If your husky has been being aloof 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 it might be doing it and what you can do to get it to be less distant in its behavior.
So, why is my husky aloof? Possible reasons are that it is bored, you have inadvertently rewarded it for behaving that way, illness, injury, a problem with its diet, hot weather or it could naturally be aloof.
There are actually a number of reasons why it might be aloof and it could be a combination of factors. However, there are also a number of things you can consider when trying to figure out the exact reason. When you have a good idea of the cause it should become a lot easier to deal with it.
Why your husky is aloof and distant
Each of the different reasons why your husky is aloof will likely come with a number of clues.
Below are a number of possible causes and what would make them more likely.
Boredom
Huskies are a breed that is meant to get a lot of exercise on daily basis. When they don’t get enough exercise it can cause them to start behaving abnormally and it could be why yours has bee acting aloof.
Generally, it is recommended for huskies to get at least an hour of exercise per day. If your husky is not getting that much and it is healthy it would help to make sure that it does.
Mistreatment by previous owners
The cause could be that previous owners mistreated it so it does not show its emotions as much now. This would be more likely if you recently adopted it from a shelter.
In this case, it would be likely that it will improve over the course of weeks and months. However, you could help by giving it lots of exercise, training and by playing with it. If it doesn’t improve, it would help to talk to your vet about it and to consider getting the help of a dog behaviorist in your area.
The weather is too hot
If it has suddenly started being distant as the weather has become hotter it would make it more likely that it is because it is too hot and it is causing it to be fatigued.
In this case, it would help to avoid exercising it during the hottest hours and to walk it in the mornings or evenings instead. It would also help to make sure that your husky has access to shade, a cool room and water whenever it needs it.
You have inadvertently trained it to be that way
It could actually be the case that you have trained your husky to be that way by giving it things that it wants when it does it. If you tend to give it things such as toys, extra attention or treats when it is aloof then it might be doing it more in order to get those rewards.
Instead, it would help to reward it when it is well behaved and to give it lots of positive reinforcement training so that it learns how to behave.
Illness or injury
The cause could be that it has gotten ill or injured. This would be more likely if it has started doing it suddenly and if it has been showing signs of illness or injury such as being fatigued. If it does seem like illness or injury could be the cause, the best option would be to take it to a vet.
Not getting the right diet
The cause could be that there is an issue with its diet. It could be that it is not eating the right foods, it is being fed too much or not enough. It would be especially likely to be due to its diet if it started being distant suddenly when you changed its diet.
You can look here to see what you should and should not be feeding your husky. It would also help to make sure that no one else is feeding it things they shouldn’t be and it would help to consult with your vet on how much and what you should be feeding it.
Fear
The cause could be that something has been causing it to be fearful. This would be more likely if your husky is more aloof in situations such as when there are fireworks or construction works outside.
It would also be more likely if it started doing it more when something happened that could cause it to become frightened such as someone mistreating it or another pet passing away.
Nature
It might be the case that your husky is naturally calm. This would be more likely if it has always acted that way and it has not suddenly started doing it.
Age
As dogs get older it becomes more of a challenge for them to move about and it takes more energy for them to do it. If your husky has gradually become calmer as it has gotten older it would be more likely to be due to age.
If your husky was not able to socialize much as a puppy it could be the case that it never learned to trust other people and dogs. This would be more likely if you know that it didn’t socialize much as a puppy or if you adopted it from a shelter.
In this case, it would also help to reward it when it is less aloof and to give it lots of positive attention in the form of exercise, training and by playing with it.
Depression
Dogs can get depression like people do and it could be the reason why your husky has been being aloof. This would be more likely if it suddenly started acting that way after something happened that could cause it to become depressed such as another pet dying, moving homes or an owner leaving.
In this case, it might begin to improve over the course of weeks but if it does not it would help to consult with a vet or dog behaviorist.
Things to consider
When it first started acting that way
It would help to consider when your husky first started being aloof since it could be the case that there was an event that caused it to start behaving that way.
If it started doing it suddenly it would be more likely to be due to things such as a change in its diet, becoming ill, a change in the weather or a change in its daily routine. It would help to consider what else changed when it started acting that way.
When it becomes more aloof
It would also help to consider the timing of when it becomes more aloof. If it becomes more aloof at certain times it could be the case that the timing has something to do with it.
If it becomes more aloof after being fed then it could be that the food has something to do with it. Whereas, if it does it more when it has not gotten much exercise it could be the case that it needs more.
What to do about your husky being aloof and distant
Below are some options you have when getting it to be less aloof. You’ll likely find that using a combination of them will work best.
Give it more exercise
Provided that your husky is healthy, it is important to make sure that it is getting exercise daily. You can give it exercise by walking it yourself or you could get a dog walker to do it for you when you can’t.
Avoid negative reinforcement
As mentioned above, it could be the case that your husky has learned that being aloof gets rewards. Instead, it would help to reward it when it is not aloof and to give it positive reinforcement training as mentioned below.
Use positive reinforcement training
Positive reinforcement training is where you train your husky to behave in a certain way by rewarding it when it shows signs of behaving that way and not rewarding it when it does not.
If you want to get it to be more affectionate then you would reward it with a treat when it does things that show signs of being affectionate. For example, you might reward it with a treat for coming and sitting with you.
I have written more about how you can use positive reinforcement training to get it to do things such as to come to you on command in this post.
Give it positive attention
It would also help to give your husky positive attention throughout the day in the form of exercise, training and by playing with it.
Ensure that its diet is right
It could be the case that there is an issue with its diet. It would help to talk to your local vet about its diet when you see them next. You can also look here to see what you should and shouldn’t feed it.
Take it to a vet
If you cannot figure out why your husky has been doing it or it has started doing it suddenly and it has been showing signs of illness then it would help to take it to a vet. By doing so you will be able to get expert advice tailored to your particular husky and to rule out the possibility of medical causes.
Get help from a dog behaviorist
If your vet has not found any issues then another option would be to get the help of a dog behaviorist.