I need to know what you would do in our situation. We have the two pups, Bane and Willow. Recently, they have taken it upon themselves to destroy EVERYTHING in sight. The sofa has been their latest victim.

We currently live in a condo, and take them either to the dog park or the beach two to three times a week, as well as take them for multiple walks a day. I would say about 4 15-20 minute walks during the day, and one 30 minute walk before bed time. They have plenty of toys; rawhides, kongs, squeaky toys, you name it they have it! We've tried locking them up and only receive text messages from the neighbors complaining. I want to put them in the bathroom (bigger area for them) but the hubby doesn't want to.

We are moving at the end of the month into a house with a backyard for them and plan on husky proofing it the best we can before we move in. Any suggestions for that? Any suggestions for them destroying whatever they feel like? I give them kongs with peanut butter and treats in them, they have access to the patio all the time, and again get walked.

Thanks in advance....

Have you tried the bitter apple spray on things? Sometimes that works. What about doggy daycare while you're gone? Or blocking off a certain area so they don't have full access?

We have tried bitter apple, and they smirk at us when they see us spraying it on things. I have not yet looked into doggy daycare, but will be. I am going to try locking them up in the bathroom today while I run some errands (about an hour and a half worth, more than likely less that that) just to see how it goes.

How old are they? Pippa is a year and half and I never leave her out unattended, not even long enough to take a shower. Don't set them up to fail. If I left her out for longer than five minutes I'm pretty certain she'd get into something.

It sounds like it could be separation anxiety too. I'd search for threads on that as well. There have been LOTS of threads about it and people have some great advice.

Crate training can be a pain, but it's really worth it in the end. Try doing a quick search for it on here. You'll find lots of horror stories, but also lots of suggestions of how to deal with problems you might run into. Contact your neighbors and let them know that you're working on the problem. They'll probably be more understanding if they know it's something you're trying to fix. It takes time though. You can't just stick them in a crate or a bathroom and expect they'll like it. In the end though, crate training is safer for them and your apartment.

Also, I wouldn't bank on just letting them be in the backyard when you move. A bored husky outside is bound to find a way to escape.

Crate train as soon as possible! I got extra large large crates for mine. They take up a big space in the family room but I still have a couch.

Usually dogs destroy things when they a) have separation anxiety or b) lack the right amount of exercise. I would try really pushing their exercise, bike rides or jogging with them, something that gets them running. If they don't tire easily then my guess is they need to get some longer periods of running in or something before you leave them.

I would create train like what was stated above, tell your neighbors, and explain what you are trying to do. More than likely they will not complain. I lock my husky up every sec, even when I take a shower... She is only 8 months but o no, I don't see me trusting her till she is 5 years old lol Now my Malamute, different story. She is weird. If she is locked up, she will destroy a create in a second when I leave the house. If I leave her out in the house she is cool. I may come home to a poop upstairs (why does she do it there I have no clue) but that is the worst she will do to the house. So needless to say she stays out in the living room during the day but she sleeps in her create at night (and she is ok with that) again she is weird. You just need to find what works and enforce it.

katiesham wrote:

How old are they?

Also, I wouldn't bank on just letting them be in the backyard when you move. A bored husky outside is bound to find a way to escape.

Bane is six months old, and Willow is four months old. And no, I never banked on them being out in the backyard when we move. That's more of a, "we can let them go outside without destroying the house while we're home," kind of thing. I would never feel totally confident leaving them outside on their own.

Willow has separation anxiety. She only shows it towards me, and not my husband. My husband usually lets me leave first, and then he leaves because she flips her lid when I leave last. I can leave them for up to about 30 minutes before something horrid happens.

I was told by my vet to wait until they are eight months old to start running/jogging/bicycling with them. Did anyone else start running/jogging/bicycling with them before eight months? And did you see any difference in them being in pain etc.? I just don't want to screw up their growth plates so we make sure not to run them on concrete/hard surfaces.

They love their crate! As long as the door isn't shut. We've done just about everything there, too. We've sat there with them, and given them treats while they are being good, slowly moved out of the bedroom, and did this over a course of a week and a half. Its in our bedroom so that they can feel safe (they both nap in the bedroom even when we're home). I can also lock them up in it for about 15 minutes before they start crying.

Before we got Willow, Bane was perfect. We came home to him sleeping next to the door, waiting to hear the key turn in the lock and he would greet us, sleepy eyed, and tail wagging happy as can be that we were home. Willow will actually scream (maybe a husky woo woo?) when I walk in the door because she is so excited to see me.

I'm just completely lost what to do. I try to put them in the crate while I clean house so they aren't in the way, they do fine for about 15-20 minutes before they start howling, and barking and the neighbor upstairs is pounding on her floor at them. I feel like a lot of my resistance of crate training them currently is because of the neighbors (and about 60% of why we're moving).

I will be home tomorrow, and will get on here, and really research crate training, and the separation anxiety. Thank you for all the comments

I would not start running them yet (I think the others thought they were older) they are way to young for that. I didn't start running Karli til she turned a year old. It honestly sounds like separation anxiety and that is really hard to work on. Do you cover the crate at all? Like with a blanket? I cover Karli's kennel (she has a varikennel) and its all warm and cozy inside.

With all this exercise, do you do any mental stimulation? Like working on commands? That's also a great way to tire a pup out and a tired husky is a happy husky. About ten minutes of this in the morning before work should help to tucker them out. Crate training is a pain, especially with a husky that has separation anxiety. Have you looked into a thunder shirt for Willow? I've seen them at the store and while I've never had to try one, I think it might help. Maybe even placing an article of your clothing in her kennel, that smells like you. That might make her feel better. Do you leave the tv on at all? Or a radio?

I can definitely see how your neighbor would affect crate training. You seem like a person who doesn't want to annoy anyone (like me). But unfortunately for your neighbor, he is going to have to get over it. That is the life of living in an apartment. I was on the first floor of an apartment for a year. The upstairs people were ALWAYS stomping around like an elephant herd. The people on the third floor always swept their dog poop off their patio into OUR bushes (they didn't even tell the main office that they had a dog). It was annoying. The kids down the hallway would always run up and down screaming while my boyfriend was trying to sleep in for night shift. It always pissed me off, but you really can't do anything about it unless it's after 9PM or something like that, then it's a noise violation (I think). Keep trying to do your crate training. It will be easier in the long run. Perhaps leave some music on while you're out? Maybe write a note to your neighbor apologizing about the noise and stick it on their door?


Do not run your pups on the bike until they are at least a year old. 8 months is too young, they're still growing. Try taking them to a local dog park a few times and see how that takes care of their energy level.

The crate is covered with one of our blankets that we had on our bed before we got them. We never washed it, so I figured that that would work well since it would smell like us. I will have to find two old shirts and throw in their crates. I have seen the thunder shirts, and have not yet tried them. They do get the TV left on to a country music station; we found that pop and/or rock made them bark >.>

Yes, they both receive mental stimulation on a daily basis. Between myself, and my husband I would say that they receive about 45 minutes worth per day, broken up throughout the day of course. I was considering getting them the puzzles that you can find at Petco, and PetSmart. Has anyone tried this? I feel that Willow just likes to destroy things...I read somewhere (may have been here) that someone had gotten their husky one of those balls that have all the openings in it, stuffed pieces of fabric, and hid treats in the center of fabric. I'm not sure if this would be enforcing the "destroy everything" gene she has going on, or not though.

Our neighbors are jerks. Its to the point I can't go outside without feeling judged by two of them. Thank goodness we are moving though. My poor husband had buddies over the other night and the next door neighbor text me telling me that she felt like a prisoner in her house because they were out on the patio smoking; the ONLY place on the whole property where they were allowed to smoke. She also said some other rude, and mean things that had me in tears. The upstairs neighbor is bi-polar. It's EXTREMELY hit or miss with her.

I am going to research today the crate training, and separation anxiety. Hopefully I can find something that will help them both out.

Hiya!

Our Gus has, and still has, separation anxiety. I find that the crate makes him go crazy. So we have a gated area set up to confine him in. At first, he cried a lot, but eventually the crying and the peeing stopped (or at least wasn't as severe). Then he learned how to break out of his room, and became very destructive. I've reenforced the gate to his room now so he can't get out again, and it's like we're starting over again with the crying. Before we started this though, we had him in doggy daycare. Then when we started to keep him at home again, we wrote all our neighbours a letter telling them about his separation anxiety. I guess we've been lucky though because they are all very nice about it, and ask us how he's doing whenever we bump into them. We don't test his separation anxiety at night though when most people are at home.

If crate training doesn't help, maybe you could just try confinement? Treats, puzzles, toys... none of that seemed to make a difference with Gus. And we did A LOT of desensitization training with him. With Bane and Willow, it kind of just sounds like they are bored though so desensitizing may not make a difference in your case.

Once we get into our house we actually have a great room (no idea what that is?) that I would love to set up just for them. Hopefully that will work. They are currently passed out from playing out in the grass this morning. Yay for getting house chores done with sleeping huskies XD

haha sleeping huskies are the best!

do you crate them at night? We crate Gus at night. We are SLOWLY trying to move his crate farther and farther away from us so he can't see us. Right now, if he can't see us, he won't go to sleep. And if he wakes up at night, he'll whine until he hears one of us or sees us. I also crate him EVERYTIME i am home but can't supervise him. He is ok in there as long as he knows we are home. We live in a condo though so it is pretty small. It's not like we are separated by rooms or anything haha. It seems to just be the front door that he doesn't like us walking through!

We live in a two bedroom condo. Their crates are in our bedroom because we virtually have nowhere else to put them at this time. They do not get crated at night. Though, they do sleep in them (its either them under the bed, or in the crates depending on where they want to sleep). I can generally lock them up like when I clean house, or am cleaning the patio and they have no issues. But after about 15-20 minutes dear Lord...people are stomping on the floor upstairs, and the neighbor next door is texting me.

Do they continue to cry even if they can see you?

I was going to suggest that you ignore them until they stop, but sounds like that is kind of difficult with your neighbours. When i first started crate training Gus (and keep in mind, he is not crate trained to the point where i can leave him at home alone in the crate), i would randomly give him a treat if he was in there with the doors closed QUIETLY. I'd give him a treat through the wires and say , "Good quiet".

Yes. Willow will dig at the plastic bottom of the crate and scream (not the husky woo woo, but SCREAM). If I am sitting there she only digs, if I get up to go get her a treat then the screaming starts and the barking.

Bane is perfect. We tell him kennel, he goes in, circles, and lies down with a sigh. I just have no idea what to do with Willow. I was thinking of getting her the Rescue Remedy but there are some sketchy reviews about it. I want to try the thunder shirt, and our upstairs kitty corner neighbor (the ONLY normal one) offered to let me borrow her dogs thunder shirt, but it never happened.

I definitely don't want to put her on medication unless it came down to the last resort.

I haven't tried Rescue Remedy or the thundershirt. When i went to get a thundershirt, they were sold out of his size, and i just never went back. I think they have a 100% moneyback guarantee though if it doesn't work for you, as long as it hasn't been destroyed haha.

We have a DAP diffuser plugged in (which just recently ran out!!! I am hoping that is why he's been so bad lately haha.) I've ordered refills, so i'm just waiting for those to come in. I also give him one of these everytime i have to leave him alone: http://www.petnaturals.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=700864021

I can't say whether any of these work, or which of them is what is kind of helping, or IF they help at all haha. But those are some other non-medicated possibilities for you.

If you let them out of the crate when they start screaming then they are training you!

Try this:
- Give them a treat every time they go in the crate with the door closed (I also feed mine in their crates).
- After a while, introduce a special treat such as a raw soup-grade beef shank that they get only in the crate (if they are teething they probably need this anyway).
- Let them out before they start screaming and gradually lengthen the amount of time.

I'm afraid that at some point you are going to encounter the screaming and its essential that they get past that before they are let out. If you are lucky it might only take a few times. It can be difficult to get through but will be worth it in the end. Hopefully the neighbors will be more tolerant if this happens under controlled circumstances during the day.

I am sure to NEVER let them out of their crates while they are screaming. Even when the neighbor is pounding around upstairs I ALWAYS make sure to get them to quiet down before letting them out.

Willow does not care for treats while she is in her crate. I've given them to her when she's quiet and she spits them back out at me. I have not tried the beef shank and will pick one up this afternoon.

Sounds to me like you are doing everything right AFAIK. They are still puppies.

Hopefully there is someone with more expertise that can advise.