Good day everyone,

We brought home our 8 week old puppy Archer on Saturday. I am in the military and my girlfriend works with children, I am currently on my week off to best adapt poor Archer to his new environment and I gotta say I am beyond stressed.

I have read all the articles on here as well as two books on the breed. Archer isn’t responding to any of the norms. He despises kongs, he will howl forever if even placed near the crate and he pees in his crate even with/without blankets and toys/food bowls in there as well. Today he stopped responding to me at all when we went to go potty. We ate then he ate and I took him out four times over two hours. He would pull his leash towards the back door and just howl. He refused to potty then came back in and projectile pooped/peed everywhere.

I am starting to get disheartened I know its just Week 1 but he hasn’t responded positively to any of the positive reinforcement. He won’t even respond to his own name depending on the situation. Anyone else had a puppy that just isn’t “normal”? He doesn’t seem to enjoy being touched often either.

Is it normally like this with Huskys or is Archer just very dominant and I suck at training him?

My mom went through something similar with a big, stubborn GSD/Collie mix. Turned out the dog was just as stressed as my mom was - She was having trouble adjusting to a new environment, didn't feel safe in my mom's yard, didn't feel safe in her crate, you name it. Mom took Tallie to the vet and had her thoroughly checked out for diseases, parasites, etc. She was a bit dehydrated but otherwise fine. It took a lot of persistence and patience, but what really helped Tallie was an established routine - fed, walked, etc. the same times every day. Tallie calmed down considerably by the third week. In two months she was a very well behaved and trained dog.

Some just take more time and the more you throw at them the more they, and you, may become. Be consistent. Find something that seems to work the best even if it doesn't completely work and stick with it for a while to help establish that routine. A lot of things can be factored into a more difficult or not "normal" experience. Truth is, I don't think there is such a thing as normal for the breed. Just normal for your dog. And it takes time for you both to figure that out. Hang on there. You'll get there.

Thanks for the advice, we’ve had two great days, he’s sleeping in the crate on his own and no poop accidents just one pee because I was lax on noticing his circling.

I can safely say this is the most rewarding/stressful week I have had in a long time.

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I"m glad to hear you had a couple of good days. that first week. I've just had my now 10 week Husky for one week, and I feel your frustration. One day no incidents, the next day we revert. Every now and then I ask myself what was I thinking, but I knew it would be like this. Life as I knew it is non-existent, but the time invested will be so worth it when my Enzo is grown up. Would love to hear an update on your pup.