Dog Dilemma

BradicusMaximus

Before you read on, my dog is a shiba inu. I've had other dogs and trained them with relative ease. If you don't know of them, shibas are a bit more stubborn and harder to deal with, and if not socialized early with other dogs treat other canines like shit. I got my shiba (Tikki) from another owner when she was about 2 years old and for the most part she was well trained. In every other aspect shes an amazing dog and I love her dearly. However, they didn't socialize her at all with other dogs when she was a puppy. My friend (who I'll be moving in with soon) owns a husky. Are there any methods you know of that I can use to socialize her? If I just let her off her leash around another dog she'll just attempt to kick their ass. I'm sure I'm missing more details but you guys will bring them up.

jungleroomx

Shiba Inu's look like they're about to kick some ass when they play. Teeth baring, doing their little war cry and all that.

I have a Shepherd/Lab mix who is extremely territorial and doesn't play well with others as he was attacked a few times as a pop. He's also nine years old. The only time I can get him to not act all crazy is if:

He sees the dog from a distance and gets used to him.

It isn't a small dog.

In your case, the husky may present less of a challenge because he's not tiny. A shiba will pwnroll a small dog and alpha male the crap out of it every day. What I'd suggest is limited interaction and keeping the dogs separate for a while, with small bits of increasing interaction time as you go along. For the first week, you should probably have very limited time.

Don't jump into an introduction. A shiba may not appreciate the butt sniff from this strange dog.

Kistra

Socializing a dog to strange dogs is very different from introducing a dog to a dog that it is going to live with. Don't bother worrying about strange dogs and socialization if you are just interested in you dog living with this one particular husky.

Take it slow. Start out with them in adjoining rooms with a door closed or in crates where they can smell each other but not see each other for a few hours. Then get out of the house and go for a walk with the dogs far enough apart that they can see each other but aren't reacting (drive and find a large field if need be). Alternate these until the distance where they can see each other but not react is pretty small.

spool32

If you are alpha in the house, and you play with and take an alpha role over the husky, the shiba will be much more amenable to allowing it in the house. Make sure you're comfortable with the husky and that your friend doesn't have any problems with you disciplining it.

Slow introduction, and remember to keep projecting confidence. Don't let yourself get nervous, or fearful, or overreact to the dogs checking each other out. Assuming you'r ein charge of both dogs, they won't challenge each other very much.

I'd suggest feeding them in separate rooms, and both people handling both dog's food. Keep their toys separate if they're possessive, and you enforce that - don't wait for one dog to feel like he needs to get his bone from the other one.

mts

don't intoduce them in teh house, introduce them outside, while on leash.

if it looks liek they are ok, then move inside, keep them on leash.

treat profusely.

then slowly build up interaction while supervised.

also. do not reach for collars if breaking up a fight. grab back legs and wheel barrel them out. save you from getting bit.

hopefully the husky is laid back or it will be ugly. make sure your roomate and you are on the same page

spool32

Yeah, it's important to keep in mind that, while the humans are probably going to come to some civilized agreement about house rules and personal space and so on, for the dogs, it's a new dog moving into your shiba's territory. They don't really do polite and civil discourse - they do Who Is In Charge - Me Or You? For the dogs in your house there is a pecking order that includes all the people, and all the animals, in some specific order. Equality isn't really a thing they do. So you need to remember that the roomate and the dog need to be accepted by you and the shiba - it's not equal footing in your shiba's mind, and he's probably going to be unwilling to put either of them over himself in the pecking order. You'll need to make clear where they fit, since he'll take your lead. You could do things like having your roommate feed the shiba, before his husky gets a meal. Acknowledging the shiba first when he comes into the house. things like that will clue both animals into where their spot in the order should be, and then they'll be content with each other and the situation much more quickly than if they have to work it out with no direction, or worse, conflicting signals.

Dark_Side

This can be difficult, especially with bossy, impolite greeters. I've owned bully breeds the last few years and it's the same damn problem you're having, both of my bullies have been absolute butts about greeting other dogs, so I know your pain.

First, is don't let them meet each other anywhere but neutral ground, usually a park neither has been to works well. There are some halfway decent youtube vidoes on how to handle the first time introduction, and then subsequent intro's later on. What I did with my ex was met in a park with the dogs on leash. Had her go first and walked my dog behind, and after a few minutes, switched with me leading, her following, back and forth until both dogs had caught each others scent, while slowly letting them get closer while walking and seeing how each dog reacted. Eventually by the end of the first session, neither dog was too interested in the other and far more interested in our treats.

Controlled situations are certainly your friend here. Ultimately the two dogs will work out where they need to be, as long as you set them in situations to succeed. Now if you have an overly aggressive alpha to deal with, (like my first american bully was), then beyond constant supervision, I'm not sure there's a short term solution there. I was even told by more than a few trainers that I could never get him to a point he could confidently be left alone with other dogs. Always depressed me that whoever had him as a puppy didn't socialize him, he could have had a much more active life if they had.

BradicusMaximus

Dark_Side wrote: »

Now if you have an overly aggressive alpha to deal with, (like my first american bully was), then beyond constant supervision, I'm not sure there's a short term solution there. I was even told by more than a few trainers that I could never get him to a point he could confidently be left alone with other dogs. Always depressed me that whoever had him as a puppy didn't socialize him, he could have had a much more active life if they had.

This is what I'm worried about. I really feel like this is a hopeless endeavor just based off of the many experiences my gf and I have had trying to get our two dogs to get along. I'll definitely be reading this stuff over a lot more in the coming weeks.