I Love Dogs, but This One Is Driving Me Insane!!! Please Help.

You have a lot of responses already with some good advice. Basically YES he can be trained but that takes TIME. Part of a dogs life, especially a youngster whose been breed to run( think Iditarod). Someone has to take him out for runs or walks. Does he fetch? If so, use that too. Anyway, All the best!

I really don't know anything about dogs, but I love this radio program called 'Animal House' on NPR. Maybe you can read discussions and/or call/email for some advice? Good Luck! http://wamuanimalhouse.org/

I'm so sorry you're going through this . . .

Hang in there and I know this will all work out for the best.

I don't get it.

You admit you know he needs training, yet chastise everyone who tells you it's your responsibility as a dog owner, but you don't have time for training and wont' take him to a shelter or give him to a family that will care for his needs?

Then my advice is to invest in some homeowner's insurance with a "dog ate my stuff" rider, and an 55 gallon drum of pet urine cleaner.

welcome to the fur-mom land of husky madness. Huskies are notorious for having too much energy! They truly are born to run (can’t tell you how many times I ran after ours down the street!) They are pack leaders, and love to guard their pack (family.)

We had to use bitter apple spray on everything, so she learned real fast not to chew on things (it tastes nasty!!) Also long, long, long, long, long walks/playtime to stimulate his brain and exhaust him out. The Kong dog toy is great also. I place frozen dog food, yogurt, etc. and it takes them hours to get it out.

Our Aussie/husky was a handful of bundled energy (an aggressive!) She never did settle down until she got sick (diabetic) at age 10 and passed away.

Okay, this dog does not know where he fits in the hierarchy. Start with training, even if it means having a trainer come to the house. And be sure the trainer trains you.

You let him run loose and then you wonder why he's all over the house? He thinks the world is HIS! You need to teach him otherwise.

He needs to be walked on a leash and dried off when he comes in from the mud. He needs to be contained in the house, either through a baby gate or a crate, or both. He needs his own "den" which is his crate. He needs to have toys that occupy him - try a treat ball (he rolls it and little treats drop out), or a chew ball that takes TIME. He needs his toys in a special area. He does not understand that toddlers are wobbly so do not expect him to learn this. He needs to have run-around time outside on a long leash or playing fetch, and then he needs quiet time inside.

Get a spray bottle and put water in it, set on sharp stream rather than light mist. When he runs around or gets on the furniture, goes at the screen, any forbidden activities, squirt him and say NO. Pick 2 or 3 things to work on - don't be squirting him constantly.

He needs to learn that HIS food is in his bowl and your kids need to eat at the table where the dog is not allowed to beg. If the kids walk around with food at the dog's eye level, he thinks it's being offered. When you feed the dog, make him SIT and then STAY (put your flat palm in front of his nose when you say "stay"). Then put his food in his bowl but make him stay until you release him from "stay" - choose a word that you will always use for this. We use "okay" but we don't have little kids who use that word for other meanings. When he sits and stays, say "good dog" and pat his head. He eats when he's told to, not when he feels like it. You can also make him sit/stay for his toys. He needs to learn that you are the boss.

He should sleep in his crate at night, and be there when you are away. When you come home, you have to be thrilled to see him. Do not use the crate for discipline - it's his home, his sanctuary, his bed. Do not let the kids play in it.

You've adopted a dog and then you leave him alone all day - he's stressed and lonely and bored. You chose a large dog (descended from 2 large breeds) who needs a lot of exercise. But you say your children take up your evenings. So what was the plan when you went to get a dog???

If he was in a shelter, he's been abandoned at least once. So he gets adopted, and then you "abandon" him (in his mind) 5 days a week for long hours. He's afraid you aren't coming back and he's acting out. Then when you come home, you are busy with the kids. What's the dog supposed to do? When is his turn? He doesn't know!

He needs training, which comes from love, and discipline, which comes from love. Don't give up on him because you made a poor decision - you are really too busy for this dog, so either commit to training or (with great thought) give him to a family who can spend the time with him.

We rescued a dog who was abandoned at least twice. She took 6 months to really understand expectations but she doesn't deserve to be abandoned again - but we give her the time.

Both shepherds and huskies are working dogs and do well when they understand the expectations. Choose a few behaviors to work on, and be incredibly consistent. If you don't know what you are doing with this type of dog, get a trainer or at least rent a DVD from the library. Our shelter told us not to use "The Dog Whisperer" methods FYI.

We adopted a Saint Bernard/Austrailian Shepard mix when she was 8 weeks old. She was SO cute! She turned out to be a bad dog! LOL I say that very lightheartedly by the way! She as well was a chewer. She ate my coffee table, my door frames, the trim on my windows (luckily my hubby is a carpenter). She has more energy than I have EVER seen.
She is now 4 years old. While she no longer chews on things, she is still a bundle of energy! A HUGE bundle of energy (about 100 pounds worth)! She is also still a "bad" dog. :) She is a big girl...nothing is out of her reach. If you have food on the counter and walk away for 30 seconds, she will swallow it. If you aren't careful when you open the front door, she will run off for hours (can't catch her...she is very fast). If you try to take her for a walk, she will rip your arm off. I spent lots of money on training classes with no luck.
That being said......she is the sweetest dog! My 5 year old could do ANYTHING to her and she would never so much as growl at him. When it storms, she climbs up on my husbands lap (all 100lbs of her) cause she is scared of thunder. She is a part of our family. We know she has bad habits, some she has left behind thank goodness, but we take the bad with the good. It will get better. It just takes time. What we found helped is putting her in a kennel downstairs when we were not at home. We have to do that less and less these days as she gets a little more trustworthy.

PS...she was also joined by a full bred Saint 6 months after we got her. That one is just a huge rug with zero energy. LOL

As a fan of 'The Dog Whisperer' I say to you: He needs exercise and you need to be more *assertive with him.

To have a well behaved dog you HAVE to put the work into it.

If you don't have time to take him out yourself you need to invest in a treadmill and get him on it!

*Assretive in tone and quick to adjust his behavior. If he were mine I would be on him like glue...watching him like a hawk and making every transgression of his known and stopped...heck, I would be hiding just to 'catch him' doing something so I could teach him...

My assertive voice/noise is 'ahwt' with a snap of my finger. It has worked for me and I have a Catahoula Leopard Dog (known as the war dog) Mix and he is territorial and wicked smart...but for me he is the epitome of calm submissive!

Good Luck!

I dont know if they have them where you live, but maybe a puppy day care would help. See if you can find one where he can go during the day, to play with other dogs, and they could maybe help work on training, just make sure you keep the training up at home too!!
But it might help to have him out of the house while you are working and run a bit of that puppy engery out of the little guy. Other than that jsut keep it up and give him a few years to mellow out.
Good Luck!!
P.S. good for you for not wanting to give up on him and take him back!!

He's a puppy and he is doing what puppies do. You would probably be better off keeping him in a huge cage with a bone to chew on and/toys he could play with to keep his mind and body occupied.

Yes he needs more time and more training. It will take time. He is very young and very wild. More structure and more things for him to do than just roam free inside and outside. Don't give up on him. He needs to be shown what and how to be in your home. He will make mistakes along the way but eventually he will get it right.

I have two big dogs and they each take work but are essentially great dogs when we make certain their needs to chew are met.

Well, he's just a puppy. His behavior is normal puppy behavior. He needs some strict puppy behavior classes and consistent training.

But there's nothing wrong at all with realizing that this puppy isn't a good fit with your family. You can rehome him and find another dog that fits your family better. You might try adopting a dog that's an adolescent rather than a puppy and has its personality a bit more apparent than a puppy does.

How much time do you spend with him? Puppies need lots of interaction and guidance. You don't have the time to train him so I think you need to find him a new home. It doesn't reflect poorly on you. Giving your dog an opportunity to find a forever home with a family that has time to work with him is a good thing.

Obedience training. Find the time, make the time. Make it a family event.

I agree with the other suggestions, but I want to add- you need to play with him. Get him a ball or a frisbee and throw it for half an hour every night. Get your kids involved. My son was 2.5 when we got our dog. He loves to throw the ball for her. He doesn't throw it very far, so we take turns.
Kongs filled with peanut butter are great for when you are gone too.

http://www.mansbestfriend.com/atlanta

I would see if this service (this company or another) is available in your area. We sent our two laberminer puppies there and LOVED it. Did it cost us? Yes, but we rolled it into new dog expenses and our dogs learned WHAT to chew, what to lick/not to lick, and other acceptable behaivor. The only thing they could not get was leash walking - sadly one has passed, and the only one on a lead is much easier than two. I simply approach my labermier (high anxiety) like my son with Adhd lol. Too much excitement and he can not calm down to actually walk - so we run him out with a lazer pointer. I would invest in high quality training and confined play. Put him in a play pen outside to learn rules/boundaries and crate in the house. Puppies, like children can not have free reign and crates are VERY needed along with patience. I also wonder if this dog has been neutered - coming from a shelter I will assume yes, depending on the age - that can help.

I adopted a lab/boxer mix that has anxiety and couldn't bear to take her back even after she went through a window. You definitely need to see about getting training for your dog. In addition, you might look into doggy day care if they have one in your area. I know it sounds a bit silly but I take my dog 3 days a week and she LOVES it. She would rather be there than at home. She is so tired at the end of the day she sleeps a lot in the evening. Even though it isn't there everyday the extra energy she burns during the week and breaking up the boredom has made a big difference and $12 a day is better than replacing windows and blinds.

He is still a puppy and a mix of two very big, very energetic and in my opinion very challenging breeds.

You must get him into obedience classes ASAP. He may not even be safe to be around children if you do not establish authority now. Every husky I have known was a "roamer". They are tough to contain, letting him have free reign of your acrerage may not be possible as he matures. He may roam and just keep on going. Letting a dog like that run the woods is not responsible, I think you'd be surprised at how far he can go, a few hundred aces is nothing to a full grown, mature male husky.

Is he fixed? If not that might help mellow him a bit. Hang in there and remember he's still very young. Even our Cocker Spaniel was a pain for a while. He chewed ANYTHING that was left on the floor for a good year or so and now has settled into being the best family dog in the world.

Maybe he could go to dog day care at least a few days a week to burn energy and be with other dogs. You could have a good dog trainer come to your house to give advice. I found both to be very helpful with my dogs. good luck!

At 4 months old, he is still a toddler. Have you considered crate training? It is a miracle. Your pup does not need free range in the house at night. He should be sleeping like you. The crate should be in your bedroom near your bed and he should sleep in it.
As for the daytime, ordinarily I would say you need to work out something with the crate for daytime, too. But if you have no one to let him out partway through the day while you both are gone all day, I'm not sure what to suggest as a remedy. I certainly would NOT suggest just locking his doggie door and making him be outside all day long alone. But neither do you want him to have free range in/outside via the doggie door.

Check out some crate training instruction and some training books on how to properly teach your dog how to behave within your pack. And be sure to provide him with APPROPRIATE things to chew, because he is likely teething.
At 4 months old he has way too much freedom in your current scenario. He shouldn't.
Good luck.

ETA: And in all honesty, it really does sound like you just don't have the time to train this puppy properly. If you do, great. But if you don't, please don't wait 6 or 8 months to figure that out. He will be much easier to re-home at 4 months than when he is 9-10 months old. He is very much in the PRIME of training age (i.e., there isn't any RE-training, it is all first time stuff). And many people are hesitant to take a dog who has not been trained properly when this window has passed and the dog has learned bad behaviors that have to be UN-trained. Most folks only want an older dog/pup if there is the added benefit of them already being trained properly. So please do what is best for the dog, which may or may not fit into your "rule" of not giving them up. If you realistically cannot see yourself making the time required to train him properly, do what is best for HIM, which would probably be finding a family who CAN.

You HAVE to get him some training. Otherwise you are going to be miserable for as long as you have him. Barkbusters will come to your home. My daughter has used them, and they are excellent.

www.barkbusters.com

I am not reading all the other responses. The first thing is that he HAS to be trained to a crate for when you are not home and at night. Then if you don't have time to take a training class, at least get some books on training and commit to 1/2 hour every evening. Huskies are SUPER high energy dogs so brainstorm ways to get the dog out for longer exercise sessions at least 3 times a week. My family adopted a husky a long time ago and it just didn't work out even though we were a family that trained all our dogs, had acres and acres for it to run, and 3 kids to entertain it (we finally gave it to someone who trained it for sled dog racing).

I think you should carefully evaluate as a family whether you will really be able to do justice for this dog. There really is no magic solution as I am sure you realize. So if you can't adjust your life style enough to care for the dog, start trying to find a more appropriate home (farm, someone who wants to train a dog for sled racing or other sport, a runner looking for a jogging companion, etc). Pretty much any family who has had a lot of dogs ends up with a dog at some point that is just not a suitable match (I can think of 2-3 of the dogs we adopted during my chidhood that were a horrid match) so ignore all the "perfect" people out there who supposedly never make a mistake.

To give you a laugh a college roommate of mine adopted a cattle dog mix. The dog was so flipping smart and she had boundless energy. A lethal combination. She was a handful to say the least and my roommate was ill-equipped to deal with her. I am slightly dog savvy so I tried to help him out. My first advice was don't adopt her but that fell on deaf ears. After about a week with us, we learned she would vomit with anxiety every single time my roommate left the house. I quickly trained her how to vomit in the toilet. Then I helped her learn how to flush the toilet. Good dog. :) I suggested he crate train her and that worked to a certain extent. In the first three days she learned how to unlock the crate so we'd come home to her on the couch or the bed or.... I finally figured out how she did it but boy that was annoying. After jimmying the crate lock to keep her in, then we fought her rabbit hopping in the crate in frustration. Basically she would jump up and down until the crate would hop with her. She would move across the room this way. It must have driven our neighbors insane. I know he finally gave her away because she was too much for him to handle. Some dogs take a firm, dog familiar hand to reign in. All puppies take consistency and training to shape them into beloved members of our family. You have gotten sound advice - dog training, crate training, limited access to your house and property, consistency with training and doggy daycare - so good luck to your family.

I think he's young enough to make some improvements. We have a border collie/australian shepherd mix who has BOUNDLESS energy too! The best thing you can do is give him a JOB. Ours fetches his toys by name... Play games w/ him and yes it does take some time. I like the idea of crate training as well (worked a bit with us). You could also get him some "play time" at a local puppy day care once a week? THe chewing should improve as that is somewhat of a puppy thing! Might consult w/ a trainer to get some professional advice. Hearding dogs need work... they can help you get a plan together. Best of luck... We still have ours - he's 7 now, and still high maintenance, but I know what you mean. He's part of our family and we LOVE him.

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I think he's young enough to make some improvements. We have a border collie/australian shepherd mix who has BOUNDLESS energy too! The best thing you can do is give him a JOB. Ours fetches his toys by name... Play games w/ him and yes it does take some time. I like the idea of crate training as well (worked a bit with us). You could also get him some "play time" at a local puppy day care once a week? THe chewing should improve as that is somewhat of a puppy thing! Might consult w/ a trainer to get some professional advice. Hearding dogs need work... they can help you get a plan together. Best of luck... We still have ours - he's 7 now, and still high maintenance, but I know what you mean. He's part of our family and we LOVE him.

He's a PUPPY!

You can't just cut him loose all day and expect him to know what he is and is not allowed to chew.

If he's going to have access to the inside of the house (I assume you have a dog door), you need to crate him. He should only be allowed out of the crate inside when he's supervised by an adult who can guide him and train him properly. Also, you have to "puppy proof!" You can't get mad that he destroys stuff if you don't put things he'd love to destroy away. And he NEEDS things to chew and destroy. I suggest getting big beef bones from your local butcher and baking them at 200'F for about 3 hours. Let cool and give him one. It'll keep him occupied for hours.

P.S. If you don't have time to train him...bring him back to the shelter so he can find a home with someone who does. It's not the dog's fault...he doesn't know any better. It's YOURS.

Wow, several things pop out. . . shepherd/husky mix, puppy, working full time with toddlers. At the risk of sounding rude, you should have never adopted, especially a puppy! And shame on the shelter for not evaluating your situation further. He sounds like a normal puppy.

All puppies are high energy and need A LOT of time and attention. But some breeds are and will stay high energy and need A LOT of exercise. Especially shepherds and huskys! Which it sounds like you are not in a position to do so.

And puppies chew. It's going to happen. Some more than others no matter how many times you try to divert him and give him HIS things to chew on.

Making him an outside dog isn't going to help. He'll dig and bark and tear things outside because he isn't getting the exercise and attention he needs.

You really need to give him up. Or give the time he needs. Puppies are just like toddlers - a good dog is a tired dog.

You could crate train him. Get a large crate and put a dog bed in it, lock him in there when you cant keep an eye on him. Chewing is a puppy thing, it will take him a couple years to grow out of it. Get him some of those kong dogs toys, fill with peanut butter and freeze them, it will keep him busy for an hour or so. My dog is a husky mix, he was a total nightmare for about 3 years. We started locking him up when we were out and put his dog bed in our bedroom which stopped him from chewing at night. He is still super annoying, just read my post on my 'stupid' dog.

First thought...he is still a puppy. When you look at him think toddler and all of the mischief they get into. That is the stage your pup is in. It always help me, when I am buying the 6th pair of shoes because a pup has ate one.

If you are not going to be home, teether him or build a kennel outside for him. A few hours won't hurt him in any way.

I always found the best incentive for keeping everything picked up was puppies. Not the kids but the puppies. Make sure that the things he can't have are put up and away and the things he can have are kept within his reach.

You may want to invest in a crate. If he does something he isn't supposed to do put him in his crate, teether him or again make a kennel for him.

Stealing food, my dogs have moved past most of everything...but that, and it is about to make me loose my mind. One thing I have found that works is A) no human food. B) Feeding them smaller meals 3 times a day and C) putting them outside when we eat.

Most important, be patient as he get's older he will calm down.

He sounds like he has a lot of energy and just doesn't know what to do with it! Yes, puppies are definitely a lot of work! They are so darned cute until they destroy something. I have a new one that we just adopted from the shelter last week and he is quite the escape artist! Okay, so I'm with you on not having him be an outside dog. Have you considered Crate training? I always thought it was a horrible thing (felt like it was locking them in a cage) until my sister did it with her lab and it is great. We ended up doing it with our lab mix years ago. You need a big enough crate that they are not cramped and can't leave them in there for extremely long periods of time (obviously they need to potty) but my dog did really well with it. I stopped using it when he was old enough and stopped chewing everything in sight. Something to look into to keep him safe as well as your house! Make sure he has toys to keep him busy such as the Kong ones where you hide bits of treats inside and they have to work on it to get them out. There is no way you are going to get out of training him regarding the food issues, I hope you take the time to do this since it is a really bad habit! I know you have time issues but this is one of those things that you are going to have to suck it up and make time for. Have your husband take the kids to the park while you work on some basic training or sign up for an obedience class and you or you husband goes there while the other parent stays with the kids. Your dog is one of your kids now and you wouldn't let them do naughty things just because you had to spend time with another child right? This too shall pass but it won't go away on it's own and he is just going to get bigger. I bet he is beautiful! Hang in there, bite the bullet and make time to get him trained and you will be so much happier in a few months!

I have a standard Poodle that we got at age 4 months. He had toys of his own and never chewed furniture and only one time chewed a hole in the corner of a chair cover. Other than that he was nothing like this dog although he is a different breed. I would never have just turned him loose in the house though to start with. They need to learn the rules for small areas then expand as they learn and grow into more mature dogs. Too much freedom is bad for them, just as with a child. Our dog now goes all over the house but in the beginning he was not downstairs in the finished basement area without me there. Now it's fine for him to go down alone. As for all the outside mess don't let him out unless you are all outside to supervise. Then clean his feet and let him in. He sounds like a lot of work that you are not into so I would agree that you should find a good home for him where they do have time and want to take that much work with him. There's nothing wrong with that in my opinion. Better than sticking it out with the wrong dog and better for you and the dog.

Cage train the dog. He should be caged at all times when you are not home, or not able to pay attention to him at home. He should be given appropriate items to chew. He should not be allowed free roam of your house, even if you are home. Make sure there are appropriate dog chew toys and puzzles in many places in the house, not just his cage.

Take him to a puppy training class and start the basics of obedience with him. Then, institute the NILIF (nothing in life is free) training (just google it--it's easy, and uses the basic commands of sit/stay/down/come) to put your and your family into the alpha position.

Hire a dog walker to take the dog for walks, during the day while you're gone and make sure you let him run/play/RUN for a couple of hours when you're home.

If he's chewing on stuff when you're home but he's in another room, put a leash on him, and keep him next to you at all times. He will (sort of) grow out of this, or a least mature to be less crazy.