If your husky is not affectionate you might be wondering why and what you can do about it.
This post will show you a number of reasons why your husky might not be so affectionate and what you can do about it.
So, why is my husky not affectionate? Possible reasons are that previous owners mistreated it, illness, injury, fear, a lack of socialization as a puppy or it could be that you have inadvertently trained it to be that way.
There are a number of things that you can consider when trying to figure out why it is the case. Once you have a good idea of the cause, it will become easier for you to deal with it.
Why your husky is not affectionate
Each of the different reasons that your husky is not affectionate will likely come with some clues.
Below, I will explain a number of reasons why it might be doing it and what would make them more likely.
Previous owners
The reason that it is not affectionate could be that it was mistreated by previous owners. This would be more likely if you recently adopted it from a shelter.
In this case, it will likely improve over the course of a few weeks. However, you can help it by training it, giving it positive attention by playing with it and by walking it.
Related: Why is my husky aggressive?
Illness or injury
The cause could be that it is ill or injured. This would be more likely if it has stopped being affectionate suddenly and if it has been showing other signs of being ill or injured such as limping or vomiting.
If it does seem like illness or injury could be the cause then the best option would be to take it to a vet.
Related: Why is my husky afraid of other dogs?
Fear
The cause could be that something is causing it to be fearful. This would be more likely if your husky becomes less affectionate at certain times and if it shows signs of being fearful as well at those times.
If it does seem like it might be afraid of something then it would help to reduce its exposure to that thing and to try desensitization training.
I have written more about why your husky might be afraid of things here.
Nature
It might be the case that your husky is not naturally very affectionate. This would be more likely if it has always not been very affectionate and it hasn’t suddenly stopped showing affection.
In this case, you could get it to show more affection by rewarding it when it shows signs of being affectionate and by avoiding rewarding it when it is not affectionate.
Age
If your husky is not as affectionate as it used to be then it could be because it does not have as much energy as it used to. This would be more likely if it has not stopped being affectionate suddenly and if it is getting older now.
Boredom
Huskies are a breed that is meant to get a lot of exercise on a daily basis. When they do not get much exercise it can cause them to develop behavioral issues.
Generally, it is recommended for them to get at least an hour of exercise per day. If your husky is not getting that much exercise then it could be the reason why it is not being so affectionate.
Depression
Huskies can get depression like humans do and it could be why your husky hasn’t been being affectionate. This would be more likely if it stopped being affectionate suddenly and if it did it after something happened that might have caused it to become depressed. Things that could have caused it to become depressed could be someone mistreating it, an owner moving away or another pet dying.
If it seems like your husky might be doing it due to being depressed then it might improve over the course of a few weeks. You can help it by giving it positive attention and lots of exercise. If it doesn’t improve then consider getting the help of a dog behaviorist in your area.
You have inadvertently trained it to be that way
It might be the case that you have inadvertently trained your husky not to show affection. This would be more likely if you tend to give it things that it likes when it does not show affection.
Instead of giving it things such as more attention, treats or toys when it is not affectionate, try to reward it when it is affectionate.
Things to consider
There are a number of things that you can consider when trying to figure out why your husky hasn’t been showing much affection. Below, I will mention some particularly helpful things to consider.
If it has always not been affectionate
It would likely help to consider whether or not it has always not been affectionate or if it has suddenly stopped being affectionate.
If it has suddenly stopped being affectionate then it could be the case that something has happened that has caused it to suddenly behave differently. Possible reasons could be that someone mistreated it, another pet died or that it’s ill or injured.
Whereas, if it has always behaved that way then it would be more likely to be due to things such as naturally behaving that way, previous owners mistreating it or you might have inadvertently trained it to be that way from an early age.
If it is more affectionate at certain times
It would also help to consider whether or not it is more affectionate at certain times.
If it is more affectionate at certain times then it could be that an issue with its diet is causing it to behave differently after eating, it’s not getting enough exercise or it might become fearful of something at certain times.
Whereas, if it is always not affectionate then it would be more likely to be due to things such as nature, boredom, illness, injury or mistreatment by previous owners.
It could be showing affection towards you that you are not realizing
Something that is important to consider is that your husky might be showing signs of affection towards you that you are not noticing.
Ways that your husky might actually be showing affection towards you could include:
- Following your orders
- Protecting you or your home
- “Nosing” you which is where it touches you with its nose and smells you
- Making eye contact with you
- Putting itself into vulnerable positions when it is around you
- Licking you
- Getting excited when you come home
- Leaning on you
- Getting you to rub its belly
- Keeping pace with you on walks
- Bringing things to you
- Following you around
How to get it to be more affectionate
Below, are a number of tips that you can use to get your husky to be more affectionate. The best option for your husky will depend on the cause so keep that in mind when getting it to be more affectionate.
Positive reinforcement
Positive reinforcement training is where you get your husky to display the behaviors that you want to see by rewarding it when it shows them.
To use positive reinforcement training to get your husky to be more affectionate you would:
- Reward it when it shows affection to you,
- Reward it when it shows signs of showing affection towards you
- Reward it when it does not ignore you when it normally would
It would also help to recognize when it is about to ignore you and to divert its attention back onto you by training it to come to you on command.
Avoid positively reinforcing behavior you don’t want
As mentioned above, it could be the case that you have been inadvertently training your husky not to be affectionate. Instead of rewarding it when it is not affectionate, try to use positive reinforcement training and to divert its attention on to you when it is about to stop being affectionate.
Avoid punishing it
It is important not to punish your husky when it is not behaving the way that you want it to. If you punish it then it might not know what you are punishing it for and it could cause it to have feelings of discontent towards you.
Instead, try to get the behaviors that you want with the use of positive reinforcement training and by avoiding rewarding bad behaviors.
Spend more time with it and show it more affection yourself
It would also help to spend more time around your husky and to show it affection yourself by training it, playing with it and giving it exercise so that it will want to show affection towards you.
Give it more exercise
If you have not been giving your husky much exercise then it would be important to make sure that you do give it exercise. You can give it exercise by walking it, playing fetch with it or by getting a dog walker to do it for you.
Take it to the vet
If you can’t figure out why your husky has not been showing affection, it has stopped being affectionate suddenly or it has been showing signs of illness or injury then it would help to take it to a vet. By doing so you will be able to get expert advice on why your husky is behaving the way that it is and to rule out medical conditions.