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I Need Opinions!

28K views 245 replies 55 participants last post by  Jessiewessie99 
#1 ·
Please dont bash me. I dont know what to do and I need some help here.

As most of you know I adopted a GSD/Husky mix about 11 weeks ago. His name is Rogue and he is 1.5 years old and unaltered. He didn't know how to sit when I got him, he was used to being allowed on furniture, he door dashed, he had no impulse control, he hated his crate and he hated car rides. We improved on all of those problems.

He gets along wonderfully with my GSD, they are the best of friends and glued to the hip. He gets along with all 3 of my cats. He can be very sweet.

Here are my problems......

He is aggressive towards other dogs, bares his teeth, he growls and he lunges on his leash. He is toy and food aggressive towards my GSD. They cannot have toys together unless they are supervised (I have to stand between them) because Rogue will go after his face and take the toy away and he will growl if my GSD goes near him when he has a toy. They have to be fed apart ( I have had to physically stop him from going over to my GSD's bowl, he was literally pushing me back to get to the bowl).

He poops in my house ALL OF THE TIME! He gives no warning! When I take them outside he pees, we stay out there for 15-20 minutes and sometimes he will poop and other times he will go to the back door and sit because he wants to go back inside and then 5 minutes later he is pooping on my floor! :mad:

He has an issue with water. The bowl will be completely full and he'll be drinking and my GSD will come over to the bowl to drink some and Rogue will go after his face and then he will stand there and drink the whole entire bowl so that my GSD doesn't get any.

Now the worst part of his behavior, he growls at everyone and bares his teeth at them. I have no doubt in my mind that he would bite. He is very cautious and aware, he is always looking around and always watching people and everything they do. He is unpredictable and I do not feel comfortable taking him places. I did not take him with when I went trick-or-treating with my nephews and niece, I do not trust Rogue especially around children.

Although I dont give him the chance because I take steps to make sure it doesn't happen I am still worried that he will bite someone and I do not want to be sued. Even though he is best friends with my GSD I am still afraid that he might turn on him.

I am having a hard time bonding with him. Is there something wrong with me? I dont know why I cant bond with him, I have done one on one time with him, I have done training with him, I like him. But I do not love him like I know I can. I love all of my animals more than anything else in this world but I cant love him. I dont know if it's because I didn't raise him, I didn't have him as a baby like I have had all of the others, I dont know if it's because he has the "what's in it for me" type attitude where my GSD has the "What can I do for you" attitude. I dont know if it's because I dont like the way he treats my GSD sometimes and I become the protective mother of my GSD. I dont know if it's because I am scared of him sometimes and I am afraid he will hurt others.

What do I do?
 
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#94 ·
Have you already read Control Unleashed?
Our rescue GSD (we adopted her in May, she was 1 yr old) came with what I thought was aggression toward other dogs (on leash), small children, cats, and visitors.
It turns out it was reactivity, not true aggression.
We did bond with her instantly, which made dealing with some of the issues harder- because the idea of giving her back to the rescue was heartbreaking.
We consulted with a behaviorist (found her through the Karen Pryor academy website) and bought Control Unleashed and have been working with her. She has improved a TON. We also put her on Clomipramine (for the separation anxiety) and it seems to have helped her lower her stress levels so that she can learn.

If Sinister & Rogue get along well outside of the food and toy aggression, it sounds like you can work with that.
What I would want to find out is if his reactions to other dogs and people are fear-based (reactivity) or actual aggression.
When Regen is stressed out, she will lunge at other dogs when we are on our walks and bark with her hackles up. So we had to avoid ever being in that situation and then reinforcing her for looking at us when we spotted a dog from far away. It's really helped.
As for strangers, we started putting her on a leash, in her crate, or behind a baby gate and only letting her interact on our terms. Now we don't have a problem with people entering our home and greeting the dog. She never had issues with that outside the house, though, so I know it is probably much harder to control that.

I would give him time before you decide to rehome. I have a feeling you'll be able to bond once you figure out what is causing him to react this way. You're probably the best chance he has, too...not many will adopt a dog who was given up because of aggression issues.
 
#98 ·
Have you already read Control Unleashed?
Our rescue GSD (we adopted her in May, she was 1 yr old) came with what I thought was aggression toward other dogs (on leash), small children, cats, and visitors. It turns out it was reactivity, not true aggression.
We did bond with her instantly, which made dealing with some of the issues harder- because the idea of giving her back to the rescue was heartbreaking.
We consulted with a behaviorist (found her through the Karen Pryor academy website) and bought Control Unleashed and have been working with her. She has improved a TON.
All of ^that! You can't fix the problem until you understand what's causing it.
You mentioned wanting to wait until he's 2 to neuter but at 1.5yrs it really isn't too soon.
 
#95 ·
Something that happened yesterday.....

I was outside with the dogs, Rogue on leash and Sinister off (Rogue has to remain on leash in my yard because my yard is not fenced in, yet). My Dad stopped by unexpectedly and Rogue has never met him. When my Dad got out of the car Rogue freaked out, he was hiding behind me, he started to dash on leash, nearly pulling his leash out of my hand, he was terrified of my Dad. I have never seen this reaction before? This reaction was clearly fear but I didn't see fear during the other situations.

I dont know why he would be afraid of my Dad, he didn't look at him or make any effort to pet him, he was too busy giving Sinister hugs (Sin loves his Grandpa). So why was he scared of my Dad? He never reacted that way towards my ex boyfriend or my friend Josh.
 
#99 ·
LaRen616;1945364[COLOR=Black said:
] [/COLOR]
I did not "buy" Rogue, he was free off of craigslist. I have also said that I wish I had gotten a GSD instead of settling with Rogue.


It's not really a matter of if you paid for him or not.

At what point did you begin thinking about rehoming him or that his behavior was a problem? You seemed extremely happy with him when you got him. What has happened to change that? It could be that your feelings of not being bonded enough with him are stemming from your thoughts on rehoming him? Once you give serious thought to rehoming a dog, it can certainly affect your bond with them. It almost has to actually because some amount of breaking the bond must be done for an owner to want to surrender their pet. A friend of mine worked for an animal shelter and came across a study that focused on how people felt about their pets before and after surrendering them to a shelter. Across the board, once people considered the possibility of surrendering their pet, they began to emotionally distanced them from the animal. This article suggests the same is true of people who euthanize their pets due to behavioral issues: Of dead dogs and unmet expectations - DVM


LaRen616;1945364[COLOR=Black said:
] [/COLOR]
The guy I rehomed the Husky puppy to had experience with the stubborness of the breed and their attitude problems, he had him enrolled in obedience classes for over a month and a half and he had one on one training with him with no success. So he did work with him.
Good intentions or not, the dog has been passed from owner to owner and things are not likely to get better for him at this point That is the reality of rehoming dogs with serious behavioral issues, they are often passed from owner to owner and may even be mistreated in the name of "training".

LaRen616;1945364[COLOR=Black said:
] [/COLOR]I know how much work puppies are, thanks. I raised 2 Lab/Chow/Rott/Border Collies from 8 weeks old to a year old at the same time. I raised Sinister since he was 11 weeks old. I dont have any issues with the dogs I have, I have a serious issue with one of my dogs, there is nothing wrong with Sinister. I wouldn't be getting another puppy for another 2-3 years. By the time I get the puppy Rogue and Sinister would be about 5 years old.
It is good to hear that you aren't planning on a new puppy in the next year. Wasn't the husky you had a puppy? Just raising a dog from puppyhood doesn't guarantee that the dog will grow up to be exactly what you wanted. Dogs can be well bred, well trained and well socialized and still have behavioral issues.

LaRen616;1945364[COLOR=Black said:
] [/COLOR]I dont recall saying that it was a mistake. I do recall saying that "I dont regret getting any of my cats but I do regret having 3 of them." That is because my kitten is a nightmare, but I love her and I love my other 2 cats. I used to be bonded to my cat Chaos, our bond fell apart and we are working at it and trying to get it back to the way it was.
It is not outside of the realm of possibility that the same could happen with a puppy.


LaRen616;1945364[COLOR=Black said:
][/COLOR]Actually Siberian Husky's are on the list of the Top Ten Most Aggressive Dog Breeds. They are #4 on this website Top Ten (10) Most Dangerous Dog Breeds | Pets Do They are also on this website Most Dangerous Dogs in the World. as a dangerous dog breed, they are also on this site Dangerous Dog Breeds, so it sounds like some Huskies do have these problems. I told the man all about the Husky's problems and he said he had experience with them because some of his Husky's had some of those problems.
I don't give much thought to media "dangerous breed" hysteria. Funny though, GSDs are also on those lists. Rogue is supposedly a GSDxHusky but you seem to blame his behavior on being part husky. His behavior is not normal or common in huskies, so the thought that he need to live with with husky people is off base. Husky people, in general will be no more likely to want to take on a mixed breed with behavioral issues than people on this board would be. You may find someone to take him like you did with the husky you had but it may or may not go well for him.


LaRen616;1945364[COLOR=Black said:
] [/COLOR]
I will consider behavioral drugs.
I'm not sure where you are or what resources you have near you for this sort of thing. This site has quite a list of veterinary behaviorists. Some may do phone consultations and/or be willing to work with your current vet.

Directory of Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists — Animal Behavior Society: Applied Animal Behavior

This article talks a bit about the use of behavioral drugs:
Your guide to understanding how behavior medications work - DVM

I don't think neutering will help one way or another with most of his issues but if you are going to have it done, he's certainly old enough. There is a possibility it could help with some of his dog related issues. I would also suggest a complete blood test and a full thyroid panel. Hypothyroidism can effect behavior and if you go the route of behavioral drugs, you'll likely need the blood test anyway.

Until you consult with a knowledgeable behaviorist, stop putting him in situations where he is likely to react. At this point, it isn't a surprise that he growls at strangers or resource guards, so manage the problems and don't expect him to behave differently. The pooping in the house is a housetraining issue and can be solved like any other housetraining issue - start from scratch, as though he were a young puppy. This is a good guide to follow: Errorless Housetraining | Dog Star Daily What has Rogue been trained to do? Try teaching him at least one new, silly trick a week using only positive training (I'd suggest clicker training). Tricks are a great way to bond with your dog and teach your dog how to learn. And yes...huskies can be trained :)
 
#101 ·
I forgot to mention that when I was training my pointer to do cani-cross there were TONS of huskys in the class. They are bred to pull and run. This could be a very fun/bonding activity for the two of you. It can be a lot of exercise though so you have to want to do it too lol :). Just google cani-cross and you will get plenty of resources! Sounds like from your last post that the poor guy has some security issues. I hope he gets them worked out for the both of you!!
 
#102 ·
I don't think the problem is so much with huskys as with the individual dog. It sounds like he has fear issues to me. I'm not blaming his problems on the fact that he is part husky because it's more than likley his upbringing from puppyhood and/or his genetics. Huskys have certain characteristics, but I don't think those breed characteristics are the root of the problems he is having.

The independence, lack of loyalty, and stubborn-ness may make him more difficult to train, if he in fact inhereted that from his husky side, but I wouldn't think that all of his problems are because he is part husky. Just because he's half husky doesn't mean he's going to inherit all the bad husky traits and that's where his problems are coming from.
 
#103 ·
The independence, lack of loyalty, and stubborn-ness may make him more difficult to train, if he in fact inhereted that from his husky side, but I wouldn't think that all of his problems are because he is part husky. Just because he's half husky doesn't mean he's going to inherit all the bad husky traits and that's where his problems are coming from.
I agree. His independence, lack of loyalty, digging, and stubbornness most likely may be the part that is husky . However, his aggressiveness towards people, resource guarding, house-training, attacking your other dog, and fear issues...those are behavioral problems that occurred due to lack of training, socialization, etc. during his lifetime.

While I'm not a fan of huskies, his serious issues have nothing to do with his breed, IMO. Most of us here have dogs that are considered aggressive by a lot of people. I still wouldn't say that GSD are supposed to be that way even if they are one of the dogs that insurance's won't accept.

My dogs are part of three breeds that people have issues with (Rottweiler, German Shepherd, Chow) and none of my dogs have aggression, resource guarding, or fear of other dogs/people. That's a training issue.

Any time I get a foster dog, I treat them like I do an eight week old puppy. I don't know if they are house broken or not, if they chew, if they resource guard, are good with other dogs, etc. That's what I'm there for...to find those things out and work on them. Therefore, I do NOT give any dog freedom. They are in the crate, supervised out of crate, they have to wear an attached leash in the house, and I practice NILIF. I don't give them the opportunity to fight over food/bones/toys with my other dogs. I don't set them up to fail or to develop/reinforce bad habits.

I had a Rottweiler foster once who turned around and tried to bite me when I went to get her off the couch. From that moment on, she wore a leash. It allowed me to get her off the couch without being bitten but also reinforced the fact that she couldn't ignore me or scare me away.

I had a chow/golden/pit mix (yeah, I know) foster that was only four months old and already guarded his food. He was on strict NILIF. He sat for his food and didn't get it until I gave the okay. I also hand fed him for a while.

Personally, I would spend one on one time with him and develop a bond. Make it fun. And then take away his freedom and make him work for every thing. As others have said, it's probably a liability to give him away at this point. Although, you seem to have made up your mind about giving him up.
 
#105 ·
I think it would be more valuable timewise to move forward addressing and managing his issues rather than trying to explain them. Who cares what mix he is? For all we know he could be neither husky nor GSD. Also what's in the past is in the past, again we may not know the whole story. It doesn't matter whether he had any previous interaction with your dad or *why* he would be scared.

What we know is that he is reactive, he has fear aggression issues, he needs some remedial potty training, and he needs to learn boundaries. It won't matter one way or the other where these issues came from, that doesn't change how they are addressed.
 
#106 ·
I think it would be more valuable timewise to move forward addressing and managing his issues rather than trying to explain them. Who cares what mix he is? For all we know he could be neither husky nor GSD. Also what's in the past is in the past, again we may not know the whole story. It doesn't matter whether he had any previous interaction with your dad or *why* he would be scared.

What we know is that he is reactive, he has fear aggression issues, he needs some remedial potty training, and he needs to learn boundaries. It won't matter one way or the other where these issues came from, that doesn't change how they are addressed.
We started potty training yesterday. I took him out every 45 minutes. We didn't have any poop accidents, he only poops once a day so when he pooped outside I praised him. We are going to work on potty training first.
 
#110 ·
I have decided not to rehome Rogue, I do not want to see him go from home to home and I do not want to see him pts. I will work with Rogue and work on his problems. If a bond never happens between us it will be ok, he has a strong bond with Sinister, so if we never connect he will be "Sinister's dog".
 
#111 ·
Glad to hear it. Best of luck to you LaRen.

Please keep posting as you start to work on his issues so you have can continue to get the support and knowledge of everyone here. I still recommend looking into a behaviorist to help you decipher what it is you are seeing and guide you on the best path to correct it.
 
#115 ·
Actually huskies CAN be trained to be excellent obedience dogs - our head trainer at the local obedience club has three of them and they are OUTSTANDING in the ring! Extremely great focus on all three so it is not just one exceptional dog - probably just great training. These guys are better than any of the numerous GSD's (including mine) in the obedience club.

BTW, if you think about it some GSD's are also bred to be really independent also - i.e. herding, SAR and military dogs have to act pretty independent at times.
 
#116 · (Edited)
This thread makes me sad. You've received some excellent advice particularly from Lies, Diane, Jean and Deb.

But there's so much discussion about what's wrong with huskies. You made a point of telling Sandy that they're one of the most aggressive breeds. You named him Rogue.

It seems to me that you need to start all over. Read the poem Jean posted. Really read it. First, give your dog a new name, something that shows that you want him AND expect him to be a good dog, a good citizen and a loving member of your family. Too often at obedience classes, it's the dogs with the unfortunate names that seem to have the most difficulties. Why? I think it's because when we name our dogs, it *can* reflect our mindset. Not always (although Kathy jokes that when you name your dogs Kayos and Havok, it ends up that way anyhow). But I think that it can reflect a disconnect.

Give him a hopeful name. I KNOW this sounds stupid. But the language we use shapes how we think as much as how we think shapes the language we use. He's not a "rogue"; he's a dog that needs a second chance... You can google some really cool Alaskan, Russian or similar names/words that might be a good name. It sounds like he's not really responsive to you anyhow. A fresh start won't harm anything.

Then, read everything you possibly can about huskies and then toss that info aside. Where I live EVERYONE has huskies. They're not all stubborn ill-behaved dogs. They DO get walked for miles EVERY day though, even in the worst weather. Those husky owners are a hardy bunch. Are we even sure that he's a mix of a Siberian husky and not a malamute, American Eskimo dog, Samoyed or another northern breed? These dogs are physically similar in features and temperament, but there are differences (much like there are differences between GSDs, Mals and Belgians).

Jean's advice to get in touch with husky (or malamute, or similar) rescue is excellent advice. You need help from people who are experts. Nothing kills me more than when trainers who work mostly with labs start giving out advice (and usually some admonitions) about how GSDs should be trained and should be acting. My GSD and my beagle are so completely different in terms of how they're trained, it's not even funny. My beagle is considered headstrong, stubborn, and difficult to train -- according to the literature. But she's really easy to train once you know how to motivate her. But a GSD trainer would throw up their hands in frustration if not complete disgust.

Same with your dog.

My elderly aunt adopted an adolescent malamute/GSD right out of the shelter. A longterm GSD owner, she grew so frustrated with this dog that wasn't socialized, lacked skills and really didn't seem to care what my aunt thought. But when we sat down and looked at what THIS dog sitting in front of us valued (instead of what we "thought" dogs "should" value), it became pretty easy to train her.

Ideally, we should approach EVERY new dog and puppy we get that way. What does THIS dog value? Once we know that, we can even train that dog to value other stuff that we find easier to administer. But right now, as the others say, you're not managing him, giving him any structure, and he's desperately trying to figure out the rules.

Treat him like a puppy with all the same kindness, same patience and yes, the same very strict rules. I see no reason to assume you won't bond to him. When I'm standing out in the yard at 2am in the middle of an ice storm, I am most certainly not bonding with my new puppy. We may think pups are adorable, but bonding comes over time.

This dog can be your own personal Phoenix, rising from the ashes of his previous life. But he needs your help...and a serious commitment. Your GSD has found the good in him. Trust that for now. It's in there. It's up to you to find it too.

Good luck.
 
#117 ·
But when we sat down and looked at what THIS dog sitting in front of us valued (instead of what we "thought" dogs "should" value), it became pretty easy to train her.

Ideally, we should approach EVERY new dog and puppy we get that way. What does THIS dog value? Once we know that, we can even train that dog to value other stuff that we find easier to administer. But right now, as the others say, you're not managing him, giving him any structure, and he's desperately trying to figure out the rules.
3K9Mom: What a very thoughtful post, loaded with good advice. My mistake when I am trying to bond with a dog is the neediness I have for that dog to be my friend. Then I compound the mistake by avoiding the structure, rules, or management that will "hurt" the dog's feelings. But you are absolutely right, I think. When I start to ask the question, "what does THIS dog value?" then I start to frequently and consistently do the things which are effective for THIS dog and not the other dogs I got used to in the past.

That sounds so simple, but even an experienced owner can fail to see that before we bonded with past dogs, we had to put our foot down and repeatedly work with that dog to communicate our rules and expectations. Once you start over and over and over to avoid all rewarding of bad behavior and rewarding only of the appropriate behavior, you do get results.
 
#118 ·
Cali, what most dog owners don't realize is that management should ALWAYS precede training. This way, we show the dog what he SHOULD do instead of correcting what he shouldn't be doing. This is far more fair to the dog and easier on our nerves, our carpet, our furniture, etc.

Plus, as almost all of us (especially those of us with kids, spouses or roommates) know, it's easier to teach new good behaviors than break bad habits.

I had a boss who used to say that he always wanted to 'set you up for success.' Giving a new dog run of the house is setting him up for failure. This would be similar to Sergei Brin putting me in the massive server area and telling me to run all the servers at Google when I have only a little training as a programmer, and no idea what they want and what their protocols are. Sure, I'd TRY to do the right thing. But I'd be terrified of messing up, would probably make a hellacious mess out of things, and cause the (literally) the entire cyber world to come crashing down upon me.

Better they put me in cubicle and train me a little each day. THAT would be kinder than complete freedom. Most of us have been asked to do a job (or a project at school) and have been given little or no supervision and had no clue what our supervisor wanted. Complete freedom isn't such a gift in that situation. It just means that they've set you up to fail.

By managing our dogs, their environments and our expectations, we can create a PREDICTABLE situation where our dogs succeed. The more they succeed, the more they understand how things work within our households, so the more they succeed. It's a self-fulfilling cycle. As I work through the cycle with my dogs, they're being trained on new desirable behaviors along the way. If they mess up, it's my fault. I gave them too much freedom too fast. In fact, with my new dogs and pups, I strive to NOT use the word "no" ever.

Rather, it's my job to tell them what they SHOULD be doing. That requires more effort, of course, because their world has to be labeled for them and those labels have to trained. But my dogs understand what I want. My dogs aren't perfect, of course. But I understand them. They know what I want when I speak to them. In fact, because they know what I want, they anticipate it much of the time, including self-aborting behaviors that I might not find appropriate. They're very different breeds. But we all speak the same language. And it all starts with management. :)
 
#126 ·
No, I am pretty sure he knows the rules. He doesn't want to obey them.
HE may understand the rules. But YOU don't understand the adolescent brain. The prefrontal cortext is where decision-making is done. In humans, it's not fully formed until the individual is about 25 years old (maybe a bit younger in young women). In large breed dogs, the prefrontal cortex isn't done growing until the dog is about 3 years old.

The dog may LOOK adult. He may KNOW the rules... but the part of the brain that KNOWS the rules is NOT the part of the brain that makes decisions.

It's kind of like when someone drinks a lot of alcohol (which inhibits prefrontal cortex activity).. They often make really bad decisions. They may even tell their friends, "I know this is a bad idea, but...." and they do it anyhow.

THAT is the sort of brain you're dealing with. I see it in my adolscent. He KNOWS what to do. We spend hours and hours training with some of the top trainers in the nation. Repetition. Same methods, same techniques, over and over again in different locations, with different stimuli to train the same basic skills. Why? Training behaviors that aren't natural behaviors to become *default* behaviors is difficult when you're dealing with adolescents. But even with all of our work, he often makes bad decisions. Not because he doesn't 'know' the behavior I want, but because his brain isn't fully capable of making good decisions, especially when there are other things to consider (too much stimuli in the environment, he's tired, etc).

It doesn't matter what he KNOWS. Teenagers know not to talk on their cell phones while driving, not to stay out past curfew, not to engage in all sorts of risky behavior. But the vast majority do. Their brains aren't formed well enough to make good decisions on a minute-by-minute basis. Those who do are those that have been trained with patience and consistency since they were very young.

You're not dealing with an adult. The sooner you realize this the better.

Your subject line asked for opinions. You got lots of opinion. But what I just posted is FACT. You can't dance around it. You can't make the brain grow faster than it does. You can ignore it. You can correct a pup or adolescent for making bad decisions, but that doesn't mean he will be any more capable of making good ones the next time. All you'll do is shut him down so that he doesn't do anything -- it's called learned helplessness. But you'll end up with a dog that's a shadow of the dog he could have been.

He's a teen. He's part husky. But a mix often has a dominent side. Most of my mixes have. Instead of arguing with everyone's advice point-by-point, you could simply accept it in the generous way that it's been offered.

As I've told members for years before you got here, we don't get paid to do this. We do it because we CARE about YOUR dog.

With that, I'm out.
 
#129 ·
HE may understand the rules. But YOU don't understand the adolescent brain. The prefrontal cortext is where decision-making is done. In humans, it's not fully formed until the individual is about 25 years old (maybe a bit younger in young women). In large breed dogs, the prefrontal cortex isn't done growing until the dog is about 3 years old.

The dog may LOOK adult. He may KNOW the rules... but the part of the brain that KNOWS the rules is NOT the part of the brain that makes decisions.

It's kind of like when someone drinks a lot of alcohol (which inhibits prefrontal cortex activity).. They often make really bad decisions. They may even tell their friends, "I know this is a bad idea, but...." and they do it anyhow.

THAT is the sort of brain you're dealing with. I see it in my adolscent. He KNOWS what to do. We spend hours and hours training with some of the top trainers in the nation. Repetition. Same methods, same techniques, over and over again in different locations, with different stimuli to train the same basic skills. Why? Training behaviors that aren't natural behaviors to become *default* behaviors is difficult when you're dealing with adolescents. But even with all of our work, he often makes bad decisions. Not because he doesn't 'know' the behavior I want, but because his brain isn't fully capable of making good decisions, especially when there are other things to consider (too much stimuli in the environment, he's tired, etc).

It doesn't matter what he KNOWS. Teenagers know not to talk on their cell phones while driving, not to stay out past curfew, not to engage in all sorts of risky behavior. But the vast majority do. Their brains aren't formed well enough to make good decisions on a minute-by-minute basis. Those who do are those that have been trained with patience and consistency since they were very young.

You're not dealing with an adult. The sooner you realize this the better.

Your subject line asked for opinions. You got lots of opinion. But what I just posted is FACT. You can't dance around it. You can't make the brain grow faster than it does. You can ignore it. You can correct a pup or adolescent for making bad decisions, but that doesn't mean he will be any more capable of making good ones the next time. All you'll do is shut him down so that he doesn't do anything -- it's called learned helplessness. But you'll end up with a dog that's a shadow of the dog he could have been.

He's a teen. He's part husky. But a mix often has a dominent side. Most of my mixes have. Instead of arguing with everyone's advice point-by-point, you could simply accept it in the generous way that it's been offered.

As I've told members for years before you got here, we don't get paid to do this. We do it because we CARE about YOUR dog.

With that, I'm out.
I'm not arguing with everyone. Ugh :rolleyes2:
 
#127 ·
don't agree with that. I think if you are using positive, motivational methods and are a good trainer you should be able to successfully work with dogs other than the breed you have/train. I had a really awesome Beagle in my puppy classes this summer. He's owned by first time dog owners and could be a great little agility dog. I didn't find him the least bit difficult to work with. I had a Dobe mix, a couple GSDs and a Belgian but raised and trained a Greyhound for someone. I didn't find her to be frustrating at all and didn't use vastly different methods with her than my own dogs. She was smart, cute, learned things really fast and I adored her.
Of course, Sandy, but you're a positive trainer. I meant a more "traditional" trainer. My current beagle shut down in the face of even the slightest leash corrections -- not yank and crank, but mild leash corrections. That's what made me rethink my entire training approach. And I've never looked back.

It still comes back to what I said earlier: you need to know how to motivate the dog sitting in front of you, which I'm certain that YOU know how to do. :)

Others, however:


Hounds follow their nose. I don't consider hounds loyal. I'm sure there are exceptions, but they are the exceptions that prove the rule, IMO.
If someone doesn't really understand a breed, they can't train it.
 
#128 ·
Of course, Sandy, but you're a positive trainer. I meant a more "traditional" trainer. My current beagle shut down in the face of even the slightest leash corrections -- not yank and crank, but mild leash corrections. That's what made me rethink my entire training approach. And I've never looked back.
My name isn't Sandy :)

Hound and Northern dogs actually used to be considered untrainable by many old school trainers. When I was in 4H my dad wanted to adopt a retired racing greyhound and the club's trainer warned against it, saying they were nearly impossible to train. And I'm sure they would be, using the methods she had been using for 30 years.

I don't think all dogs are created equal. I personally really enjoy herding breeds for my own dogs. But I also know plenty of people have found GSDs, BCs, Belgians and other herding breeds difficult to work with. There certainly are differences in temperament between different breeds, even breeds created to do the same job. And within breeds, there are differences in temperament of different lines and of course, individual dogs. It just seems in this discussion, so much focused on negative comments about huskies even implying that the breed is "dangerous". Most behavior problems regardless of breed can be improved on through active training and management.


Not to turn this into a breed discussion because I don't think this dog's breed has anything to do with his serious behavior problems but I have a question...Isn't that what lack of loyalty is? In the breed description for the GSD, doesn't it say they are loyal? They don't say that for every breed. Loyalty, IMO, means a willingness to be or work with the owner. They are loyal to people. Siberian Huskies are not known for that neither are hounds.
.
It depends on what loyalty is to you I guess :) I see loyalty as dogs who are are attached to their people and aloof towards strangers, not looking to befriend everyone they meet. G9oldens Retrievers are not a loyal breed - they love everyone and generally are willing to work for whoever they are with. I recently took a friend's Golden to a show. Stopped by the house, no one was home, let myself in and the dogs both happily greeted me like I was family and brought me toys. These dogs know me from training but they didn't hesitate at all to welcome me into the house.
 
#131 ·
I was hoping this was an update. How did the weekend go?
Good morning :)

We didn't have any potty accidents, I've been taking him out every hour, he pees a little bit and I praise and treat him.

I got him a Everlasting Treat Ball to wear him out mentaly, he's seems to be enjoying it and I am going to buy some refills.

I bought both dogs prong collars this weekend and I made sure to check the prongs and make sure they are rounded and dont have jagged edges. I only had to make 2 corrections with Sinister and 5 corrections with Rogue and then they walked great next to me with zero pulling. :happyboogie: Now I can start walking both of them together again.

We are working on "sit" he knows it but he wont always do it so now we are trying to perfect it.

That's what we are working on as of right now.
 
#132 ·
Good job on the potty training. You could start putting a word to it too so he learns to go on command. I do it with fosters, I tell them "go potty" as they start sniffing around and while they're going say "good potty" and do it again when I praise and treat them when they're done. It's very convenient for when it's cold or wet out. Raven does it too when it's raining or for the last potty of the night when I don't want her to try and play ball.

Don't forget to have training sessions one on one with Rogue were Sin can't get in the way or distract Rogue.

Keep up the good work.
 
#134 ·
Good job on the potty training. You could start putting a word to it too so he learns to go on command. I do it with fosters, I tell them "go potty" as they start sniffing around and while they're going say "good potty" and do it again when I praise and treat them when they're done. It's very convenient for when it's cold or wet out. Raven does it too when it's raining or for the last potty of the night when I don't want her to try and play ball.

Don't forget to have training sessions one on one with Rogue were Sin can't get in the way or distract Rogue.

Keep up the good work.
I sometimes say "Go Poop" maybe if I use it more often?

When we go over "sit" and when I take him out to potty every hour it's just me and Rogue. Sinister stays in his crate or he stays inside when we are outside.
 
#137 ·
I'm glad he's making progress. :)

Akira was trained on the "go potty" command when she was in training as a leader dog, and at almost 7 yrs old she still knows the command when I use it, even though she goes out potty in the backyard by herself 90% of the time.
 
#141 ·
What a great update LaRen!

It'll take some time but the more you work with the, the more you'll bond.

If he walks away while you are trying to train, either you are training too long and he's bored or you aren't exciting enough and he's bored. Keep training sessions short and do more of them. Always end it with him doing something right. So, if he walks away when you tell him lay down, give him a verbal correction and get his attention back on you, do one more easy command and then have a party because you're done and he did well.

Keep up the good work.
 
#143 ·
I'm probably boring him to be honest. I bought some awesome apple/chicken treats and he loves them but he walks away from me, even when one is in my hand. :laugh: I'm so boring that the treat isn't even worth it. :crazy:
 
#142 ·
didn't have time to read the entire thread (glad to see from the last few posts that things are going better!), and just wanted to say what a brilliant statement this is...

"Manage his environment so he cannot do the behaviors that upset you."

never saw it put quite that way before, but it's so spot-on.
 
#144 ·
If Rogue is responding well to the treats the first few minutes of your training session, but then losing interest as the session progresses, it is probably a case of getting bored with the training. Try shorter sessions if that is the case. Some dogs can barely handle 5 minutes of training spread out over several sessions throughout the day.

If he is inconsistently interested in the treats regardless of how long the session has gone on, keep trying different food items to see if you can find something that he really, really likes. I ended up boiling and then baking my own liver treats for Tanner, which has given me the best, most reliable response to food with him. But even then I need to change up the reward with him and rotate food with a special toy. I make it random so he never knows if I'll throw the toy or give him a food item. That has helped me keep his interest.

Good for you that you're sticking with Rogue.
Sheilah
 
#145 ·
I didn't want to hijack the other thread so I'll address your post here, LaRen. I figured you were feeling down again because I haven't seen you posting as much as usual and when you do it's always only about Sinister.

For me it's....

1) Is he worth it? Only you can answer that for you, but to me (as a rescuer), they are all worth it. There's very few that aren't.


2) Am I willing to spend lots of money on him for trainers? What is it going to cost you if you dont?


3) What if we get through all of this but I still am not bonded to him? I don't see that happening but if it does, then you just got him in a better position to going to a loving home.


4) What if he does serious harm to someone? It's up to you to not allow that to happen. If he does, then you failed him. What happens if he does serious harm to someone after you've rehomed him and they blame you? How will you feel then?


5) What if he bites someone and I get sued? Again, it's up to you to make sure it doesn't happen. If it does, you failed.


6) Is my heart in this? I believe if it weren't, then you would have gotten rid of Rogue a lot sooner but only you know.
I'm very sorry to hear that you are having health problems. I hope that you start to feel better soon. I think where you are failing in rehabilitating Rogue is by not being open about it and so you feel like you are alone and are feeling a bit beat down.

The fact that Rogue let your cousin and her dog move in shows that he isn't all bad. I think posting here daily about something good that Rogue did will help you to feel proud of him and will strengthen your realtionship. And similiarly, posting everyday about a problem you are having will give you the opportunity to feel supported and to learn more about how to fix the problems. Give it a shot for a week or two and see how you feel.
 
#147 ·
I didn't want to hijack the other thread so I'll address your post here, LaRen. I figured you were feeling down again because I haven't seen you posting as much as usual and when you do it's always only about Sinister.

At this point I am very down. When I got home from work on friday he ruined his crate, he destroyed the bottom, it was a brand new crate, it was expensive.

I was so angry at him yesterday. I was literally furious. I dont know how much more of him I can take to be honest. He peed all over my carpet in my bedroom and then he jumped on my bed and peed all over my pillows and sheets. I had to put my sheets in the washer at 10 o'clock at night, I was up until 1am washing/drying and putting my sheets back on and I wake up at 5am for work. I dont understand why he would pee in my house, he went out 20 minutes before that.

I'm very sorry to hear that you are having health problems. I hope that you start to feel better soon. I think where you are failing in rehabilitating Rogue is by not being open about it and so you feel like you are alone and are feeling a bit beat down.

To be honest with you, I want to rehome him, I want to give up. But I dont want to hear all the crap from people on here. I really dont. I dont love the dog, I only tolerate him. I dont like his personality, I dont like that I cant trust him, I dont like that I was misinformed about him and his problems. I'm tired of him ruining things.

The fact that Rogue let your cousin and her dog move in shows that he isn't all bad. I think posting here daily about something good that Rogue did will help you to feel proud of him and will strengthen your realtionship. And similiarly, posting everyday about a problem you are having will give you the opportunity to feel supported and to learn more about how to fix the problems. Give it a shot for a week or two and see how you feel.
He is getting along with my cousin and Biff. He's not very playful but he seems to like Biff. My cousin doesn't like Rogue so she spends alot of her time in her room with Biff.

I can tell you one good thing about saturday with him, he didn't poop or pee in my house.
 
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