Husky behavior with food / raw food

We feed our dogs dry kibble (crunchy dog food) and frequently add in tasty "human" treats. The full husky male is especially picky about having to get a "treat" with every feeding - which is usually two times a day. One of our dogs will sometimes take larger chunks out and eat it off the the side, frequently on the living room carpet :-( The larger chunks are, for instance, a piece of meat or a slab of bread (the full husky loves any type of bread). Some people will soak dry kibble on purpose for their dog, either to help out a dog with tooth trouble or to avoid "bloat."

One way to keep your dog's teeth healthy and white is to give them raw bones. The raw bones are better for them (although they get stinky in warm weather) than boiled and bleached bones (that can splinter) which you usually get from department stores. We give our dogs both kinds. The bone Willy has (at right) in the picture is a beef bone from a slaughterhouse. Now - to be fair and allow you to make up your own mind, there are two sides to the thought of giving raw bones (and raw food) to your dog. The PetPlace website gives both sides here: http://www.petplace.com/dogs/raw-meat-debate-should-you-feed-it-to-your-dog/page1.aspx. Second Chance Ranch's website (among others I've found) is against giving raw foods and raw bones to dogs (http://www.secondchanceranch.com/training/raw_meat/index.html) because of bacteria and parasite dangers. Also, this website (http://www.thepetcenter.com/imtop/bones.html) that includes x-rays of a hound with splintered deer bones lodged in its stomach and impacted colon from the waste. Yes, you will see dry, hard, calcium-laden droppings from your bone-eating dog! One the positive side is this website that sells bones (http://www.allthebestpetcare.com/handouts/raw_bones.html) and this Scottish site (http://www.caberfeidh.com/Safe.htm) is more on the raw side - with care - than not.

Another thought about food and treats is hiding behavior to keep another dog (or you the owner - who are part of the dog's pack or family now) from stealing the food. Sometimes a dog will steal food. I've found websites that say huskies are a breed that will steal food (http://www.canismajor.com/dog/siberian.html - for instance; see Care and Training) - and I know that our two dogs like to steal food and treats from each other. You should put any uneaten food up out of the dog's reach when she seems to have had enough for that feeding. Our full bred husky "hides" his uneated treats in not-very-safe places, like right in front of the couch. Duh! The mixed breed dog saunters right over and snags the treat!

Does anyone out there have a dog that plays with his water in the water dish? We have had animals that like to play in their water (ferrets - could entertain them and us by putting out a bowl of water or - better yet - snow!). I've seen online discussion boards where people talk about their dogs playing in their water by jumping (front feet) into the bowl, pawing at it, pushing the bowl with the nose, and the like.

While browsing today, I ran across a website that has a rather different style, where you have to hold the mouse pointer over "scroll" to read rolling text, but there is great accurate information written in a humorous fashion: http://www.homelesshusky.com/homeless.html. Check it out if you want - you husky owners will get a chuckle from the accurate portrayal of our pups!