How do you teach your puppy to "speak"? Semper will howl just fine when he wants out of his crate during the night to go outside, but I can't seem to get him to do it any other time yet. He's only 9 weeks old though. Is that something they learn as they get older, or is it something we can teach him? Thanks!

To teach speak on command just have treats and get his attention while sitting in front of you.  Make yourself interesting with words and gestures, and just keep repeating "speak."  Eventually he will and then praise and reward, repeat. He will eventually get excited and speak, but just make sure to reward him immediately so he connects the behavior with the reward.  

9 weeks may be a bit too young but he will get it soon enough. It doesn't take much encouragement for a Husky to vocalize.  Once Speak is learned it then becomes really easy to train him to let you know when he needs to go out to potty, FYI.  Once he's by the door you can then just have him speak and then the door opens or you come with the leash.  

I can't remember when Link learned Speak but it was pretty young, not far after the basics like Sit, Down, etc.  He only barks on Speak though, no wooing or howling.  

Those he does on his own, usually in set circumstances.  He's not much of a barker but Speak =  bark once for him, by his own accord.  

I can get him to woo and talk with my harmonica though

I never thought speak to my dog. It kind of came on it's own.

If he knows I'm adressing myself directly to him he usually responds with some wooing. Like :

-What up Buddy?
-Arooroooroo!
-Wanna go out?
-ArooRoOORoROOOOoo!!!


I never managed to get him to howl though. He did it a few time when he was sleeping lol! He woke me up and when I looked at him he seemed as suprised as I was. He was like did YOU do this? It sure wasn't me...

Never heard him howl again. Sirens and all those sounds don't even phase him.

Link has never howled properly, either. He's definitely a wooer and a gargle-vibrato-talker, like a wookie.

I love your wookie comparison. Never really thought about it but your right. It kind of sounds like a wookie!

Yep, we call Link the wittle wookie a lot.

Jeff and carl, have you evee tried howling urself to get your husky to? Koda never really howled, he would only woo and bark. Well i started howling and kept doing it, he eventually picked it up and will howl once i get going usually. He only does it when he is hyper if i start to howl. If he is tired or being lazy forget it he wont howl, he has to be hyper.

Here is a video i posted a while back. This was the first time i got him on video after i taught him only a few days earlier.

https://youtu.be/seNw-Xf2Ons

If Chuck and I are re-united he gets really vocal and I can talk or howl and he'll respond accordingly. I've tried to make a video but my howling is loud and obnoxious because I'm holding the camera

I wish he would talk more...I'm thinking I might try to teach him speak during those moments where we're re-united and he's all arrrwaawrrrrowwwow.

I've tried in different scenarios he just won't do it. He'll just talk, not the classic howl.

Yeah, I've tried a lot of things. Including howling myself.

My mom says he howled really loud when she cut herself pretty bad one day. But All he does when I try to make him do it is a really high pitch woooh! Would not classify that as howling though lol.