# husky body language help?



## tricia beaver (Jul 16, 2011)

I have had Koda ( female purebred husky) for 2 1/2 months . she is 10 months old. sometimes when I walk up to her when she is laying down she....I don't really know. she will be laying on her belly ( not on her side) and she will lay her front shoulders away from me ( back hips still in the same position they where before), head on the ground. Neck and head out straight out with her head tilted the same direction as her front shoulders, looking at me. why does she do this? is she being submissive or scared? http://i1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd469/pyrowolf/1312353839.jpg


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## tricia beaver (Jul 16, 2011)

the man I bought her from got her at 5 months. when I got her she was very shy, willing to spend all her time in her kennel and never come out except to go outside.I have her at a point where she willingly walks, lays and plays in the house and outside and takes, sometimes seeks, attention from people. sometimes she will look at people and come up to them but shys way from pets. the man I got her from says she was shy when he got her and he didnt know how to get her to not be shy. he doesn't know anything about the people he got her from. and she does this when I walk up fas or wen I walk up slow, so I don't know why she does it.


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

Rocky is only part husky and part chow so I can only give you an opinion on why he does things. A lot of these kind of shy dogs do not like anyone (even their owners) reaching over their heads at all. She is probably rolling that way so that she can keep your hands in sight at all times. 

When I take Rocky out to meet people, I ALWAYS make sure that they pet him under his chin, NOT over his head. He really gets upset when strangers try to reach over his head where he can't see their hands. Since you have only had your dog a short time, she is probably still adjusting to you as her owner and is still learning to trust you. Make sure you always approach her slowly and never reach out quick at her. Pet her under her chin and then start reaching up around her neck and head. 

Rocky lets anyone in the family pet him on his head and anywhere, but he still glances up at your hands when you reach over his head. It's an instinct so it's hard for them to break.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

I take this behavior as a calming signal to you. She does this to show that she means no harm. It's not a behavior that I would support, not because it's terrible or means she will become aggressive out of fear. I just wouldn't support it (by simply ignoring her when she does it) because you want to support the behaviors that create a well rounded, calm and confident dog.


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## tricia beaver (Jul 16, 2011)

Whenever she does it, I call her to me and give her a simple command ( like sit) so she has to get up, when then changes her attitude cause she wags her tail and looking happy. That way I'm not just ignoring the behavior, I'm making her do something else instead.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

I like that you try and change her behavior to keep her from doing this low body posture. 

When you do call her to you, what is your body language to her? Are you standing, sitting, kneeling down? What's your usual facial expression like? 

She will read your body language and your facial expressions like a book. Even the slightest change in facial expression can say a lot to your dog!


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## monkeys23 (Dec 8, 2010)

DaneMama nailed it. The absolute best thing for a nervous unsure dog is ignoring all that behavior and ONLY reward (i.e. with any interaction) and reinforce offers of confident, outgoing behavior from them. Eventually she'll get to the point where she'll relax enough to lay feet up and accept belly rubs tribute like a normal fuzzy butt. Just give the dog time. Too many people inadvertantly reinforce skittish behavior caused by lack of socialization by thinking they are helping the dog overcome it...

This is my lazy bum with her cat.


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## Happy808 (Aug 4, 2011)

I grew up with Huskies and Malamutes my whole life. I adopted a husky at the similar age range, it acted this way the first month. It was shy as well. But this husky used to live with its two other huskies before. I honestly believed that it missed her old pack and needed some time to get over it. Picked up two more huskies and few months past they were so happy together. Huskies are pack instinctive and it's good to have a friend.


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## tricia beaver (Jul 16, 2011)

When I call her to me I usually kneel down or bend over to look more non-threatening. And I use baby talk a lot with her because I found she is more willing to follow commands when I do. I have been trying to build up both my dogs confidence though I don't have the money for group training, only ones I have found cost pretty pennies.


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## monkeys23 (Dec 8, 2010)

Honestly they usually get over it pretty quick and there is no reason you cannot do it yourself. Just be careful not to inadvertantly reinforce the behavior, its a very common tendancy for people.

Kneeling is good, you may want to avoid direct eye contact because with animals direct eye contact is a challenge... at least until you've built a strong enough bond to start doing focus work with her.

How do you mean bend over? Like bend over the top of her? If so that is extremely threatening to an unconfident dog... It would be better to stand straight, look elsewhere, and give a scratch behind the ears with calm praise while still looking away if she offers to come up to you.

Just take it nice and slow. Don't pressure her, but at the same time don't reward the behavior with going away either. If you always always act like everything is no biggie, then it won't be and she'll get right over her lack of socialization. But if you make a production out of things then yes her issue will get worse. Praise her when she offers confident ovetures and ignore the shy behaviors. In time she'll be confident enough push boundaries to see what she can get away with and you'll be longing for the days when she was a shrinking violet.


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