If your husky has been annoying you, this post will show you a number of reasons why it might be doing it and what you can do about it.
So, why is my husky so annoying? Possible reasons are that it is getting a lack of exercise, training or attention. It could also be that you have inadvertently been reinforcing the behavior or you get reactive with it.
There are actually a number of reasons why your husky might be annoying you and there are a number of things that you can consider when trying to figure out exactly why it is being annoying. Once you have a good idea of the cause, it will become easier for you to get it to stop.
Why your husky is annoying
Each of the different reasons that your husky is annoying 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 annoying you and what would make them more likely.
A lack of exercise
Huskies are a breed that are meant to get a lot of exercise on a daily basis. When they do not get a lot of exercise it can cause them to behave unusually and it could be why your husky annoys you especially if it is less annoying when you have given it exercise.
Generally, it is recommended that you give your husky an hour of exercise per day. If you are not currently giving it that much exercise then it would help to make sure that you do.
A lack of training
If you have not spent much time training your husky then it will not know how you want it to behave and it will just behave the way that it wants to. The way that it wants to behave is unlikely to be the way that you want it to behave. This is why it is important to give it lots of training. I will mention some options that you have in the section below.
A lack of attention
The reason that your husky annoys you could be that it is looking to get attention from you. This would be more likely if it annoys you when you have not given it much attention and if you tend to give it more attention when it annoys you.
Instead of rewarding it with attention when it annoys you, it would help to give it attention throughout the day in the form of training, exercise and by playing with it.
You have been reinforcing the behavior
It might be the case that you have been inadvertently rewarding the behavior. If you tend to give it things that it wants when it becomes annoying then it will have learned that acting that way causes it to get what it wants.
Instead of rewarding it, when it annoys you, try to recognize when it is about to be annoying and to redirect its attention and to use positive reinforcement training.
You get reactive around it
Huskies and most other dog breeds are highly responsive to their owner’s emotions. If you get emotional or reactive around your husky then it will cause it to act in a similar way. Instead, it would help to be calm around your husky and to get it to behave the way that you want with training.
Related: Why is my husky so anxious?
Nature
Huskies were bred to work alongside their owners for hours on a daily basis. With that being the case, they will naturally look to their owners for direction. This is why it is important to train it to behave the way that you want it to.
How you can stop your husky from being annoying
The best thing for you to do about your husky annoying you will likely depend on the cause. However, below are a number of options that you have.
Positive reinforcement training
Positive reinforcement training is where you train it to behave the way that you want by giving it rewards when it behaves the right way.
To use positive reinforcement training to get your husky to stop bothering you it would be necessary to reward it before it starts annoying you, to stop when it starts acting the way that you do not want it to and then to reward it when it begins acting how you want it to again.
Redirect its attention
Another option that you have is to learn to recognize when it is likely to start being annoying and to redirect its behavior. By doing this you will be able to prevent it from being annoying and to get it out of the habit of doing the annoying thing.
To redirect its attention you could train it to do simple commands that you could give to it when it starts being annoying. Things that you could train it to do could include coming to you on command or laying down.
Avoid negative reinforcement
Negative reinforcement training is where you reward your husky for behaving the wrong way causing it to do it more.
Instead of rewarding it when it misbehaves, try to redirect its attention and to use positive reinforcement training. When it does annoy you, try to avoid giving it attention until it starts to behave.
Be calm around it
As mentioned above, it could be the case that being highly emotional around it is causing it to be annoying and reactive. Instead, it would help to interact with it in a calm way and to give it lots of training.
Give it lots of exercise
If you have not been giving it much exercise then it would help to make sure to do so. You can give your husky exercise by walking it, playing fetch with it or by having a dog walker do it for you.
Give it things to be distracted with
In addition to the above, you could also give it things to be distracted with. Things that you could give it would include toys, bones, puzzles and chews.
Things to consider
There are many things that you can consider when trying to figure out why your husky is annoying and what to do about it. Below, I will mention some particularly helpful things to consider.
If it changed its behavior suddenly
It would help to consider whether or not your husky started being annoying suddenly since it could be the case that there was an event that triggered it to start doing it.
If it did become annoying suddenly then it would help to consider what happened at around the same time that it started being annoying. Possible things that might have happened could include:
- You stopped giving it as much attention or exercise
- You rewarded it one time when it was annoying
- Its daily routine changed
- You changed its diet
If it has always been annoying you then it would be more likely to be due to things such as reacting to your emotions and a lack of training.
When it becomes annoying
The timing of when it becomes annoying would also be helpful to consider. If it becomes annoying at a certain time then it would be likely that there is something that is causing it.
If it does become annoying at a certain time then it could be due to things such as:
- Being frightened of something
- Getting excited about something like being about to get exercise
- Separation anxiety
Consistency is key
When training your husky it is important to be consistent with the training. It is unlikely that you will be able to get it to behave exactly how you want it to with just one training session but if you are consistent with the training you will be able to get much better results.