1 1/2 yr old male husky house training

Question
QUESTION: I trained my husky to sit at the door when he needs to go out.  This didn't always work because sometimes I wouldn't see him sitting patiently for me so then I taught him to sit at door and bark so I would know..  This has progressed to him coming to my side and sitting and then letting out a long whimper when he wants out.  This is better than my original sit by door and bark method, but....  Sometimes he will come to me and do this and just want to go outside and not need to urinate or deficate..  Is there a way to fix this??  I don't want him to stop telling me he needs to go out, but I don't like to enforce the needless excursions outside..

ANSWER: Unfortunately Siberians are very intelligent and brilliant problem solvers.  The dog has learned that sitting next to you and whimpering gives him time outside . . . what that time is for is up to him.  Other than making sure these trips are only for him to use the bathroom (short and uneventful), he knows the game and is using the rules against you.  I would encourage simply making any trip to the outside that is initiated by this polite whimpering to be short and uneventful.  If the dog wants to play or just go for a walk, try to beat him to wanting those trips.

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QUESTION: I have 1 1/2 yr old sib (Cane), and a 4 1/2 month old aussie shep. (Nah-tova), we had a cat that was raised from kitten (Mr. McFlufferson) for almost a yr. until I had the bad idea of letting him start playing outside.  Unfortunately he died 3 days ago.  Not sure how, we just found the body in an abandoned lot..  THis is besides the point. The dogs got along great with the cat when he was with us.  When bringing a new cat into the house do you have any recomendations because I purposely brought the other cat in when I did because Cane was still a puppy and wasn't established in the house quite yet.  Now both dogs are established and I am not sure if this will cause any problems..  Both dogs like to rough house, but neither were ever overly aggressive with the cat, us, or our 5 yr old boy..
ANSWER: Unfortunately you are in a very fragile situation.  Siberians are notorious "cat-killers" because of their rough play and prey drive.  Many times owners who raised their dog with a cat have no issues, but if they add another cat or replace it, the dog does not consider it a member of the pack and this can cause serious issues.  At the same time, the introduction for other Sibes can go well.  Most times when a Sibe does kill a cat (or even an animal outside), it was all in the realm of play, so aggression is not an issue - it's just rough play.

If you do choose to introduce another cat, I've found that careful supervision and controlled encounters are the only way to go.  I hesitate to suggest the "blanket with smells" or the meeting between doors so they can "get used to the smell."  These tactics, while often beneficial for dog introductions, might encourage a prey drive in the Sibe.  That is, the dog picks up the scent and then the excitement increases in finding the new animal.  You want the Sibe as calm as possible during the interactions, so I would suggest controlled meetings from the beginning.

Hope that helps some, but please feel free to write back if you have any questions.

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QUESTION: I probably should have added this in the last letter, but it didn't dawn on me till later..  I am renting and am about to move in 2 1/2 months or so.  I have heard that when introducing new animals it is benificial in some cases to do so after a move so no one has established "their" territory..  Is this correct??  Would it be something for me to consider when bringing a new cat into the mix..?  You know, Get cat and have it in new house before dogs get there and then make sure to supervise initial meetings (confrontations) until everyone has found their new place..  Thanks for previous help, it has definately helped.  

Answer
While I think that some of the "rules" regarding new animal introductions are not needed (or more often needed only in specific cases), I think this is one that it might help.  I hesitate on any feline/Siberian relationship because I know the Siberian breed and their prey-drive tendencies.  Of course, I also know of plenty of Sibes that do well with new cats.

I think allowing the cat the run of the new place for a little bit might help, and if the dogs are introduced to new place and new cat - the two might go together.  In this case, I can't see where it would hurt at all and you are right in that it might help.