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Sasha - A rescued Husky
Sasha - A rescued Husky
Breed: Siberian or
Alaskan Husky
Age: 3 years
Alaskan Husky
Age: 3 years
Gender: Female
Status:
Spayed
Sasha is probably a purebred Siberian Husky, or perhaps an Alaskan Husky with a high percentage of Siberian Husky lineage. (Note: The Alaskan Husky is a breed not currently recognized by the AKC or CKC, and may have traces of other northern/arctic breed dogs bred recently through the line to reduce incidence of genetic recessive disorders more common in purebred dogs.) Her veterinarian suspects that her slightly larger size and weight, as well as the positioning of her ears indicate that she either varies from the normal Siberian breed standards, or that she has some non-Siberian ancestry in her heritage.
She is what is typically referred to as an Isabella White (see: http://www.huskycolors.com/ for more information) and is bi-eyed (one blue, one brown eye). In huskies, unlike most other dog breeds, a blue eye is not indicative of blindness. In the images included, her coat is very thin, as it was shaved down because it was very matted due to neglect by her previous owners. Her coat is growing back in thick, full, and soft, and the coppery-red color is becoming vibrant as she is becoming more healthy.
Sasha's previous owners had severely neglected her and she was eventually surrendered to the local Humane Society. She was most likely purchased as a puppy and as she grew larger and more energetic, her original owners probably found her difficult to control and banished her to the backyard. Left to fend for herself, Sasha developed some behaviors which are atypical of Siberians, however commonly surface in the behaviors of neglected dogs. Professional dog trainers and canine behavior specialists that have reviewed her behavior all suspect that Sasha was tethered outside and had little training or attention. She demonstrated severe resource guarding, such as food-aggression and toy-aggression. Lacking socialization with other animals, she is very dog-aggressive, which is also not typical of most Siberians. She also exhibited severe separation anxiety during the first two months of her adjustment to her new home.
Like most shelter dogs, Sasha really needed structure in order to correct many of these behavioral problems. She was immediately introduced to crate-training, and was rehabilitated using the NILIF (Nothing In Life Is Free) training philosophy during her formal obedience training. It took roughly a year for Sasha to adjust to her new home, so results weren't immediate. All negative behaviors have ceased except for the dog-aggression, which unfortunately, is the most severe of her issues.
Sasha now allows her owners and visitors to remove food or toys from her possession and also knows several tricks, which she will eagerly demonstrate for a treat.
Commands she knows: Sit, Down (lie down), Stay/Wait, Roll (roll onto belly), Touch (her nose to your hand), Shake (handshake with her paw), Flat (chin to ground, while lying down), Talk (bark), Woo (typical husky-specific happy noise), Come (used sparingly), Leave (let it go), Up (come up onto surface - i.e. couch, chair, table, car), In (go in the crate), Fetch (sometimes...depending on her mood and whether you have a hotdog or not)...
Most commands are very reliable, some not so much, as they are used less often, but who says you can't train a Siberian? Well you can't, you just have to trick them into thinking that they are making you give them food.
Sasha is now muchhappier and healthier and shares her home, much to
their distaste, with two very cautious cats and her human family. She regularly attempts to elude the humans in their attempts to prevent her from fleeing back to her arctic homeland up north.
Sasha has been spayed, and is regularly seen by her veternarian.
She is exercised daily and loved by all.
emodHst |
Latest page update: made by emodHst
, Feb 11 2007, 8:22 PM EST
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Keyword tags:
Alaskan Husky
bi-eyed
Isabella White
rescue
resource guarding
separation anxiety
siberian husky
More Info: links to this page
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| Started By | Thread Subject | Replies | Last Post | |
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| Anonymous | Sasha | 1 | Feb 11 2007, 10:31 AM EST by scottishterrier | |
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Thread started: Feb 6 2007, 8:47 AM EST
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What a beautiful dog.I'm so happy Sasha found a good home!
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