I got a puppy on Sat!

[mama24]

The people I got her from said both parents were fine with their chickens, cattle, horses, and rabbits. Even the Siberian Husky one. Maybe MOST huskies aren't great around other animals, and definitely not recommended, but there are exceptions to every rule!

 

[rsleghornchicki]

oh sorry...i just thought you should be warned because i would hate for that gorgeos little puppy to turn into a killer that would be a heartbraker

 

[mama24]

No! thank you for the warning! No need to apologize! I knew I was taking a risk when I got her, but since the owners said her parents were both great with all of their animals, I thought the chances she'd be good were higher. Plus, I think a lot of people mean Alaskan Malamutes when they say Husky, but this dog's parent was a Siberian Husky. They are much smaller and get along a lot better with other animals than Malamutes do. She is actually small and dainty, I would be surprised if she got bigger than 40lbs. They did tell me to expect her to be between 35-50lbs, but at first I didn't think that was accurate. Her paws are very small and dainty. I have chickens and goats. So far, she watches the chickens, but not in an aggressive way. She tried to be friendly with my goats the first time I took her out there, touched noses for a good sniff with my friendly doe, but then my mean goat tried to headbutt her and now she's scared of them. Poor baby! My son took her in with the baby chicks and she just laid down and let them walk on her! All good signs that she's going to be fine with our other critters.

I'm very happy with her so far. She is completely pee trained already with absolutely no effort on my part. She's had 1 pee accident since we brought her home on Sat. That's it. And so far she's 50/50 on pooping (3 inside, 3 out! lol) which I think is pretty amazing for an untrained 7 week old! She is playing a lot more now that she's used to us, and will play chase with my kids when they take her outside. But her working dog instincts seem to take over when I take her outside. She's all business. She walks right at my heel, and every time I stop, she sits next to me and watches me. It's VERY cute! I never ever had a puppy act like this! I truly did not realize how instinctive working dogs were! All of the dogs I've had in the past, I've had to work very very very hard to teach them heel and sit, etc, and potty training was a nightmare! I can't believe how easy she is! I got her some freeze dried liver treats and I'm starting to use them for positive reinforcement when she does things I like, like peeing outside, coming when I call, sitting calmly, etc. She's an absolute doll!

 

[mama24]

Here's a pic I took just now while sitting here! She follows me everywhere and lays down at my feet! I didn't even know puppies this young could be so calm, loyal, obedient, etc, etc!

 

[Creed Bennett]

She's a QT pie.

 

[mama24]

 

[Tigertrea]

No! thank you for the warning! No need to apologize! I knew I was taking a risk when I got her, but since the owners said her parents were both great with all of their animals, I thought the chances she'd be good were higher. Plus, I think a lot of people mean Alaskan Malamutes when they say Husky, but this dog's parent was a Siberian Husky. They are much smaller and get along a lot better with other animals than Malamutes do. She is actually small and dainty, I would be surprised if she got bigger than 40lbs. They did tell me to expect her to be between 35-50lbs, but at first I didn't think that was accurate. Her paws are very small and dainty. I have chickens and goats. So far, she watches the chickens, but not in an aggressive way. She tried to be friendly with my goats the first time I took her out there, touched noses for a good sniff with my friendly doe, but then my mean goat tried to headbutt her and now she's scared of them. Poor baby! My son took her in with the baby chicks and she just laid down and let them walk on her! All good signs that she's going to be fine with our other critters.

I'm very happy with her so far. She is completely pee trained already with absolutely no effort on my part. She's had 1 pee accident since we brought her home on Sat. That's it. And so far she's 50/50 on pooping (3 inside, 3 out! lol) which I think is pretty amazing for an untrained 7 week old! She is playing a lot more now that she's used to us, and will play chase with my kids when they take her outside. But her working dog instincts seem to take over when I take her outside. She's all business. She walks right at my heel, and every time I stop, she sits next to me and watches me. It's VERY cute! I never ever had a puppy act like this! I truly did not realize how instinctive working dogs were! All of the dogs I've had in the past, I've had to work very very very hard to teach them heel and sit, etc, and potty training was a nightmare! I can't believe how easy she is! I got her some freeze dried liver treats and I'm starting to use them for positive reinforcement when she does things I like, like peeing outside, coming when I call, sitting calmly, etc. She's an absolute doll!

Very few of my Huskies (I've had/bred/showed/raced them for over 20yrs) are "small animal approved". But, the ones I, personally, keep tend to be ok with my cats. (not other cats though). I work hard on it though when they are young. It does sound like her Aussie half will help with her being good with the chickens.

On the house training...don't be surprised if you see a "backslide" when she gets more comfortable with hear new environment. It doesn't always happen but, it often does. But, again, her aussie half may make things like training easier. I did have one Akita who's entire litter house trained themselves by 5 weeks of age! Seriously, even the breeder was in shock. The whelping pen would be dry/clean every morning and the pups screaming to get outside. The second they were they all went potty! My girl never did backslide and we never had even one accident in the house!

 

[mama24]

You were right about the potty backsliding. lol. But if I take her out every time she gets more active after being quiet, I catch her in time. But with 4 kids, and a dh who's never had a dog, I've been missing a lot. At least we have all hardwoods and so far she leaves the rugs alone! She'll get it eventually! She's already way better than my Am bulldog was at 6 months, so I'm quite happy!

She's much more active and playful now that she's used to us, but she's still the calmest pup I've ever had! And I am shocked at how well she herds chickens already. Lol. We have issues with the flock going into the neighbor's yard and she's quite good at helping us get them all out without letting any leave the group and run back, which is what used to always happen. 40ac, and they have to go into the neighbor's yard.

I ordered some runner ducks so hopefully we can give her some daily herding exercise to keep her happy when they're all grown up. We can herd them to the pond and back every day.

 

[BBAcres]

She is precious. I see a little Husky in her in that last photo where she is playing. I see it in her face. Enjoy!!

 

[kidcody]