The Siberian Husky is typically not an aggressive breed at all, in fact, far from it. It’s fair to say that the Husky is one of the friendliest, most sociable breeds of dog available. Well, at least to us humans!
They’re not so keen on cats and other small animals but as far as we’re concerned, they typically wouldn’t dream of hurting us. This is probably what you read when you did your research before you bought one and your research would be correct.
This makes it all the more difficult to understand therefore the reasons why your little Siberian Husky puppy would even think of biting you.
Why Does My Husky Bite Me?
Your Siberian Husky puppy bites you probably because it hasn’t had an opportunity to learn that biting is not acceptable as yet. This is usually discovered when they are playing with their siblings at a young age.
They will play with each other for long periods of time and this, as well as being great fun for them, is when they learn some of the skills they may use later in life. There are other reasons why they may bite and we’ll go into these below. However, don’t worry – they can all be addressed.
They Didn’t Know It Was Wrong
After they are born, the Husky and its brothers and sisters may play-fight, which is totally normal and is actually an important part of their early learning. They will use their mouths as part of this play and it is during this that they will learn that biting can actually hurt.
When the puppy, through play, bites another puppy (still during play) they may let out a high-pitched squeal in pain when it goes just that little bit too far. This squeal will startle the biter and make them let go. After this happens a few times they will soon understand how much pressure they can use before it starts to hurt.
So, before you get cross (and I wouldn’t blame you, having just been bitten) just remember that it is most likely that your Husky really doesn’t know that they are hurting you. In fact, just getting cross with them might make them want to do it more. As far as they are concerned, it’s just attention they are getting and any attention is good attention in their eyes.
A Response to Something
Your Husky puppy will always bite for a reason. It’s your job to find out what that reason is. If you don’t think it’s related to the above or the resolution (which we’ll talk about later) isn’t working, then maybe it’s something else. There aren’t many reasons as to why they will give you a nip:
- Your Husky is scared – if, for whatever reason, your dog feels threatened or feels they have been backed into a corner and can’t escape then its natural instincts may kick in. A scared dog can become aggressive, albeit temporarily.
- Your Husky is stressed – this isn’t so likely with a puppy but a change of environment (for instance a new home) or new owners can cause your Husky to become stressed. This can be an issue if you’re getting a dog from a rescue home and it might have already been returned once.
- Your Husky is unwell – also quite unlikely but worth a mention. When a dog becomes ill they will want to take themselves off to some quiet area of your house to recover. What they don’t want at that time is interaction. Imagine being unwell, in bed not able to do much and your child comes up and jumps on you, prodding you, asking you to play. It may have a similar response to this 🙂
What is their State of Mind when they Bite?
To be able to get to the bottom of where the problem lies you need to understand what their frame of mind was when they bit you. If they were wagging their tail and obviously happy when it happened, then there’s a good chance that it is related to them just not knowing that it’s a bad thing to do!
If, on the other hand, their tail is down (for example) then it may well be related to something else, like what I’ve mentioned above such as being stressed, afraid or unwell.
Being a puppy though, it’s more than likely they won’t be stressed or unwell – there’s a good chance they’ll just be excited and don’t really know any different! Remember, they’re just playing and they don’t really want to hurt you.
Is the Siberian Husky Different From Other Dogs?
I think anyone who has a Siberian Husky or has ever met one will know the answer to that 🙂 The Husky is truly a unique breed of dog and yes, it is different from the majority of dog breeds.
However, the difference is that this dog is one of the most affectionate you are ever likely to meet. Not only are they not aggressive in any way, but they are also not possessive. It is this combination that people look for when trying to find the ultimate breed of dog that’s suitable for their family.
However, we’re talking about puppies here and this adds another dimension. Any puppy is a handful, of course, but the Siberian Husky, with its naturally mischievous temperament combined with its sometimes-stubborn attitude, can cause you some problems.
The key is persistence in training and try and start educating them as soon as you can. There’s going to be a lot of times when they frustrate you like nothing else but you have to just keep going.
Am I The Problem?
It is most likely that you are not the problem but you may be contributing to it. For instance, many people play with their dogs using their hands.
It’s easy if you don’t have toys to hand and they are great for giving them a tickle on the tummy when they roll over. However, the problem is your Husky will see your hands as toys and these are fair-game to be bitten. I know you won’t always be able to do this but just think about it before getting stuck in next time 🙂
It’s not very fair to get cross with your Husky when they give you a nibble on the hand if they think your hand is part of the game, right? It’s not just dogs where people have this problem if you’re interested, it’s cats also where exactly the same behavior can be seen.
What Can I Do To Stop The Husky From Biting?
Fortunately, there are several things you can do which will help prevent your Husky from continuing to bite you. However, the very first thing you should do is let them know that biting hurts!
You may think that by jumping up and down and swearing might have the desired effect but you would be wrong. Actually, the solution is possibly simpler than you think.
The chances are, the Siberian Husky puppy that you bought was taken away from its siblings before it had a chance to learn vital skills that it learns through play. It won’t have been taught therefore that it’s not okay to bite too hard and it really doesn’t know it’s hurting you. So, what you need to do is fill the gap.
This might make you look (and feel) just a bit stupid but bear with me as this absolutely works. What you’re going to have to do is replicate the reaction your Husky’s brother or sister would have made when they were bitten! So, next time you get a little nip you’re going to need to do a high-pitched squeal.
You might think this is crazy and if you’re reading this on April Fool’s Day you’ll think I’m winding you up. It genuinely works though.
The noise you make when the Husky next bites you will shock them and they will most likely let go at this point. You’ll need to repeat this on a few occasions but it really doesn’t usually take long before they get the message and won’t want to hear you squeal anymore. Your family won’t be upset about this either.
Get Them Some Toys
So, instead of them biting your hand, give them something else to chew on! Usually, you’ll have an idea that they’re about to bite you as they’ll just be particularly excitable at that point. Make sure you have some toys nearby and when they get to this state, give them a toy. They’ll get rid of the urge of biting you by chewing on the toy.
If you’re stuck for ideas as to what toys you should get, by the way, let me share my experience with you. I’ve lost track how much money I’ve spent on toys that have quickly become unloved by the Husky. Save yourself some time and money. If you’d like to know the only toys I recommend (there are only 3) then take a look at the link (opens in a new tab).
Of course, there are loads of toys you can get for your Husky, it’s just that the ones in the link above are the ones that have really worked well for me – they should for you too!
Huskies and Children
If you have a family and are considering a Siberian Husky then you’ve most likely already performed your research and know that the Husky is a terrific dog to have around children. But it’s not just the Husky that needs training here. If the dog is being constantly poked and prodded then it might eventually get fed up.
So, as soon as your Husky sets paw into your home start training them. But at the same time, start teaching your children about how to behave with dogs also. Make sure they treat your Husky with respect and that they understand that they are not one of
The Importance of Socialization and the Husky
Socialization of your Siberian Husky should start as soon as you get them. But what exactly do we mean by socialization? The idea is to introduce your puppy to as many different people (especially children) and as many different animals (especially cats) as you can whilst they are young.
Doing this should de-sensitize your Husky to strange people and other animals. This will mean that there is more chance they will accept them later in their life.
Although the Husky isn’t an aggressive or possessive creature, this step certainly shouldn’t be missed. Your dog should be comfortable when other people come into your home and the last thing you want is to worry whenever they interact with children. See socialization as the foundation blocks of your Husky training.
What Should You Not Do?
Probably even more important than doing the right thing is ensuring you don’t do the wrong thing. As I mentioned earlier, jumping up and down swearing will not serve any purpose and won’t do you any good.
In fact, your Husky may even see you jumping around as a positive and will just want to nip you more so they see you do it again!
Finally, on this, don’t ever be tempted to smack your Husky. I feel like I don’t even need to write this as Husky owners tend to be professional owners and know enough about how to bring up a dog than to even consider smacking them.
It serves no purpose except to show that you’re bigger and stronger than them. It will make
Summary
So, the chances are your Siberian Husky bit you as they didn’t realize there was anything wrong with it. With a simple bit of training, you’ll be able to teach them that it’s not a good thing to do and it shouldn’t take long for them to change their ways. Although it’s most likely this, there could be other reasons why they give you a nip, such as them being scared, backed into a corner or feeling unwell.