The Glade 4.0

We just got a young but full-grown, pure-bred Siberian husky that we adopted from someone an hour away from us. They said they were getting rid of him because he chases their goats.
Apparently, he hunts cats too. As soon as I got him home, he attacked both of my cats, chasing them and grabbing them in his mouth and shaking his head back and forth. No matter what I did, I couldn't get him to tear loose until after I hit him with the end of the lease several times.
We got him a muzzle but he was doing so well yesterday I thought we didn't need it.
Tonight, we all came back in from playing and he walked towards the kitten...I told him no and he retreated. He walked towards the kitten again and again I said no and he retreated.
I figured I'm pick the kitten up, take it to the couch and pet it, and discourage the dog if he showed interest....I bent down to pick up the cat and as soon as I touched her, the dog was on her in a flash, ripped her out of my hands and proceeded to shake her in his mouth. I grabbed him by the neck but he wouldn't let go. I finally got him off, but the cat is injured...she's not bleeding but she can't walk very well, her back looks like it's permanently arched, and one leg looks like its not working. She doesn't seem to be in any discomfort, but something is wrong.
I think we may have to permanently keep a muzzle on this dog...the thing that disturbs me so much is that the dog ripped the cat right out of my hands. I can see a dog chasing a cat, I know that dogs have killed cats before--I know it happens, but for a dog's instinct to completely take over like that really scares me.
Thoughts?

PS---NF thinks I'm overreacting and being too emotional.

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"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Jesus of Nazareth

That's horrible. I'd have to get rid of the dog immediately if it posed a threat to my family (and yes, Cash is very much an important and crucial part of my family).

If the dog has a strong prey drive he will absolutely go after cats. You may find that he gets better about it for a while, but eventually instinct overcomes training and he will go after them... and possibly after you if you try to rescue the cat. And if a child tries to rescue the cat, or acts in a manner that triggers the prey drive...

That was the next logical step in this whole train of thought....

If it was limited to the dog chasing and killing cats on its own, that's one thing...but for the dog to utterly and completely disregard the whole pecking order and grab that kitten out of my hands without warning tells me that it's instinct to kill is much stronger than any sense of "pack leader".... I expected the dog to want to go after the cat, but I expected the dog to respect that leadership and not to take the cat away from me. THAT is the part that freaks me out.

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"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Jesus of Nazareth

I would agree. Hence the 'pose a danger' bit.

Just my 2cp.

Get a big, mean tomcat. The dog will stop.

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The dog needs to be in a house without children or cats.

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Holy shitsnacks!

Yeah. Siberian Husky is probably one of the worst choices of dog you could have taken into a house with small children and cats. They've got a pretty serious prey drive.



That's all you need to know.

The other important thing to know about huskies is that they are VERY active... if they don't get a couple of hours of intense exercise daily they can become destructive (or self destructive. Ever seen a dog gnaw its feet bloody?). The few well-adjusted huskies I know belong to a woman who runs marathons; she runs five miles twice a day with the dogs.

Get rid of the dog, or get rid of the cats and kids. Easy choice really. Huskies are pack animals and will always fight for dominance in the pack, and always prefer fresh kills to kibble. They need to be trained from puppy-hood, starting too late ruins the dog.

Huskies are very possessive and protective of their owners as well. They have been known, here in California anyway, to keep paramedics away from their injured owners because everything is viewed as a threat to the owner.

If they adopt one but not both of you, the Husky could prove a danger to the other one.

As Taamar mentioned, a well exercised Husky can be a great companion. I'll bet her owner friend never worries about muggers when she runs with the dogs.

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The U. S. Constitution doesn't guarantee happiness, only the pursuit of it. You have to catch up with it yourself. B. Franklin

"A mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone." -- Tyrion Lannister, A Game of Thrones

Jesus. Get rid of the **** dog.

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Ezekiel 23:19-20 

You usually can't take a full grown husky or other high prey drive dog and put it into a house with cats. They have to be raised from a puppy with cats to stop them from killing cats (and sometimes that only stops them from killing your cats).

Also, depending on how long you've had the dog, and how you've been treating it, it might very well think it's the pack leader and not you...

How do you define "well exercised" for a Husky? Yesterday he ran around the yard a bit at 6am with the two other dogs, at 8:30 we went to the lake and he went for a swim. After that, the digs were crated while I went grocery shopping and when I came back, I set him out on a 60ft cable run for 2 hours before bringing him in and letting him hang out in the living room (the cats were put up) and play fight with the other two dogs until after dinner when we all went outside and the dogs ran around for awhile ( the cats were let out to roam the house while we were all outside.) I tried to get him to play some games with me and the other two dogs but he was more interested in sniffing the side of the house and all the doors, looking for a way in....now I know why.

I wanted to take this dog back the instant I got it home and it tried to eat the cats. I even called the people and told them we were heading back (3 hrs round trip.) But I called the humane society first and they suggested obedience training and a muzzle, and told me some personal stories about adopting pit bulls who were cat eaters but now safely play with their cats, which made me feel so optimistic that I called the lady back and told her we would keep him....at this point I can't get my money back, but I'm not sure I can fix this. I'm good with dogs but this seems like way more is required than just a behavior modification course. Even then, I'm not convinced there is anyway to stop this dog from killing small animals.

Timmit, we haven't even had the dog for 48 hours yet. Got him Thursday afternoon.

I also vote for getting rid of the dog. I'm afraid that during the "training period" you're going to end up with some (more) horribly mauled or worse kittens.

That's not really long enough to establish yourself as pack leader.

I'd also try and avoid picking up cats near the dog if you're going to try and keep him. My malamute is cat socialized but picking cats up near her still isn't a great idea (it's about the only time she ever tries to mouth them). Even if you do get her cat socialized you're probably never going to be able to get her to stop killing other small animals. Small animals running are going to trigger their prey drive pretty much no matter what you do.

Timmit, I think you're right. So far, Talon accepts some leadership from me and he seeks some level of approval from me and not anyone else yet. I'm hoping it will just take time.
As far as the kitten goes (she's still alive, but just laying around and when I try to get her up she walks like the hunchback of notre dame but she doesn't act like she's in pain and she's purring), perhaps he saw it as a group hunting experience or something and he thought I was making the first attack by picking up the "prey." Either that or he just really has absolutely no self-control whatsoever.
Anyway, he will be muzzled 100% of the time indoors when he is not crated, and muzzled when we go out in public for walks and stuff just in case.
I'm assuming his cable run is strong and safe enough for him to remain unmuzzled while on it.

I'll call a dog behavioral specialist next week and see what our options are, but I'm pretty sure that this dog will never be able to be trusted around cats or any other small and furry animal.

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"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Jesus of Nazareth

I'm guessing the whole leadership thing is as undetermined as your expectations are.

Oh, and I'm also guessing that the cats back is broken. Give away the dog and have the kitten put down. Or, keep the dog and no more cats.

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In time, this too shall pass.

Poor kitten. Take it to the vet?

Laying down and purring and refusing to move and being otherwise quiet is exactly how a cat acts when she's in pain, especially when she's learned that there's a predator around waiting to kill her if she looks weak. She likely needs to be put down, she certainly needs a vet.

And the exercise you mention isn't enough for a husky. Time in the yard and on a run frolicking isn't intense enough, it needs to be directed and constant. Like a five mile run twice a day. Or maybe pulling a sled. If he's not heaving and panting he's not working hard enough.

That dog is dangerous. He may never accept you as the pack leader unless you start doing Alpha things... like killing. And if he accepts either you or NF he will always challenge the other. And what about the kids? What about the day he flip when you pull a child in for a hug and clamps down on their neck or face and shakes? Can you risk that? And even with the muzzle, a lunge can do significant and irreparable damage to a small face. And the lawsuit if it's someone else's child will take everything you own. In fact, while you're at the vet for the kitten ask her if she thinks the dog who did this should be around kids at all, ever.


You are not captain save-a-dog.

FarSky, I just got back from the vet, thank goodness I think my kitten is going to be ok...sore for a couple of weeks, but living.

Taskiss, the vet said he doesn't think the kitten's back or any other bones are broken, nor does he believe anything is ruptured. He thinks it's a pinched nerve and a whole lot of internal bruising and to expect some blood in the kitten's urine or stools as it it recovers. He said the cat may have some permanent nerve damage, but most likely she'll make a full recovery. He gave her a shot and some oral antibotics to try and prevent infection from any abcesses that might form.

The vet said this is the behavior of a dog who has done this before and that it cannot be trained out of him at this point. He also said that Husky's are notoriously unpredictable and he would be concerned for any small children in the vicinity. At the very least, he added, he said we should expect that this dog will never, ever be safe around small animals and we should take precautions accordingly.

Sadly, we will be re-homing him...a pity because he is a beautiful, intelligent, and very playful dog. He just needs someone who has no children or other small pets. I'm kinda bummed...I was really hoping this would work out...the other dogs were enjoying his company and NF and I and the kids really like him.
We're also out $100 that we paid for him, the gas money we spent to get there, and the vet bill for the cat....I really should learn to save my money for more affordable lessons.

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"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Jesus of Nazareth

Sad, but true. You're absolutely right. And your thoughts were what has been running through my mind all night...we have a no fences in our neighborhood and our neighbors have a baby girl who will be walking in a few months...if we kept this dog, there are no guarantees that we could prevent something bad from happening even with using a muzzle and keeping him up...all it takes is a split second opportunity that could happen easily with a broken leash or someone not being quick enough when going in and out of the front door.

We really like this dog, but for safety reasons, we cannot keep him and are going to try to find him a home with someone who is equipped to handle him.

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"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Jesus of Nazareth

I'm glad to hear it. And the dog will be happier in the long run. He's beautiful, it shouldn't be hard to find him a place.

He is beautiful, isn't he? I hate to send him away, I really do. NF is super bummed too.

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"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Jesus of Nazareth

As much as I love dogs, the safety of you and yours comes first.

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Holy shitsnacks!