inktomei

Thanks Malamum and Hillside for the reply. My dog Klondike walks very nicely on a leash; we run with him several times a week and he also does that very well. What I was afraid of when bicycling with him is that he might get too close to the bike and get hurt, or sees a rabbit(or other strong distraction) and suddenly jerks the leash, and so that brings me to the springer. Thanks to you guys for the advice!! :D

Hi all, As the weather is getting warmer here, I would like to start bicycling with my 2 1/2 year old Siberian Husky/GSD mix. I'm thinking of buying a device called "springer". Any springer owners here can give me some input on that? I've heard varying opinions but would like some input from actual owners here. Thanks!!

Thanks for the suggestion!

It's comforting to know that there are people out there that can actually identify. Thanks all. [quote name='K-9 Poofus'] Did you ever find the owner of that dog who attacked Nestle??[/quote] No, in fact we never found 'em. Animal Control couldn't do much other than go with what information we had given them. I really don't blame 'em. I and my wife had spent countless evenings walking our neighborhoods and other neighborhoods, talking to everyone and passing out flyers in hope that someone might have seen something or knew someone that had such and such dog. It's been 5 months now, but we're still searching. I only wanted the dog's owner to take responsibility for his action (or inaction). The dog was actually going after our Grandma when he got through with Nestle, and all these happened all but steps away from my driveway. Fortunately our neighbors came out and helped; the most important thing was no one got hurt. Even after this, I still believe that it wasn't that dog's fault; it was the owner being irresponsible. This is like a hole in my heart, as long as I don't find this person I'll always feel like I have done Nestle a disservice.

Hi all, My GSD/Husky mix has his basic obedience down pretty good. He can do sit, down, stay, come, and heel pretty much with just hand signals. I usually practice in the house as well as in the yard with him for about 20 minutes a day, everyday. We do great practicing on an empty football field and empty parking lot with a long lead. He would also sit and wait for my "ok" signal before he goes out the opened door to the backyard. One problem: when we go to the dog park or when he sees a rabbit in the yard, it is as if I'm invisible. With rabbits it is ok because the backyard is fenced in (he won't jump the fence even though he has the ability to). However, going to the dog park is a different story. He gets so excited playing with other dogs that he basically DOES NOT hear or see me. I've tried everything to lure him to me: offering big tasty treats, running in the opposite direction and acting funny, and blowing into a silent whistle (I have associated the sound of the silent whistle with cheese as a treat). One time he ran so fast and so far away (in the dog park) that we practically lost him for 20 minutes. While I understand that maybe I should keep him on the leash, but that basically would defeat the purpose of taking him to the dog park (he's extremely people and dog friendly). One of my acquaintances is a police dog trainer, and he recommended that I try using the E-Collar. I'm not opposed to any particular type of dog training method; as I believe that it's the trainer, not the tools that could make or break a dog. I've visited one of his E-Collar training courses and the dogs all performed spectacularly without having negative reactions to the stimulation. He had me personally feel the different levels of "stimulation" coming from the E-collar, and it was not a sharp pain but more like a static charge when you touch a car door in the winter. But I would really like to exhaust all other methods before trying the E-Collar. Can you guys offer me some advice as to what other methods I could try? I want him to have fun at the park BUT also be able to run back to me when I call (to keep him out of danger or from getting lost). Thanks guys. Ink

:x Sometimes I feel that the so called "experts" who evaulate dogs should have themselves evaluated first. I mean, HELLO!?! Like any dog is just going to sit there and let you poke a stick at 'em? Get real. Godspeed Killer! Run free and go where there is no more pain. :angel:

Maybe your dog was confused at we where he was? Like Kendalyn said, he might just be upset at being moved around or just confused at why he was there. When I adopted my GSD/Husky mix he was already housetrained. He had a large number of potty accidents in my house when I first got him though. I figured he was just trying to adjust to the new surroundings; and with some "retraining" he's reliably housebroken now. Maybe you should really try to work with him before you make a premature decision. Ink.

Rott'N'PIT, I totally understand how you feel. People fear what they don't know; they blindly believe what they read and see in the media. When I walk my dog, I see people dodging and avoiding us all the time. They dart across the street as soon as they see my "big bad dog" with his big tongue hanging wanting to say "hello". You see, I've never gone out with my dog in the public streets unleashed; I always put my dog into a "sit" when there's a passerby in a narrow sidewalk. The most important thing is that they're your babies! Nothing else matters! You have some beautiful doggies, keep it up! Ink. :D

In Loving Memory of our dog, Nestle. It

[quote name='Peng1zrule']sounds bored to me! you've got a rare husky, if he's calm enough to be left all by himself all day, and only occassionaly chews things. [/quote] LOL! Yeah, when we adopted him, we worried that he might be a bit much to handle. After a few weeks, we could definitely see the Husky side as well as the German Shepherd side of him. Whenever we dish out commands at him, he would obey in a heartbeat if there isn't much distraction (like at the dog parks). But his playful Husky personality immediately comes out as soon as he sees there are more attractive things to do! I've heard that Huskies hate water in general. But the lakes in the dog parks are his favorite places to be! I don't think he knows how to swim, but he would just run along the bank like a wild horse and splashing water everywhere!

You guys have been a great source of help! Thanks! I'll post some pics of that goofball later. :)

:D Thanks guys. I appreciate the input!

Hi guys, just wanted to post this here to get some opinions. I adopted a neutered, male, 20-month old Siberian Husky/German Shepherd mix named Klondike from a local shelter back in July of this year. We used to crate him during the day when both me and my wife were at work; it seemed like he was already crate-trained so he did great in it. My wife goes home around 1pm everyday to let him out potty, and she has done so consistently since we got him. Around mid-september we started to let him have free run of the house during the day when no one was home, and he also did great with no chewing and no potty accident. About 4 weeks ago, we would *occasionally* find sandals, video tape boxes(yes, just the boxes), or some other items chewed up. Most of the time he would just managed to get a video tape out of its box and just chewed up the box. These damages are minimal, so it isn't really the chewing that bothered me--it's the fact that he only chewed when we weren't home. I set up a digital camera to see what he does when no one's home, and it seems like he pretty much just spends his days napping and get up for a drink of water occasionally. One of my friends told me Klondike has separation anxiety, but it seems unlikely judging by the recording (that boy just naps and naps!) Four more points to note: 1.) We don't make a big deal out of coming home or leaving the house; we just do so casually to avoid making him anxious. 2.) He does not chew anything (except his chew toys) when we're home. 3.) He gets plenty of walk everyday (around 45 minutes to 1 hour); my wife also jogs with him 2 to 3 times a week. 4.) We take him to the dog park every week. He enjoys it a lot! These chewing episodes appear twice a week the most, and I admit that this was our fault--we should have been more careful with items which he could easily reach. So, what do you guys think? Should I just continue to crate him? Would he just "grow out" of this funky behavior as he gets older? Is crating a dog nine hours a day too much? We've had dogs that had absolutely no interest in chewing anything other than their own toys, but I understand that every dog is different. Sorry for such long-winded post. Any input is much appreciated!