If your husky has been grabbing your arms a lot, you’re probably wondering why and what can be done about it.
This post will show you a number of reasons why your husky might grab your arm and what you can do about it.
So, why does my husky grab my arm? Possible causes are a lack of training, inadvertently reinforcing the behavior, teething, wanting attention or excitement.
There are many things that you can consider to help you figure out why it has been doing it. Once you have a good idea of the cause it will become much easier for you to get it to stop.
Why your husky grabs your arm
Each of the different reasons that your husky grabs your arm will likely come with a number of clues in the way that it does it.
Below, I will show you a number of reasons why it might be doing it and what would make them more likely.
It’s teething
The reason that your husky has been grabbing your arm could be that it is teething. This would be more likely if it is still a puppy and if it has started chewing on other things a lot as well.
In this case, it would help to train it not to grab your arm using the methods below and to give it lots of toys, bones and chews to chew on instead.
It wants attention
The reason that it does it could be that it is looking for attention from you. This would be more likely if you tend to give it more attention when it grabs your arm and if it does it when you have not been giving it much attention.
In this case, it would help to avoid rewarding it with your attention when it does it and to give it attention throughout the day by training it, playing with it or exercising it.
Excitement
Sometimes, dogs will grab people’s arms to show that they are excited and it could be why yours does it. This would be more likely if it does it in situations that it probably finds exciting such as when you come home or when you are about to go for a walk.
You have inadvertently been rewarding the behavior
It might be the case that you have been inadvertently training it to grab your arm by giving it things that it wants when it does it. This would be more likely if you tend to give it things such as attention, toys or treats when it grabs your arm.
Instead, it would help to notice when it is about to do it and to redirect its attention and to use positive reinforcement training.
Related: Why is my husky shedding a lot?
A lack of training
If you have not spent much time giving your husky training then it will not know how you want it to behave and it will behave the way that it feels like. The way that it feels like behaving is unlikely to be the way that you would like it to. This is why it is important to give your husky lots of training so that it behaves the way that you want.
Related: Why does my husky attack small dogs?
Things to consider
There are a number of things that you can consider to help you figure out why your husky grabs your arm. Below, are some particularly helpful and important things to think about.
If it does it aggressively
If your husky grabs your arm aggressively then the best option would be to get the help of a certified dog trainer or behaviorist in your area so that you can get it to stop in a safe way.
Its age
It would also help to consider the age of your husky.
If it is still a puppy then it would be likely that it is because it is teething. However, now would be a good time to start training it to behave the way that you want so that it is well behaved as an adult.
If it is no longer a puppy then it would be more likely to be due to excitement, inadvertently rewarding the behavior or a lack of training and it would help to train it to behave the way that you want.
How to get your husky to stop grabbing your arm
The best thing for you to do about your husky grabbing your arm will depend on the cause. However, below are a number of commonly helpful things that you can do.
Positive reinforcement training
The first thing that you can try is positive reinforcement training. This is where you reward the behaviors that you want to see from your husky and avoid rewarding what you don’t want.
To use it to get it to stop grabbing your arm you would:
- Stand up turn away and hide your arms when your husky starts grabbing them leaving the room if necessary.
- Wait a few moments and then go back to giving it attention and then turning away again if it starts grabbing your arm
- Repeat the above until it learns that grabbing your arm causes it to lose your attention
- Reward it with a treat when it does particularly well
Redirect its attention
It would also help to recognize when it is likely to start grabbing your arm and to redirect its attention. By doing so you will be able to get it out of the habit of grabbing your arm. Ways that you could redirect its attention would be by training it to sit or to lay down.
Avoid negative reinforcement
As mentioned above, it could be the case that it grabs your arm because it gets things it wants when it does it.
Instead of rewarding it, try to withdraw your arms, to stop giving it attention when it does it and to redirect its attention before it starts grabbing your arm.
Avoid overreacting
Huskies will often react based upon their owners emotions. When their owners become emotional huskies will often become highly reactive themselves. When dealing with your husky, it would help to be calm and to use lots of positive reinforcement training to get it to behave the way that you want.
Give it exercise
Huskies are a breed that are meant to get a lot of exercise on a daily basis. When they do not get much exercise it can cause them to behave differently.
Generally, it is recommended for them to get an hour of exercise per day. If your husky is not getting that much then it would help to make sure that it does. You can exercise it by walking it, playing fetch with it or getting a dog walker to do it for you.
Get help from a dog behaviorist
If you can’t figure out why your husky grabs your arm, you can’t get it to stop or it is aggressive then consider getting the help of a dog trainer or behaviorist. By doing so you will be able to get it to stop in a safe way.