First off, thank you all for your kind words and reassuring messages, they've really helped me keep my head up.

Jupiter ate yesterday! He had a whole cup full of kibble a little after four but now he's back on his strike. He doesn't seem to have any more stomach issues either. Vet visit was supposed to be yesterday but they lost my appointment so we had to push it off to next week.

According to neighbors he barks and howls when I'm at work. He had a little accident yesterday but did much better today. I have two friends who have been taking him on runs with them and they say he keeps up well. Even then, he's going a little stir crazy by the time I get home so we go for another walk. This has happened twice now, but a couple minutes in he'll lay down and won't move, no matter what direction I suggest we go in. I don't know why he's doing this as it doesn't seem like he's tired. Last time it happened I got him out of it because he got distracted by a squirrel and I used his momentum to turn around and take the last few steps home. Right now we're no here near the apartment and he's doing it again. I know it takes a while for dogs to settle in, but I'm worried he just doesn't like me. I'm frustrated that I don't know how to handle these situations and I just don't know what to do right now. He completely ignores my stern voice but will listen to my friends'. I'm scared to leave the house now because we'll be stuck outside for hours just sitting on the grass.

I know all my posts turn into rants, I'm sorry. How can I get my dog to respect me? What are some solutions to fix this problem without reinforcing it? He seems like he likes me at home but he's a completely different dog outside of the house.

Elliott, I have a question for you that may sound judgemental but it's really not ...
What do you mean by your "stern voice"?  Volume doesn't equate to sternness, I can tell any of my dogs to set / lay down in a whisper and even when it's obvious they'd rather not, they'll do it. Did you ever have a teacher who never had to raise their voice to get immediate attention from everyone in the room - that's a command voice, that's what you want to use with Jup; you're not a DI and he's not a recruit.

It's good that he's eating and if he continues eating, I'd use this as a means of reaching out to him.  Rather than putting his food in his bowl and letting him eat, take a few kibbles in your hand, tell him to set (or whatever command you're working on) and when he does, reward him with your kibble.

What I'm suggesting serves two purposes, first - it helps him realize that *you* are the source of the good stuff (his food) and secondly, for him to get it he needs to do what you say.  There's an added benefit there in that he learns how to hear you; you can't be impatient, you can't be loud, you can't be frustrated, you have to be the cool, calm, relaxed you.  It's called building a bond of friendship.

Lastly, you're really expecting too much from Jup way too fast.  You've had him with you for five days - don't expect him to be really *your* dog for a month or so.  It's going to take that long for him to learn you and for you to learn him.  For example, why does he just lie down like that when you're heading home - he's trying to tell you something in the only way he can, now it's up to you to understand what it is he saying and that's going to take time.  He's young, you're young, you both have a lot of time to build that confidence in each other but it's going to be up to you to make it happen, he's doing the best he can.

Are you saying he lays down on your way home? Ami used to do that. Or else the closer we got to home, the slower we went. What was happening was that he wanted to prolong the walk... he knew once we got home, walk was over. He's just trying to prolong the time together... how far are you walking after work? A good 3 to 5 miles would not be too much.

Amy,

It's more of a timed thing, so far what we do most is 45 minutes of walking, 10-20 minutes of jogging (because it's still pretty hot), and another half hour or so of walking. Sometimes its enough and sometimes its not. We do it about twice a day. I have learned that I can't take him out if I've got a time constraint (like work), and I think that's what my mistake has been. I'll try to get him out more for longer, thank you for the advice!

Elliot, maybe my stern comment would have been better as Al mentioned "commanding" "authoritative"
I agree with everything Al and Amy said as far as what is going on for you and Jupiter. I think at this point you are stressing and he senses your stress. One of the best ways to build a bond is hand feeding, you could opt to feed his whole allotment between hand feeding and training. Use it on walks, not as a bribe but for training, practice outside with basic commands like sit, lay down. If you don't have a long line let me know and I will post you a diy long line if one is not in your budget. You can use the long line to practice recall. Buy a squeaky ball, I know you said he was uninterested in toys, but, I have never seen a dog not like a squeaky anything, I use the ball because they come kinda small, and you can put in your pocket. When walking outside you can use it as a distraction, inside as a training tool. I use it to train my puppy and I used toys in general to train my husky. Using toys as a reward works wonders. Inside you can squeak the ball to grab his attention, and toss it and practice sit, stay, laydown, whatever, the game is the reward. Ok, so back to hand feeding, you can sit with his bowl, and have him sit next to you, get at his level, this is key, because you do not want to appear bigger than him, not hovering over him, teach be gentle, take, talk to him, tell him he is a good boy, say yes when he does things perfect. I am a firm believer of not over using the word no. So when feeding him by hand, if he grabs it's "eh eh be gentle Jupiter, take" He is gentle then "good boy, yes gentle"

Elliot, huskies are profoundly intelligent. he will become your best friend, but as was said, it does take time, you have to build mutual trust, then the bond comes. He is an adult, and whatever his previous life was, obviously brought him to you, whatever it was, whether it was someone who could no longer care for him, or someone who didn't take good care of him, his life is confusing right now. Trust has been broken with him, and you need to teach him to trust you. The other advice I will share is to use his name for everything, that is how the husky gets a bad rep on not being smart. If you are not talking directly to them , they will be stubborn and think you are talking to the husky that must be behind them, lol. Have patience, with him and yourself, it will come together, in time.