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i posted a while ago about my 7 yr old husky occassionaly nipping people when out on walks, she has stepped up her agression a bit and i need help! i have had her nearly 2 weeks,i rehomed her from a couple who did not have enough time for her.i was told she growled occassionaly when she didnt want to do something but never bitten. i was at my mums house yesterday(she has never been in my mums house before and my mum has 3 dogs which where the other side of a stairgate) and my sister was showing me how to put a harness on, and my husky skye growled and went to bite her, i told her firmly no, and she did it again.as i went to leave the house my youngfer sister approached quietly to say goodbye, and she growled and went to bite her, she also went to bite me when i tried to put the harness on, this has really worried me as i have a young child-although they are never together and seperated at all times. she is fine now at home and has not growled since,but i am worried about taking her out in public if she is growling and trying to bite(she hasnt actually growled at anyone in public just at my mums house and my partner on one occassion) i cannot afford a behaviourist and she is generally a fun dog to have and very loving to me and has never been aggressive with my child.im not sure what to do or why sghe does this? i dont know too much about her past apart fronm that she lived in the ladies garden for a while. this shocked me as she has never done this before,do i just carry on as normal at home and muzzle her when out? i dont want to give up on her,she is such a sweetie and i dont want to just rehome her again




It would be unwise to attempt to offer advice on dog-human aggression without seeing exactly what is going on. There are various types of aggression and several things which may trigger an aggressive response. You really must consult an accredited behaviourist who has considerable experience in this area. Your vet will be able to give you a referral (you should consult your vet first anyway to rule out physical causes). In the meantime, if she is likely to bite then she should be muzzled.




It is not something I would expect of a Sibe, first get the vet to check her over to make sure she is not ill or in pain. If she is declared fit I think it may be that she is scared but if she has always been thus or it is because she is in a strange home with strange people I don't know. Would make sure everything is calm around her and that you take new experiences slowly like you would with a puppy, try to spend some time with her on your own and have a little play and a little love and a little training, keep it light and happy remembering that a Sibe will become bored quickly so keep the training short and frequent.

Sadly if she is not showing signs of improving in a month I would think you had better decide if she is the dog for your family. Do you know who bred her may be they can offer you some help.

As SB has said whilst I was posting it is not right to give advice on this sort of problem without being able to see for yourself, so take care and never push your luck, until you have an idea how far she is prepared to go wear thick jeans and lose tops so if the worse comes to the worse it will be the clothing that is damaged and not you.




Hello becky ive just been reading your post and do feel for you i would hate to be in your position ,i dont know if you know that battersea dogs home have a behavorist helpline , and i think they have a website, which you might find useful , for myself i think your very brave as you say you dont know much about the dogs background and she certainly sounds scary , but then im a coward anyway good luck.




Hi Becky as the other members say it it is hard to comment without seeing the body language and knowing the full story...there could be many reasons for Skys behaviour from being over playful... behaviour that went unchecked from when she was a puppy, to protective or fearful aggression.
You say you have only had her for two weeks,that she is ok with your child and they are always separate, there may come a time when they are together and until you know more about the possible causes of the behaviour I would never trust her with your child..
Can you try to find out a little more about her from the rescue ...how long was she there and what was her behaviour like with them, was it assess prior to rehoming ? You really do need some professional help. For the moment until you see the vet and get help I would try introducing NILF ...