We went to the dog park last night and it was great until this other husky came in and Fen got startled by a poodle of some kind and he screamed because he’s a baby. Well all the dogs swarmed and that husky in particular tried to bite at his rear and then at his stomach when PR picked him up out of the pile of dogs. A few people left and we got ready to leave because holy shit, and one person even said “That dog (the husky) shouldn’t be here if it’s going to do that” While we were leaving the husky got into a fight with one of the other dogs, whom had been there longer than us and whom Fen FUCKING ADORED. We were walking away and that dog’s owner ( I think it was a boxer mix?) came by FUMING because people were trying to blame her dog for being the aggressor (Even though the husky was a new dog). Her dog had multiple open wounds on his head (small but still notable). :\ I’m actually very pissed still about this because she didn’t deserve that and her dog was one of the only ones in the Pile O Dogs that wasn’t going for Fen but was going to try and push the others away from him. Mind you her dog the whole time was very barky and SOUNDS aggressive but he’s just incredibly talky. Every time Fen went up to him he’d bark, try to get the boxer to chase him, and then run. The boxer would just… Ignore him. Which of course meant Fen was like “BEST FRIEND” because Dogs. but yeah. Fen's fine though, just lost a little fur because he's thick coated.
The pissy part is we were excited for him to meet another Husky or Mal and this shit happens. The owner was SUPER defensive over if her dog was doing bad and being a bully (Which he was, rather violently aggressing the other dogs). Apparently he was a new rescue too, so it’s not like she could have known if he was aggressive but when he ran over into that dog pile on my fleeing puppy she was like “OH HE WAS JUST TRYING TO HELP HIM!!” No. That was prey drive, that was “The small thing is running let’s hurt it”. And I mean she griped my ass by being like “Oh my old husky passed and I thought about buying a puppy from one of those pet stores!” And she paused and then said: “But I decided not to because of puppy training, ha ha!” Which no, that’s not the reason you don’t buy from those places. You don’t buy from those places because fucking puppy mills. But if we see her there again we’re just going to walk him around the park and not go into the actual dog park. Which fucking sucks because we want him to socialize, and we’d put him in the smaller park for small dogs but he’s like 25 pounds and he’d squish the babies. Ugh.
augh what a mess, and puppies really do need to socialize to learn how to behave :/ I would try being in the dog section following him if the huskie is there, to intercede... Well your SO should do that not you to avoid you getting an injury. Poor Fen :( I have been on both sides of this problem, and really that huskie owner needs to work on it.what a frustrating mess. I wish I was there to help do the social insisting on a calm manner that puts it so that I am concerned for her dog rather than about her dog to see if that takes away the defensiveness. If anything try to warn other dog owners so that they can be aware, and if enough people express their displeasure at her or notably avoid her dog she might wise up. Poor Fen
Yeah we usually do that but shit just sort of happened. Thankfully Fen wasn't actually hurt and still kept trying to play with other dogs while we were getting him out. I mostly feel bad for the Boxer and his mom. :\
We went back to the park yesterday, and she was there again. Husky's name is Niko, and he's absolutely a dog aggressive dog; he like trying to play with smaller dogs like toys, and any time a larger dog came in he'd start barking and growling, trying to get them to fight him. Thankfully, it was pretty empty this time, so Fen got to tussle with another puppy (a ridgeback, and she loved him and he loved her and it was a good time had by all) and Niko mostly trotted around barkign loudly. Once the ridgeback owner left, it was just us and a big ol' softy name Zeus. He usually trots around a little, and he's alright wrestling with other dogs, but every time that husky came over, he'd lay down and get progressively lazier. He wanted nothing to do with that dog, and I don't blame him, because when Niko jumped Gus, Zeus was right in the middle of it. We left not long after because Fen was pooped, and the only other person who'd come in left as well because Niko kept barking at his dog and getting aggressive. Pretty sure Zeus's owner stuck around to keep an eye on Niko and his owner, because he seems like Dog Park Community Dad and was definitely the one that called the shots when the regulars were around. If he was actually paid attention to, I don't think Niko would be that bad but his owner. Hoo boy his owner. The entire time she was there, she was telling other people to play with her dog and encouraging him to jump on smaller dogs, because she was entirely too busy clipping coupons. She never looked up when he barked, only when he came back and shoved her with his nose, and at least two times he could have bolted from the double-lock system the park uses if I and another owner hadn't called him back. At no point was she willing to take responsibility for her dog or her actions, and the entire time she was there, everyone was less than three feet from their dogs at all times. Time will tell if another incident crops up, but we're definitely not going to let him anywhere near Fen without one of us up on top of him at all times.
Oh dear. At least nothing happened this time, so perhaps the regulars will get used to him and know how to avoid him peacefully like Zeus. I used to have problems with another dog, but since the owner was pretty lax she let me guide him around some, so every time he started snapping at my dogs is gently push him back. He kind of learned but it wasn't very much and I don't think that's feasible. I think the only way things will change is if Niko and the owner get enough of a reputation that a group of friendly neighbors can come talk to her (and from what you've said of her, it would have to be handled carefully to avoid her defensiveness, maybe framed as best for Niko himself) and raise their concerns that he isn't developing enough social skills or something. However A+Zeus and Zeus owner, aw, and I'm glad Fen got to play with another puppy :)
Yeah, that's what we're hoping is gonna happen. I think we're just gonna start pulling Fen out whenever it gets a little crowded too, since he startles easily still and a few of the other dogs aren't very puppy friendly. That should keep him from having a bad scare again, and hopefully will keep the bigger dogs calmed down enough that there's no time for anything to turn into a fight. The ridgeback was adorable, and so happy to see another puppy. I hope we see her again sometime.
Tbh I mostly worry about Niko. Malamutes and huskies are high energy dogs and tend to act up (or become aggressive) If not stimulated enough. That means that he should have some kind of stimulation toy at all times, something to chew to prevent him from chewing furniture, and something to entertain him when the humans are doing other things. He does not act like a dog that gets enough stimulation at home. Like, just now we had the bug guy spray the yard so Fen can't go outside for like 30 min. I decided that, since he was throwing the Ultimate Tantrum, I was going to take him on a quick walk / jog around the neighborhood. He's pretty much passed out now, got his energy out and he got to see people / sniff things / understand how certain things work. It stimulated his mind and body and now he's passed the FUCK out. You have to do that with huskies and mals, you can skip out on shit like that with some other breeds but northern breeds are super close to wolves and basically high octane working breeds. I mean, I'm sitting here in Regret Town for doing that jog / walk but I know it had to be done. Niko's owner seems to treat him like you would treat a pom or any other smaller dog. She even does this annoying shit that every time we mention that Fen's half mal half husky she goes "Oh well I think they're trying to make that a breed." No, they're not. The breeder I got him from is one of a very few who does this, and these dogs are not bred for show or pretty or anything. They're bred for their health, being as it gets rid of even the few health problems that huskies and mals have, and they're mostly bred to be working dogs. They're sturdy and healthy and have a lot of the bonuses of both breeds. Mixes are naturally healthier, and when I said "Well they do it to prevent the health problems that over breeding causes" she shut right the fuck up. Like, this woman does not have any sort of dog knowledge and it rubs me the wrong way. Even worse that she owns a Mal and acts like his aggression / getting into fights is just him wanting to play. He's a rescue, woman, you don't know how well he was socialized as a puppy. You have to fucking watch your dog, gauge their behavior, and intervene if anything happens.
Sadly, she really doesn't know proper dog care :/ I hope that with time she learns, if I knew her friends I'd probably try going to them, but its a complicated social situation. I'm glad Fen has such a good home with you two.
She wasn't there today, but a few of the other people who'd been there were (including Zeus and Gus). Turns out another woman had an issue with Niko, and Gus's owner had already resolved to leave if they came in, but Zeus's owner hadn't realized Niko drew blood. They discussed it with a few other regulars, and consensus was "let people know that Niko is dog aggressive and try to work with him/owner to curb those issues", alongside "she's not a bad person they're just not a good owner/dog pair". So hopefully that'll help with a few of his issues, and maybe incite her to actually pay attention to her damn dog. In brighter news, Fen started playing with a few other dogs today, big adult dogs, and didn't scream even once. He also got about twenty yards away from us without checking that we were near, and wasn't nearly as frantic when we were a bit away. Progress!
Aw Fen sounds like such a Darling! And huskie/malamute mixes are gorgeous! If i was less of a cripple and could be sure i'd be able to provide enough exercise for one i'd definitly consider one as a companion. But as it is i'm not capable of walking even half of what working breeds need like three times a day even once :')
Yeah, I have to push myself tbh but I also get away with it by doing things like tug-o-war and other stimulating activities that don't require me to aggressively dislocate my hip. Or I ask PR to do it :'D Also side note in general and @Vast Derp We have found his favorite chews to be Toobles. They have some at the pet store but they're not as high quality as this brand / as cheap as this brand. He also loves Piggy Snouts which incidentally smell like bacon when he's eating them. He doesn't seem to understand the yak chews, he gets disinterested in tendons (but does like them), and gets bored of rawhide most of the time. Very picky dork. Ever so slowly he's getting better at the mouthing thing too. I'd like to do the biking thing like Le Derp does but my hip aggressively dislocates as does my knee so bikes are a No Go. I think along with service training I'm going to train him to do water fetch and stuff.
Also he's a big time hole digger, which is stupidly common in northern breeds and nearly impossible to train out of them, so we have to put up dig fence sometime soon
