Hello everyone,

Its been 5 months (maybe 6?) since Suka passed away. It still hurts sometimes.

We had a discussion as a family, and besides some money issues (we're still a few grand in debt from Suka's chemotherapy expenses, and they were covered 80%), everybody feels they are emotionally and mentally (and physically) ready for another dog.

And what do you know, I stopped by the shelter today, just to take a peek, and I saw a (approx) 1 year old black lab (mix), female. She's a bit nervous around new strangers and new dogs, but she warms up to them quickly. She knows a few commands (responds to her name, 'Daisy'), and knows how to sit and shake a paw. So clearly she was owned by somebody else, but she was found as a stray, so not sure on the situation going on there. She's mostly black, but she has a white mark on her chest that I think is pretty common in labs. 

She responded to her name and she sat for me in the busy and loud kennel area, and she smelled each of our hands and licked a few. She seems a little nervous/cautious, but they also said she was excitable, outgoing, and very friendly. 





She hasn't been spayed yet, but she'll be spayed before she leaves with us (if we're approved to adopt her), its their standard procedure. I wanted to wait a little bit, as I know if you wait longer there's less problems, but at 1 year she should have had atleast 1 heat, right? If not 2? So she should be fine?

She may or may not be housetrained, hopefully she is, but if not...maybe you guys here can give me some help? On the housetraining thing (if it does start to be an issue), crate training (since she is young, we're considering it), food/nutrition since she's still growing, and any other problems that may come up. I know she isn't a husky, but I still consider everyone here as my family, and I don't want to leave for a Labrador retriever board.

She's only a year old, so she's probably in a fear period, right? What do I do? We've never had a dog this young before, so we don't know what we should do, what things we shouldn't do.

That would certainly explain why she was labelled as 'scared and nervous' at the shelter, I hope any bad experiences she's had at the shelter (if any), won't affect her for life. 

But anyways, we completed the application process today. There was a bit of a fiasco, they want a fully fenced in yard...but ours is 3/4 fenced in by other neighbours, and we use a 50 ft tether. But they didn't want the tether, so we're going to have to think up of hopefully inexpensive fence solutions or we might not be approved. I swear, that adoption process was like an interview, it wasn't that intensive when we got Suka from them!

All in all, I'm very excited. A little guilty that we're getting another dog, but Suka has been gone for 5ish months. You have to move on at some point, right? We're never going to forget him, he was such a great dog.  

 

 

 

Edited May 10, 20169 yr by Elyse

Good luck with it all , she's cute! U know we'll all help best we can husky or not

She's beautiful! Labs are a lot easier to train than Huskies! Most of them naturally wants to please you all the time and they catch on pretty quick

I'd say crate training would be a definite yes! It's just so useful down the road and easier to do while they are young. Also a Labs recall can be trusted (usually) so a cheap fence should be ok while she gets to know her new home. Good luck and fingers crossed!

Good luck!  Hopefully everything works out!

Some rescues are a lot more strict than others.  I occasionally do home visits for 2 different husky rescues in my area, and while the both have some pretty involved forms to fill out, one of them is way more strict.  If the person does not have a fence that is husky-proof it is almost an automatic disqualification.  Personally I feel that as long as they give a loving home and are experienced in husky ownership it should not matter.  I do just fine having my 3 in a townhouse!

 

Elyse she is beautiful.  Suka will always be in your heart but you have enough love to give to another x

39 minutes ago, Jay said:

Good luck!  Hopefully everything works out!

Some rescues are a lot more strict than others.  I occasionally do home visits for 2 different husky rescues in my area, and while the both have some pretty involved forms to fill out, one of them is way more strict.  If the person does not have a fence that is husky-proof it is almost an automatic disqualification.  Personally I feel that as long as they give a loving home and are experienced in husky ownership it should not matter.  I do just fine having my 3 in a townhouse!

 

Yeah problem is some are too strict with most people and then they go and rehome a Husky with cats and small dogs (who they know are not good with them) just because the person donated a lot of money their way... 

I feel like you that they should take the possible future owner's willingness to care for the dog and do everything in their power to take good care of it into account more than the fence etc. I know of many dogs who live perfectly happy in apartments and their owners take them everywhere, byt people with huge fenced in yards never even play with their dogs!

exactly, when I do a home visit I take everything into account but I am not unrealistic.  As long as I feel the husky would be in good hands and safe. 

We went to visit her today and saw her outside interacting with all the other dogs there.

We also did some talking. An inspector is coming over (maybe today) to look at our backyard, and to tell us what he wants. Let's hope things go well, fingers crossed! 



 

Very exciting news, wishing you all the best Elyse. Good luck. Xxx

Sent via the power of telepathy.

We were approved, no fence needed. The tether we still have up is fine!

She'll be spayed and given her shots (+ microchip), then we can pick her up in about a week or so. Maybe less.

So excited!

Great news xxxxx

Elyse, so happy for you. She will have a good home. Nothing like giving a dog a second chance and a forever home.

Thank you everyone, I'm excited too. But also nervous. 

Here's another picture of her.




I'm starting to get cold feet, we've never had a dog this young before, and I think there's a lot of training to be done before I go back to school in 3.5 months (My Dad works full time and has a heart disorder as well as diabetes and other problems that haven't been fully diagnosed yet, and my Mom has a mental disorder so she can't train Daisy). 

I've joined a few Labrador specific boards (I felt a little bad for the 'treason', but I want to do what's best for Daisy and for my family) to ask some questions, but I figured I might as well see what you guys think too. Copy and pasted message is below:

"I'll just cut to the chase. I'm headed off to my last year of university in September, so my Dad would like for me to do the following with her before then. He has heart problems and he doesn't have confidence in his ability to train, while my Mom has a mental disorder so she won't be able to train the big stuff. On-going training of 'minor stuff' she can do (heeling training, probably fetch training), just nothing major. 

This list is 'ideal', the prioritized ones are starred.

- Clicker train her (if necessary)
- * Housetrain her (if necessary) : how does one go about housetraining a young adult dog?
- * Crate train her
- If she is excitable enough that she runs in the house (she ran around like crazy in the outdoor dog pen), how stop that behaviour so she only runs around outside (trotting is okay, as long as she doesn't knock things over)
- Train her to play fetch
- * Train her to accept/tolerate car rides (either driving for long distances, or waiting in the car for longer periods of time...obviously making sure it is safe for her to do so. (if necessary)
- Train her to walk well on a leash (heeling, no pulling)
- *The family likes to sit down and relax in the evenings, usually watching TV. How can I encourage her to relax in the evenings as well? 




Is it possible to have all (or most) of the above trained within 3.5 months before I go back to school? My school is 6 hours away, so its not like I can pop in every now and then. 

Also, I need more general information on what we can expect from her. How much exercise would she need in a day? What breed do you think she is mixed with? 

Would an hour walk(at least) per day (+ 15-30 minutes of fetch) be enough? She would have a pretty big fenced yard to run around in (I don't have the exact dimensions, but the backyard is atleast 80ft by 60ft), would she run around by herself to burn her energy or does she need a person?

I've heard a lot about clicker training, and I'm interested. The only problem is that I know my Mom and Dad will probably not even touch the clicker when I leave for school, so if I use a clicker to train her (which I heard is the easiest method to catch good behaviours) and if that clicker training stops...what happens? Will she regress in her training? Is it possible to have a hybridized system, where I use the clicker and they say: "Good girl!", or would that confuse the dog?

I also heard that since she's a year old (maybe less, they can be inaccurate there at the shelter), she's in a fear period and she'll need to be socialized. Tips? Tricks? Things to do and avoid? 

Also, if her age is 1 year old (or maybe a little less by a few months), would she have gone through her first heat? I know if you spay your female before their first heat, they develop problems later in life.

And, also, are we in way over our heads? 

Honest answers are appreciated.

Thank you.

"

Footnote: We've also decided to not have insurance on her for awhile, atleast until we get out of debt from Suka. 

Edited May 11, 20169 yr by Elyse

Fantastic news!

Elyse you have trained a husky, one of the hardest breeds I've encountered thus far, a biddable breed like the lab will be a breeze in comparison, don't worry. You'll do just fine. [emoji8]

Toilet training is taking her out regularly and praising when she does something (stuff you've probably read here dozens of times so apologies for saying things you already know). When you want to settle in one room, we used to just close the door to stop them zooming off and give them toys and stuff to occupy them whilst they chilled out too. Tbh they soon fell into line with our level of activity by natural occurrence anyway. Good luck Elyse, looking forwards to seeing more of her around the forum [emoji3]

Oh I forgot to mention with the fear period if she actually is going through it, gradually desensitise her to the things that she is afraid of. If it's people, then let her walk around a fairly quiet area with just a few people at first and then build up to more densely populated areas. Friends and family who visit can offer her treats to help make it a positive experience.

Car journeys....I'm guessing you'll find out on the ride home how she handles that one? If it's an issue then very short journeys initially until she's relaxed and gradually increase the journey lengths. Pretty much the same policy for all things really. Start off small and work your way up bit by bit.

Thanks Emma. I was reading up on how difficult they can be, and I guess I just scared myself. I also asked the same to some labrador boards, they were pretty discouraging and weren't very helpful, so I guess I'll be spending most of my time here on H-O still!

The earliest they can book her in for her spay (+ vaccinations and chip) is on the 19th, but if there's a cancellation they'll let us know and book her in sooner. It just sucks, because its a lot of time wasted that could have been spent on training her at home.

Good news is we learned she knows most of the basic stuff (sit, lie down, has some recall, and seems to be housetrained for the most part), and by the time we got out of the viewing room with her I already got her to jump up on people/things a little less. 

She also seems to have dandruff (little white flakes in her fur), could that be due to a food allergy? They feed her Royal Canin, which I think is a relatively poor quality food. (I hope she likes Taste of the Wild)
 

Edited May 11, 20169 yr by Elyse

I think personally that perhaps the people who are saying how hard a lab is have probably never owned a husky and are not comparing the two like you are. Training any animal can be tough but some breeds are definitely more challenging/stubborn than others. So I really wouldn't read too much into it, just take things as you find them and go from there. You know we'll always help you out with advise no matter what breed or species you need help with. [emoji8]

My friends have a chocolate lab and she is scatty and energetic but only to a point. After that initial excitement wears out she does settle right down and tbh she sure does what she's told a lot faster than Ice will. If he doesn't want to follow a command he will put his head down,dig his feet in the carpet and refuse point blank to move, lol.

Sent via the power of telepathy.

The dandruff could be from the food quality. In the Olden days (lol) Royal canin and eukenebra were the top brands available over here but in these modem times things have changed significantly. There's much more choice available and it could well be that a food change would be beneficial. Oatmeal baths are good too (possibly a shampoo as I suspect actual oatmeal could get a bit messy? Not too sure). Coconut oil or small amounts of fish oil are also good to help with coat condition.

Sent via the power of telepathy.

If it helps I use this on Cheza since she gets real itchy with anything else.  It may help with dandruff

 

http://www.amazon.com/GNC-Pets-Moisturizing-Oatmeal-Shampoo/dp/B00SXEXZZC/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1462999749&sr=8-3&keywords=gnc+oatmeal+dog+shampoo

She looks only Lab to me in the pics, did they say she's a mix?

From my experience with Labs they are a joy to train compared to Huskies! They are naturally eager to please and I've never seen one that's more difficult than a Husky to train

Maybe you could go in and work on training there before she gets home? 

Clicker training works really great for me with the huskies but you just make sure to say YES! when they're doing it so they associate both the click and your voice. That way if your parents don't use it she's not too confused. I use the clicker most of the time, but I do sometimes train without it and have no issues. Its just a lot easier to start off with it.

I won't discourage you from adopting her, I think you're doing a good thing and worrying is natural. You will be able to brag on here about her training in no time! And if she has some basic training already it should make it easier!

6 hours ago, loudlucky said:

She looks only Lab to me in the pics, did they say she's a mix?

From my experience with Labs they are a joy to train compared to Huskies! They are naturally eager to please and I've never seen one that's more difficult than a Husky to train

Maybe you could go in and work on training there before she gets home? 

Clicker training works really great for me with the huskies but you just make sure to say YES! when they're doing it so they associate both the click and your voice. That way if your parents don't use it she's not too confused. I use the clicker most of the time, but I do sometimes train without it and have no issues. Its just a lot easier to start off with it.

I won't discourage you from adopting her, I think you're doing a good thing and worrying is natural. You will be able to brag on here about her training in no time! And if she has some basic training already it should make it easier!

They said she was a mix, yeah. But they also said Suka was a mix, and I've been told by husky breeders (IRL) that he was a purebred, just from different lines. 

I think they just put 'mix' on everything just so people don't go there and 'window shop' for the exact breed they want. They had a lot of dogs there from Mexico that honestly just looked like mutts/street dogs. They called them 'Retriever Mixes'.

That's what I was thinking, but I'm having trouble on figuring out how to train her there before she comes home. Any ideas? She knows the basics (sit, come here, lie down, shake a paw, and stay) already, and they won't let me take her for a walk to figure out how well (or not) she walks on the leash. 

I'd say the most important (and powerful) thing I've taught Tsunami is 'leave it'

You really know a dog listens to you when you can drop a piece of deli ham in front of him and say leave it...and he looks at you drooling!

I've found Zak George's videos on youtube very useful

How big is the run there at the rescue? Could you put a leash on her in there and just see how she does? Teaching heel starts out in a small space at first so maybe see if you can do that and by the time you get home she knows 'heel' and can apply it?

Here's another picture of her.



4 more days until her spay. Not sure if we take her home the same day or what but...my dad's gone a little dog crazy. I had to convince him to NOT adopt a red husky today. When we have Daisy's training where we want her, then we can get another dog. But until then, bad idea.

As before so happy for you <3

Wow, sounds like your dad wants to take on a lot! Maybe get Daisy a friend soon

Hope everything goes well with the spay & recovery! Hopefully she can settle in at her new home soon!

Daisy had her spay today, we can pick her up tomorrow they said. So I'm excited for that. During her spay, they discovered she had pyometra. They said they caught it early, and they are giving us antibiotics (along with the standard pain meds after a spay) to ensure its gone. We don't even have to pay for the medication or for any other extra procedure they had to do for the pyometra, which is a bonus.

Edited May 19, 20169 yr by Elyse

Glad she's ok n they caught it , lots of pics when she's home n when she's recovered