RabbleFox wrote:

This can be managed using tethering. Bandit will now "lose the privilege" of going outside to free roam. He shod never be outside unsupervised, really. He is much too bored without playing the fun chew and run game with you!

If Bandit needs to pee, you take him out on leash. If he needs to play, put him on a long line. Simultaneously, you can teach a leave it command. If he approaches his favorite chewing spot, say "Ah-ah! Leave it." And reel him away from there. Reward him with lovins and tasty snacks when he moves away and comes to you.

He should not be outside unsupervised until you are 100% confident he won't chew on stuff. Even then, he can't be expected to entertain himself for hours. Any time outside should be supervised. Can't supervise him inside or out? Crate him inside or get a kennel for outside.

Give him MORE appropriate chews. A few bones a week just won't do, it seems. While you say plenty of exercise... It may not be enough for Bandit as an individual. Mentally exercise him by teaching him fun tricks. Physically exercise him. Runs, dog park, hikes, walks... He might just need more attention. It might seem like you give him a lot right now but it seems like he just needs more from you.

Huskies tend to do that. They are pretty needy in the exercise and attention department. Hope this helps.

I tried the tethering method when he was a younger pup and it didn't work. He started passively resisting anytime I got up, just laying there and letting himself be dragged from one place to another.

Mmk. I see.

Did you try luring him up with a treat? You have to be the most fun thing ever. Huskies aren't naturally shadow dogs pet say but I'm betting you could convince him to move with you for a tiny treat.

The only way that you can effectively correct a behavior is to catch him in the act an redirect him. Don't hit or yell but rather say "ah-ah" and give him a long filled with food instead. How much time does he spend outside unsupervised? I missed that part. If you can catch him from going over to that side of the house and lure him away, you might be able to prevent the behavior chain from occurring altogether. But that requires you outside all the time. It might be useful to have him on a long line so you can feel him in if he diwcnt heed your "ah-ah".

I still think you need to exercise him more. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like every other day is cutting it. It sucks but that's what huskies need.

If not boredom, what could be driving your husky to eat the house? I highly doubt it tastes very good. XD

The only thing I can possibly think of os to put him on a tie out far away from the house.

BeBopBandit wrote:

He gets 1-1 1/2 hour walks every other day; we don't take the same route everytime. We play fetch and tug-of-war everyday too. There are also children who live next door and they play fetch with him too. He enjoys being outside and the chewing isn't a constant issue so yes, he does spend time out there by himself; 95% of the time he is fine by himself but its the 5% where he does something naughty. He has 3 treat balls: one kong, one bouncy ball from Whole Foods, and one Everlasting Treat ball. He gets a bone every Friday, and they differ; some are leg bones, some are those big knobby ones (they look like a hip socket). I don't give him rawhide anymore because it blocks him up. He also has 2 rope toys.

I can appreciate that this breed is high-energy and needs to be tired out, but it gets frustrating when the only advice people are giving me is to 1) exercise him and 2) give him bones. To me, thats not training. Thats giving snacks and taking him for walks. How does that teach him to NOT do something?

I am not looking for a quick fix, like somebody said. If I was looking for a quick fix I'd have just bought a muzzle or tied him up somewhere in the yard away from the house. I also wouldn't have come here asking for help. I'm wanting to know what kind of TRAINING did anybody use to stop their husky from tearing stuff up.

I don't really think the issue is boredom. He lays around a lot on his own accord.

Have you noticed anything consistent for the 5% of the time he starts chewing on the house? I'm wondering if it's the day in between the walks. Does he chew on things on Fridays? How has the leave-it command been coming along?

Training any dog (especially a husky) can only go so far if they have too much pent up energy in them. That's where the motto that a tired husky is a happy husky comes from (but I'm not going to linger or I might sound like I'm lecturing). A lot of having a husky is training the owners, not just the dogs. Trust me, I've been trained so many times with all the knowledge this forum has to offer, but at the end of the day, I'm a better fur-parent for it.

Hm. Well, I guess I'll say this will be my last attempt to help your pup, and then I'll check out of this thread.

You have mentioned several times that you came to a training thread for training advice. Everyone above has actually offered you training advice. Explain how a muzzle is different from smearing something gross on the side of your house?

Quite frankly, it sounds like if something doesn't work in the first week, you assume it's never going to work for your dog. This attitude is allowing your husky to TRAIN YOU! You said tethering didn't work because he refused to go where he didn't want to. Doesn't this maybe sound like he was discovering the boundaries? I can't tell you the number of times my pup 'decides' he's not going up the stairs into the apartment. Does that mean that I stop my training techniques assuming it's not working? No, it means that I continue to reinforce that this behavior gets nothing, while willingly going upstairs results in a reward.

Whether you like it or not, he does need more exercise. Walking him every other day is not enough. Period. You can be in denial as much as you want, but the fact that he's chewing on the house means that his needs are not being fulfilled (both mental and physical). The reason you keep hearing the same thing is because that is the root of the problem.

Have you looked into e-collar training? I took my first husky to Offleash-k9 (check out their YouTube its awesome how they can transform a dog). I'm now training my other two huskies and its amazing. Any unwanted behavior I say "OFF" and they stop immediately. They were starting to eat our molding and quickly stopped. It's also great with recall! Both my girls were running and found a hole in the fence and were in the neighbors yard going crazy and I called once and both came back on the first call.

You should really look into it, it may work for you guys! I know several people with huskies that have used it and have had great success as well.

I wouldn't use a e-collar here, personally... Usually Huskies chew inappropriately because they are bored. If you can fix the boredom without the expensive training collar. Why would the OP shock his dog for being bored? Would it not be more effective to walk the dog daily and train a "leave it" command?

It's much easier, cheaper, and safer to invest in a long line and treats than it is in a shock collar. Plus, without the proper guidance, a shock collar can be dangerous!

I'm glad it worked out for you but it wouldn't be applicable here, in my opinion.

My collar doesn't shock, it vibrates (I've used it on myself) and it feels like a cell phone vibrating. It gets their attention to say "hey, stop doing this or do this". My dogs were eating my house, like I mentioned and the collar helped us stop it, so I believe the OP could benefit from this and is just another option just as everyone else suggested. My collar is safe and I wouldn't use it on my dogs if it wasn't safe. If used inappropriately it can be a dangerous tool, but if used properly and the way it's suppose to be used, it's perfectly fine. I was trained by professionals to train my dogs properly with it, and would not suggest it if it wasn't safe .

I understand how YOU use now. Thank you. But when you say "e-collar", I think shock, unfortunately. It's important to recommend exactly what you mean! A lot of people would just assume that you shock the dog when he is being bad.

You use the e-collar correctly, yay! But many people won't go to a professional and learn how to use it. It could be detrimental to the dog if not trained properly, as you mentioned.

Thanks for re-explaining yourself. I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions. Everyone hears training collar and thinks ZAP!

Although e-collar training is an option, I would still go for long line and treats first!

To each their own, like I said it was just another option for the OP to consider if HE chooses to.

It's fine you thought it was a shock, most people who are unfamiliar with it would assume the same thing, but I did my research on this for a long time, which is why I recommend it. I did give my trainers information just in case you missed that part, hoping the OP could find a trainer in his area as well.

Hayden_69 wrote:

To each their own, like I said it was just another option for the OP to consider if HE chooses to.

It's fine you thought it was a shock, most people who are unfamiliar with it would assume the same thing, but I did my research on this for a long time, which is why I recommend it. I did give my trainers information just in case you missed that part, hoping the OP could find a trainer in his area as well.

You are correct e-collars if used correctly is a great tool. There is a lot of misconception about it though. The OP can look into it and there are also DVDs that he can buy that would teach him to use it if he can find a trainer. I have one but I barely use it, I only use it to train with recall and it's great. Below is a video explaining the e-collar.