We've had him for three days, and he has never once gone to the bathroom outside. We just went for a 20 minute walk, hung out outside for 5ish minutes. We came in, and while I was busy fixing my child a sippy cup, he decided he would poop right in the middle of my room then decided it'd be a good idea to step in it and leave poop prints all over my house.

This is our first husky, and I'm just so aggravated and depressed about how things are going, so I need some friendly advice. His name is Kuma, and we adopted him from a shelter 3 days ago. The shelter thinks he's about 10 months old. He really is a sweetie pie. He's still fairly shy around us but will walk up to us and let us love on him on occasion.

It's not like we don't take him out enough, I just don't understand why he won't do his business outside. He hasn't gone to the bathroom ONCE outside yet, not even pee. If I catch him beginning to squat I say "ack", grab his leash, and promptly take him outside. But he doesn't finish. I'll stay outside with him for 10~ minutes, let him sniff around, but nothing! He won't go! Sometimes when we come back in, he will sneak away and pee on something, or he will hold it for a couple more hours before deciding he needs to go again.

I keep him in the living room with us so we can watch him, but how my house is layed out, there's lots of places for him to sneak off even if I am right in the livingroom. He is currently tied to my computer chair.

Ok so I'll give you a brief rundown of his schedule so you guys can tell me if I need to do anything different or not.
I get up around 6 in the morning because I babysit some kids. I take him out right when I get up for about 10-15 minutes. We go back in and I give him water. My boyfriend gets up around 8 and takes him for a 20 minute walk, and I feed and water him when they get back. He takes him back out for a potty break around 11, again at 2. Both breaks are 10-15 minutes. My boyfriend goes to work then, and my last kiddo leaves at 6, so I take him and my kid out for a 20 minute, and we hang outside for 5-10 minutes. I feed him again around 7 when we eat. I take him back out at 10, and my boyfriend gets home at midnight and takes him out again, then we go to bed.

We keep him in our room with us at night, and so far he's gone all night with no accidents, but he pees and poos EVERYWHERE during the day. Before we got him we did tons of research on huskies and dogs in general. I know they don't respond to yelling, I know positive reinforcement, and re-direction when they do bad things. He isn't use to us yet, and I know that it may take a while for him to come around, but I just can't deal with poop everywhere! (Not to mention it's usually moist and leaves a stain!)

He also decided to bite me today. He was spazzing out and running all over the living room and jumping over and onto the couch and just bouncing off the walls in general. I grabbed his leash, said outside, and walked towards the door. He ran over to me and when I reached out to fasten the leash, he bit my hand. It didn't break the skin or leave a mark, but he must have hit something just right because it aches and feels like the inside of my palm needs to pop.

Thank god his crate we ordered will be here tomorrow! I'm really hoping it'll get here early in the morning so I can work with him, so hopefully he will like being in it by Sunday and I can start trying to crate train him.

Just really, any advice at all would be extremely appreciated. Like I said, this is our first Husky and I know I've got a lot to learn! Thank you!

Oh and just to add to all the stress, my cat has taken to peeing on everything, (including my computer chair!) since we brought Kuma home. I don't think he approves!


Here's a picture of the little bugger!

My advice would be that even though he is 10 months old, you need to approach this as if potty training an 8 week old puppy. You are new to him and he is new to you. It's a whole new world for him with you guys and he doesn't know yet what he's supposed to do. I'd tether him to you so that he can not sneak off to eliminate somewhere in the house. This will also help you learn his signals when he needs to go and may serve to build a bond between you as well. I'd take him out in intervals of minutes, not hours-whether he looks like he needs go or not. The more you take him out, you'll be setting him up for success. Sooner or later he will go and if he does, praise and treat like crazy. And be sure to always take him to the same "bathroom" spot outside. Maybe if he does poop inside, pick it up and put it outside where he is expected to go. That's all I can come up with right now. He is a beautiful boy and I'm sure he'll catch on once he settles in a bit. Hang in there!

We could try the tethering, but I won't be able to do it. My boyfriend will have to before he goes to work, he leaves at 2. But I babysit a 2 year old and a 15 month old, and I have my own 14 month old. I won't be able to take him out every few minutes, and I'm moving around way to much during the day to have him close to me all day. We live in an apartment, and all 3 of the kids follow me everywhere! Adding a dog to that would be too hard, and I'd be worried he'd tie up one of the kids with his leash.

What if I tied him to the entertainment center in the living room after my boyfriend went to work? It's by my computer table, which he likes to sleep under, but he'd also be able to come out and hang with us if he wanted to.

The point is for him to be close to you at all times in order to prevent accidents, so I don't think tying him to the entertainment center will help your problem. Honestly, you've got your hands full with 3 little ones and a new dog, but that's not to say it can't be done. I recommend reading this thread  https://www.itsahuskything.com/t920-potty-training and can't emphasize enough how important it is to make sure you're cleaning every spot with an enzymatic cleaner. If he can still smell it, he's going to keep going in those areas.

Yea... My boyfriend is with him all morning til he leaves, then there's just that 4 hour window when I won't be able to give him all my attention! After that, I take my kid outside when I take him to potty so it's just those 4 hours. :/

Hopefully we'll be able to at least teach Kuma a little bit this weekend since we will be kid free and both be home. As long as we can get some improvement, no matter how small, we'll still be working toward where we need to be.

And about the enzymatic stuff, we forgot to buy it when we were buying all his other supplies. First thing tomorrow morning we're going to petsmart!

Okay here is my  

First of all welcome to the forum!

Okay I want to start by saying that tethering works well. It is the fastest way to healthy potty training because it doesn't allow your dog to wander off and mark all of your pretty house hold items.
I understand that you can't have a dog attached at your hip all day, so a secondary solution I propose to you. Is there a room in your apartment that you are frequently in more times in the day then any other that you can barricade him into with baby/pet gates? Closing off the rest of the house prevents free roaming and allows you to have eyes on him at least enough of the day that he won't be extremely tempted to pee on everything. The allowing of free roaming is what makes him want to pee on stuff. When you put your foot down and are consistent with your rules, over time a Husky (after pushing it to the limits) will learn to respect your wishes.

Enzymatic cleaner is the way to go to prevent continued peeing in the created marked hot spots for sure. I always clean with enzymatic stuff, vinegar, and then carpet clean.... A good affordable enzymatic cleaner is by Simple Solution.

At the times that you can't keep an eye out for him, crating is the best method, so if you haven't yet, look into the benefits of crate training a husky.

Another thing that may help, there is another product that Simple Solution makes called "Puppy Aid Training Spray" that has a scent that encourages dogs to pee in a specific spot once you spray there.



I do have one minor suggestion. You are doing everything right in accordance to actions when he is about to pee in the house as far as taking him immediately outside.  Instead of saying ,"Ack!"
Don't say his name, but just firmly and sharply say , "No! Potty outside!" And take him to the spot that you want him to do his business at. When he starts to do any sort of business outside you show extreme excitement (like you just won the lottery) And say something along the lines of ,"Good Kuma! Potty outside!!!!!!!!!!" And give him a treat. It is very important that you take him to the same exact spot every time so then he makes the connection that you want him to potty in that spot. Grass works the best so then when you are out of the house with him, and taking him to places like the petstore, when there is grass outside you can let him go potty before he goes in the store or comes out. But it is all about preference really. My dog will only pee in non concreted areas because of this method.

Another method, is the bells method. When you have firmly said your ,"No Outside!" Grab the leash, like usual, and then say potty time as you ring the bells on your way out. Then proceed to your spot. Eventually Kuma will make the connection that the bells mean potty time. You can also make him ring them before you go outside every time so then the association becomes potty time. You certainly want to treat him every time he rings the bell and another treat after you go potty. After a while you should decrease the amount of treating for these so you don't get a spoiled brat!

Hopefully any of this helps. Good Luck!

I also would like to suggest a book that every first time husky owner should get.... (It was the first one from the series that I purchased, and I am sure a lot of other people will agree that it is a good one)

Huskies for Dummies.

It really goes into the history of the breed, and goes really deep into the way a huskies mind works.
The book also talks about the do's and don't's of owning a husky and I will admit some of it is hit or miss, but it all around is a good book to stuff you full of the information that you need at the beginning.

To add to what jill has already said~

Obviously getting him a crate will help immensely with his potty training, have you concidered the option of bell training? I personally think it would help your situation quite a bit.

Get a standed bell and tie it to the door knob of your front door and every sngle time you take him outside get him to ring the bell with his paw. to start this first walk him to the door and ring the bell yourself and the second he shows interest in the bell treat and praise him like crazy. after a day or two of this get him to paw at the bell before leaveing the house (use the paw cue for it) and as soon as he touches it praise and treats galore.

if you keep this up religiously for a week he will learn to paw at the door when it comes potty time. i had to do this for my husky when he was younger because i couldn't hear him scratching at the front door... but as soon as i heard that bell i grabbed the leash poop bags and treats, you always want to reinforce him letting you know that it's potty time.

Also of course setting up a strict bathroom schedual and sticking to it will help immensely. something else i did that seemed to help (not 100% sure if it helped or not but blu seemed more inclined to go outside when i did it), was whenever he went inside i cleaned it with a paper towel then took him and the paper towel outside set it on the ground where he potty spot was at and whenever he showed the slighest bit of interest i praised and treated.

As for cleaning up the mess, it should always be cleaned up enzymatic cleaner (you can find this at your local pet shop or at home depo/lowes, i buy it from home depo as it's cheaper than the stuff sold at petsmart and works just as effectively) and i also recommend investing in a carpet cleaner in conjunction with the cleaner to not only remove the stain but to remove any smell that might be lingering immediately. if he can smell his pee/poo he will continue to go there.

I know your short on time as it is being that you are already looking after 3 little munchkin's but when it comes to looking after him just think of him as an extra kid, and correct his bad behavior the second he does it (by correct i dont mean yelling or hitting, instead use a cue that says to him "hey, we dont do that", my cue is "hey!" and then i snap my fingers. "oops!" is also a good one... you just need to find one that works for you and your pup.) and praise the good. because in all honesty at his age that's what he really is, just furry and a bit bigger.

I have a question is he Neutered?? If not I would consider getting it done ASAP sounds like he is marking his new home.

Three days although it is a pain is NOTHING to be discouraged about. He has just gotten into his home, and it could take him a couple of months to feel comfortable and fully know what is expected of him. Plus you should take in mind his background. Maybe his previous owners never took him outside and he was expected to just go where he pleased, so think about stuff from his point of view he doesn't know you guys, and hasn't been trained for his new lifestyle yet. Huskies although are very smart aren't going to pick up on what you want him to do right away, schedule and consistency will help with that. Whenever he goes potty outside like everyone has stated just go crazy and give him so much love and praise no matter the amount of what he is doing. So if you do catch him in the house, take him outside and the second he pees on that grass is when you want to let him know how good he is being.

Also the running around like crazy is the zoomies, its a normal husky thing and he meant no kind of aggression when he nipped you. My huskies would do that to if I stopped them when they did that. They just get going that it isn't so much of a nip from them as they are going and there head kind of whips around quick and he might get your hand. Obviously where you don't want him doing that with the children, just get him the best you can and calm him down and it should decrease those spurts of energy. When he gets older, make sure you increase his exercise or you are going to have one CRAZY husky on your hand who will soon become destructive.

Ok so we got the kennel and he goes in it just fine, as long as we are in the room. So we have it in the living room with us right now so he can see us. As long as someone is in his sight he's content to sleep/chew on his bone.

He actually peed outside last night! And of course it's the only time we forgot to grab the treat bag! When I let him out of his kennel this morning, I was putting my shoes on after I let him out so I could take him outside. He took advantage of his brief freedom and peed RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME! He didn't even sniff or anything so I didn't even notice until I heard the trickle! I didn't even bother putting my shoes on, and took him right outside, but he didn't go. Brought him back in and put him in the kennel. 30 minutes later I let him out again, went to grab his leash, and he had already peed AND pooped on my floor! Now I know to have it ready so I can clip it on him and rush him outside.

No matter how aggravated I am at him, I never raise my voice because I know it won't do anything but make him afraid of me, and I don't want that. Aside from making my house a mess, he's a wonderful dog. He doesn't pull on the leash when we walk him, he walks right next to us, and he's becoming a big snuggle bug and likes to lay in bed with us. He also really enjoys chasing crickets and bugs outside, which is funny to watch.

We need to go to the store today, and look into getting a potty bell because that is something I am interested in trying. I just worry about leaving him home alone. Like I said, if we are in the room, he doesn't care if he's in his kennel, but if we just walk away he starts howling. I don't wanna leave him all alone!

We also need to get him more treats, the two we picked out he has absolutely no interest in. He'll eat them if we give it to him but it's not something he gets excited about. Just kind of a "This is edible, I will eat it." thing.

And no he is not neutered yet. We have an appointment next weekend with the shelter we got him from to go get him fixed.

I think today, I'm going to try what a couple of you suggested and take something he peed on outside so he smells it, and I'll take him to the spot he peed in last night. If he doesn't potty, I'll put him right back in his kennel and try again in 15 minutes. If he does, we shall have a potty party, and he will be rewarded with treats and a little playtime outside his kennel, before we put him back in. I feel really bad keeping him in there all day, but I know consistency is the best remedy in this situation.

Give him time. All of this is very new for him.

Is he eating alright?

Yes he is, he devours his food the second I give it to him. He's actually quite comfortable around us already. He'll jump in bed with us and tackles us when he gets his "zoomies" as you guys call them! He constantly follows me around the house and just watches me do stuff.

He's been in his kennel all day and I know he has to go to the bathroom because he hasn't gone since we got up this morning, but he still refuses to go when I take him out. So I put him right back in the kennel. I feel bad but I know the second I let him out he'll go to the bathroom whether I'm standing there or not! I've just got to out stubborn him I guess.

As for treats consider string cheese or deli meats my dogs love that over most store bought treats.. Also I made alot of the treats I give my dogs I find one they like the made them over and over.

I'm concerned that locking him in his crate all day will make him feel he's being punished for something, but he'll have no idea what that is. He hasn't learned you want him to go to the bathroom outside. He is going to have accidents, but he needs your guidance. If he goes on the floor and you catch him, you give him a correction, say "No, outside!" and you take him out immediately even though he isn't going to go because he just went on your floor. I'd suggest leaving his leash attached and let him drag it around when he is in the house. Give him access to rooms you're in. Possibly block off or close doors to those you don't want him to get into. It's much easier if you can just grab the leash when you have to get him out in a hurry. Leave on some flip flops or slippers so you don't have to mess around getting shoes on.

The only treat we've given him that he actually wanted was hotdogs, but we ran out Friday and haven't been able to go to the store.

I think the poor guy has Kennel Cough. We have a vet appointment Tuesday for a physical and I'll ask him about it. He's been coughing and throwing up clear stuff all day. :c

As for letting him roam with the leash, that's what we were doing the first 3 days, and it didn't work. He doesn't sniff when he's about to pee or poop, he just does it. We have one of those roundabout kitchens, that can be accessed through two sides, and I don't have anything to block it off with unless I want to go dragging my couch and recliner around. We have babygates but these cheapy apartments walls aren't level so only 3 of the corners touch on the babygate, I can't even use it for the kids I watch because it falls over the second you touch it.

I'm also running out of things to clean up after him with. The apartment complex's washer is broke, and I don't have a way to get to my moms to do laundry. I have 4 washrags left, and I've used I don't know how many cleaning up pee and all the stuff he's throwing up so he won't be laying in it. I desperately need to go to the store and buy some papertowels and stuff but my boyfriend has been gone with our only car all day and I don't know when he will be back. :/

Do you have lunch meat? Cheese? Chicken? I bet you could find something to use as a treat that he would love until you can get to a store. Just because something didn't work over the course of 3 days, doesn't mean it won't work if you stick to it. 3 days is NOTHING and I think you're expecting too much too soon. He is not going to learn anything by osmosis sitting in his crate all day. Consistency is key and they don't just come to you knowing how they are suppose to behave. You have to be willing to put in the work. I think it's wonderful that you rescued and on this site you have a wealth of information to help you get him to be the awesome dog he can be. The fact that he now seems sick is a whole other can of worms. You may need to get him in sooner than Tuesday.

So we just took him to the vet and it turns out he might have Distemper... The vet is going to check up on us in a week and see how he is doing but he said he has a 35% chance of having distemper.

The poor guy has just been laying in the same spot since we got him up this morning. We have to carry him up and down the stairs to our apartment when we take him out to go potty, and he's not eating.

We love our Kuma.. we don't wanna see him go already...

Oh poor baby! I commend you for rescuing - and have your beautiful Kuma in my thoughts hoping he will pull through his illness and hoping he is just adjusting to new food, schedule, people.

One of the challenges you run into with a rescue is not knowing what he has been through before he got to you. He may have been penned up and potty for him was going wherever he was at. You can be sure at the shelter that he had to go in his kennel, so it it going to take patience, love, and repetition, repetition, repetition. Even then, he may still have his "moments".

Rogue is a funny boy, he goes outside all the time, but he sometimes gets so busy having fun in the yard (he loves hunting lizards and chasing anything that flies!) that he will play outside for 30 minutes, then come in the house and poop! It can be frustrating, but he has gotten better, and we just make sure we sing his praises when he does potty outside.

I hope he recovers quickly, and if you keep reading and researching this site you will pick up soooo much useful info. Welcome!

Our Zoey is 4 months old and we've crate trained our other dogs but we had agreed upon letting her have free roam of the kitchen hoping she would be ok.... NOT! She was doing fine and then she'd just pee or poop in the floor. And we let her out every hour or less. We finally decided to start crate training her as well. And so far no accidents in her crate since using it for 3 days!! We do treats and praise when she uses the potty outside. When we catch her if she pottys inside we do pop her on her butt. Since doing this she has only had one accident. We also have 2 other dogs that kinda teach her what to do outside. Since having both dogs with her she doesnt hesitate to go outside. I wish you all the luck, hopefully the crate will work for you too!