Hello everyone, I'm Genevie I'm 25 & I'm a first time husky owner & new to this site. My friend gave me this link in hopes that it would help me train our new member of the family, Koda(Bear) who recently turned 8wks old. I have read & learned a lot here, and also read books in hopes that if I do things by the book, we will make progress in having a fully trained Husky. Now, with that being said-everything is going wrong, well actually the only part I haven't had trouble with is crate training. He's gotten used to going in and doesn't even make a fuss. But as far as success in other areas, nowhere near. Koda has been biting a lot, and although I have read that yelling "ouch" or yelping might be helpful, that is not the case here. It doesn't seem to faze him, so he continues to do so. I try to spend time with him on the floor playing, but sometimes he gets rough & snappy. People here said that paying attention to how the tail is positioned is a good way to see if it is a playful thing, it's not. His tail is pointed down low. I fear that he'll become aggressive. There are many people in my house, all with different training methods, and different levels of patience, I truly believe I'm the most patient but also the most passive, & my little brothers are more of the "get frustrated and yell" type. I don't think this is helpful at all to Koda. Anyone have advice on how to deal with this properly?
Also, we've had a lot of trouble potty training him. We take him out often, but my grandmas dogs are out there, so he automatically runs to play with them. Doesn't go to the bathroom at all, and when we bring him in, all of a sudden it's potty time, right on the carpet in the living room. I have no idea how to fix this problem. I've tried putting him on the leash when we go out, all it does is make him tug & try to pull away. But then when we go to the park, he lays down on the ground almost like "Nope, I'm not moving." & people at the park get a kick out of watching me kiss up to Koda just so that he'll move his little behind.
I don't feel like I've done anything wrong to him, but I also feel like I haven't done anything right. I worry that he won't love me & will grow up unhappy. I absolutely love him & just want what's best for him. If anyone can give me some advice or suggestions, it would be greatly appreciated:)

He is only 8 weeks. Give him time.

Only area I will address is the biting. Puppies mouth, especially husky pups. Horribly. Koda would latch onto my husband and mine's arms, hands, and feet almost every minute he was awake until he was about 4 months(no yelping or anything helped with him), I have scars from it, but he just grew out of it and he is far from aggressive.. I've taken him to the hospital I went to growing up for visits before and he is an angel. Never been anything but sweet with anyone and is now 3 years old. Also, I'm guessing you took him away before 8 weeks (6 or 7), and thus his bite inhibition he'd regularly learn from littermates and such is going to be delayed causing the mouthing to be a bit worse.

You are expecting too much in too little time from a very young pup. It doesn't happen in one or two weeks.. especially with someone that young.

I agree with Heather! We got our Kody at 12weeks old and he bit us every moment he could! I would grab his snout and gently hold it closed and tell him NO in a firm voice. It took weeks of me doing this until he calmed down. We got our female (now about to be 5yrs old) at 8weeks and she did the same! He's just a baby and you must have A LOT of patience. Till this day while on walks Kody simply lays down on the ground like saying "yep, i'm done with this walk thing!". He's now 6months and still doing that!

You're not doing anything wrong. Just don't let anybody within your household change your training methods or that will just confuse Koda.


You'll definitely get all of the advice you need on there!

Welcome!

Totally agree with Heather and Melissa.
Give him time; he's just a baby.
It will work out ultimately.

Puppyhood is hard- for the humans. Siberian puppies are so lovable and we want to be a good parents so much that it's frustrating when it seems like they just don't get what we want. Eventually they will.

It's probably worth another thread to talk about puppyhood horror stories of destruction.

I wish there was a "like" button like there is on facebook so I could agree with all these other comments. With proper love and training he will not become violent. We are still working to get our 16 week old to bite more gently. We are doing exactly what you are doing and yelling "ouch" when he gets too rough. We have also gently held his snout closed and said, "No biting." Our boy left his litter at 10 weeks, so he learned more bite hibition from his litter mates.

I would keep trying to take him outside to potty on a leash. I think that will keep him more focused on his business and less focused on the other dogs. He will get the hang of that leash soon. We're now struggling with the crazy sled-dog pull now! They are just like kids: Every age brings new challenges but new FUN!

Welcome to the world of huskies and to this forum!

Congrats on the new addition and welcome to the board!! I think you've got some great advice so far, but I'd just add:

When you're playing with Koda and he bites you, yelp!! Especially if it hurts. Then, put him down, stop playing with him, turn your back, and ignore him for about a minute. Then, go back to playing/petting whatever you were doing before. Like others have said, he's still a baby and it will take time, but he'll get there!!

I would also recommend a couple of books from Dogwise.com, especially Taking Care of Puppy Business. It's a great primer for a new dog owner. Actually, there's a LOT of great books from Dogwise in the puppy section, definitely check it out!! There are a couple I would steer clear of though: Ceaser Millan and The Monks of New Skete... if you want to know more about why I say that, I'm happy to say, but I don't want to get on my soapbox if you're not interested. ;-) Anyway, you might also want to head over to The Whole Dog Journal and sign up for their free weekly Puppy Care and Training tips, and while you're there, maybe check out the WDJ Handbook of Dog and Puppy Care & Training, or WDJ's Guides to Optimum Dog Care: Puppy Primer. Both sites (Dogwise and WDJ) have a number of down-loadable books at a reduced rate, so you don't even have to wait for them to ship to start reading. :-) Best of luck!!

Best way I've found to potty train (and I just potty trained my two in the last year or so) is to keep them in a crate while you are not watching them. Then let them out to go potty, if they don't then they go back into the crate and are let out a little while later for a second try. If they go outside, then they are allowed in to play etc. So if he doesn't go when he's outside, just put him in his crate and try again later. Pretty much don't give him the opportunity to potty anywhere other than outside.

As for mouthing, puppies mouth! It's not aggressive. And I'm not quite sure where you got the tail down info. At 8 weeks, he's not being aggressive, rest assured. Say "Ouch" or yelp and quit playing with him or put him in time out for about 30 seconds (puppies don't have long attention spands and after several seconds, they'll have forgotten why the playing had stopped). You can also teach gentle biting which is very important with puppies who were taken away from their litter before 8 weeks. Pretty much you put your fingers into his mouth and if he bites, say ouch but don't remove your fingers. Just wait until he lets go and say good boy and give him a treat (make sure the hand you're using to put into his mouth does not smell like treats, or it's a little unfair). Eventually you'll want to get to the point where you're only treating him if he gives no pressure on your fingers from the get go. But be very patient. It takes a long time! And when rough playing, you're always a step behind in training, because he's more excited and tends to forget what he's really supposed to do.

Don't worry. Be patient. Thos issues take months to fix, not just a couple of weeks. For example, I got my first husky too early at 6 weeks and she mouthed A LOT! Took about until she was almost a year before she stopped mouthing almost entirely. I messed up on house training with her a little bit, so that took about 7 months until I could pretty much trust her not to pee inside. I did potty training with my second one a bit different (no pee pads, and didn't let her wonder around on her own on my porch) and she's almost 5 months old and I can pretty much trust her not to go inside.

Thanks soooo much for all of your advice & welcoming me & Koda into the itsahuskything family:) I really appreciate it! Heatherlee you are absolutely right, my family & I did get him early, at 6wks & yes, I think you are right on point on me expecting too much, I guess I knew it wasn't going to be this easy, but I also thought it wouldn't be this difficult. But I'm up for the challenge!
Melissal-I've definitely been trying the snout grabbing, as soon as I let ihim go though he tries to jump on me and do it again, but hopefully he'll get so tired of me doing it that he'll just decide it's not what he wants:) & he's actually been a bit better at the park, I think it was that initial week that was an issue because going for walks was so new. Jalepeno, yes, I definitely get frustrated, not at him though, more myself for not having all the answers, but nothing is ever clear or written in stone, I guess I just have to see what works best for Koda! & I would love to hear everyonespuppyhood horror stories of destruction!! SabakaMom, I will continue to put him on the leash until he is potty trained. My mom laughs at us because we show her that he's learned how to sit, lay, give his paw and high-5! Then she says.."How about you guys teach him to go OUTSIDE .." ...One thing at a time Mom
Coffee, thanks! I will definitely look into the Dogwise website, & I'm interested in any advice or anything I should "steer clear of"...I'm here to learn, so feel free!! & I have been doing that yelping still & then ignoring him, definitely does not like it at all...it's so funny the way he acts when I start to ignore him...hard to resist! & I will sign up for the whole dog journal ASAP!
& finally, SaraB, I'm hoping you can answer a question about the crate, or anyone else, feel free to chime in-won't putting him in & out of the crate make him think he's just being locked up? I don't want him to dislike his crate if I keep putting him in there...I guess I'm asking for the way to balance that out.
Thanks you all again for all the wonderful advice, I am looking very forward to getting to know all of you & share advice, stories, tips, etc. I know that being here will definitely give me the confidence I need to be a better "Mama Bear."

CoffeeK8 wrote:

Congrats on the new addition and welcome to the board!! I think you've got some great advice so far!

Ditto here! You'll find tons of experience and existing topics to help you in whatever you have a question on!

Welcome to the forum!

CoffeeK8 wrote:

There are a couple I would steer clear of though: Ceaser Millan and The Monks of New Skete... if you want to know more about why I say that, I'm happy to say, but I don't want to get on my soapbox if you're not interested. ;-)

Umm...I take a lot of advice and dog psychology tips from Cesar Milan. I'm not saying his way is right, but I do believe some of his dog psychology and training tips I've used on Ginger has worked wonders for us.

It certainly is not for everyone, or every husky. Just know that you should do what works for YOU and YOUR HUSKY. Do what YOU feel comfortable with and what works for YOU and YOUR husky.

I'm also not saying that his methods are the ONLY methods I use. I incorporate a couple of different methods. We all have different methods on how to train a husky...for me and Ginger, dog psychology has work extremely well. It may work for you...and it may not. So my advice would be to try different things. If one method doesn't seem to work, try something else.

...and most importantly, as every has already said, give it time. He's got a lot of growing up to do. Be patient...you'll get there! Good luck!

I agree with you Claudia, there are a lot of methods and other ways of "being" that i've taken from CM. I don't think he's 100% right, but then again I don't think anyone is!

Claudia & Kristina - I really don't want to hijack this thread (if someone wants to start another, that's great), but help me understand what you guys like so much about CM/MoNS? I will admit, I have VERY limited first hand knowledge of CM's practices/methodology through his show or books. However, I have TONS of links, academic articles, interviews, etc. about why CM's methods aren't good for your dogs' well being in the long run...

I really like his Exercise, Discipline, and then Affection motto. Whether you believe in corrections or "discipline" or not... it's a good sort of flow to follow... Too often a dog who is out of control, aggressive towards dogs/people, or other undesirable habits is being coddled and given no "rules, boundaries, and limitations" where they need to be given.

Basically I like the psychology part of it. I really believe in how he projects himself and how he acts with his dogs. It really has an effect in how the dogs are and act. It really shows you how in tune the dogs are with you and how many things some people do subconsciously that will often make a bad situation worse. Sometimes he can seem a little too much with the dogs and I don't like when he won't respect the dog is fearful and instead of working with the dog he will sometimes force it to confront it's issues.

Of course I there are things I don't like. But a lot of things that I didn't like about him I don't see too much in his newer episodes.

CoffeeK8 wrote:

Claudia & Kristina - I really don't want to hijack this thread (if someone wants to start another, that's great), but help me understand what you guys like so much about CM/MoNS? I will admit, I have VERY limited first hand knowledge of CM's practices/methodology through his show or books. However, I have TONS of links, academic articles, interviews, etc. about why CM's methods aren't good for your dogs' well being in the long run...

I'd love to see a thread started about this... we have a few threads hijacked about this topic, but none dedicated to it specifically. I'd be interested in an open and friendly discussion about the varying levels of comfort with CM.

arooroomom wrote:

I really like his Exercise, Discipline, and then Affection motto. Whether you believe in corrections or "discipline" or not... it's a good sort of flow to follow... Too often a dog who is out of control, aggressive towards dogs/people, or other undesirable habits is being coddled and given no "rules, boundaries, and limitations" where they need to be given.

Basically I like the psychology part of it. I really believe in how he projects himself and how he acts with his dogs. It really has an effect in how the dogs are and act. It really shows you how in tune the dogs are with you and how many things some people do subconsciously that will often make a bad situation worse. Sometimes he can seem a little too much with the dogs and I don't like when he won't respect the dog is fearful and instead of working with the dog he will sometimes force it to confront it's issues.

Of course I there are things I don't like. But a lot of things that I didn't like about him I don't see too much in his newer episodes.

Sounds like you and I like and dislike the exact same things about CM.