If your husky has been acting out you might want to know why and what you can do about it.
In this post, I will show you a number of reasons why your husky might be doing it and what would make them more likely.
So, why is my husky acting out? Possible reasons are that it’s ill or injured, a change in its diet, someone mistreated it, stress, it needs exercise or you might have inadvertently rewarded the behavior.
There are actually a number of reasons why your husky might be doing it and it could be a combination of reasons. However, there are some things you can consider which will help you figure out the exact reason. Once you have a good idea of why it is doing it, you will have an easier time in getting it to stop.
Why your husky is acting out or weird
Each of the different reasons why your husky has been acting out will likely come with a number of clues.
Below, I will show you a number of reasons why your husky might be doing it and what would make them more likely.
A change in its diet
The cause might be due to an issue with its diet. This would be especially likely if it started acting out at around the same time that you changed its diet. It could also be that someone has been feeding it things it shouldn’t be eating without you knowing. You can look here to see what sorts of things you should and should not be feeding your husky.
Illness or injury
The cause could be that it is ill or injured. This would be more likely if it has been showing other signs of being ill or injured such as vomiting or limping. If it does seem like illness or injury could be the cause the best option would be to take it to a vet.
Someone mistreated it
It could be the case that someone mistreated your husky and now it is behaving differently due to things such as anxiety, fear or anger. This would be more likely if you know that someone recently mistreated it or if it acted out when someone was being aggressive towards it.
Stress
The reason might be that something is causing it to be stressed. Things that might be making it be stressed could include having to be alone for long hours, someone recently leaving home or another pet dying. This would be more likely if it started acting out at around the same time that the stressor started.
A change in its schedule
If there was a sudden change in its schedule that could also have been causing it to act out. Sudden changes in its schedule could include being fed at different times, getting exercise at different times or being left alone at different times or for longer.
It needs exercise
Huskies are a breed that needs a lot of exercise on a daily basis in order to be fully stimulated. If your husky has not been getting enough exercise it could be why it has been acting out.
It is normally recommended for them to get at least an hour of exercise per day. If your husky has not been getting that much it would help to make sure that it does by walking it yourself or by getting a dog walker to do it for you.
You have reinforced the behavior
It might be the case that you have been encouraging it to act out by rewarding it when it does it. If you give it things that it wants such as extra attention, toys or treats when it acts out it will do it more in order to get those things.
Instead, it would help to reward it when it is well behaved and to follow the tips below to get it to act out less.
How to get your husky to stop acting out
Below are a number of options you have when getting your husky to stop acting out.
Make sure that it is not ill
If it seems like illness or injury is the reason why it has been acting out it would help to take it to a vet. By doing so you will be able to rule out the possibility of it being due to illness or injury and to get expert advice tailored to your particular husky.
Make sure that its diet is right
It would also help to make sure that your husky is eating the right foods. You can look here to see what you should and should not be feeding it.
Give it lots of exercise
As mentioned above, it is important to make sure that your husky is getting a lot of exercise on a daily basis. If it is not it would help to give it exercise either by yourself or by getting a dog walker to do it for you.
Train it
It would also help to train it to be less likely to act out at you or at other people. You can do this by desensitizing it to other people and rewarding it for being well behaved.
You can watch the video below for more tips on how to do so.
Get help
If you cannot figure out why your husky has been acting out or you cannot get it to stop it would help to get help from a certified dog trainer or behaviorist in your area. By doing so you will be able to see how to train your husky in a safe way and to see exactly what the cause is.
Things to consider
Consider when your husky started acting strange
It would help to consider when your husky first started acting out since it could be the case that there was an event that caused it to start doing it.
If it started doing it suddenly, it would be more likely to be due to things such as a change in its diet, a change in how much exercise it gets or someone mistreating it. It would help to consider what else changed when your husky first started doing it.
When it does not act weird
It would help to consider what is different when it does not act out.
If you notice that it does not act out when a certain person is not around it could be a sign that it does not like that person. Whereas, if it doesn’t act out on weekends when you are at home all day it might be a sign that it has some separation anxiety.