I just bought a house. We’ve been in it now for one week. Most of you know that Gypsy has been in training to help get her over her dominance aggression towards other dogs. She’s been coming along very well, and at the dog park has even allowed three or four off leash dogs to approach her with no growling or other aggressive displays.


The neighbors that live behind us have two dogs; a yellow lab-looking dog and a white shepherd/wolf-looking dog. It is white with a gray saddle, and its tail curls up over its back, so it’s not a full shepherd I don’t think; it might be a husky/shepherd. Anyway, Gypsy has seen it a couple of times when I have taken her outside to go to the bathroom, but it had never left its yard – until yesterday evening.


Gypsy has been wearing the remote collar during the day, so that we don’t have to take her outside on a leash. There is a fence around the yard, but it’s only on three sides, and in the back where I let her use the bathroom there’s a break in the fence where a livestock gate used to be. She wears the e-collar in case she tries to exit the yard, or if we encounter another dog and she shows any signs of aggression.


Well, yesterday evening I let her out to go potty, and it just so happened that I didn’t grab the remote on the way downstairs to let her out (not that it would have done any good had I needed it because Adam had turned it off at some point during the day because he said the flashing light on the collar kept getting on his nerves :rolleyes: ). She went out and peed, and was looking for a place to poop when all of a sudden the white shepherd-thing was beside her. I was in my socks at the basement door. They postured around each other with hackles up, but there was no growling, so I didn’t stress too much over it. The other dog’s owner was yelling for it to come back, but of course it was deaf to that. She finally walked over and grabbed at her dog’s collar, at which point it ATTACKED Gypsy! The other dog’s owner started yelling and hollering “Stop it! Stop it! Oh my God!” while her dog snarled and growled and Gypsy was yelping and crying (the noise was awful). They didn’t stay in one place, either; they went in big circles around the other dog’s owner. The whole time the other dog was on top of Gypsy. At one point the other dog had ahold of the fur on Gypsy’s shoulder and yanked a big clump of it out. The whole thing lasted probably about 5 or 6 seconds before the other dog’s owner’s husband came running over and managed to kick his dog off of Gypsy. I called Gypsy over to me and she came trotting right over, tail wagging (dumb dog). I felt her over and the other dog’s owner asked if she was okay and began apologizing profusely and told her husband he better beat their dog. He said, “Oh she KNOWS she’s getting beat.” She was lying on the ground at his feet whimpering and whining (he wasn’t doing a thing to her) and he had to actually drag her kicking and screaming back out of our yard, across the dirt road, across their yard, and up the steps onto their porch and into their house. She was screaming bloody murder the entire time, even though he wasn’t doing anything to her. I found no wounds on Gypsy; I told the other dog’s owner I’d have to check her over inside where there was light, but I didn’t think she was hurt. Gypsy acted like she wanted to go back and play with the other dog – she was completely unfazed by it all! The other dog’s owner was still apologizing when I took Gypsy inside. Of course she was fine, and when we went in, she grabbed one of her squirrellies and wanted to play. About 10-15 minutes later, the other dog’s owner came over to make sure Gypsy was okay. When Adam answered the door, Gypsy sat back next to me just-a-wagging her tail as hard as she could. She was about to bust wanting to go to the door! We told her Gypsy was fine, and she said she felt just horrible about it. She introduced herself and said that this certainly wasn’t a good way to meet the neighbors. We introduced ourselves and Gypsy, and the neighbor squatted down on the porch and opened her arms to Gypsy and said hello to her. Gypsy looked up at me like “Can I go? Can I go?!!” and I told her to go on, and she went right up to the neighbor and just loved all over her.


There's a lot of "coulda, shoulda, woulda's" here, but I’m glad it turned out that no one was hurt, but I just hope it didn’t set us back in our training. I kind of think it won’t since Gypsy pretty much stayed on the losing end, but I’m going to call the trainer today and discuss it with him and see what he thinks we should do. I was thinking maybe we need to have them leash their dog and let me walk Gypsy up and down that dirt road to see what she will do, but I’ll ask the trainer first.

Originally posted by Kristen Cabe:
The other dog’s owner was yelling for it to come back, but of course it was deaf to that. She finally walked over and grabbed at her dog’s collar, at which point it ATTACKED Gypsy! That behavior is typical of huskys. The dog did not see it as if she was being pulled away she saw it as if your dog were retreating and so she attacked. The worst thing you can do with huskies growling at each other is pull them apart, they both will attack thinking the other is retreating, nothing like having two snarling attaking dogs one by the collar in the left hand and one by the collar in the right hand. Once they are in that mode it is damn hard to break it up. That is a trait your neighbours are not going to be able to break that dog of, but they should learn how to handle it. Once the dogs know each other it should calm down, with the exception being around food. Huskies can be very food aggressive.

Kristen wrote: because Adam had turned it off at some point during the day because he said the flashing light on the collar kept getting on his nerves

I'd suggest that if the flashing red light is so bad that it's getting on someone's nerves, that you either turn the Ecollar around on the dog's neck so the red light faces the other way or cover it with a piece of duct tape. That way, if you need it, you have it.

Perhaps a good thing to do is to "hook" the neighbor up with your trainer.I would also fix that part of the fence.

That behavior is typical of huskys. The dog did not see it as if she was being pulled away she saw it as if your dog were retreating and so she attacked. The worst thing you can do with huskies growling at each other is pull them apart, they both will attack thinking the other is retreating, nothing like having two snarling attaking dogs one by the collar in the left hand and one by the collar in the right hand. Once they are in that mode it is damn hard to break it up. That is a trait your neighbours are not going to be able to break that dog of, but they should learn how to handle it. Once the dogs know each other it should calm down, with the exception being around food. Huskies can be very food aggressive. Thomas, that post was so far from the truth that I truly question your knowledge of the Siberian Husky. I can tell you after 20 years of owning and rescuing Sibes, they are not dog aggressive as a rule, they are no more food aggressive than any other breed, and attacking when retreating can happen with ANY breed of dog that is poorly socialized and animal aggressive.
If any of the above was actually true, mushers would have a hell of a time putting a team together, now wouldn't they :rolleyes: ?

What seemed like a horrible fight to you was probably mostly more of a ritual to the dogs. That would explain why there were no injuries and your dog didn't seem upset. I'm glad it didn't turn out worse. Isn't it amazing that from the decibel level you'd think one of the dogs is going to be in pieces and it turns out everything is fine.

I am with Laura on this one. I know this is not a thread on the nature of the Siberian Husky and I do not want to get off track, but let's make one thing clear. As Laura stated this in not breed specific behavior it is individual because of the dogs tendency to be dog aggresive. I would hate for someone to read your comment about Sibes and then totaly be turned off to the breed. Sibes ARE NOT typically dog aggresive, and for the most part will turn themselves inside out trying to play with another dog. Unless there is some serious behavior or mental problem they will not even initiate a fight. I have had many more issues dog on dog with my GSD pup than my Sibe. It took alot more work to get her socialized and accepting of other dogs than it did with him. What helped the most was that my Sibe is a good teacher and extremly tolerant of her puppy insanity, so no what you said could not be farther from the truth where this breed is concerned. Remember Sibes are working dogs and must be able to function in a group so if this was typical the whole sport of mushing would have fell by the way side a long time ago.

Laura, Ann, take two siberians that are growling at each other and try pulling them away from each other and see what happens. They will attack.
Now that does not mean that huskies are snarling animals that attack at a drop of a hat, or that they can not get along in a team. My experience is that they are sweet dogs and not prone to attack, but when they do fight they fight hard.
And huskies are food agressive, they have to be it is in their nature. Now the more "show" and the less go their is in the dog the less food agression it may have. But to get back on track, the purpose of my response was not to slam huskies but to explain to someone why a husky mix would attack as it is being pulled back. Whether you like what it says about the breed or not, if you pull two huskies that are showing agression towards each other apart, they will attack the instant they perceive the other dog to be in retreat.

Lou, I'm not worried about that light on the collar, and believe me, Adam will NOT be turning it off for that reason again. He got a severe tongue-lashing afterwards. I mean, HELLO! The collar is on her during the day for two reasons; to correct her for going out of the yard or for showing aggression towards other dogs.


Candace, while hooking them up with my trainer sounds like a good idea, I doubt it would do any good. For one, I doubt they could afford it; and for two, I doubt they'd actually do it even if they COULD afford it. They're just that type of people.


Pamela, I realized it was all just noise even as it was going on. Dog fights like this rarely result in bloodshed; I know that. The biggest thing that upset me about it was that I was afraid that it would set us back in our training her how to behave around other dogs.


Laura and Ann, I think the only reason Thomas mentioned anything about huskies is because I said I thought the dog was a GSD/husky mix. I honestly do not think he was 'slamming' the breed.


I called and left a message for the trainer yesterday, but I have not heard back from him. He may have already gone to Charlotte.

Well Thomas again not to over ride the purpose of this thread I will state to you that I have on many occasions pulled dogs apart ( maybe stupid on my part :rolleyes: ) and Sibes have given me no more problems than any other dog. If these are dogs that have been trained then when you say "IT'S OVER" then that is exactly so. Any dog that has no training could show the behavior you describe on retreat. Sibes are no more food aggresive than any other dog and as with all the dogs I work with what I give I WILL take away not matter what breed of dog it is. The point I am making here is that what happened is individual behavior issues not breed specific. I don't know how much experience you have with the Siberian Husky or if you are talking about show lines instead of working lines, but Laura and I both can tell you, you do not have the right information on the breed what so ever, or maybe you have just encounted the "WORST" of them which can be present in any breed. Kristen I am very glad your dog showed no adverse affects from this. My Sibe has been attacked more than once by loose dogs while on our walks and he too just takes it in stride and is still very good with other dogs. Shame on that owner for not having a better handle on their dog, (no matter what breed it is)accidents happen but I get pretty angery when people can't or will not controll their dogs. To state to you that it was being taken home and BEAT, whether that was just talk or not but the way you described the dogs behavior in conjunction with the owner I think he meant BEAT in the literal sense. You know some people just should not own dogs at all and I think this might be one of those people.