Hi everyone,

I just signed up to ''itsahuskything.com." I've been roaming around reading a few of the forums, and I don't feel so alone anymore!  

My wife & I have an 8 month old husky, Baloo. We've had him since he was 8 weeks old. He was a HUGE challenge in the first 3-4 months (biting, peeing & pooping in the house, crying, etc). We took him to Petco's Puppy classes, and it (sort of) helped. I feel that I learned more from researching online than those classes. But, his training became a huge success, until Baloo left me no choice but to buy an E-collar because his bites were getting extreme! It was like night & day. He would run to the door to let us know he had to pee/poop, he no longer would bite anyone, and he was beginning to follow our commands.

Fast forward to present time: my wife and I recently had our 1st baby (mid-May). We took the necessary precautions by asking nurses & doctors about handling the baby around Baloo. Started by having him smell the baby's blanket and pampers. Fortunately, Baloo never really got jealous. He hasn't become aggressive or territorial around the baby. In fact, he tries to approach the baby whenever we have him around. But we aren't allowing him around the baby yet because of the bacteria/germs Baloo may be carrying around in his saliva. Baloo likes to lick his private area a lot, and we've caught him eating dead rats outside.

However, it feels like Baloo is taking steps backwards rather than forward. We're at the point where we don't know what to do with him... We either keep trying to train him and deal with his stubbornness. Or, we find a new home/owner that will have the time and patience for him.

Predicament: We have to move out from our current residence in a couple of weeks. We're currently looking for a house. Baloo isn't at the level where we can leave him home alone. My wife and I work/commute about 1hr. away, and when we're back home (obviously) the baby takes priority. Only on the weekends can we really take Baloo out to the dog park.

Have any of you husky owners encountered the following during or in the past with your under 1 year husky:

• Very picky with food, but will gladly follow you around and stare at you a few feet away while eating
  
  Sniff you or other's private areas and/or butts
  
  Jump on other guests
  
  Run into your house to poop (randomly) after they've FINALLY learned to poop outside
  
  Spontaneously start running around from one end of the house to the other (for NO reason)
  
  Not listen to your commands EVEN with treats
  
  Trying to mount & hump other MALE dogs at the dog park (don't ask me why )

These are only a few of the items I can think of...

Any help/advice would be welcome from fellow husky owners. We're more inclined to keep being patient with him. But he's making it easier and easier by not listening to us and continuing to be rebellious. I want to teach my son someday, to not give up on family...and Baloo IS family

You have reached the time in a Huskies life when owners find out what they are made of. It's the terrible teens. A lot of people rehome pups at this age because they regress. They don't want to listen, potty training seems questionable at best, they are brats. If you stick to your guns and drill in his training, don't let him get away with anything, and treat him like you are starting over from scratch this annoying phase will pass in a few months.

Is he fixed? If not fixing him should help with the humping. Also what does his daily exercise look like? How many miles? Excess energy will also play a part in how he treats you and other dogs. The crazy running in the house we call zoomies. They are normal but usually a sign of unspent energy. Same with jumping on people. A young dog, especially a husky, has to be walked every day or things can happen, usually destruction. Crate training helps protect your stuff and your pup from what he could get into while you're away. Since it sounds like he needs some more stimulation you could look into doggy daycare.

TwisterII wrote:

You have reached the time in a Huskies life when owners find out what they are made of. It's the terrible teens. A lot of people rehome pups at this age because they regress. They don't want to listen, potty training seems questionable at best, they are brats. If you stick to your guns and drill in his training, don't let him get away with anything, and treat him like you are starting over from scratch this annoying phase will pass in a few months.

Is he fixed? If not fixing him should help with the humping. Also what does his daily exercise look like? How many miles? Excess energy will also play a part in how he treats you and other dogs. The crazy running in the house we call zoomies. They are normal but usually a sign of unspent energy. Same with jumping on people. A young dog, especially a husky, has to be walked every day or things can happen, usually destruction. Crate training helps protect your stuff and your pup from what he could get into while you're away. Since it sounds like he needs some more stimulation you could look into doggy daycare.

Thank you so much for your response. You hit the nail on the head!

Baloo is definitely acting like a rebellious teen. When I tell him "no" or "get off," he'll just stare in the other direction--as if pretending he doesn't hear me. The irony is, as I just wrote this thread yesterday before leaving work, he got into some more trouble.
A "neighbor" (lives down the street, but with the big lots these houses are on, they feel like a block) came yelling at me as I was walking into the house. "Hey! Hey you!" I looked back down the stairs, and there was this middle-aged man yelling at me with...(drum roll)...Baloo! I was just staring at him confused, like 'How'd you get my dog?' I walked back down, and he was yelling at me that Baloo had been running over to his house a few times and that I was a "bad owner", I "don't deserve a dog", and if he were to catch him in his backyard, he'd report us to the county (assuming animal control). His daughter and wife came twice (in the past) to drop him off. Unfortunately, my wife can only see him for a couple of minutes, then has to tend to the baby. In that matter of time, he escapes from the backyard and goes on his adventures.

So, as of last night, I told my wife to not let him out unsupervised. Checked out some CA dog laws and found out that we're liable to almost anything once he leaves the grounds of our property. It seems that we have overstayed our welcome in that neighborhood

To answer your questions:
Baloo is not fixed (yet). At first, I didn't want to have him snipped. But after some research, I've read that dogs will be more obedient if they've been fixed.
I think the main source of all our problems is his exercise regimen. Because it's just my wife at home taking care of the baby, she can't take him out for a walk. There's a lot of pulling the leash and waiting for Baloo to do his thing and sniff around. And because I have 1.5hr commute to and from work, it's usually late for me to take him on a walk. I've been talking to my wife to wake up earlier, before work, and take him on a 30-45min walk. We've been talking about hiring a dog walker, too. But we'll need to chip him. And the hope is to find a home that'll be closer to my work so that my commute won't be as horrible. Possibly purchasing a bike to go out and ride a few miles to get Baloo's energy all out!

When he hits a year old, when his joints are better developed, biking is great. We have a large section of info on that here. If your wife has trouble handling him she may look into getting a walking belt so he is pulling on her hips and her hands are free to hold or tend to baby if she takes baby with her in pack. I made a sturdy walking belt using a rigger belt, a toggle clip, and a carabiner. Attach his normal leash to belt. A dog walker is a great option too.