Siberian Huskies For Dummies

by Diane Morgan

  Part III

  Living with a Siberian Husky

  In this part . . .

  Siberian Huskies make fantastic housemates, but you need to help them adapt to your home through proper training. And the only way you can do that is by learning how to communicate with your dog. In this part, you’ll discover how to do exactly that.

  You’ll also figure out how to deal with problem behaviors and how to socialize your dog with people and other dogs.

  Chapter 5

  Welcome Home!

  In This Chapter

  Helping your puppy adjust to his new home

  Making it through the first night with your puppy by your side

  Figuring out whether your Husky will live indoors or outdoors

  Giving the outdoor Husky everything he needs to survive the elements

  Knowing how to house-train your dog

  Cleaning up after your new Husky when he has accidents of every kind

  Bringing a new puppy home is truly one of life’s greatest joys. But it’s not without its problems either. So, in this chapter, I give you all the infor- mation you need to make the transition easier for you and your puppy — everything from making it through that very first night to deciding whether your dog will live outdoors or inside.

  If your ideal living room could be an advertisement for Better Homes & Gardens, reconsider your decision to get a Siberian. Dogs are messy. They shed, they chew, and they like to sleep on your best furniture.

  You simply cannot keep a house in pristine condition after your furry bundle of joy bounds through the door for the first time. No matter how careful you are, accidents will happen. Something you treasure dearly will be eaten, peed on, clawed, or crushed by your pet. But, in this chapter, you’ll find suggestions for ways to deal with the messes that come with the territory.

  Surviving the First Day and Night

  If possible, arrange for your new puppy to arrive in the morning, so you can have the whole day to become acquainted. Ideally, this should be a quiet time, with only the family present. Take your new puppy out for a walk right away, even before you bring him into the house. Walk him to the area you want him to use for eliminating, and praise him lavishly when he uses it. (Praising puppies often includes jumping up and down with joy like a crazed person.)

  Feeding your new puppy his first meal

  When you feed your Husky his first meal, give a bit less than he has been accustomed to receiving. He’ll be nervous and excited, and too much food could make him sick. If he eats dinner without a fuss, you can give him a treat later on.

  At first, feed your new puppy the same kind of food he was receiving from his breeder. He’s just had a major change in his environment, so you’ll want to preserve as much continuity in the puppy’s life as possible. Abrupt diet changes can also cause stomach problems. If you want to change his diet, do so gradually over a week or so.

  When your new puppy is eating, sit near him and handfeed him a treat or two. Practice taking away his food and returning it to him. This is one way to establish the fact that you are his master and in charge of the food. It will also help prevent food possessiveness later on.

  Helping your pup adapt to his new family

  The first few days will be strange and new for your Siberian, so make sure you give him plenty of nurturing and lots of hugs. At this stage, love is more important than play. Gently handle your puppy a lot and don’t allow the kids to keep waking him up. You want your puppy to know that you are a safe haven from the vacuum cleaner, the mean cats, and any other household hazards he may encounter. (This doesn’t mean you should feed his phobias, but you should be there to support him the same way you would a young child.)

  Make introductions to the rest of the family gradually. Teach your children the correct way to hold your puppy — with both arms. Don’t allow very young children to carry a Husky puppy around; sooner or later they will drop him on his head. Don’t leave puppies and children together unsupervised; the trouble they can get into together is unimaginable. (I have a friend whose young child dyed their yellow Labrador Retriever pink. In this case, the “young” child was 15 years old.)

  Reassuring your puppy on his first night

  Letting your puppy sleep in your bedroom with you is the best option, especially during his first few nights. He’ll be reassured by your presence, and you can tell if something is wrong or he needs to go out.

  Even in your immediate presence, your new puppy may cry the first night. Never yell at him or punish him for doing so; if you do, he’ll feel even worse. You can ignore his crying, after you’ve first made sure he’s secure in his crate with a chew toy. (This takes nerves of steel, but it pays off in the long run.) Or you can give in and sleep near the puppy or just transport him to your bed. If you do this, he’ll probably be there forever, though.

  In rare cases, a dog interprets your allowing him onto your bed as meaning that you accept him as an equal. Obviously, this isn’t a good plan. If you are the slightest bit doubtful about your ability to control Ranger, let him sleep quietly in his own bed at your feet.

  Even during the daytime, your new puppy may cry when placed inside the crate, at least at first. Never let him out of the crate while he is actually crying, whining, or barking. That just teaches him that he can get what he wants by annoying you. Wait until he’s quiet before you release him. On the other hand, he should regard his crate as a friendly place for relaxing and sleeping — not an all-day prison. Keep the door to the crate open, so he can go in and out at will. Feeding him there may be a good idea.

  Deciding Whether Your Husky Will Live Inside or Outside

  Siberian Huskies really enjoy being outdoors in the cold. In fact, they prefer the outside to the inside. Even young Siberians can be acclimatized to living outdoors; after all, they are arctic dogs. In the Iditarod, when temperatures routinely plunge to –65 degrees, the Siberians sleep comfortably, curled up in the snow. Their drivers, however, wearing heavy fur parkas, face masks, and mittens, frequently suffer severe frostbite.

  Despite their love for cold outdoor weather, Siberians are extremely family-oriented. An outside Siberian must not be an ignored Siberian. Siberians suffer badly from loneliness. If you decide to keep your Husky outdoors, make doubly sure he is getting his share of love and attention.

  The Husky’s love of the cold outdoors created no conflict back in Chukchi country, where everybody lived outside, but it can be a problem today. Most well-loved Huskies nowadays are housedogs, simply because we want our pets close to us. You could always move outdoors with your dog.

  Winter or summer, your Siberian will require a secure fenced yard. Never chain a dog outside. For one thing, it’s dangerous. Dogs can get the chain wrapped around their necks or legs and be killed. Also, dogs who are chained out for long periods tend to become territorial and snappish. Dogs who are tied out temporarily need to be under supervision. Chains can be made much safer with a swivel, however, and using one of these is preferable when you need to tie out your dog (for example, when you’re engaged in an outdoor activity with him).

  Although Huskies handle cold weather remarkably well, they do need to become acclimatized to it. Do not constantly alternate between having your dog spend winter nights indoors and out. Sudden repeated fluctuations between warmth and cold is much harder on your Siberian than continued cold weather. Of course, when it’s extremely bitter, you will want your Siberian inside with you.

  If your Siberian does come in during cold, wet weather, don’t let him out again until he is thoroughly dry. If he goes out wet, the wet hairs could freeze and give your Husky a bad case of hypothermia. Hypothermia is a fancy way of saying “subnormal body temperature.” The symptoms include intense shivering and frostbite on a dog’s toes, ears, and genitals.

  If you acquire a dog who is used to sleeping indoors, and you wish to make the transition to outdoor accommodations, go slowly. Indoor dogs need time for their fur to thicken up. However,
the worst problem you may encounter is a lot of very vocal complaining from your Siberian, a phenomenon your neighbors may not appreciate.

  Even in the coldest weather, your Siberian needs fresh clean water. Water in metal dishes freezes quickly, so try switching to a heavy plastic dish that will conserve heat better. Metal dishes pose another danger as well — your dog’s tongue could freeze to it in bitter weather. Ceramic or plastic is a better choice for the cold outdoors, and water in a deeper dish will stay liquid longer than in a shallow one. (It stays cooler in the summer also.) Choose a dark color for winter use, and use a lighter one in the summer.

  You will probably find that as the temperatures plunge, your Husky’s activity level rises. Even as you long to toast your toes before the fireplace, your dog will be urging you to come out and frolic with him in the subzero night. Strange creatures, aren’t they?

  Paying Attention to the Outdoor Husky’s Special Needs

  Even the heavily insulated Husky needs a house that provides protection from bitter winds, although he may go in it only rarely. Some Huskies prefer sleeping on top of their homes, while the wind whips through their fur. It’s a weird sight.

  Giving your Husky his own abode

  Good doghouse materials include plywood or heavy-duty plastic. (Siberians simply eat doghouses made of inferior materials.) One of plastic’s advantages is that it doesn’t hold odors the way wood sometimes does. If you paint the doghouse, use nontoxic paint. Despite all precautions, your Siberian will probably lunch on his doghouse from time to time, and you don’t want him to be poisoned from toxic paint.

  The best doghouses, homemade or store-bought, are equipped with an overhang in front of the door. The house should also have a flap over the door, which keeps heat in and wind out. A doghouse with a hinged top makes for easy cleaning.

  Other factors being equal, the doghouse door should be facing away from prevailing winds. (In most places, winds come from the northwest. So the door should be facing the southeast.) Put the house on blocks or a pallet to keep rainwater out. A well-constructed doghouse does not need to be heated.

  The opening of your Husky house should be narrow, just wide enough to allow the dog to get into the house. A narrow passage helps conserve warmth. The doghouse itself shouldn’t be too big either — you want it snug enough for your Husky’s body heat to warm it easily. Smaller areas conserve warmth. Your dog should be able to stand up, stretch out, and turn around, and that’s all. Remember: This isn’t your dog’s version of the Taj Mahal.

  For insulation, you can’t do better than clean, dry straw. It’s warm, cheap, and easily replaceable. Blankets or discarded coats are all right (if your dog doesn’t chew them up), but if they get wet, they tend to stay that way. Straw dries much more quickly, but it must be replaced every month or so. Don’t use fiberglass insulation in the doghouse if your dog can get to it; fiberglass is extremely irritating to dogs’ skin. Siberians really don’t need insulation at all. I like to throw cedar chips on the floor of the dog house; they smell wonderful and repel fleas.

  The roof of the doghouse should be flat. Siberians dearly love to sit on the roofs of their outdoor homes and observe the world from a higher vantage point. But don’t put the Husky house too near a fence, or he’ll jump over the fence and be gone before you know it.

  Helping your Husky avoid heat stress

  All dogs suffer the effects of extreme heat, but Siberians, because of their northern heritage and heavy coats, are particularly at risk. Because Siberians are working dogs with high energy levels, they are in danger of exercising or playing too hard in the hot weather. Old dogs, black dogs, and fat dogs are especially vulnerable to heat stress.

  Save the trees!

  Trees, of course, make wonderful shade. But many species of trees cannot tolerate dog urine day in and day out. So if you have decided to plant some trees inside your fenced yard for shade, choose a variety like poplar or green ash that can handle dog urine. Put a mesh wire around the tree while it is young, so your dog can’t get to the tree while it is taking root and getting established.

  If you have a prize plant or bush that cannot be easily moved to a dog-proof site, sprinkle it with mothball flakes. Do this every week or so until your dog becomes uninterested in the plant. You may have to put wire around the base of some young trees. One of our dogs chewed an ornamental crabapple nearly to death before we discovered what was happening.

  If you leave your dogs in the yard for any length of time in the summer months, have plenty of water and shade available. We built a wooden loafing shed (a large doghouse with one side open) for our dogs, where they can lie in straw and cedar bedding, comfortably at ease in the shade. Dogs don’t sweat, and direct sunlight can raise the temperature of a Siberian faster than you’d believe possible.

  Provide water in a heavy, no-tip bowl. To be extra safe, use two of them. Toss some ice cubes into the dog dishes during the summer. It keeps the water cool, and the dogs like to play with the cubes. In very hot weather, use a whole block of ice.

  An old tube cake pan makes a handy outdoor water dish. Just drive a wooden stake through the hollow center, and your rambunctious puppy can’t tip it over!

  Automatic dog waterers are a wonderful invention; they allow your dog to drink cool water whenever he wants. You can attach one right to your outdoor faucet or hose, eliminating worry about dog dishes tipping over, running out of water, or becoming foul.

  Because plenty of fresh water is a necessity, try a wading pool, like the one shown in Figure 5-1. Your Siberian will probably lie in the pool during the hottest days of the summer. Remember, however, that mosquitoes lay eggs in standing water, so dump the contents of the pool into your garden every night and use fresh water the next morning.

  If you have a puppy, do not leave him alone with a wading pool or even a deep bucket of water. Believe it or not, puppies have drowned in them.

  Figure 5-1: A child’s wading pool is a great place for your Husky to cool off in the heat of the summer.

  Jeanette and Dominic DiBalsi

  A product called Mist & Cool is great for outdoor dogs in the summer. It’s a portable dog cooling kit with an adjustable nozzle which sprays a fine mist, lowering the ambient temperature about 25 degrees. If your Sibe likes the idea, it’s a terrific way to ensure his comfort. Or you can get a cooling mat. One brand, The Polar Pad, is first soaked in water and then let dry on the outside. It will stay at 62 degrees for three days and doesn’t need refrigeration.

  While your dog is enjoying alfresco dining in the summertime, you may notice our little friends the ants sharing his dinner. You can avoid the situation by partly filling a big shallow pan with water and putting the pet dish like an island in the middle. (A commercial bowl on the market does the same thing.) The ants will drown trying to get to the food and your pet won’t get his nose pinched. This won’t work with those army ants you see in the horror movies, though. Those little suckers can make bridges out of their own bodies and get across that way. On the other hand, if you have hordes of army ants in your back yard, you have bigger worries than the pet dish. Call the Marines.

  Giving Your Pup the Exercise and Discipline He Needs

  Your pup’s first few days home should be times of affection and love, not necessarily the most rambunctious times he’ll have. But as he becomes more comfortable in your home, he’ll need exercise and discipline. So in these sections, I give you the basics on these essentials of puppy-rearing.

  Knowing when your Husky needs exercise

  Siberians need lots of exercise, particularly at the following times:

  Before a bath

  Before grooming and nail clipping

  Before you leave him home alone

  Before taking him in the car for a ride

  Before company comes

  Before he goes to bed

  When he wakes up

  When he looks bored

  In other words, most Siberians are desperately
in need of exercise almost all the time. This is part of the fun of owning a Siberian!

  Disciplining your puppy properly

  Discipline is not a punishment. Proper discipline means a happier, more tractable pet; it makes your own life easier as well.

  The first few days with your puppy are critical when it comes to discipline. Your new puppy is so cuddly that you may be tempted to let him do whatever he likes, thinking you can correct mistakes when he gets older. Why upset the sweet little thing when he’s so new, right? But be forewarned. If you don’t want your big dog to do something, don’t let your puppy do it either. Failure to observe this simple rule is one reason why so many Huskies end up in animal shelters or with rescue organizations.

  Your sweet little puppy has inherited the determined and obstinate nature of the persevering sled dog, and allowing him to run uncorrected will result in danger for him and heartache for you. Besides, your puppy actually wants to know what you expect of him. He is used to being nipped by his mother for improper behavior. He won’t hold it against you when you keep him in line. A dark glare and a firm “no!” works perfectly well.