No More Puppy Whinning

Behavior of Your Siberian Husky

Barking is a dog’s way of “talking,” and the Siberian Husky has so much to say that you may even hear him howl! It can be somewhat frustrating because it is not always easy to tell what a dog means by his bark—is he excited, happy, frightened, angry? Whatever it is that the dog is trying to say, he should not be punished for barking. It is only when the barking becomes excessive, and when the excessive barking becomes a bad habit, that the behavior needs to be modified. If an intruder came into your home in the middle of the night and the dog barked a warning, wouldn’t you be pleased? You would probably deem your dog a hero, a wonderful guardian and protector of your home. On the other hand, if a friend drops by unexpectedly and rings the doorbell and is greeted with a sudden sharp bark, you would probably be annoyed at the dog. But isn’t it just the same behavior? The dog does not know any better… unless he sees who is at the door and it is someone with whom he is familiar, he will bark as a means of vocalizing that his (and your) territory is being threatened. While your friend is not posing a threat, it is all the same to the dog. Barking is his means of letting you know that there is an intrusion, whether friend or foe, on your property. This type of barking is instinctive and should not be discouraged.

Excessive habitual barking, however, is a problem that should be corrected early on. As your Siberian Husky grows up, you will be able to tell when his barking is purposeful and when it is for no reason. You will become able to distinguish your dog’s different barks and with what they are associated. For example, the bark when someone comes to the door will be different from the bark when he is excited to see you. It is similar to a person’s tone of voice, except that the dog has to rely totally on tone of voice because he does not have the benefit of using words. An incessant barker will be evident at an early age.

The (Not) New Puppy—Enduring the Patience-Tester

And their captivating puppy breath is initially charming, and any minor faults such as the chewed laptop charger cord can seemingly be overlooked.   Sadly, by the time the pup is getting bigger, the crimes are getting more frequent and more severe, our patience withers and many surrender.  This is why most animal rescues and shelters report that the four months or so following Christmas is when they will have the highest volume of puppies turned in; families who took in a puppy at Christmas couldn’t take it. That is how we came to own Emma, our Dalmatian puppy, but she skipped the shelter scene (barely).  As a Christmas puppy, she was rehomed from one family to ours at 10 weeks old in the second week of January.  If their patience fizzled in only two weeks, wait until they see what she does now at seven months-old!  This blog post is for encouragement and suggestions for those who feel exhausted with their puppy.  Don’t opt for the shelter.  You can make it!

Most dog breeds do reach mental maturity at about two-years-old, and if you can push on until then, the rest will probably be a piece of cake.  Just because a dog is full grown doesn’t mean that mentally they can think or behave on the level of an adult dog.  Between now and then, consider your puppy as an investment.  Training , observation, interaction with other people and dogs, and behaviourist psychology are all investments that will bring about a better experience in this growing up process.

Biggest Tip: OBSERVE BEHAVIOURS and TAKE ACTION!

Puppies are mischievous and need almost non-stop observation for successful intervention.  Know where they are and what they’re into.   Everything within their view is a potential toy.  They aren’t born knowing the difference between a no-destroy item and toys.

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