[trying2help]

Hello. I am curious of what I can suggest to two friends who just recently adopted a Husky/Lab (I think) who's about two years old. He's got an incredible amount of behavior issues. He's incredibly disobedient and I'm not entirely sure if the two are training him properly. If you try to discipline the dog, he thinks you're playing and starts to bite and gets extremely hyper. He chews everything. He's constantly getting in to trouble. The couple I'm hoping to talk to about this is a couple I'll soon be living with, and I'm slightly worried about my cat. I think it will be fine, but I'd like to do what I can to get this dog trained and assist them with the process.

His behavior isn't changing. Whatever they're doing isn't working.

Any advice for a big dog like this that can get into anything and everything? I understand that he's going to do that anyway, and I've told the owners they have to stop leaving things out for him to get his munch on with. So, lately, it's their fault. Yet, the dog still gets punished for it. I don't think the dog understands at all what he's doing wrong.

[Marc]

If they're not on board, it's not going to happen. Also, telling someone how to train their dog is like telling someone how to raise their kids; even if you know better, they'll take offense to it.

That said, You need to approach each behavior one at a time or you'll be constantly disciplining him and he'll just think you're abusive (in a way, you would be). I think I'd start with the jumping. Whever he gets hyper and jumps on you, turn away from him and fold your arms. Ignoring him won't be as fun as you 'playing' with him by pushing him away.

[lange]

Originally Posted by Marc

If they're not on board, it's not going to happen.

I completely agree with Marc on that. And I applaud you for trying to help your friends & your cat!

First off, it's a Lab/Husky which means for an excited dog with tons of energy.

1.) Are the owners burning off that energy in a productive way? I think that's very important right now for this dog.

2.) It's time to do serious training if the dog doesn't already follow commands. (with treats he'll be more willing to pay attention)

3.) I'm a big believer that dogs who don't know how to behave should have less privileges. For instance, when inside & not crated, they can use a leash and have the dog follow them around the house like you would do with a puppy. It places the owners in an authoritative position and keeps the dog in view in order to give corrections on cue.

4.) You don't have to always correct a dog by "disciplining" them (which is a very vague word imo, we all have different opinions on what exactly discipline means). But you can also use body language, like Marc referenced, or redirect the dog to do what you want it to do instead of just saying "no" all the time.


I hope things go well for the 5 of you!!

[Josh Smith]

Hello,

I have one of these mixes, only she has a bit of wolf thrown in.

She is a very good dog, but started out as a rescue dog. She was about 6mos when I got her.

She would growl. She wouldn't listen.

What it boiled down to was this: She was a very high energy dog who didn't know her place in the pack, so she was always on edge.

One of the first things I started doing was running her. I hooked her up to a bicycle and just let her fly. She had to get used to the bicycle, but she always looked forward to it. Besides running off excess energy, this was a bonding activity. It's what dogs do in the wild.

On the disciplinary issues, I first let her know who was boss. When I would pet her, I would take special care to pinch her neck, play with her ears and hindquarters, her muzzle, etc. Anything that let her know I was dominant, but at the same time, loving.

I took her food away when she was eating. I worked up to the point where she has to have permission to eat. In the wild, the alpha eats first then gives permission for the subordinates to eat; therefore, he who controls the food is dominant.

Stand your ground, like others said, and ignore the dog. This lets the dog know that he is not the center of attention, and that attention is a privilege to be bestowed when he does good things.

This mix makes a fiercely loyal, extremely smart dog, very loving and playful. Very eager to please with the brain capability to do it.

Josh