Hi, I have aquired a Siberian husky from a neighbor who

[dogmama]

doesn't want to keep her anymore because they have to keep her tied up. . She's 5 years was kept tied up in their back yard and cried a lot. She was very lonely because she got very little attention. I offered to let her come into my large fenced backyard to play with my dogs occasionally. So far, there haven't been any bad fights, but the husky is very dominant and territorial. She has taken over part of my patio and won't let the other dogs go into that area. She also loves to get into one of my small ponds in my back yard. I have fish in it and a few plants, and am afraid she might try to catch or harm the fish. How can I deal with this? She is beautiful and really sweet, otherwise. My border collie is a 4-yr old female, my JR Terrier is a 9-yr old male and my spaniel is a 10-yr old male. The spaniel has little to do with her, but she seems to be in direct competition with my border collie. The JR just likes to jump in to the mix if it appears that one might be about to happen. I just want them all to get along and play together. Am I asking too much? Thanks:confused:

[siberianhusky101]

you might need to work on being a dominant in your siberian's world. show her that you and all of your previous dogs are all dominant to her and that you are dominant to all your other dogs. www.akc.org should have some good advice on teaching your pack.

[dogmama]

how to show her that she is dominated by the other dogs here. I make her sit before she is petted or fed anything, including her dinner. How do I make her lie down and roll on her back into the submissive posture? Will she do that eventually by herself? I just don't want any of the dogs to get hurt when they have a squabble over toys or food. I've been feeding them in separate areas and that seems to work OK, although if she can get to any of the food that is left, she eats it, too. She'll get fat at the rate she's eating! I don't want that, either. Thanks for any suggestions. :)

[siberianhusky101]

Here is a video of an extreme aggression case that the "dog whisperer", ceasar milan deals with. he gives a good reasoning behind the psychology of making a dog submissive and he also shows a good way to do it.
Video 1: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2508439926599823361&q=JonBee&total=2&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=1


Video 2:http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2508439926599823361&q=JonBee&total=2&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=1

[dogmama]

about it. I'm feeding my dogs in different areas because the husky competes for food with them. I've always fed my spaniel and border collie together, but not now because they'll be run away from their food if it's outside. I now feed my original 3 in an enclosed area and the husky outside. Until she gets past the agression toward the others concerning food and toys, they just can't be around her at feeding time or play at the same time or in the same area as she does. I'm not sure how to deal with the food agression otherwise or the toy agression. I don't want any of them to get hurt.

[siberianhusky101]

Food aggression usually stem from the dominance thing, in a wolf pack the alpha dog is the first to eat. make sure that you have eaten before them and then pretend to eat a little out of their bowls before setting bowls out for your other dogs. and finally once they have eaten give your husky their food. here is a link for another way to help the situation, http://cesarmillaninc.com/tips/foodphilosophy01.php
as for toy aggression, you have to make the toy YOURS. once again Ceasar milan has an episode Shep and Sasha that has a toy and food aggressive dog but unfortunately the only videos that i could find were of Sheps half of the show. Taking her to a trainer that also works with dog psychology might be helpful, even if she knows how to sit and stay and all the basics, a professional might spot something you don't. PetSmart has certified trainers that can work with you in a group or one on one, you can usually sit in on a training class to see if you think its for you before joining a class. otherwise you can find plenty of trainers in your area who should be able to help you.

[dogmama]

for classes because I did that with my Jack Russell years ago and it helped tremendously. He, by the way, is the only one she doesn't fight with. I know he's submissive to the border collie. My spaniel appears to be submissinve to all of them but seems happy. I'm not sure how to work with the dogs at home to get them not to fight or to get her not to challenge the border collie. Hopefully my vet might have some suggestions. The husky is getting a bath today and also getting her shots. She hadn't been vaccinated since 2004!! I was really surprised. Fortunately she appears to be healthy.