I need any and all advice possible and have done HOURS of research and nothing has led me in the right direction.

Okay, lets start at the beginning of last week. I decided I wanted a dog, no, NEEDED a dog. I was very hormonal and my husband is only home late at night and needed a companion I could call my own. I skimmed the Craigslist ads in ND and found a very beautiful purebred 1 year old male siberian husky that was close to me and reasonably priced. I jumped at the opportunity remembering all the friends I had known that had enjoyed their cute little FEMALE huskies. I arranged a pick up date and went wild at the grocery collecting him all new toys, food, treats, everything my arms could hold. He was wonderful on the ride home, a little antsy but great. Got him in the door and he was still great! Met the cats and scared them and chased them a little, met my roommates small boston terrier and chased her a bit, nothing drastic and off we were to the pet store. He was well behaved and social and did not scare the smaller dogs one bit. It wasnt until we took him to the dog park that day that I noticed something wasnt quite right with Mally (his name), he didnt really know how to play and was very cautious of the wide open dog park. My husband put his hand in the air to throw a ball and then my heart sank at what happened next, not only did Mally not chase the ball but he cowered in fear and submitted to my husband on his back! We spent the whole morning together until it was time for both of us to go to work, I have a full time job and am gone for 40 hours a week but nothing more. Mally didnt tear anything up while we were gone, which I thought was very very strange considering his breed. I have since in the past week had him neutered and started a routine bedtime treat and crating session. I am very worried about Mallys future and am begging for guidance, we live in a small 2 bedroom apartment. He spends an hour and a half at the dog park in -20 degree weather, he has his Kong treats and 2 cats to keep him company while I am at work. Today his behavior changed drastically, he has started guarding me, attacked my roommates dog on territorial terms, wont let the cat have her toys and got in the trash as well. I am fairly certain he was abused in the past and don't know if I should rehome him, thinking I might not have the time for his special needs? I dont want it to come to this though, I want to work with him but I have no idea what I'm doing. Please try to not judge me too harshly on my impulsive decision to get such a challenging breed in a small apartment with a full time job, I'm trying to right this wrong!!

If I was in that difficult situation I would look for a professional trainer in your area. I would look for one that either has experience with huskies or at least one that uses positive methods. In my opinion there is replacement for someone who can be there with you and see the situation for themselves. There might be some training that needs to be done with your roommates dog too and they could see that and give you advice. Having someone with experience ad know what there doing really is priceless. I really feel like that is your best chance to help Mally become a balanced dog that you can live with.

Good luck!

I agree with Elise- training would be a HUGE benefit to you and to Mally! It will help you learn how to communicate with each other- and if you go to a class it will get him out in the open and he'll gain experiences<- its your job to make sure they're positive ones! I wouldn't over react on his behavior yet though. Think of it from Mally's point of view- he's been uprooted from probably the only place he's ever known and tossed into a situation with other animals and strangers. You've only had him a week- it could take a few weeks to a few months for him to adjust to his new home- depending on the dog. In the meantime, I would definitely get him a trainer or get him into a training class. And make sure he gets A LOT of exercise. A tired husky is a happy owner! The more time you spend with him the better! Take him everywhere you can- bond with him and learn to trust one another. It might not be an over night thing, and yes it will take work- but I was in your situation, and I can tell you, it's worth all of it. It will also help if you walk the dogs together- then they can bond also. I would be careful with him and the other pets in the meantime- until you can completely trust him, make sure they're supervised, just in case. I think it would be unfair to Mally to re-home him just because he's not the perfect dog in a week. You made the decision to bring him into your home, and you CAN do this! The question is, do you want to?  There is PLENTY of info on here, with sibe owners from all over the world- information at your finger tips! lol We're here for you, whatever your decision may be! Keep us posted!

If I were you I would definitely give it more time. Im a week he has changed his whole life and you had him nuetered. You both need to get used to this new life. I rescued my younger one when she was 4 months old and Im pretty sure she was mistreated. She is over 2 now and has certain people she will not go near and will cower down if you raise stuff over her head as if she will be hit. Potty training was very very hard for me becasue she didnt know what outside was. You should get with a trainer and get him socialized with many different people and situations, it will be so worth it in the long run, you havent even seen his true behavior yet.
Good Luck.

You will need alot of patience, a dog that has been mistreated needs even more time. What it is important you shouldn´t look at it like oh the poor doggie has been mistreated in the past, so I will let him his freedom now, proper training and rules are very important, with a dog like him even more.
When you work with a trainer, giving you and the dog some time it will work out. But don´t expect everthing to be perfectly as you wanted it with a dog that has a certain past.

Is the dog crated during the day? If not I would really try to get that done. Siberians have a high prey drive and can kill small animals (such as cats.) Caution needs to be exercised, even if the previous owners stated that he was good with cats. You need to protect your cats. Do not leave him loose with them when YOU aren't there.

As for the Boston incident, what was he guarding? You? Food? Water? Toys? Since he is a new dog to the family it is in your best interest to put up all toys and bones for the first sometimes even few months while the dogs are getting adjusted to living together. Do not leave "free feeding" food down all day for the dogs. That is nearly guaranteed to start a fight. If the Boston approaches you and he growls, get up and walk away. If he is on the couch, ask him to get off. You are not to be guarded.

He will need a lot of rules and clear defined boundaries. Don't play into the "he was abused" sob story. Dogs get over things and let go of things much quicker than a person can. So he may cringe if you throw a toy but he will soon see that there is no harm coming to him, and it will gradually decrease in occurrence. There are a lot of trust/bond building games that are around on the internet which you can try. There is a link in my signature to a training thread, you may want to give it a read.

Many people own Sibes and work 40 hours a week. While this most certainly was an "impulse buy" there's no reason he cannot stay in your family.

I just saw this, somehow I was unnotified that my thread had gotten some attention or maybe I just dont know what I'm doing. I shouldve included in my little story that we live in the middle of the oil fields so finding a dog trainer would be a laughable quest. The local pet store here is a joke within itself. In the weeks that I've held onto Mally he has become alot calmer and I've taught him that the kitchen is off limits which he abides by for the most part. He is still very dog aggressive though, if another dog even thinks about coming near me there is no growling or snapping just straight to the opposing down to pin them and make them cry. I have found someone with a yard that would like to take him however I have become so attached to my baby that even though I think it will be best for him I dont know if I can do it. We have a family trip coming up to Montana where we will visit with family that have 3 year old children and multiple small dogs. I know this is going to be big for him and I dont know what to do for him? He lives with another dog that at the moment has to be separated from him as I have found no solid advice that works.

Have you tried putting a leash on him to control the situation while the boston is around? Huskies are very intelligent, and if he is on a leash and goes the boston you are able to pull him back and issue a strong stern 'no' do not yell however... it may take weeks or months of training if he indeed has never received any social skills, but it will be worth it. I taught my adopted older husky to 'leave' the cats using this method. She now sleeps on the bed with them and will clean some of them too.

He just needs to learn what you think is acceptable from him, and Huskies are usually very eager to please their owners.

I guarantee if you put the effort in, you will have a very lovable pooch as an end result.

Go to youtube and search Victoria Stilwell Teacher's pet.
Very easy training methods that will be a lot of help to you

Get a crate and keep him crated away from the other dogs while you are on vacation. Do not set him up to even possibly fail or react to the other dogs in a negative way. Take him out throughout the day on his own and give him individual time. You can work from a distance from the other dogs (ensuring they are secure as is your dog) and reward for him being near them without reacting, creating a positive association with the other dogs. Give SPACE, don't get him too close to the point where he is stressing.

If you are not in the place to get professional help it may be in your dogs best and safest interest to rehome him to a place where there aren't other dogs. He could injure another dog and if someone really wanted they could have the county seize the dog and put him to sleep.

Where are you located? City, state? I can see if I know or find anyone in the area.

I am in Williston, ND. The home he would go to actually has multiple dogs but they have more time and resources than I do. I am going to try the leash method and to work with my roommate with it. My roommate is very supportive in the decision to keep and work with him however has a very lenient routine with him. Mally is convinced that everything in the house is his (even me) and once the little boston leaves her room its whoever can grab her first. Even though he shows no food aggression with his cat I am going to take his food bowl from him and instate the N.I.L.I.F method for him. He has no aggression with my one small cat and even brings her small treats, however shes the only animal in the house that knows to submit whenever he comes around? By the way, you have very beautiful dogs arooroomom!