Terrified puppy and confused thoughts

by Joanne Lacasse
(Embrun, On)

Okay, so I looked through the puppy sections and didn't find what I needed help with. I got a Siberian husky yesterday (May 4th). But it wasn't the first time she came to my house, I had brought her to visit twice before for a few hours before bringing her back to her mother and siblings.

My problem is that she's absolutely terrified of the other animals that I have. She yelps, cries, whines as soon as they're in her line of sight. I even asked the lady that sold me the puppy to come for a visit.. it helped but not that much. When the animals are outside with my puppy, she doesn't mind them.. She sniffs them and walks near them. But when she's inside, she's just terrified.

Our other dogs don't seem to mind her except when she's screaming. I'm not quite sure what to do. I tried to get her to sniff the big dog's bed soon after the dog left. She sniffed the bed, laid down, and then went back to her bed. She also has no interest in discovering the house. She just follows me where ever I go. She can't stay 2 minutes alone or else she's going to cry and yelp before coming after you.

I don't know if it's normal that she does that. A friend told me that huskies are usually like that, while other people told me it can be quite a problem when she grows up and that I should simply go back to the seller etc.

Is it just separation anxiety? Or is it more than that? And what can I do to make my puppy feel more comfortable with the other pets?

(So in total, she's been yelping for 4 days around the other dogs. My puppy is a female and My two other dogs are, male for the oldest (Pom-poo) and Female for the other one, the female already had a litter but we've never seen them since she was a non-official rescued dog.(Golden Lab mixed with German Shepperd and Wolf)

I was also wondering if it's a good idea to bring my puppy for visits so she can see her parents every once in a while.

I think that is all.. Thank you.





Hi Joanne
All puppies are different so it's difficult to say whether this is 'normal' or not, but it sounds to me as though your puppy is simply a bit over-anxious about this transition.

During the first week or two in a new home most new puppies experience some anxiety, loneliness, homesickness etc. Many times they'll lose their appetite, withdraw from interaction and sleep more than usual, and basically seem a bit 'sad'. Your pup seems to have had the opposite reaction and is desperate to stay near you and let you know when she's feeling scared.

At around 8 weeks or so, puppies also go through what's called a 'fear period' where they are especially anxious and often show fear around people, places and things they were previously comfortable with. It's a normal stage of puppy development and they grow out of it.

She's just a baby and she's left the only family she's ever known, so this is perfectly understandable - even if it's frustrating and worrying for you! this behavior but you don't want to punish her for it either, or make her more upset than she already is.

I would recommend trying to take a calm, laid-back 'wait and see' attitude and try not to interfere too much with her interactions with the other dogs or try to speed up her acclimatization - she needs to get through this in her own way, on her own time.

She's okay with the other dogs outside which is a really good sign, her over-reaction indoors is probably due to her anxiety and she feels 'trapped' next to them and scared indoors. She'll get over this given time.

Each puppy or dog has their own personality and your little girl may just be a bit shy and have a slightly anxious temperament, but from what you say I wouldn't say she needs to be returned to her breeder or that it's necessarily going to be a long-term problem.

You will need to be patient with her, calm but firm, and loving. Once she adjusts to your home and other pets you'll need to pay extra attention to socializing her as she will probably need a lot of that, done slowly and at her pace. You can find out more about this here... Socializing Your Puppy.

If you find that in a week or two she's still extremely anxious or the situation is getting worse, then I'd recommend talking to your veterinarian and the breeder you got her from as they may be able to give you some more hands-on advice.

Hope this helps and puts your mind at rest a bit. Best of luck with that beautiful little girl.