put his head in my lap for an ear rub. Siberians are active dogs but they shouldn't be hyper and if they are given adequate mental and physical stimulation they are quite happy to laze around all day. Some are easier to train than others. Siberians are known for their high prey drive, and if you want them to be cat friendly they need to be raised with them from puppy hood. Micha will kill small animals like possums and bats if given the opportunity, but in the same vein, he loves squeaky toys and I can utilise his prey drive to my advantage when it comes to training. Siberians aren't hard to teach things to, I find most pick things up pretty quickly - it's getting commands reliable that can be difficult because any Siberian worth his salt will always ask 'what's the point?' and 'what's in it for me?' before doing anything you ask him. Due to their prey drive, strong willed nature and instinct to run they are not dogs that are easily trusted off leash. They can also be escape artists. One of my pet hates is when I hear that Siberians are impossible to train, they aren't at all, but it's not easy and you need patience and often need to think outside of the square as what works well with some dogs will not work well with Siberians. There is a saying that I heard from a Siberian breeder that goes along the lines of: Tell a Golden Retriever to sit and he will. Tell a Siberian to sit and he may run in a circle around you. He may woo-woo at you. He may ignore you. He may jump up, jump over the gates, retrieve the dumbbell from the next ring, jump back across the gates, and present it to you. He may actually sit. However, harness a Golden and tell him "Gee" and he will turn right. The Siberian will wait for the opening in the trees... 6. How much daily exercise is needed for the average adult? I try to give Micha 30 minutes of walking a day, they also like a good run, but as he's gotten older he can go a few days without a walk and is ok. On the days I don't walk him I always spend time playing with him in the backyard giving him a good run around. Siberians are not a dog for someone who wants a coach potato, they are a fit and active breed that needs regular exercise. 7. Is it a breed that a first time dog owner could easily cope with? I rarely recommend Siberians to first time owners. They are the kind of dog who will take a mile if you give them an inch. There are a lot of Siberians in rescue because many people fall in love with their looks and purchase them without giving thought to whether or not they suit their lifestyles. Common reasons for finding Siberians in rescue are - the dog is destructive; he won't listen to me and ignores my commands; he escapes from the yard; he won't come when I call him; he sheds too much etc. They require a lot of training and someone who understands the traits and needs of a northern breed. 8. Can solo dogs of this breed easily occupy themselves for long periods? Some Siberians are better than others. Micha would be fine as an only dog, he is happy with his own company, as long as he is getting adequate mental and physical stimulation. It depends how committed the owner is and how prepared they are to make sure their dog has its needs met. 9. How much grooming is required? LOTS!! Siberians shed like no other breed. I've had people who own GSDs, borders, goldies, etc tell me they know what I mean. Then I pat Micha and pull out a chunk of his undercoat and they do a double take. Especially in our climate here in Australia, Siberians shed most of the year. You need to be prepared to brush them a lot especially when they are dropping their coat. Mish sheds all year round but some times are worse than others, here is an example: Do not get a Siberian if you want a low shedding dog! ETA - on the upside, Siberians are not dirty dogs and their guard hairs ensure they are clean, they can get muddy and dirt will just slide off their coat. They are not smelly dogs and rarely need bathing. Micha would only get bathed 3-4 times a year, max, and it's mainly to help groom his undercoat out. You should never, ever EVER shave a Siberian husky as their coat acts like insulation and keeps them warm in winter as well as cool in summer. Shave their coat and they will lose their main ability to control their body temperature and will be worse off. Their guard hairs (the top coat) also keep them clean as well as keeping their skin shielded from the sun etc. 10. Is it too boisterous for very small children or for infirm people (unless the dog is well trained)? I've never had a problem with my Siberian being around children, they are generally a very child friendly breed but just like most dogs need to be trained and socialised appropriately in order to be the best doggy citizen they can be. As a larger dog they can easily knock a child over and as any dog, always need supervision. Micha has always loved children and has always been very gentle with them, with minimal training from me, but he's got quite a calm and placid nature. 11. Are there any common hereditary problems a puppy buyer should be aware of? On the whole Siberians are quite a healthy and hardy breed. However, you want to be wary of hip displaysia (although it is not that common) and injuries to the cruciate ligament, as well as eye problems and hypothyroidism. 12. When buying a puppy, what are the things you should ask of the breeder? (eg what health tests have been done (if applicable) and what is an acceptable result to those tests so the buyer has an idea of what the result should be) Most Siberian breeds will hip score dogs before breeding them as well as holding current clear eye certs (including glaucoma) and have their thyroid tested. The breeder should also make you aware of the pros and cons of the breed, as a good Siberian breeder will know the breed is not for everyone. They should interview you and ask you lots of questions. They will supply you with limited or in some cases, main register pedigree papers with your pup.

The dog rolls aren't a great alternative to feed if you want to feed something other than dried, I'd rather feed something with a bit more nutritional value. Before I fed a raw diet and had mine on dried food, I would feed a lot of raw meaty bones as well. Raw chicken necks and wings are a great size for beagle pups, as she gets older you can also try her on chicken frames, lamb necks, turkey necks and turkey wings. You can also mix some natural yoghurt into her dried food and feed fish like tinned sardines or mackeral. Raw egg is good too - all a better option than dog food roll. Our breeder gave us a bag of Optimum when Daisy was a pup but I found she did better on brands with less grain content - Artemis or Eagle Pack Holistic would be my first choices if I needed to feed dried. If she doesn't eat her dinner within 15 minutes pick it up and give it back to her at the next meal time. A healthy pup won't starve themselves and you need to teach her she won't 'win' when she's fussy by getting given something better or always having food available.