Hi. I'm new to the group. I just joined in hopes to find a solution
to my dog problem.

History, My wife and I have 2 Siberian Huskies. Father and daughter
about 9 and 7 years of age. Both are "fixed". We also have a 2 year
old daughter that's occupying more and more of our time.

We just got back from a trip overseas and brought the dogs home from
the kennel, which we believe they love being at. We decided that we
didn't want the fur all over the house so we started using the baby
gates to keep them in 1 half of the house. Previously they would sleep
at our bedside. The girl use to put herself slightly under the bed for
what I assume is her personal space.

Since booting them out of the bedroom area we've had nothing but
trouble with her. The family room has their beds for comfy sleeping
and they can go into their crates in the kitchen if they choose. Our
girl has been crawling behind our entertainement center at night which
I think is her way of looking for personal space. The problem is that
she's also chewing my video/electrical cables while back there. I put
up barriers which she tore up to get around. At first I put up another
baby gate so she couldn't get into the family room only to wake up to a
gate being torn down and chewed up. I finally got destruction proof
barriers for the entertainement center and let them back into the
family room. I thought the problem was solved. This weekend I went to
look out our family room's picture window to find that she clawed up
the frame in either an escape attempt or an attempt to get to some
animal in the back yard.

This led me to put her ( and her father ) in her crate overnite. I was
woke up with a thunking sound. It was the girl chewing the metal bars
in the side of her plastic crate. She had broke 3 of them and bent
them back to where she could fit half of her head through. I then put
a muzzle on her and went back to bed. I woke to find the muzzle still
on her but she had managed to rip it up pretty bad. (nylon mesh).

So last night we gave in and let them back into our bedroom and had a
full night sleep. I awoke to wimpers and found the girl lodge
COMPLETELY under our bed. I had to lift the bed up in order for her to
get out. We went about our morning and put the dogs in their crates
for the day like we've always done. As I'm writing this I wonder if
the girl is working on that hole she started the other night. I'm
guessing no because she doesn't seem to have a problem with being
crated during the day.... but I could be wrong.

I'm writing to get advice because, as sh*ty as it sounds, I'm thinkning
about putting her down over this. It just seems she's gone crazy.
There were no signs of this behavior previously and we've taking trips
regularly. I can say tho, that she's been acting weird over the last
few months (before the trip). A few times we'd be in the bedroom
getting ready for bed and I'd hear her crying in the kitchen. I walked
in there and looked at her and she seemed happy to see me. I'd tell
her "come-on, let's go to bed" and she'd happily follow me. If she
does have some disorder creeping up I don't want to pawn her off.
Besides, she's our responsibility and she'd go nuts without her dad
around, but you can see I'm at my wits end!

Any advice would be appreciated.

In article .com,
Yargnits wrote:
Since booting them out of the bedroom area we've had nothing but
trouble with her.

I should think. Siberians are extremely pack-oriented. You
and your family are their pack and you've taken it away from
them. Add to that a tendency towards destructive behavior
when bored or unhappy, and the very likely outcome is
precisely what you got. I would guess that she's pretty
frightened by having been cast out.

I'm writing to get advice because, as sh*ty as it sounds, I'm thinkning
about putting her down over this.

Yeah, killing your dog instead of putting up with her
shedding sounds pretty shitty. However, what I'd recommend
is getting a behaviorist into the house to look at your
layout and see if he/she can come up with specific
recommendations.
--
Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis -

Prouder than ever to be a member of the reality-based community.

What's your point? I'm asking for ideas and Google is an easy way to
get to the groups archived and live. I'll wager you $100 that I get a
reply... oops... I guess I already did, from someone that gave me a
good idea too.

Thanks Melinda,

That's why I posted here. I don't want to get rid of her. I think
I'll see what she does tonight in our room. I'm still wondering if she
continued chewing up her crate today.

On 6 Mar 2006 14:48:20 -0500, (Melinda Shore), clicked
their heels and said:


Yeah, killing your dog instead of putting up with her
shedding sounds pretty shitty. However, what I'd recommend
is getting a behaviorist into the house to look at your
layout and see if he/she can come up with specific
recommendations.

ditto to all of this. Poor dog. Get a good vacuum cleaner. Hire a
cleaning service. Be a decent human being.




--
Janet B
www.bestfriendsdogobedience.com
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/bestfr...bedience/album

So last night we gave in and let them back into our bedroom and had a
full night sleep. I awoke to wimpers and found the girl lodge
COMPLETELY under our bed. I had to lift the bed up in order for her to
get out. We went about our morning and put the dogs in their crates
for the day like we've always done.

they spend their days in crates? are you home?




I'm writing to get advice because, as sh*ty as it sounds, I'm thinkning
about putting her down over this.


take her to the shelter if you refuse to deal with her, don't kill her.

On Mon, 6 Mar 2006 18:43:27 -0500, "MauiJNP" ,
clicked their heels and said:


So last night we gave in and let them back into our bedroom and had a
full night sleep. I awoke to wimpers and found the girl lodge
COMPLETELY under our bed. I had to lift the bed up in order for her to
get out. We went about our morning and put the dogs in their crates
for the day like we've always done.

they spend their days in crates? are you home?

while I know there are people who, for a number of reasons, crate dogs
for their entire lives if unsupervised, I just can't fathom that with
only 2 dogs, at 7 and 9 no less.

the female probably lodged herself under the bed because she was
desperate to not be banned from there again. My female dog likes to
sleep under the bed. She doesn't really fit. She has to "turtle" to
get out sometimes, but she's never panicked about getting under or
out, since it's always available to her. And yeah, she sheds like
wild. And I'm allergic and asthmatic. I deal.


--
Janet B
www.bestfriendsdogobedience.com
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/bestfr...bedience/album

On 6 Mar 2006 10:06:23 -0800, Yargnits wrote:

History, My wife and I have 2 Siberian Huskies. Father and daughter
about 9 and 7 years of age. Both are "fixed". We also have a 2 year
old daughter that's occupying more and more of our time.

So far so good.

We just got back from a trip overseas and brought the dogs home from
the kennel, which we believe they love being at. We decided that we
didn't want the fur all over the house so we started using the baby
gates to keep them in 1 half of the house. ...

You have a vacuum cleaner, right? I think it's one of the most stupid
things I have heard (beside dog's color does not go with the new couch).
You had the fur all over the house and it did not bother you, why now?

... Previously they would sleep
at our bedside. The girl use to put herself slightly under the bed for
what I assume is her personal space.

So what would you expect a dog to do, when it had over years it's sleeping
spot with the pack and suddenly is separated from the pack?

Since booting them out of the bedroom area we've had nothing but
trouble with her. ...

That is what I would expect with many, if not most dogs. Since the dogs
slept there for several years, you can't expect changing this, would not
bring problems.

... The family room has their beds for comfy sleeping
and they can go into their crates in the kitchen if they choose. Our
girl has been crawling behind our entertainement center at night which
I think is her way of looking for personal space. ...

I think she was frightened by the unusual situation and tried to hide.

... The problem is that
she's also chewing my video/electrical cables while back there.

Nervous (and bored) dogs always find somthing to chew. Chewing has a
soothing effect.

... I put
up barriers which she tore up to get around. At first I put up another
baby gate so she couldn't get into the family room only to wake up to a
gate being torn down and chewed up. I finally got destruction proof
barriers for the entertainement center and let them back into the
family room. I thought the problem was solved. This weekend I went to
look out our family room's picture window to find that she clawed up
the frame in either an escape attempt or an attempt to get to some
animal in the back yard.

You did not solve the situation for the dog. You force your dog in a
situation, which she obviously cannot handle.

This led me to put her ( and her father ) in her crate overnite. I was
woke up with a thunking sound. It was the girl chewing the metal bars
in the side of her plastic crate. She had broke 3 of them and bent
them back to where she could fit half of her head through. I then put
a muzzle on her and went back to bed. I woke to find the muzzle still
on her but she had managed to rip it up pretty bad. (nylon mesh).

Don't do that! Nylon mesh muzzles are supposed to be a short-time solution
for e.g. a vet visit. Never have a dog wearing one of those longer than a
couple of minutes.

So last night we gave in and let them back into our bedroom and had a
full night sleep. I awoke to wimpers and found the girl lodge
COMPLETELY under our bed. I had to lift the bed up in order for her to
get out. ...

She finally got "her" spot back and seems to be very insecure in this whole
ongoing situation. If you got something back you desperatly wanted to have
back, would you easily give it up again or would you hold on even tighter?

... We went about our morning and put the dogs in their crates
for the day like we've always done. ...

I do _not_ agree on crating dogs during the whole day.
I would agree on having them in e.g. a "dog safe room", where they can walk
around, play and sleep. How would you feel, being captured in your bed all
day long?
I prefer having my dog running free in the house, also if nobody is home.

My puppy/young dog was crate trained, because I knew she would have to
travel by plane, sooner or later (moving to europe).
My puppy/young dog was confined in her room (originally the formal living
room divided to the hall by a fence and with windows to the street), when
we both had to leave (3-4 hours max), until she had learned how to keep
herself busy, without destroying anything in the house.

... As I'm writing this I wonder if
the girl is working on that hole she started the other night. I'm
guessing no because she doesn't seem to have a problem with being
crated during the day.... but I could be wrong.

Since you maneuvered your dog in a very confusing situation, I could
imaging seeing side effects on her day-behavior as well.

I'm writing to get advice because, as sh*ty as it sounds, I'm thinkning
about putting her down over this. ...

What?
You bring your dog in a situation she can't handle and then you consider to
kill the dog for your doings?

... It just seems she's gone crazy.

Did you think about your own behavior and what you expected from the dog?
Did you never think your dog could not be able to handle the situation you
put her into?
In my opinion the dog's reaction is absolutely understandable.

There were no signs of this behavior previously and we've taking trips
regularly. ...

Sounds like she has no problems with different situations, as long as she
is _with her pack_ and that's exactly what you took away.

Any advice would be appreciated.

For now, I would go back to the arrangements where you had no problems.
Wait until the dog feels safe and comfortable again (it may take some
time). Then you can start over by stepwise changing the situation.
I would recommend to hire a trainer, examining the family, the dogs and the
whole situation.

Bye,
Marion

In article , MauiJNP wrote:
take her to the shelter if you refuse to deal with her, don't kill her.

It's a virtual certainty that an older Siberian will be
euthanized at a shelter. Rescue's full, no room at the
inn. It's a terrible, terrible situation.
--
Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis -

Prouder than ever to be a member of the reality-based community.

"Janet B" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 6 Mar 2006 18:43:27 -0500, "MauiJNP" ,

We went about our morning and put the dogs in their crates
for the day like we've always done.

they spend their days in crates? are you home?

Their days AND for awhile there, their NIGHTS too???
And he thinks the gal is going nuts?!?!?!
Well, DUH!

while I know there are people who, for a number of reasons, crate dogs
for their entire lives if unsupervised, I just can't fathom that with
only 2 dogs, at 7 and 9 no less.

I know, I'm hoping this is a troll.
I can't understand it, either, keeping 7 & 9 yo dogs in crates all day.

To the OP, are you really serious? If so, teach them to be out of the
crates, UNsupervised during the day, at the very least.

Get a good vacuum as Janet said. Keep the dogs in a certain amount of rooms,
but make sure your *bedroom* is one of the main ones!

How do you think you'd feel, being with your pack all night for 7 years,
right beside the bed, only to be banished away from the rest, all of the
sudden?? Out of nowhere, as the gal would see it? She has no idea what's
going on, or why in the heck she's not with *you*, suddenly. I can see why
she would wedge herself under the bed. To make sure you couldn't banish her
again. Everyone, (that I can see, have a few filtered), has given you good
advice.

FercryinoutLOUD, how could you *possibly* think about putting her down just
cuz you're tired of *hair* suddenly???
She's not going nuts, she's going thru an incredibly mind boggling time
right now. Of course she'd act out. I know any of my dogs would.

I gave myself two allergy shots a week for 3 years to become non allergic to
my dogs, at a very high cost to me, financially. Luckily we had the
insurance and could afford it. But to, one day, decide you don't want to
deal with *hair*?? On a Sibe???? C'mon. Why did you initially get this
breed, anyway? Seriously?

Hopefully you are trolling, as I can't imagine anyone putting their dog
down, after all these years, because of fur.
If not, get with it and do *whatever* it takes, training, vaccuming daily,
hiring a cleaner, *whatever*, instead of taking that gal's life away.

IF you do decide you can't do any of the above, and other advice, then call
Sibe rescue. I don't have a number on them, but google it.
Or go to rec.pets.dogs.rescue to see what you can find out.

Putting her down.......SHEEEEEEEEEEEEESH

MaryBeth shaking her head in ashtonishment