Hi guys!

So Raiden finished his beginner doggy school. He was excellent and learned a lot. But , the issue i have with him now MAJOR ISSUE. When I try to put a leash on him he barks and runs away.

I have not been able to take him out for a walk for over 2 weeks. All i can do is release him in the backyard to potty and play. When he is on the leash he listens to everything. When off leash he is a major pain in the butt.He is always jumping on me, biting me and if i tell him no he tries to show his dominance and bark at me. I have tried from everything from treats to yelping.

I really have issues in the morning because I cant put him in the crate without getting his leash on him. He only goes in the crate when his leash is on him. Today when I got home since he was home alone for 8hrs he completely destroyed the carpet in the room. Someone he was able to rip it off from when the carpet starts right underneath the door. I will now have to remove the entire carpet and perhaps get laminate installed.

HELP ME GUYS. I am at the point of actually giving him away. My parents want him gone but I keep telling them he will get better once he is older. I spend all my time with him after work ( or at least as much as i can). He eats better then me ( Raw) . But, i am slowly losing hope.

Judging by your signature, I'm going to go on a whim and say your dog is around the 8 month old period, correct? If this is the case, you should know that your dog has probably entered into a "teenage" phase where he'll seem to be regressing on training and generally more hyper and destructive than he used to be. This is completely normal and many (if not most) huskies go through this phase at one point or another. Huskies aren't mindless drones; they're smart and independent thinkers. Your dog's current behavior (the jumping/barking etc.) is just his way of playing with you and/or challenging your authority. He's probably testing the waters in a sense, seeing just what he can and cannot get away with. The best advice I can offer with the given information is to just tough it out. You are correct though, he will calm down and get better with age. In the meantime, double down on your training with him. Always keep him crated if no one is home; leaving your dog alone in the house at this age is just an open invitation for him to destroy stuff.

I'm also a little confused with your leash problem, you said that he doesn't like the leash being put on but behaves perfectly when it is on? If this is the case, why can't you walk him? It may take some training, but try to associate the leash with positive things (like going outside). Don't let him out without his leash on. Even if you have a fenced in yard, take him to the bathroom with his leash on. This will normalize the idea of him being on a leash and will hopefully make it a bit easier for you in the future. Finally huskies are always going to be a pain off leash, they like freedom too much.

Hi there! How old is he? Age plays a huge factor.. The jumping and biting you is pure dominance. You need to show you are boss or he will step all over you and take over a leadership role if he doesn't feel like you are a leader. My male husky, who is 10 months now was a big challenge to train.. the hardest months were 5-6 months.. you really need to put your foot down, show that you are the alpha and control everything he owns (food, treats, toys, etc..) as for the leash. My husky runs away when I take out his harness but eventually he caves in and lets me put in on. Is your husky food motivated or praise motivated? find out what motivates him and work from there.. mine will do backflips for food so I use that to my advantage when I want him to do something. As for ripping up the carpet, that is boredom, stress, lack of exercise to tire him out enough to NOT want to destroy. Try setting a routine with me..huskies thrive on routine and schedule and consistent training.

When I try to put the leash on him he runs away and hides under the bed, where i cant reach him. If i get lucky and some how entice him with a treat and get him to come near me ill quickly try to get my hand on his collar and then pray i can get the leash on him. Once the leash is on, he listens to all the commends he learned.

DjSamphard wrote:

When I try to put the leash on him he runs away and hides under the bed, where i cant reach him. If i get lucky and some how entice him with a treat and get him to come near me ill quickly try to get my hand on his collar and then pray i can get the leash on him. Once the leash is on, he listens to all the commends he learned.

Okay, so is he afraid of you putting the leash on him or is he just being defiant and/or playful? Has he only been taught commands when on leash during puppy classes?  Regardless, you should definitely try to increase the amount of time he's spending outside on leash. Plant the idea in his head that leash = outside fun times.

Also again, why can't you walk him? If he listens to all of his commands on leash then there is no reason that you shouldn't be able to walk him regularly. If it's due to another reason like a busy work schedule then that's fine, but I just want to clarify if walking him on leash is a problem or not.

I cant take him outside on a walk because he wont let me put the leash on him. Every time i bring it near him he runs away. The commends he learned sit, stay, down, and heel. He does them all well when hes on his leash. But he never does them when hes inside the house or in the backyard without a leash.

Ami used to (and still occasionally) does this. Usually, its because he's really excited and wants to play. To ease matters, I trap him in a small room first (with the leash hidden) then I straddle him, snap on the leash and we're good to go.

Never, ever leave this pup out of a crate when you are not home - I had one like this almost 45 years ago and she was a disaster. Loveable, wonderful girl, but a total disaster. Think wallpaper off all the walls, trash everywhere, no furniture cushion left untouched disaster.

DjSamphard wrote:

I cant take him outside on a walk because he wont let me put the leash on him. Every time i bring it near him he runs away. The commends he learned sit, stay, down, and heel. He does them all well when hes on his leash. But he never does them when hes inside the house or in the backyard without a leash.

Okay, in that case this is what I would do. Start training him to listen to your commands inside. Confine him in a small, relatively empty, room with no distractions or place for him to run and hide. Practice your commands with him several times a day like this; just you, him, and a pocket full of treats. He probably wont be able to do them reliably for awhile, but will calm down with age and gradually get better. As for the leash issue, don't take him outside unless he has his leash on. First thing in the morning, put the leash on and take him to the bathroom. Every morning. Don't try to put it on him in an area where he can run away. If you have to corner him, you have to corner him. I'm still not sure if he's afraid of the leash, or just doesn't like it. Either way training by association is the strongest tool you have. Once the leash is on him, you should have no problem exercising him, correct? If so, start to increase the amount of exercise he gets. He'll be less destructive and more well mannered if you can manage to tire him out on a long walk. Good luck!

Kohdi did, and still does to a point, the leash thing (only it's his harness he's avoiding) it's a game to him. I've done what Amy does, and just tricked him into a confined area (hallways with baby gates on each side I found work well cuz there's no where for him to crawl under anything) Kohdi is very excited to go on a walk, is the PERFECT husky on a walk, but somehow this harness thing turned into a game for him, and it could be really cute, lol, but I won't lie, there were times it irritated me. Like others have said, if yours is treat motivated, maybe give him a treat while you're slipping his leash on so he associates it with something positive (although for most huskies, the walk itself is a "treat"...so it's confusing to me how this whole game thing got started and how it reinforces itself) but yeah, best bet, atleast for awhile, is "tricking" him into a confined area. I know, sounds kinda ridiculous but...it works.

I would do things very similar to what everyone else has mentioned.....however, I would keep the leash on all day when you are home, when you are not home he needs to be in his crate. Keep him near you at all times, he needs less freedom and more time with you, whether it be calm and sitting with you, going on walks, or command training. If you do not want the leash on all the time, although I think that is the best method to keep track of an unruly teenager, then I would make him sit and verbally praise (good boy) then teach wait, if he sits patiently treat, while he is enjoying the treat snap the leash on, verbally praise again when the leash is on he remains sitting. Teach "let's go" a great way to get the excitement at the appropriate time, I would also teach sit and wait at the door to go in and out. I also would use some form of a small treat vs a big treat, I know you feed raw, so maybe buy a small bag of grain free kibble as a treat, this way you can treat a lot, but not fill him up on empty calories. You want to teach calmness, so personally keeping the leash on inside when you are home you can teach door manners easier, because he already behaves on leash. A teenager with too much energy and too much freedom = disaster. Teach calmness, train indoors, and give him a solid 30-45 minute walk on mostly grassy surfaces, if you can do that walk early morning and in the evening when it is cooler, you will expend some of his excess energy. This will pass, at about a year or so, he should settle down to the routine you have, but giving too much freedom, not enough discipline, and not enough exercise will make for a very bumpy 4 months or so. Good Luck Paul, you really are very close to a wonderful companion, just don't let your guard down quite yet!

Paul, I echo what everyone says... training is key at the age... be consistent with the training and if other people in the house are involved in the dog's life, have them be consistent with the rules too. Mine hates the harness and runs from it but he is learning that no harness=no walk so eventually he caves! I would not give a husky puppy too much freedom until at least 1 yr... lack of exercise, no one home, too much time= trashed house! don't give up, it gets easier

Sounds to me like he is not getting enough exercise. You say that all you really do is let him outside ? Back yard okay is really not enough for a Husky at that age! And I personally think him jumping and biting isn't so much of a dominance thing but more him saying IM HYPER LETS PLAY COME ON! RUN LETS CHASE EACH OTHER. A dog with pent up energy is going g to act out. I take my 8 month old to the off leash park for about an hour in the morning, then when I get home from work she gets a 45 minute brisk walk, then before bed we will go for another 30-45 minute noodling walk. A tired Husky is a happy sweet obedient one!

MiyasMomma wrote:

I would do things very similar to what everyone else has mentioned.....however, I would keep the leash on all day when you are home, when you are not home he needs to be in his crate. Keep him near you at all times, he needs less freedom and more time with you, whether it be calm and sitting with you, going on walks, or command training. If you do not want the leash on all the time, although I think that is the best method to keep track of an unruly teenager, then I would make him sit and verbally praise (good boy) then teach wait, if he sits patiently treat, while he is enjoying the treat snap the leash on, verbally praise again when the leash is on he remains sitting. Teach "let's go" a great way to get the excitement at the appropriate time, I would also teach sit and wait at the door to go in and out. I also would use some form of a small treat vs a big treat, I know you feed raw, so maybe buy a small bag of grain free kibble as a treat, this way you can treat a lot, but not fill him up on empty calories. You want to teach calmness, so personally keeping the leash on inside when you are home you can teach door manners easier, because he already behaves on leash. A teenager with too much energy and too much freedom = disaster. Teach calmness, train indoors, and give him a solid 30-45 minute walk on mostly grassy surfaces, if you can do that walk early morning and in the evening when it is cooler, you will expend some of his excess energy. This will pass, at about a year or so, he should settle down to the routine you have, but giving too much freedom, not enough discipline, and not enough exercise will make for a very bumpy 4 months or so. Good Luck Paul, you really are very close to a wonderful companion, just don't let your guard down quite yet!

I agree with this. I did this with my pup when he was young I kept a long line on him or he was stuck in a small space with me. I would grab his collar as he comes out of the crate and put a leash on and only take it off when he is back in the crate.