Siberian Huskies For Dummies Page 14

  If a dog fight breaks out, do not step in between the dogs, even if you think you won’t be bitten. Your dogs are not in a normal state of mind when they’re fighting. In most cases, no serious damage is being done, despite the shrieks and howls.

  Throwing cold water on the fighting pair works with many breeds, but fighting Siberians respond better to a chair or some solid object thrust between them. You can also throw something at them or smack the instigator on the backside, just to get his attention. Speak loudly and sharply to the dogs, calling them by name, so they may recognize it is their master talking and they had better quit fighting. As a last resort, squirting the combatants in the eyes with vinegar or lemon juice works well.

  Do not separate the dogs after the fight, especially if they are housemates. They must learn to get along, and crating one or both dogs will accomplish nothing. Instead, work with them together. Of course, when you have to leave them home alone, you must separate feuding dogs until you know they can get along.

  You will have the best luck working with spayed or neutered dogs, especially in the case of males. Neutered males not only have a lower level of fighting hormones to make them more aggressive, but they also smell less male; hence they are less threatening to other males.

  Sometimes neighboring dogs fight across a chain-link fence. If possible, conceal the dogs from each other by erecting a solid barrier. Better, introduce them to each other (unleashed) in a large area. Eventually they will probably become friends.

  If you are walking your dog and come across another dog, the two dogs may exchange some threatening eye contact. Just keep your dog looking in a different direction and move along. If this behavior becomes a habit with your Husky, or if he’s difficult to distract, use a Halticollar to keep him looking where you want him to.

  Predatory aggression

  Predatory aggression, evidenced by stalking behavior, is directed at instinctive prey animals, including chickens, cats, and smaller dogs. Predatory aggression is very common in Huskies, which is one reason why a Siberian must never be allowed to run loose. If your Husky happens to catch something, don’t allow him to keep it. That only reinforces his hunting instinct. Remove the prey without comment (if you can pry it out of his jaws).

  If you have both a cat and a Siberian, you must take strong precautions. Some Siberians are wonderful with cats, but most are not. At first, keep a short leash on the Husky so that you can restrain him if anything bad happens. The prey drive is a deep-seated instinctual behavior, which cannot reliably be trained out of Huskies, no matter what you do. Keep a Husky and a cat apart, unless they are under your direct supervision. Even Siberians who get along fine with the family cats will probably chase and try to kill strange cats.

  If your Husky begins to show a little too much interest in the cat’s movements, toss a small pillow, slipper, or some light, nearby object at him. Try to actually hit him, but not too hard, of course. Say, “No kill!” in a displeased voice, and give him something else to do. You may want to take the cat on your lap and pet him. Let your dog see that the cat is part of the family.

  Closely related to predatory aggression is the chase response. In a simple chase response, pursuit is not carried out to its logical conclusion, which is to capture and kill the prey animal. The dog may only mouth or play with the captured prey. Cats and other small animals instinctively run when being chased, thus exciting the Husky further and encouraging his chase-response instinct.

  Aggression toward people

  Without doubt, aggression toward human beings is the most serious problem a dog owner can face. It’s also a really serious and frightening event for the target of the aggression.

  Animal aggression is a growing problem all over the country. Presently, reported dog bites are increasing at the rate of 2 percent annually. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, almost 4.5 million dog bites occur in the U.S. every year, and 334,000 of them are serious enough to warrant emergency-room treatment. About 2 million children are bitten annually, half of them under the age of 12. In fact, half of all children 12 and younger have been bitten by dogs. Sixteen to twenty people (mostly children) are killed every year by “pet” dogs. In adults, most victims of dog bites are men (often postmen or deliverymen), and most biting dogs are owned by men as well.

  Siberians are not usually aggressive. On the contrary, they are renowned for their friendliness. However, instances of Siberians who bite seem to be on the rise, and one recent survey listed them fifth among breeds in numbers of serious bites to humans. This is a disturbing trend, but the problem is not that Siberians as a breed have suddenly turned dangerous. More likely causes are the following:

  Misidentification. Many of these biting dogs were probably Malamutes, German Shepherds, or crossbreed dogs (including wolf-Husky hybrids), and not Siberians at all. Most people are notoriously bad at telling one breed from another, and Huskies sometimes get blamed for bites they had nothing to do with.

  The phenomenal rise of popularity of the Siberian Husky. From only a handful of registered Siberians in the 1940s and 1950s, the Siberian Husky now ranks 18th in number of AKC registrations. Naturally, there is a direct relationship between number of dogs and number of bites.

  The increased demand for Siberians makes it more likely that many will be coming from unscrupulous breeders who do not consider temperament when choosing breeding stock. It’s also likely that the growing popularity of the breed has induced unsuitable people to acquire the Siberian as a pet. Dogs tend to behave like their owners. Aggressive, mean people tend to have aggressive, mean dogs. Because the Siberian looks “wolflike,” some ignorant people think he should behave that way. If they abuse the dog, he can become mean.

  Lack of socialization. Many dog bites come from dogs who are tied up, left outside, and ignored by their owners. They get so little human contact that, when they do get it, they don’t know how to respond. Siberian Huskies crave human companionship. When they have it, they are among the most loving of all breeds. When they don’t, they tend to revert to more primitive behavior patterns.

  Not all bites against human beings come from aggression, however. Factors like fear, pain, and overstimulated play-nipping may also play a part. Indeed, a combination of forces may be at work. Understanding why your dog is acting in a particular way is critical. Then you can attempt to cure the problem. In some cases, your dog may need professional help.

  One major insurance company will not issue homeowner’s policies to Siberian owners. (It also won’t insure owners of Alaskan Malamutes, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, Bullmastiffs, Chow Chows, Doberman Pinschers, German Shepherds, or Rottweilers.) Many companies won’t insure your home if your dog has a bite record.

  Dealing with Dominance

  Dominance and aggression can be related, although they don’t have to be. Many strongly dominant dogs never think of biting. It’s much more common for a dominant Husky to try to assert his dominance by stubbornness or refusal to yield to commands that he understands perfectly well.

  The proper dominance-submissive pattern is that all humans are dominant over all dogs.

  Dangerous dominant aggression against humans may surface when something happens in the family structure to upset that pattern. Perhaps there has been a divorce, or someone is in the hospital, or a family member has gone away to school. Dogs feel alterations in family structure as acutely as children do. They may experience stress from the change and try to fill the gap that has opened in the domestic leadership structure. Some dogs take advantage of the situation by becoming dominant, or, in rare cases, even aggressive towards a lower-status family member, usually a child. Unneutered males between the ages of 2 and 3 are most likely to express this kind of aggression.

  Never allow aggressive behavior to go unchecked. No biting or aggressive behavior should be tolerated for any reason. If you make excuses for your dog, the situation will only get worse.

  If your dog does bite a person, for any rea
son, do not physically punish the dog. Doing so will only add fear to the complex of factors that induced the bite and will increase the odds that the dog will bite again, especially if he has drawn blood. Professional training is required.

  If your dog is bossy toward specific members of the family (usually women or children), those persons should take over feeding and training the dog. They need to communicate clearly to the animal that they are dominant over him. Obedience training is also essential.

  Reward all signs of submissive behavior in dominant dogs, either with a treat, a pat, or playtime. Withhold these rewards unless the dog is behaving submissively.

  After training

  Some people think that after training, the dog is permanently cured. This is probably not true. A dominant dog always wants to be dominant and he will continually test his limits. He may regard any easing up of restrictions as an act of weakness on your part. Then you’re back to square one. It’s really better to be consistent, and maintain your alpha behavior.

  Certain kinds of aggressive behavior respond well to drug therapy — antidepressants, sedatives and tranquilizers, hormonal therapy, or antianxiety drugs. The most effective psychoactive drugs are the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as Prozac and Zoloft, carefully administered in correct canine dosages. As the terms may suggest, SSRIs enhance the serotonin level in the brain, which in turn has a strong anti-aggressive effect on the dog’s behavior. Although undoubtedly useful, these drugs should be combined with behavior modification training. (Prozac costs about $1.50 per day for a dog the size of a Husky.)

  Trainers have also been experimenting with holistic remedies for aggression. Herbs like Saint-John’s-wort, valerian, and hops have a soothing effect on dogs, and certain flower essences (snapdragon, for instance) may be useful in conjunction with training. Dietary changes, such as switching to a low- protein dog food with no additives, are helpful in some cases.

  Lots and lots of exercise is important, if only because the dog becomes too tired to pick a fight. It also channels his energy into more constructive paths.

  Dogs with a bite record need to be taken to a behavioral therapist qualified to work with aggressive dogs. This is a specialty — not all obedience trainers are certified to do this kind of work.

  Recognizing Common Behaviors

  In the following sections, I cover typical biting and nipping patterns, as a general guide. The remedies suggested, however, are not to be used in place of real professional training if your dog has or is developing a serious biting problem.

  Playful nipping

  Puppies frequently engage in play biting. Playing rough with one another is one of the ways they learn their limits. One of the things they learn is how hard they are allowed to bite without getting someone really angry at them. This schooling period usually occurs between the age of 5 and 8 weeks, which is one of the reasons it’s important for a puppy to remain with his littermates that long.

  This behavior is not true aggression; you will see young dogs wagging their tails and bowing to one another. In a natural extension, puppies usually attempt to carry play biting over to their human friends. And sometimes they nip hard. It never occurs to them that’s it’s not all right, so it’s up to you to discourage the behavior. Puppy teeth are much sharper than adult teeth, although their jaws are weaker, which is a good thing.

  Even though your puppy is only playing, you must not allow unrestricted play biting to continue, because it can escalate over time to more serious biting. And even if the puppy is not hurting you, a small child may perceive it differently.

  A young puppy will often take your hand in his mouth. This is fine, so long as he doesn’t clamp down on you with those wicked little teeth. As long as the pressure is light, all is well. He is merely telling you he loves you; you are telling him you trust him. But when you feel the teeth get uncomfortable, squeal “Ow!” in a hurt tone. He should withdraw his mouth. If he doesn’t, snarl and give him a sharp tap on the nose until he does. It’s important that he pull his mouth away from your hand, not vice versa. You must emerge as the victor, even from this silly game.

  To halt actual nipping, grab the puppy by the nose or nape of his neck. Shake it, and growl sharply. “No bite!” (This behavior imitates what his own mother does.) Then walk away. He’ll understand. Don’t allow your children to play tug-of-war with him, either.

  Do not use this nose-shaking technique with a dominant-aggressive adult dog, especially a new one. It can be dangerous, unless you are absolutely sure that the dog is only playing.

  Fear-induced aggression

  As the name suggests, fear-induced aggression occurs when the animal is afraid — usually of something new. Most fear-biters have experienced abuse at some time in their past; fear-induced aggression is common in rescue dogs. Fearful dogs often have a critical area, which, if intruded upon, may elicit a bite response.

  A human head or hand close to the dog’s face is especially threatening to a fearful dog. You can often cure fearful aggression by slowly desensitizing the dog to the frightening situation. Fearfulness dissipates with time in a loving and understanding home. Overprotection is not the answer, however. Your Husky must learn to cope.

  Never corner a fear-biting dog. Allow him to come to you, and praise him, or even better, treat him when he does so. If he refuses to come to you, allow him to walk away. Don’t move, however. After a while, approach him with a treat. Don’t make a big deal of it. This is part of the desensitizing process; he needs to learn he has nothing to fear from you.

  Some dogs fear certain kinds of people: males, people in uniform, people of a race different from their owner’s. (In the latter case, dogs are more likely picking up clues from their owners. So examine your own attitudes and change them, for your own sake, and for your dog’s.) The cure for this behavior is to have these people feed and pet the dog, so the dog learns there is nothing to fear.

  Fear-biting hurts as much as any other kind of biting, and unfortunately, dogs who begin as fear-biters and go uncorrected can progress to more dominant biting patterns.

  Territorial aggression

  Territorial aggression arises from a dog’s natural tendency to protect his area. Interestingly, many dogs who are not territorial in an open area become so when a fence is erected around their property. Along the same lines, the bigger the dog’s area, the less aggression you are likely to see. This kind of aggression is very rare in Siberians, but it may develop, especially if the dog senses you are proud of him for his guarding behavior.

  Food or toy guarding

  In some ways, guarding is a form of territorial aggression, but it’s keyed to objects rather than to area. Guarding is more common in Siberians than territorial aggression is. Guarding of food or toys can be dangerous behavior. Your dog should surrender any toy or even his food to you if you ask him. He may not want to do this and may play keep-away with his toy, but any growling must not be tolerated.

  If your dog starts to display this kind of behavior, you must reinforce your alpha position. Make your dog watch you while you pour the food into his dish. If he has shown dominant behavior, pretend to eat some yourself first. Have him sit or stand away from the bowl, and do not allow him to approach it until you give him the signal that it’s okay.

  Stand near him and pet him while he eats. Practice picking up his bowl while he is eating, and giving it back a few seconds later.

  With both toys and food, you can also try trading with him. Take away his toy or food, but offer him a preferred treat instead. When he learns to accept the fact that he’ll get something in return, he’ll be more likely to give up what he has. After a time, you can time the rewards to be more sporadic. Don’t reward him every time, but only every third or fifth time. Take your time about this. When you begin this swap-training, start with taking away objects in which he has little interest. Only gradually work up to the food bowl or favorite toy.

  Food and toy guarding, if left uncorrect
ed, can worsen over time, as the dog acquires a larger and larger conception of what constitutes food or toys. Sometimes a dog will allow the person he views as his master to take away toys, but no other member of the family. This attitude must be corrected. All human beings should be alpha over all family dogs.

  Pain-induced aggression

  An injured dog may think that he can eliminate the pain by attacking what he believes is the source of his discomfort. A bite in this situation is really done in self-defense.

  I was bitten rather badly by a dog who had been struck by a car. It was necessary for me to remove him at once from the site of the accident, and in the process, the poor creature bit me. One could hardly blame him.

  In a few instances, it appears that aggression can originate from tumors, painful skeletal misalignments, or other serious conditions.

  A family dog who snaps suddenly while he is being moved or petted may be suffering an injury. Take him to the vet for a thorough checkup.