If your husky is very attached to you, this post will show you a number of possible reasons why and what can be done about it.
So, why is my husky so attached to me? Common reasons are that it wants attention, it has separation anxiety or that you have inadvertently reinforced the behavior.
There are a number of considerations that you can make when trying to figure out why your husky is so attached to you.
Why your husky is so attached to you
Each of the different reasons that your husky is attached to you will likely come with a number of clues.
Below, I will mention a number of reasons why it might be happening and what would make them more likely.
It wants attention
The reason that your husky is attached to you could be that it is looking for attention from you. This would be more likely if it is more attached when you have not been giving it much attention and if you tend to give it more attention when it does it.
Instead, it would help to give it attention throughout the day in the form of training, exercise and by playing with it and to avoid rewarding it when it misbehaves.
Related: Why does my husky bark at me?
Nature
Huskies were bred to work alongside their owners for hours on a daily basis. With that being the case, it is to be expected that your husky will look to you for direction and that it will cause it to seem to be attached to you.
Separation anxiety
It could be the case that your husky has some separation anxiety. This is where being left alone causes it to become anxious. This would be more likely if it starts to show signs of being anxious when you are about to leave.
In this case, it would help to avoid leaving it alone for long periods and to periodically check up on it if you can.
In this case, it would help to train it to be less anxious when you are leaving and when you are away.
To do this you could do as follows:
- Make it seem like you are about to leave by doing something such as picking up your keys
- Reward your husky for not being anxious and repeat these two steps a few times
- Make more moves towards actually leaving such as by picking up the keys and putting your hand on the door handle
- Reward your husky for not being anxious and repeat the process a few times
- Actually open the door and go outside for a few moments then come back and reward your husky
- Repeat the above, each time staying outside for slightly longer
When training it not to have separation anxiety, it is important not to reward it for being anxious. So, avoid taking large jumps in what you ask of it since it will be more likely to start being anxious.
Reinforcing the behavior
It might be the case that you have been inadvertently reinforcing the behavior by giving it things that it wants when it is attached.
Instead of rewarding the behavior with toys, attention or treats, try to reward it when it is behaving the way that you want it to.
Mistreatment when it was younger
The reason that it is attached could be that it was mistreated before and now it does not like being left alone. This would be more likely if it was adopted from a shelter.
In this case, it might start to become less attached as it gets older and you can still do the training tips below. If the over-attachment is bothering you then you could also consider getting help from a dog behaviorist.
Things to consider
Below are some things that you can consider that can help in figuring out why your husky might be doing it.
When it started to do it
It would help to consider when your husky first started being so attached since it could be the case that there was an event that triggered it to start being attached.
Things that may have happened could include:
- Moving home
- Someone left home
- Another pet died
- Someone was aggressive towards it
When and where it does it
The timing and location that it becomes attached in would also be helpful to consider.
If you notice that it starts being attached when you are about to leave then it would be much more likely to be due to separation anxiety. Whereas, if it does it randomly then it could be that you have inadvertently reinforced the behavior.
How to stop your husky from being so attached to you
There are a number of ways that you can get your husky to be less attached to you that I will mention below.
Positive reinforcement training
Positive reinforcement training is where you get your husky to behave the way that you want it to by giving it rewards when it is well behaved and by not rewarding it when it is not.
To use it to get your husky to be less attached you would stop giving it attention when it is too attached and then reward it when it shows signs of being less attached.
Avoid negative reinforcement training
As mentioned above, it could be the case that you have been inadvertently reinforcing the behavior. Instead of giving it things such as attention, toys or treats when it becomes attached, try to reward it when it is well behaved and to use positive reinforcement training.
Give it attention throughout the day
It would also help to give it attention throughout the day so that it doesn’t feel the need to get attention from you. You can give it attention by training it, giving it exercise or by playing with it.
Avoid leaving it for extended periods
In order to reduce its separation anxiety, it would help to avoid leaving it alone for a long time. This means that it would help to come back and see it quickly on your lunch break if possible.
Give it lots of exercise
As mentioned above, it is important to make sure that your husky gets exercise on a daily basis. You can give it exercise by walking it, playing fetch with it or by getting a dog walker to do it for you.