seattlesibe wrote:

They definitely have a higher margin for error, that's for sure.  But when used properly they seem to be a great choice in the right circumstances.  

I agree and not to sound snobbish but your average dog owner is not savvy enough to know how to put on a pinch collar and doesn't take the time to do the research. I still run into people who think Kibbles and bits is the best dog food out there.

wpskier222 wrote:

Ah, I think I know what you mean now. You mean using it to do leash corrections right? The old school leash jerking thing? I don't do that with Dizzy at all anyway, so it took me a few minutes to figure out what you meant. :)I can see how injury could easily happen that way.

yes

Or the leash "pop." I've never done that either. I trained Link on verbal direction commands and just used leash tension as a steering wheel of sorts. Ha, and now that he's in the brat years I had to retrain those commands all over again.

seattlesibe wrote:

They definitely have a higher margin for error, that's for sure.  But when used properly they seem to be a great choice in the right circumstances.

I didn't know you used one for Dizzy.  

Rarely, I actually got it because I hurt my knee and needed it for the 'OMG, what's THAT?' moments. Also to work on walking by and up to the dog park, I haven't used it for about a month now though. But the brattiness is setting in, so I may end up using it again at some point.

eander83 wrote:

seattlesibe wrote:

They definitely have a higher margin for error, that's for sure.  But when used properly they seem to be a great choice in the right circumstances.  

I agree and not to sound snobbish but your average dog owner is not savvy enough to know how to put on a pinch collar and doesn't take the time to do the research. I still run into people who think Kibbles and bits is the best dog food out there.

No worries. Accusations of snobbery in this case would only come from someone who is politically correct. That, I am not.

I'm fully on board with your comment

Any other place I would have had my ass chewed for my opinions. One thing I love about this forum.

Cool thanks for the info, any more opioions about a muzzle for the biting is it something i can use temp in public area or around kids until he learns not to do it

Haha, I wouldn't know from experience but that's what I've gathered from just observing.

The truth is true regardless of whether or not it's nice to say it aloud openly.

I wouldn't use a muzzle. Honestly if Dizzy is too hyped up, I don't allow him to approach kids. He adores kids though and is so good with them. I think it has something to do with their sticky hands and faces. I would look into calming training. I'm a huge fan of it. I realized in my attempt to wear out the puppy, I was actually just hyping him up more and more. Once I changed my demeanor and approach, it changed his behavior a great deal. My favorite book on that type of training is by Turid Rugaas. She has a dvd too that I might invest in.

Luckymikey wrote:

Cool thanks for the info, any more opioions about a muzzle for the biting is it something i can use temp in public area or around kids until he learns not to do it

I would really think hard about whether or not a muzzle will accomplish your goal of teaching him that teeth-on-skin or biting is inappropriate.

Will it?  

I think muzzles are used for when you have to be out in public and you want to keep other animals and people safe from your dog.  I don't think it TEACHES them anything.  

Which, for the record, this life lesson you need to TEACH him is one of the utmost difficult and frustrating lessons to teach any young Husky.  My 10 month old is extraordinarily calm and well behaved for a Husky but he still does not get this lesson all the time.  He will encounter folks out and about and he greets them, granted happily and excitedly and harmlessly, with his mouth.  

A muzzle is a tool.  But I think you should really consider whether or not it is right for your goal.

The book is called calming signals and it totally works. My favorite story of this involves Dizzy with our cats. He has been very good with them, but every once in a while gets overly curious about them and decides to investigate further. Well, I noticed that he had perked his ears up, and was looking in the general direction of the cat and I loudly licked my lips, one ear turned my direction and he looked and me, and I did it again. He then looked away from the cat, sniffed the ground, and laid down. All from a simple signal from me. Huskies retain a lot of communication mannerisms from wolves that other breeds have lost, so learning those signals can really make a big difference. It may sound silly, but it works!

Jen's point is key for calming training. You have to be very aware of how you provoke and create his behavioral responses.

It's sounds like it is best at this time to eliminate any rough housing, tug of war type stuff, or anything that gets him riled up. It sounds harsh but more structure and guidance and less fun and games sounds appropriate. Try to never give him the opportunity to use his mouth on you or people. Perhaps, though, work on "kisses" or "soft" or "easy" or "gentle". Make sure he knows what "Yes" is in conjunction with all the "No"s.

The fun will come in time, don't worry. Not to mention, you can strive for more quality time bonding and have fun through that.

I would also add that you can give tug of war a command.

I use "Take!" or "Take it!". Any time his mouth comes in contact with my skin, the game ends. Toys are for tugging, not my hand. I use tug as a reward now.

"Drop it!" is something I would teach prior to tug games.

You can teach a dog to take a treat or toy gently using this Taking Treats Gently, Video. The goal is to get him to sit quietly and not be grabby. If he gets grabby, he can't have the toy/treat. I would suggest you do not let him interact with children or strangers until he figures out "no teeth on skin". Even after that, always notice when your Husky gets hyped up around kids. Its never really "safe" to assume that he won't get mouthy. If he gets that way, remove him from the situation.

yes, a release command is critical before rough games.   Good point.

I should have added that to my post, or noted that deliberately engaging in these types of play is more advanced and require some groundwork to be laid first.  

Afterall, a battle of wills with a Husky will rarely fall in our favor.

I just want add in my two cents advocating calming training as well. I have just started working on the book click to calm with Orion and honestly I regret not starting it sooner, long term I can easily see it being some of the most important lessons he will learn. I have found that Orion's mouthy behaviour directly relates to how stimulated by a situation he is so ensuring that he is calmer has really made a difference!

With any people or kids that come to my house I make sure that they are all aware of how I deal with jumping, nipping etc and I ask that they deal with it in the same way, if they are not prepared to or if they correct Orion for doing something in a way that I do not agree with then I make them leave. I know that sounds harsh but my house is Orion's home.

If I am out and about and Orion get a bit excited and unruly trying to play with people I've found the best method to create space is to lie, the short phrase of "he's not friendly" works a charm :)again I know that sounds harsh and it's not nice to lie to people but realistically I would rather lie than have him mouth a stranger!

In all honesty I would not muzzle your dog I would just work on teaching him and while he is learning perhaps keen him on the outskirts of a situation where he doesn't have the opportunity to nip rather than engaged in situations where he does. For example if you take him to the park keep him at a distance from a group of people where he can see and acknowledge them but is not wanting to leap all over them, rather than just going up to them and letting him play until he  gets all kinds of excited and bites.

Sorry I tend to ramble...

whats the whole bath schedule for huskys? Someone told me its different if they are inside dogs compared to outside

Welcome! And congrats on your new pup! We adopted Gus at 4mths old, and he is not 9mths old, so we went through (still going) similar "issues". At first, he seemed very independent, wasn't too interested in snuggling or affection. He did (still sort of does) have separation anxiety. But it didn't seem to be an attachment to us. Just afraid to be alone. After maybe 2-3mths, you could really see his husky character start shining through. If one of us is walking him, and the other just walks away to throw out his poop, when you returned to him, he was beyond himself with happiness that you came back! You could tell that he was really starting to see us as his family. So i find that it took him awhile to settle in with us and realize that this time, this home was a permanent one! The 3-4mths of dedication and constant training really paid off with his separation anxiety, and overall behaviour!

Just a note, your previous post said that he seems to walk nicely on a leash beside you. Perhaps you don't need any type of correction collar at all? Gus is a puller on leash! We use the Easy Walk harness, and lots of positive reenforcement training with treats and a clicker.

We found that training during meals was very helpful. It kind of forced us to do training, even if it was just a sit and a down command over and over again. Everytime he did it, he got a small handful of food. It also helped us to not overdo it with the treats and give him an upset stomach. Also, helps with food guarding if you're every worried about that becoming an issue.

Baths. We rarely every bathe Gus. Unless he is SUPER dirty from the park/daycare. He does get a foot bath pretty often though as we have carpet, and let him on the bed and couch. I love seeing those pink paws! If he is super dirty, i just wash where he is dirty. I don't have a good dryer, and i find that it takes him a LONG time to dry off. For such an active dog, he is not smelly at all! But huskies are generally odourless.

I could go on forever! haha. But i think you'll find the Search tool very helpful! I sure did when i joined just a couple months ago!

I have to give Dizzy a bath every week usually, sometimes I can stretch it to two. He LOVES to get dirty, I mean any chance he gets. Unfortunately our dog park is pea gravel on top of dirt, so he's a mess after we go. Plus there is a pool and he likes to dig in water and then skid around in the dirt. Also, living in the city makes it difficult to keep him clean. Plus he has quite a coat for his age. When I lived in CO with my first pup, I bathed her maybe once a year. She was also little miss priss though and absolutely hated to get dirty!

Thanks You guys are awesome i appricate it alot, yesterday was a better day, i came home from work nothing torn up and a clean house very impressed, hes was biting as much as soon as i yelled NO he stopped for a little bit, im seeing that he get very bity when im trying to put his lease on to go outside and when we get back from our walk.... i scheduled his neutering for this thursday cause he keeped me up all night while he was humping everything he could

Aw. Thanks for being willing to save a husky, and learn about the breed. They are a challenge, but the rewards are amazing once you get there! When it comes to biting/mouthing it may be something different than you are thinking. Check out this thread. My puppy frequently gets mouthy, but its different than biting out of excitement or lack of impulse control. It may still be something you want to curb, but that thread might give you a different take on the issue.