Duffnut Posted March 6 Report Share Posted March 6 Hi everyone, We brought Mitch home on 4th March when he was 4 months. He is doing great in some areas and not so great in others. He is our first dog and everyone says we shouldn't have a Husky first but when you fall for him what can you do. We are hoping he is just having a few new pup issues, he is already fixated on our son and is weary of everyone else in the house. His feeding is a little hit and miss we're doing 3 meals a day and he's not always that interested. But that might be as he does quite well on the (healthy) treats front. He's not done a numbers 2 today but I'm wondering if that is because they were a bit runny yesterday sometimes we don't go for a while after an 'issue'. He has already learned to sit and lay down. And is a much different dog when outside verses inside. He is happy to go to his crate too. He is a lovely lad just hope he comes round to the rest of the family soon. Any advise great fully received and I'm sure I'll be back with many a silly question as time goes on. Thanks Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robke Posted March 6 Report Share Posted March 6 To. one bit of advise is… have patience, not available in store…there will accidents because off course he has only been with you a short while… there are no silly questions just questions… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolfpup Posted March 7 Report Share Posted March 7 Welcome to the forum. If your pup has an affinity for your son, ......... how old is your son? Is he old enough to be responsible for him, train him etc? If you do believe that Mitch may be not eating his food because of the treats - the answer is simple - even 'healthy' treats are not as nutritious as food. What are you feeding him? In order of nutrition and benefit to the dog:- Raw food, meat, offal - liver, spleen, pancreas etc, - even eyes and brain if you can get them, 5% veg (pureed), berries and some fruit, plus up to 5-10% raw bones. If you cannot, or do not want, to create your own food, you can buy complete raw dog food (frozen) - just thaw and serve. As with all dog food though - rotate not only the protein (type of meat), but also the manufacturer - to ensure your dog gets the whole spectrum of nutrition. Home cooked food Dehydrated raw food (looks like kibble but made up of raw food - just add water to rehydrate) Just as convenient as kibble - but far more nutritious, (and more expensive) Tinned food Kibble Kibble is the least nutritious, it also has the most carbohydrate (its what makes it stick together) Most kibble is between 40-60% carbohydrate, - the problem with this is that no scientist has ever been able to prove that dogs need ANY carbohydrate at all (which is why it is never included on the ingredients list on the back of the pack). Dogs, over the last 40 million years, have evolved to consume a maximum of 5% carbs (usually in the guise of fruits and berries), and by feeding kibble you are putting a heck of a strain on the digestive system in trying to digest between 40-60% of his food. It is one of the main reasons that so many dogs are now suffering conditions like pancreatitis etc as they get older. I have a 'thing' about feeding our companions the best food possible - the same food they have provided for themselves for the last 40 million years - they haven't done too badly on it after all. One of my boys is severely food allergic - so I now hold two qualifications in dog nutrition. There is a website called All about dog food - it ranks most of the dog food in the world, look your pup's food up and see where it comes. As to a husky being with a dog-novice family, you have an interesting time ahead of you guys - expect your pup to outwit you at least twice a week, he will become a superb escape artist - so ensure you have minimum of 6ft fencing, huskies do not like being left alone, - and a bored husky is something to be feared - I know to my cost - my oldest boy ate a sofa and armchair overnight (the one in the avatar picture). One other thing to bear in mind (amongst dozens) is that huskies are not known for their recall, no matter how many times they come back as a youngster, - they are not to be trusted off-lead unless in a 6ft fenced dog park. Get it right - and you will never want any other breed as long as you live. It is quite a well known saying though ................ if you wanted a dog to be obedient and do as you want, when you want it done - you should have gotten a Labrador. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duffnut Posted March 8 Author Report Share Posted March 8 Thanks guys, Yes our son will be the main carer / trainer as he is at home all the time. He is learning well so far ( so is Mitch ) but yes he is a Monkey in dog form. 🙂 We'll keep trying with the food and combinations of it and see how we get on. The food website is a good one and think we are OK on food and treats ( seems to prefer fish over meat so far ) We understand the recall thing do yours get on ok with the long training leads? we have a 5m one but not put him on it yet. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolfpup Posted March 9 Report Share Posted March 9 I have 15ft and 50ft leads for when taking the boys to the estuary - they still manage to tangle us both up (and each other) but its all part of the fun. Their main advantage apart from giving the dog freedom is that they are extremely useful when teaching recall. Out of the different fish - mackerel contains more nutrition than either sardines or herrings - ( more nutrition for the same price ) - although any of the three are an excellent choice. So is rainbow trout - or salmon. One work of caution with salmon - never feed the skin of predator fish to your dog. The oceans are now toxic - and fish store the toxins in their skin, so predator fish get not only the base level toxins in the sea, but also the toxins stored in the fish they eat. Sprats, herrings sardines don't tend to live long enough to be a problem. When feeding whole fish take off the tail and fins - but feed the whole fish - including the head, raw fish bones are supple and bendy and are not a problem - its when the fish is cooked that the bones can be lethal as they become brittle. In the summer I will very often give my boys a frozen herring each (ice lolly for dogs) - they love them. You can get them from a company called Keizebrink - or from any good raw food shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duffnut Posted March 9 Author Report Share Posted March 9 Great stuff, thanks again.😊 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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