Greetings!

This forum has been super helpful and I appreciate all the entries. I have not come across too many training tips for adult rescues? Maybe it doesn't matter as I feel like my Sam is a puppy in a 7 year old body.   I'll try to be brief...
Sam came to us -just showed up in our backyard- we tried to find his owner...and we also let him go at night to see if he would roam back home but he was whining on our front and back porch and I found him sleeping by our front door! So we took him in and continued all efforts to find owner. Funny thing is, is that we are husky lovers and he showed up. We've had 2 - one my husband raised from pup and then the other one I only had for 6 mos because a freak accident- both have passed on ;( Anyway, we have experience with the breed and all their quirks and we love huskies.

I also have a lab pyrenees/shepard mix who I rescued and trained (she had never been trained and I got her at 8 mos) ...after having had huskies, that was a different experience because the breed is different. But she's great and the good news is Sam and she love one another- thank goodness.

So I've personally never had to housebreak a husky (I did with my lab mix rescue) and I've never had to leash train a husky (I did with my lab but they are so different than huskies). These are my two greatest issues right now with Sam - leash and potty.

He is a gentle boy and such a lover. I love him so much. He is wild. We have him on a long lead outdoors which he is very calm on that but when I try to walk him, it's insane. I've done a lot of the recommendations on here. (I taught him to sit with treats and he's great at that)... so everytime he pulls I stop, make him sit. We literally go 5 feet maybe? He just wants to do the typical pull and he can't walk in a straight line or by me ... he swirls around and leaps - I think he is part kangaroo - this is where that Walk with love harness is driving me nuts. I don't get that thing... it's not working. I also have a martingale and thinking about the prong. Please help on the leash/walk training.
I took both dogs to dog park today to run it out... they liked that but leash walking wasn't happening after they ran at the dog park. (Don't even get me started on the 20 min car ride there - he is not into the car right now but I get that everything will take time).

And then the potty situation. I have just started bringing him in the basement where it is cool and I have his blankies which he seems to love. He won't go into the crate but I am slowly introducing (i.e. treats and food by it and inside per recommendations on this forum). Anyway for the past few nights he has slept soundly on his blankets and then I put him on the leash in the morning to 'walk him' to potty. (Trying to set up a routine). He will not walk and he will not #2 with me but he will pee so I reward him there in the grass. Then I put him on the long lead that allows him to run and to go in the grass or hang out on back pad with the baby pool I filled for him. And what he does is pees and poos on the concrete back pad -ugh! I wash it down and remove the scent but he sometimes goes in the grass and sometimes goes on the concrete.
So ... any advice with training an adult... I just removed his cone off his head he had on for 10 days - thank goodness. I had him vetted and fixed - they said he was about 6-7 yrs. I also bathed him (which he did well with that surprisingly) he really smelled and now with all our brushing (he's come to enjoy that - so that's a blessing)... he is strutting his stuff. He's incredibly handsome.

Thank you for listening. This was not brief but I'm open to any place on the forum I may have missed or new ideas. I know this will take time. As all dogs do -they teach me patience- I just really want to work on doing the right things with him.

Thank you!!

Although I've never had this problem, I have heard that using a puppy potty pad that has pheromones that tell puppies this is where you can go potty helps a lot with potty training. You could try one of those and put it in the spot in your yard where you want him to go.

As far as walking goes, try exercising him BEFORE walking him. That will make him more receptive to you. I like to use a flirt pole or play a good game of tug. Also remember that it doesn't matter what tool you use if you don't use it right, and that no pull harnesses are meant to be management tools while the dog is learning to walk on a leash. I use a lot of treats when I'm teaching a dog to walk and I typically don't actually take the dog for a walk for a week and only if they're ready, and it's a short one so I don't break what I've been working on. You could try starting loose leash walking in your yard and working it up to short little walks.

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this is where that Walk with love harness is driving me nuts. I don't get that thing... it's not working.

I don't have that particular harness, but I do have the easy walk and it works well. It clips in front of his chest. This way if he pulls it turns him around the wrong way. Karli does try leaping in her harness occasionally but not too much. Treat him when he's walking next to you, that may help.

As to the pottying, are you using an enzyme cleaner when you clean the patio? That may help a bit. I don't let Karli go back inside until she's done her business outside first, no matter how long it takes. Good luck!