I have an 8 month old, femaie, unfixed Husky. She is just a spoiled (with love, she's mostly trained) puppy who has NEVER EVER shown any aggression towards anybody before, if someone comes to my door, she's as happy to see them as she is when I arrive home. She has been VERY well socialized with cats, dogs and humans. Never has she growled at any human before, besides when we play tug of war. Everything I've read about Siberian Huskies, they do not make guard dogs and are not protective.

However, last night I was at a small party and I brought her along. She has seen the people there before and never had a problem with them before, she's happy to let anyone pet her. But, I got a bit intoxicated and at one point was sitting on the couch leaned back with my eyes closed. She hopped up and sat beside me, pressed up against my leg. The next thing I know, she is growling (a very low warning growl) and starts to bark at this guy who is coming towards me. I opened my eyes, and told everyone not to worry, she was just worried cause she knew I wasn't acting normally. Then I noticed while I was sitting on the couch, she would growl at anyone who came near me (she never snapped or tried to attack). Once I got up and was moving around again, she was fine and acted normally. I took her home a little later and she went to her crate, I crawled in to take her collar off, she gave me a low growl. I gave her a firm NO!. and she immediately stopped. I messed around with her a minute more to see if she would try it again and she did not.

My questions are: 1) Isn't she too young to show signs of protectiveness, 2) is that even what she was doing? 3) I did not correct her for growling at the others coming towards me because I like that she felt protective (especially since Huskies are not supposed to be), but should I have corrected her? 4) Was she just testing my limits when she growled at me? (fyi: the growl she gave me was NOTHING like the growls at the party, she gave me a quiet closed mouth, laying on the ground growl)
Could this be a sign of more serious trouble to come? Or is this just normal dog instinct?

Nobody can tell you what the dog was doing, people can guess, but I don't see a point in doing so.


If you don't want this to happen again, don't get plowed around the dog in groups of people. Correct the dog for showing inappropriate aggression. Continue to socialize the dog in groups in appropriate ways.

If you want this to continue, hit the beer bong and praise the dog when it acts out.




I'll offer this bit of wisdom that I have learned from personal experience. Dogs will generally act as stupid and random as their owners. If you get flamable drunk and are acting out of sorts, the dog will too.

Not generally a good combination, in my experience. . .although I'm not one to come down on drinking in front of your dog. I think a good percentage of the dog trainers on this board might have done something similar once or twice. LOL




http://www.kolobok.wrg.ru/smiles/drinks.gif

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The dog might just have been displaying remarkable degree of common sense.

Mike, You have a beautiful way of saying things. Thanks for brightening up my day <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

LOL. Remarkable degree of common sense....you are probably right. I hadn't planned on getting that drunk, and it didn't even cross my mind that that situation was too stressful for her. No she does not growl normally, that's why it surprised me and the thought of her reacting this way never crossed my mind. Live and learn.

I have had several dogs that growled or barked at people who had been drinking. If you were drinking, I imagine the others were also drinking, and that may have sparked the growls when they approached you. It is even possible that he sensed that you were vulnerable. My older dog is always more protective of me in our home if my husband is not there.