hey guys,

I have a question about our new little Husky.
For me and my husband, it's the first time, that we have a husky (although we had other dogs bevor).
He's pretty good in learning things but I'm getting crazy about leaving him alone.
By now we're training him about one month (he is about 6 months old) but it's not getting better. We started very gentle (with one minute) but doesn't matter how long he's alone, he is howling the whole time
We've got no idea, how we ever can go out for 1-2 hours when he's like this
Leaving him howling is no option cause our neighbors are getting very mad
Do you have any ideas?

Thx a lot
Cathy

Are you crate training or just leaving him loose in the house?

We're leaving him in the house but only in the corridor because otherwise he's going to destroy everything

Husky's are pack animals, they need companionship; not all, but many do not do well being alone.
Preparation, and planning is key to having a healthy, happy, Husky, and one thing that will work is to make certain that your pup is worn out before you leave him/her. Before leaving, plan enough time for a vigorous workout. They will become destructive if their minds and bodies have not been properly stimulated before being left alone.

The only safe place to be left alone, is in a crate, and for that, you need to spend the time to properly crate train him/her.

Thank you very much for your answer! I think we really have to start the training in the crate... I hope, this is going to work!
Sure, we're training a lot with him bevor leaving him alone! But it's not only leaving him alone at home... when he's with my parents for just one hour he's going crazy and is howling the whole time! It's like he can't be without us for just a second! But when my mom's here for 'babysitting' there's no problem!

We even thought about getting a second one (that always was the plan but not yet...just in one or two years) so they wouldn't be alone at home.

Rocky_Rhodes wrote:

The only safe place to be left alone, is in a crate, and for that, you need to spend the time to properly crate train him/her.

Your whole response Rocky was good, but let me add the emphasis here! Without proper crate training - and there are many threads here on how to properly crate train - the OP is more apt to have MORE problems not less.

I've crate trained my husky and its an amazing tool to have. Some people think that its cruel to have them "locked up" but my pup LOVES her crate. When we're home we leave her crate door open and she goes in there all on her own to take a nap, she even pulls the door closed its so cute! Anyway, I thought about seeing how it would go if I left her home alone but I did it in small increments. First I left her for about 30 min, came home and everything was fine. Then I did it for an hour, same thing, everything was fine. Then another time I had planned to only be out for a couple of hours and it turned into 4 hours!! My girl did nothing wrong I was so happy. However, just a few days ago I left her home for 30 min and she chewed up my couch pillow!! In her defense...I was not a good dog mom that day. We missed our trip to the dog park and I was busy all day so she didn't get the attention she normally gets.
As with what other people said- make sure to exercise your husky before leaving them! They need mental and physical stimulation, if they get it, they will be fine outside of their crate. If they don't get it, they will find a way to get it themselves when you aren't watching

My Husky Minka is 6 years old. I adopted her 2 months ago. We have established a bond already and I'm sure she has separation anxiety and likes to escape and she had destroyed the kennel she had. I believe this is why the previous owners got rid of her.
I have found if I leave the radio on she does much better. No howling now. She is an escape artist though. i have a screen room no large yard for her to run in, however I've added a dog door so she can go in the sun room anytime when I'm home and I have had to reinforce the walls with lattice so she doesn't break through the screens to chase the rabbits. I would like some advise on being able to leave her out to run in and out of the house as she pleases without escaping.
Fortunately for me she has not destroyed anything when she is out. She dumps her food and does get in the garbage if it's not empty. Will poop too! That's the worst of it.
Any ideas on getting her anxiety lowered so she doesn't try to escape when left alone and out of the kennel?

@noras Okay, you got me!! "Queen Creek" that's got to be somewhere in Canada or Australia / New Zealand - nope, if I found the right (only!) Queen Creek, you're over west of me a bit in Arizona. Like where the city / creek got it's name ... right out of the 'Old West.'

The only help I can offer is that it will take a couple of months for her to settle. Dogs, like humans, generally don't like change and the older they get, the less they like change ... it takes time to adjust to new people, new house, new food, etc.

Now, one final comment - and you can slap / shoot me as you will - why do these older folks go out and get a high maintenance dog? (( I'm 70, btw with 3 of the brats!! ))

LOL
I had no clue what I was in for. When I was looking for a dog after not having one for 12 years, I wanted a protector. One that would bark if someone came. I just assumed husky's were that way. Boy was I wrong. She will lick you to death not bark at all unless she sees another dog or rabbit. She was raised with a Shiatsu.
I figured it would take her at least 6 months to a year to adjust having me & my home hers.

Very few huskies will ever take on the roll of protector or even alert dog. Need a little dog as an alert dog. They bark at everything that moves. Or GSD like the typical guard dog is. Though I had a pitt mix that was a fantastic guard dog, but he had the temperament and the training to be that way. Even many GSDs aren't guard dogs if you don't go through the proper training. A lot of things to consider when getting a husky. That's why we usually try to stress doing ones research before committing to the breed. Though some can be quite protective once they bond with you. My female would rip an intruder a new one if he was going to hurt me, but she would do it silently and it would only be if he was threatening me. Anyone could haul our house off without issue. Though when there are three large dogs in the house, regardless of temperament few would press the issue.

It definitely takes time to adjust. I would say leave her as little dog proofed space as you can. Less space, less stuff to get into. Or step up to a stronger crate. Until you know more about her and she gets more used to the place i would hold off on allowing her free run in and out of the house at will when you aren't there. Too much space will also make it harder to train out pooping inside.

Thank you for that Jenn,
She hasn't broke out of her crate for a long time. So I'm not quit sure why she did it. I think she had an accident in it which isn't normal for her and that's why. When I first got her my daughter was home with her a lot with their dog. They moved out a couple weeks after I adopted Minka and she hasn't broke out since until yesterday. She knew she did something wrong and clung to me most of the night. I did praise her when I ran to the store to see how she would do and she did great. She liked that positive reinforcement.

lol. Maybe she has a little cattle dog in her that gave her that eager to please attitude. It is nice when they seem like they get it and are going to try to work for you.

Yes. I realize that she has to adjust to a new owner and home. She is doing quit well. However I have had to reinforce my sun room with lattice screwed to the posts so she doesn't push through the screen. She did that a couple times. But hasn't got out unless the door doesn't close fast enough, then she jets across the street in the common area where the rabbits. She wanted them so bad she crawled under cactus to try to get to them. Had to pull needles out of her. She hasn't done it since . We just need to work together so she has a little more freedom. I think she was kenneled a long time so for her to be out is a lot of freedom. I just don't want my HOA to make me get rid of her.

If she is that stimulated by the idea of things outside the porch or yard that she is willing to go through the screen then I wouldn't allow her to see out there and get that worked up. Some people have better luck with the large plastic crates used for airlines or throwing a blanket over the crate.The less they can see out the less there is to stimulate them into a frenzy to escape. Music on, dark calm cave atmosphere, and a bully stick or some kind of chew to occupy her. make it a good place inside the crate and wear her out before putting her in.

Oh thanks.
I do leave the radio on for her. She is only in her Kennel while I'm at work, and if I go to the store or something. I will get her some chew things though. She does not destroy anything in the house or chew on anything. She doesn't sleep in it at night unless she goes in it by herself. We live in Az so temperature's are triple digits until about 6pm, so she doesn't get to run at the dog park until after 6.

Crate training in my opinion is the BEST thing you can do for your dog. Just don't make it a punishment and never let them out if they are howling/whining but make sure they have gone to the bathroom first to so you know they aren't crying to go potty.  When Luka was old enough and completely vaccinated I took him to doggy day care 5 days a week for half a day  (under 5 hours) then would bring him home and he would sleep for a few hours. I would leave the TV or radio on too. Over time I think he associated my house as his "safe quiet place" He does not view my house as something to destroy or get bored with. I think Doggy day care is excellent for socializing too. Just make sure it's a good daycare.

Thank you for your advise

On the protection thing -
my husky shep mix is very protective and it is actually hard to deal with.

I need to look out the window and acknowledge (to stop the barking), I need to greet all visitors at door and shake their hands (to stop bodyblocking and suspicious sniffing), I gate him if service men are walking around the house (he scared the plumber by laying a few feet away and watching him, all the time with a low rumbling growl coming out of his throat).

"Protective" sounds good on paper, but in real life you worry that your dog could bite somebody on your property, your insurance rates go up, you get sued, etc. etc.
We are having lots of kids over to our house on Saturday and we plan to put him in doggy daycare so he doesn't get stressed out and growl at somebody...
So...be careful what you wish for!

Thank you,
Well she isn't aggressive at all. She will greet with a smile, wag her tail, put her paw up to shake and want to kiss. She is excellent with y 2 grand daughters 7 months & 8 years old.
I'm thankful she isn't as protective as I wanted.

aljones wrote:

Now, one final comment - and you can slap / shoot me as you will - why do these older folks go out and get a high maintenance dog?  (( I'm 70, btw with 3 of the brats!! ))

'Cause these older folks are suckers for punishment says this old lady

My guys do alert...in their own annoying way. If someone comes up the driveway and the dogs are in the house, their is a mad flurry of fluff as they dash to the front door. And, if Ami is outside, I hear is wonderful basso profundo "woo woo woo" in greeting.

Archer is a different story, but he is a mix. He alerts well with persistent warning bark and will circle, with hair up, keeping visitors at bay. I always have to check if I hear him barking - go out and make him sit or bring him in. Don't fully trust that boy with strangers though he does take his cue from Ami that maybe an intruder is not so bad. Z'ev, though he is not outside unsupervised, is of Ami's ilk - all people are his best friend (as long as the don't try to take his food )

LOL
Minka is an excellent choice for me as far as a family dog. She's very good with all the little kids in the family. She just started to play tug-o-war with me, which she hasn't done since I got her in March this year. She is adjusting well to her new home. It's twice as big and although she does not have her own fenced yard. I'm hoping I will be able to put a fence up eventually. HOA always has to be involved for that to happen. As for now we do walks and potty runs before I go to work and in the evening.

re HOA-
Yes that was a rather crazy process here! I had to get a drawn plot of our house & yard, draw the fence on there with the gates and measurements indicated, list the materials used, etc. Also, I had to get signatures from my neighbors on every side. And then it had to go through the HOA board committee for approval - at their next meeting...

We didn't get our fence up until Rumo had already been with us for 3 months!

Minka has gotten out a couple times by accident. I'm not a allowed to have a fence cause I have an inside lot. I think it's dumb that the inside lots cant' have them. There are a few that do but they were grandfathered in when the rules changed. If I had to get my neighbors to sign, one would not cause she has already stated she hates fences. My beef is, if I have done everything I can to make sure my dog can;t get out and I still have an issue then that is the only solution. Unless they force me to get rid of her which I wouldn't do.

amymeme wrote:

My guys do alert...in their own annoying way.  If someone comes up the driveway and the dogs are in the house, their is a mad flurry of fluff as they dash to the front door.  And, if Ami is outside, I hear is wonderful basso profundo "woo woo woo" in greeting.

Archer is a different story, but he is a mix.  He alerts well with persistent warning bark and will circle, with hair up, keeping visitors at bay.  I always have to check if I hear him barking - go out and make him sit or bring him in.  Don't fully trust that boy with strangers though he does take his cue from Ami that maybe an intruder is not so bad.  Z'ev, though he is not outside unsupervised, is of Ami's ilk - all people are his best friend (as long as the don't try to take his food    )

Avalanche does the same thing as yours do @amymeme.  Let him hear a vehicle coming down the road and he's at the door looking to see who it is.  I *have* seen different reactions from him though, people he knows (neighbors / UPS) he's right there to say "Hi!"  If he doesn't know them, he's more apt to stand off and see how I relate to them.  And yep, if he barks, I'm there to see why he's barking.

If they're all inside, like today when it's warm, he'll alert and then I have three bushy tails at the door, two of which are undoubtedly friendly!