Ann, any dog could show that behavior on retreat; my point is that it is a behavior that is not uncommon in huskies. I have seen it countless times. I have seen it enough that I was able to guess the rest of the story after Kristen mentioned it was a husky cross. You may not agree with my own observations, but the bite statistics related to sled type dogs(and mixes) shows that the behavior is in there. The fact that many sled clubs also have strict agression rules should also speak for itself.

As far as huskies and food agression, if it will make it clearer I will call it "food drive". Huskies that did not have it would not survive on the the tundra. Its also the reason that many food manufacturers use huskies to sell and research their goods.

Just to make things clear, I am not slamming the breed, and when I think husky I don't think agressive dog. But when I do see an agressive husky I know that it is going to attack when it is pulled back by its owner.

Well it is obvious that your mind is made up Thomas :rolleyes: unfortunate as that may be. What I want to know is what Food Drive has to do with food aggresion or Kristens dog and what happened? Did you think that other dog veiwed her as food? Anyway it was obvious to me that Kristens dog is making progress because she was not the aggreser in this situation. Of course if left unattended I think she would have defended herself and rightly so, but she was not the one initiating the fight. The other thing is too that nothing was happening except some posturing before the female owner entered the picture so it might have just been a case of owner gaurding and not attack on retreat. When the male owner stepped in probably because the dog is terrified of him the whole thing stopped. I will have to be a bit more watchful the next time I take my Sibe to the nursing home for his therapy visits in regaurd to the elderly giving him treats because OH MY GOD his food drive might make him take off one of their digits. And the next time my toddler decides to sit in the middle of his food dish I will have to watch to see if he veiws him as part of his dinner :rolleyes: Kristen sorry I got off track here with your thread but I do not like people classifing dog behavior to specific breeds instead of just saying it was an individual dog problem. I think your girl did good because like I said she did not start the battle. Talking to your trainer is a good idea and hoepfully she will just take this in stride and you won't have any ill effects from it. Well gotta go get my KILLER HUSKY ready for his weekend visit to a pediatric cancer patient who by the way likes to share his snacks with him <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> , I guess I should let them know to gear the kid up with a full face mask just in case the FOOD DRIVE KICKS IN <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Wow, Ann, you must be reading some other "Thomas'" posts. Maybe you should reread my posts and this time without being on the defensive. If you would, you would see why I mentioned food aggression. Just to make it simple, here is what I said’ "Once the dogs know each other it should calm down, with the exception being around food. Huskies can be very food aggressive " Ann, if you don't think that is something Kristen should be watchful for in this instance, then speak up and back it up by offering to pay the vet bills if you are wrong.

As far as my mind being made up, I just weigh the evidence based on my observations. I am not going to ignore those observations just because you DESIRE me to believe you. If you want to give some counter data to what I have seen, fine. Probably the most effective way you could start is by explaining how your position fits in with the high number of "sled dog" bite statistics in the CDC study and why Sled dog clubs have such tuff anti-aggression policies for something that supposedly is not an issue in the breed.

I have no problem with you "defending" the breed, but when it interferes with giving someone a helpful, prudent warning, I think it crosses an ethical line.

Well Thomas the reason I did not bring it up to Kristen is because where would food enter into the picture between the two dogs? I really don't think she was going to ask the dog over to share Beer and Popcorn with her dog. The issue at hand and why she was asking for ideas was because of the actions of the neighbors dog in reference to the reactions of hers. Obvioulsy her dog is making progress and I doubt anyone with any common sense would feed the two dogs together or expect them to share a bone NO MATTER WHAT KIND OF DOG IT IS. The other thing about your comment on Musher's Clubs in regard to aggresion policy. Any good Kennel Club has a policy on AGGRESION, at least anyone that I have ever belonged to, and it is pretty much the same as most sled dog clubs. Yes it might be true about the what you read on the CDC but understand this we are assuming that this dog was a GSD/Husky mix (which the word Husky is used in reference to many northern breeds or breeds with curly tails and fluffy fur :rolleyes: not just the Siberian) it is very possiable that it could be a Malmute/GSD, Sammy/GSD, or even a Wolf Hybird, we do not know for sure and when bites are reported that is the information the CDC uses and I know this to be true because I work with our local AC on a regular basis,dogs that bite are reported as such "HUSKY TYPE" "GSD TYPE" "PIT BULL TYPE" etc... some of the actual reported cases were left to the judgement of the AC Officer to decide what kind of dog it was and not all of them are knowledgable enough to know what the dog acctually is they just make an assumption of how the dog looks or from information the owner gives them. In the state I live many people still choose to own Wolf Hybrids and when a bite is reported, they say that their dog is a Husky Mix, because it is illegal to own wolf hybrids and to save their skin even more they use the closest description possiable. I am not going to argue this with you anymore. I respect your opinion of the breed, and you already know what mine is. I live and work these dogs daily and my neighbors dogs are not at any greater risk because of them than they would be with any other breed of dog who shows signs of being dog aggresive.

Ann, you are right food would never enter the picture with two dogs that share a fence line. Silly of me to even consider that, or even bother mentioning it. Now I see the light and will from now on be a staunch defender of honor of Huskies. And in that light I must hold Kristen to task for mentioning that the problem dog was a Husky mix, shame shame. Furthermore I will completely close my eyes to the CDC data, and not even consider that all those "similar" sled type dogs are alike genetically and were bred for similar purposes and therefore have similar tendencies. I will also ignore the genetic closeness of the wolf and the husky. And I won't even consider how crossing with a husky may bring out nasty issues that are tempered in a purebred. I will close to my eyes to the fact that a sled club would not need an anti-aggression policy if aggressive dogs did not make for good teams.

Ok sarcasm off, I don't like being sarcastic but maybe it will do a better job of getting the idea across, even if it does risk being slightly offensive. Its pretty sad when we have to be so PC that we can't even answer people's questions without fearing offending the sanctity of an entire breed or even having our own love of that breed called into question.

Well Thomas I am sure Kristen is just so happy she started this thread and it got sooooo off topic. I for one am ashamed of myself for letting it get this far. If it is not offensive to the moderators or Ed I would like to open a new thread and we can discuss your opinions along with others who I am sure will shed new light on the subject of northern breeds? Are you up for it. I have the time and the knowledge to back up what I say so bring it on <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

I am always willing to listen to facts and data, if you want to post or email me I'm fine with that. It did shoot off on a tangent and it should not have.

for ann and thomas: could you two guys, please take this mess to an e mail,or p m level? the caustic smoke is getting to me. thanks , just jt p.s. i don't think anyone here gives a tinker's dam about huskys any how.

Hi Kristen. If you're still reading along....

I second the motion to finish off the fence line. Fences of course don't negate the need for the types of training you are doing, nor is any containment system 100% fail safe. That being said, I have personally never regreted a single penny I've spent on fencing. It vastly improves the odds of avoiding something bad happening in your own back yard.

Best wishes to you and your dog in your new home!

Beth

Beth: MOST DEFINATELY the fence is going to be finished. No arguement there; it's just a matter of money at the moment.

And Thomas, the fenceline isn't shared; there's about 10 feet of grass (which is still my yard) and a one-lane dirt road between my fence and the neighbors' yard. They just let their dog out without a leash or fence or anything and stand on the porch and say its name over and over in a "menacing" tone (like the tone you would use if you were daring your young child to disobey you) until it goes to the bathroom and returns to the porch -- or decides to run off, whichever comes first.

This morning I had taken Gypsy out to go to the bathroom before I left for work and I'll be durned if the neighbor's wife didn't come to their door, look out at me, wave, and then let their dog out too! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> I just walked over to where I was between them and Gypsy, and able to deliver a swift kick should I need to. I also had the remote for Gypsy's collar (which WAS turned on). Luckily for their dog, it chose to stay in their yard, though it did stand and look intently in our direction for about 60 seconds or so before deciding to pee and go back in.

I mentioned to my husband lastnight that we could string some fishing line or electric wire or something across the break in the fence, but he said that if their dog got hurt on it, it would go against our homeowners. Grrrrrr