How to Train a Husky to Walk Beside You

Hello, Does the biting seem playful and he's excited, or more like him protesting you doing something he doesn't like? How the biting is addressed depends a lot on whether it's due to a lack of socialization or associating you interacting with him with pain from his injuries and he is using aggression to protest your presence or movement...Or whether the biting is related to him being excited and playful. Please respond with more details, and I would love to answer further. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

May 5, 2023

Hello Brittany, It sounds like pup is resource guarding around the other dog a bit when food is involved. I would work on building pup's overall respect for you through a lot of proactive obedience practice. If pup protests the changes I would desensitize pup to wearing a basket muzzle also to keep you safe. Out - which means leave the area: https://www.petful.com/behaviors/how-to-teach-a-dog-the-out-command/ Leave It method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bite Quiet method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bark Place command: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O75dyWITP1s Down-Stay: https://www.thelabradorsite.com/train-your-labrador-to-lie-down-and-stay/ Heel- Turns method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-poodle-to-heel Come - Reel in method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-whippet-to-recall Off- section on The Off command: https://www.petful.com/behaviors/how-train-dog-stay-off-couch/ Drop It – Exchange method: https://wagwalking.com/training/drop-it When giving treats, practice what's called honoring - where one dog does a sit-stay a few feet away while you focus on the first dog. After the sitting dog stays put, then you have the one being rewarded switch and do a sit-stay while you reward the dog who was sitting initially instead. Essentially, you trade off who is doing a sit-stay out of reach with who is being rewarded - so both dogs work on self-control and waiting their turn. Practice Sit-Stay and work up to high levels of distractions without the second dog around first, before adding in a second dog. I would also tether pup with a long leash to something secure nearby so if they try to leave their sit-stay they can't make it all the way over to the dog being rewarded. This keeps the practice safe and helps you enforce pup staying - the back tie leash should be slack enough that pup only feels the tension from it if they disobey and leave Sit-Stay though. You want pup staying out of obedience and not forced by the leash - the leash is just backup. Pay attention to the Turns method from the article I have linked above for heeling. What training tool are you using to walk pup? (buckle collar, martingale, back clip harness, front clip harness, prong collar, choke chain, gentle leader, ect...?) Depending on what you are using, you might need to switch that out also. I would avoid a back clip harness (encourages pulling), avoid a choke chain (often not effective and can damage the trachea), and choose something other than a plain buckle collar until pup is trained better since pup is strong. If you use a prong collar, watch videos on how to properly fit it and train with it (about half the time it's fitted wrongly and used like a choke chain - which isn't safe or effective). A properly fitted and used prong collar should be high on the neck behind the ears, with all the prongs gently touching the skin but not digging in. You probably need a smaller millimeter size than you would think. Corrections should be via turns like in the Turns method, where pup is corrected naturally for not staying with you, and rewards for keeping the leash loose and pup focusing on you. For some dogs a prong collar works great, for others, a gentle leader or front clip harness are better options. Any dog who tends to bite or show aggression while training heel or something else should be desensitized to wearing a basket muzzle for safety while interacting with and training pup until pup's behavior improves. A dog who is showing aggression toward you around food is more likely to need that safety measures in other situations also if pup lacks respect for you. Listening: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-doberman-to-listen-to-you If things aren't improving, you feel you or your other dog are in danger, or things get worse, I also highly recommend hiring a professional trainer who will come to your home to work with you in person. Make sure you choose someone who is very experienced with behavior issues like aggression and resource guarding - many trainers specialize in obedience, tricks, and puppies and don't have a lot of aggression experience so check into reviews and referrals and ask questions to ensure they do in your case. https://www.youtube.com/user/AmericasCanineED/playlists Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

March 17, 2022