Maddix

Maddix is a full husky, neutered, and is about 4 and half years old. He loves snuggles, definitely believes he could be a lap dog and adores being around people. New people or people who are not in the home on a regular basis cause him to become very excited and he begins jumping around and wants to greet them and sometimes jumps up when it is an adult. He loves being around children and tends to be calmer when greeting them. Every interaction with children over the age of 5 has been a positive experience and he is always gentle and kind towards little ones. The main reason he needs to be in a home with children over the age of 4 is because he does not handle infant crying well and will howl continuously.

I would also suggest that he be the only dog. If there is another dog, he gets along with female dogs much better than male dogs. I’ve never seen him become physically aggressive but there is a lot of barking. It also may depend on the dog. We have also noticed that he shows more of an issue with any dog that has curly hair, but we are not sure why. We do not know how he would react to cats as he has never been around them as far as I am aware.
He loves going on walks but tends to pull a lot. He has had leash training, but he does need more consistency in this area. Also as a husky, he cannot be off leash as he will run in a random direction getting distracted by everything and will not come to his name. He is crate trained but has separation anxiety and will howl and bark. He also is rather anxious in the car and was not very happy when we took him camping as he prefers sleeping at home. He is rather calm for a husky and while he does get “zoomies” sometimes where he runs around outside, bounces, and prances playfully he loves to take naps in the sun (I’m talking the middle of summer in the direct sunlight in the middle of the day- he loves being warm) and wearing a sweater.

There is a chance that he has a combination of OCD and anxiety. The separation anxiety is apparent, and he needs/wants to be in the same room as you or at least be able to always see you. He will go through phases where he will chew on his tail or at the top of his tail/behind area to the point of bleeding and pulling tufts of his fur out. The vets that we have taken him do not believe that there is an allergy issue, and it does seem to be a behavioral issue. They thought it was possibly a skin sensitivity issue so we changed dog food a couple of times as well as skin ointment but it kept happening. We have been working with him on this for about 2.5 years and right now his skin has healed and is looking good with the fur mostly grown back. He has not done it for about 5 to 6 months I believe. He also needs his ears cleaned routinely as they get very dirty very quickly and it bugs him a lot to the point he will kick and scratch his ears until they bleed if you do not get to them quickly enough. I would say a daily wipe in his ears is effective.
Maddix is fully potty trained and will go to the door and bark if it is an emergency and he really needs to go. He is good at communicating his needs and will scratch the doors if he wants to go in or out. He also is not possessive of food, but he does tend to eat rather fast and loves all food, even vegetables. He has never shown any food aggression and if asked, will sit and wait until you give him the okay to go and eat. However, if he finds any food at his level or even at counter level and you have left him alone in the room, he will definitely eat it. He loves all types of treats except for some reason the dog biscuits they give at coffee shops. He knows a variety of commands such as sit, lay down, shake, and wait. He will happily do this for treats although in his excitement and eagerness to please sometimes he mixes them up or does all of them.
He was initially rehomed about 2.5 years due to the family dynamic changing (a divorce and change in work schedules). They had adopted him and his sister as puppies, and he had been raised with their children.
We are rehoming him primarily due to the issue that has arisen since we had our baby. The past seven months have been a challenge juggling him and the baby. Maddix was rarely ever vocal before the baby came and now, he is howling so much. Every time the baby cries, fusses, and even sometimes laughs this will cause Maddix to whine and howl continuously no matter where in the house he is located. We have tried giving him his own spot and letting him outside when the baby fusses but due to his separation anxiety he gets upset at being apart and will begin barking/howling outside. He appears to like the baby and comes up, is very gentle and gives small kisses while seeming to enjoy the baby petting him and interacting with him. We are also concerned that due to having our baby and expecting to have more in the future, we are not able to give him the level of attention that he wants and needs.