training my new 16 month old husky

Question
We recently opened our home to a 16 month old husky female. The previous owner informed us that he and his family had no time to care for her anymore and that she was a handful. From what he told us she ran away a few times if she got out of the house and we are under the impression that she was crated or in a cage outside that was killed with items and no bigger than my 92 Honda for the majority of the day(everyone in that household works)!!
So she didn't seem to have the exercise that she needed and that is why she ran and why she is considered a "handful".
We walk her twice a day and she goes out in the yard(but on a leash because she ran out when my son opened the door).
She also doesn't seem to have "basic" training (i.e. sit, stay, come...). We have a 10 month old St Bernard, shepard,golden retriever mix who is pretty much trained...do you think she will learn faster because of him? Will it be hard to train her?
She also nips and whines while nipping at you. Any idea why?
Thanks in advance for your help!!

Answer
Having another dog around certainly does help a new dog learn quicker, just make sure you are engaging both dogs in routine obedience work to help the new dog learn, and to reinforce the old behavior with the original dog.

As for training Siberians - they aren't easy to train, but plenty of patience, practice and consistency, and it can be done.

As for nipping - sounds like the dog is trying to initiate play.  I would suggest encouraging this play with some rules.  I'm including an excerpt from another message about this, and this is my preferred method for dealing with this.  Since I'm not there, I may be guessing wrong, so if you don't think this is a request for play, write back and describe a little more about what is going on.

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First, it is important to understand that dogs bite for two reasons: play and defense/aggression.  Nipping and leaving red marks (and possibly breaking the skin now and then) is a normal sign of play.  Siberians are well known for being an extremely playful breed, and also are well known for being very rambunctious when they play.  This nipping is typical.

So, now that you understand that the dog is "playing" it should help you redirect the behavior.  I personally encourage the playful interaction.  Since dogs associate with their world through their mouths, and is the main way that they play, I think it shows a strong bond that the dog wants to play with an owner.  So, rather than stop it, you have to set-up rules around the play.  Once those rules are established, dogs generally have pretty quick time understanding and following the rules.  Here's what I suggest:

First, get a pair of thick leather gloves.  Ray Allen Manufacturing makes some, but you can also go to a hardware store and look for some really thick ones.  I've also had luck finding leather welding gloves.  They aren't cheap, but they last a long time and it's worth it for the dog.  Next, put the gloves on and wrestle and play with your dog.  The bites won't go through the gloves, and if the dog bites too hard and the pressure hurts, correct the dog.  When play time is over (your decision), take the gloves off and put them away.  If the dog tries to continue to bite/play, correct the dog.  Soon, the dog will understand that gloves on equals playtime, gloves off means no.

As for the correction, it's a simple strong "NO!" and removing yourself from the situation.  If the dog persists, a quick grab of the neck can also be effective.  For the first few weeks, if the dog nips at you, immediately go get the gloves.  This will also help teach the dog that means play.  To this day, my dog (at 4 years old, and we started this method with her at 11 weeks old) will come up and bite my hand gently.  I then go get the gloves and we wrestle.

It appears that you are well aware that the nipping is playful, and you are trying to find a way to curb it but still wanting to play with the dog.  I think this is probably the best way.  The quick neck grab and verbal correction is usually quite sufficient in sternly telling the dog that play time is over or that it's not the right time.  Don't worry about that damaging a relationship with the dog, as it is simple, quick, and very canine-based feedback.  Hitting the dog is very rarely an effective method for communicating with your dog and something that I wouldn't recommend.

Hope that helps and let me know if you need anything else.  (By the way, remember the key to most dog training and especially this method - CONSISTENCY!)
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