My baby girl is depressed since my 7 chicks hatched yesterday.

[Kentuckyrain]

Yep. Seen it. Anything can turn into a baby. She might not be depressed, just wants to stay close to guard the snack bin. Has she ever been around chickens? She might be hanging out where you are hanging out seeking attention. If you have never noticed any resource guarding prior to this, and she has been around and "mothered" chickens, it suggests possible maternal aggression. Unless there is a high demand for Shep/HuskyX whatever breeds her mix in your area, I suggest you spay her. False pregnancies are quite frustrating for a dog and can lead to pyometria and mammary tumors. I hope I don't sound strong here. Possibly you've owned and raised Shepherds, Huskies and crosses for years. If not, these are both very strong instinctual breeds that can be quite difficult to manage. Especially when mixed.

Anything, has now turned into nothing. Now she is guarding an imaginary pup. No, she has never been around chicks, this is all new to her and us. No I have never had either breed b4.

 

[Mutt Farm]

Anything, has now turned into nothing. Now she is guarding an imaginary pup. No, she has never been around chicks, this is all new to her and us. No I have never had either breed b4.

Yikes. OK...breathe. For now, in the moment fix, take all coveted toys and play with her as often as you can. If she growls at you, you MUST win. Stomp at her, whatever., win. If she is challenging you you must let her know that you won't give in. I'll post some links tomorrow. PLEASE other folks reading this don't start an argument about what I just said. I'll explain further tomorrow.

ETA take all coveted tows AWAY. Play with her...

 

[Mutt Farm]

Anything, has now turned into nothing. Now she is guarding an imaginary pup. No, she has never been around chicks, this is all new to her and us. No I have never had either breed b4.

Hi. I'm back. Here are some links that might be helpful. I would suggest you get her fixed and take her to obedience classes if that is a possibility, I know sometimes it's not. Anyway, I sure hope this imformation will open and if useful to you. Good luck!
http://www.ddfl.org/sites/default/files/NILIF.pdf
http://www.ddfl.org/sites/default/files/dog-agg_0.pdf
http://www.orgsites.com/ca/pet-assistance/11DethroningtheCanineKing.pdf
http://www.orgsites.com/ca/pet-assistance/3RebelswithPaws.pdf
http://www.orgsites.com/ca/pet-assistance/15MineII.pdf

 

[Kentuckyrain]

Hi. I'm back. Here are some links that might be helpful. I would suggest you get her fixed and take her to obedience classes if that is a possibility, I know sometimes it's not. Anyway, I sure hope this imformation will open and if useful to you. Good luck!
http://www.ddfl.org/sites/default/files/NILIF.pdf
http://www.ddfl.org/sites/default/files/dog-agg_0.pdf
http://www.orgsites.com/ca/pet-assistance/11DethroningtheCanineKing.pdf
http://www.orgsites.com/ca/pet-assistance/3RebelswithPaws.pdf
http://www.orgsites.com/ca/pet-assistance/15MineII.pdf

Thank you so much for the links! I will definately get her fixed b4 her next heat cycle as well.

 

[Kentuckyrain]

ETA take all coveted tows AWAY. Play with her...

I took them all away and put them up. Just doing that alone has improved her behavior and she actually wanted to go for a ride with me in the truck today. She has not wanted to do this for about a week since the chicks were born. I also moved all the chicks outside in their brooder and my dog has stopped her crazy whining/crying and hiding. I have had her since she was a puppy and trained her very well, she has not had to use a leash outside at all this summer and has listened to me and my husband. She has in the past even chased deer/squirrels/foxes and rabbits across our back yard but stops right at the property line of my neighbors when I tell her too. I don't have a fence up or an invisible fence or anything. We had just been working with her since the snow melted this past spring and she has accomplished a lot. She knows the names of all her toys, and she knows the names of the wild animals she has chased in our back yard.

She has never been aggressive in the past, just started this behavior when the chicks hatched last Thursday.

 

[Mutt Farm]

I took them all away and put them up. Just doing that alone has improved her behavior and she actually wanted to go for a ride with me in the truck today. She has not wanted to do this for about a week since the chicks were born. I also moved all the chicks outside in their brooder and my dog has stopped her crazy whining/crying and hiding. I have had her since she was a puppy and trained her very well, she has not had to use a leash outside at all this summer and has listened to me and my husband. She has in the past even chased deer/squirrels/foxes and rabbits across our back yard but stops right at the property line of my neighbors when I tell her too. I don't have a fence up or an invisible fence or anything. We had just been working with her since the snow melted this past spring and she has accomplished a lot. She knows the names of all her toys, and she knows the names of the wild animals she has chased in our back yard.

She has never been aggressive in the past, just started this behavior when the chicks hatched last Thursday.

That is wonderful! You don't need a trainer. As @sourland suspected seems to be false heat maternal aggression. It's a tough mix. High prey drive. And Huskies btw never aim to please. If you'll get her fixed and be sure she knows she works for you, not vice versa, ( the links I sent) happy ending! I'd love to see a pic of her...

 

[Kentuckyrain]

That is wonderful! You don't need a trainer. As @sourland suspected seems to be false heat maternal aggression. It's a tough mix. High prey drive. And Huskies btw never aim to please. If you'll get her fixed and be sure she knows she works for you, not vice versa, ( the links I sent) happy ending! I'd love to see a pic of her...

She is has been hiding/spending all her time in her cage now for no reason. She used to sleep on my bed with me but I also have a very large cage/crate by my bed and only put her in there when she is home alone, which is NOT often. She spent ALL DAY in her cage. I had to force her to come out to go potty and eat. Once outside, she plays and acts normal until stop for only a minute distracted by either the chickens, garden, yard, laundry, etc. then she runs back in and runs to her cage. I have no experience with false labor. I am going to make sure she is fixed soon, her next cycle should be around xmas so I do have time. What is false labor? She has not had any contact with any male dogs,,,only females.

 

[Kentuckyrain]

Also, for some reason, she keeps putting her ears down, anytime me or hubby walk by or even look at her. I just can't figure out what is wrong. She has not been disciplined so I don't understand what she is thinking. She does whine alot for NO reason that we can think of,, and she keeps licking her privates but I can't see anything wrong with it for her to keep licking it so much. Her last heat was in the beginning of July. Her 2nd heat was her last heat.

So she actually came out of "hiding" and jumped on my bed. I just happened to walk by her to go to the bathroom, did not even make eye contact with her, and as soon as I entered the bedroom, she jumped off the bed and ran in her cage.

She does come out of her cage if we are eating, but that is only "meat" cooked that she can smell, she won't come out when I have a salad, but if I cook any meats, she comes out and acts "normal" until the kitchen is cleaned up, then she runs back in her cage.

If these are signs of false pregnancy, then it would all make sense to me. ??

 

[Kentuckyrain]

I'd love to see a pic of her...

Her as a puppy when I first got her,,,


Her now, or a month ago,,,

 

[Kentuckyrain]

Right or wrong,,, I believe she is having the false pregnancy,, so ,,,, I gave her 2 chicks 7 days old,, she is LICKING THEM TO DEATH, well not to death,, but loving them and licking them so very clean,, ugh,,, hope this goes well???????????????

Edit to say, I believe that helped. She seems like she is back to normal, and she really enjoys going outside with me to feed/water the chicks.