My furbaby is Xana. She is almost 8 months old. We got her when she was about 10 weeks. My husband and I are both about 50 years old. We never had children. My husband has NEVER had a dog, and I had one as a teenager but really, my mom did all the work and she was a little lap dog that was super obedient and loving. Our friends who breed huskies were so kind and gave Xana to us as a gift. I will admit that we did not research, but I will be honest, I didn't even know there was anything TO research. Never having had a dog, I had no idea how difficult a puppy is--let alone a HUSKY PUPPY!!! I thought" Nothing to it---you get a dog, you train it, it becomes your best friend forever!!!" How wrong I was! I had no idea that breeds had such different traits. I knew that everyone said "puppies are hard", but I think until you've done it you really can't understand just how hard it is. I expected to get less sleep, and to do a lot of training etc. I had been told about Huskies by someone who LOVES Huskies, so I don't think she really gave us a clear picture of what it would be like. Here's what I was told: They are independent (that didn't sound too bad). They like to dig (we have a big backyard and I'm not super picky about it, so this didn't seem like a problem to me). They are not good off-leash (I am fine with that, where I live I would never let her off-leash anyway). They are vocal (I wasn't sure how that would be, but it didn't seem like a big deal to me). They love fun and playing (I love fun and playing too!). They are high energy and need lots of exercise (I'm a runner, so I plan to have her run with me). Let me just say that the first 10 or 12 weeks we had Xana were possibly the worst of my life. She literally bit us EVERY SINGLE SECOND she wasn't crated. She would NOT stop. We tried everything. Any suggestion we tried because we were SO DESPERATE!!! She was also hard to potty train, and would literally look straight at you and pee on the floor if you told her no about anything. She was also this high anxiety little brat. That's what she reminded me of is someone's bratty kid who is snotty and you tell them NO and they will just do it anyway, with a smirk. And I know you will think I'm crazy but she really does have the smirk down! Even at the puppy classes we took her to, the trainer was like oh boy, you've got your hands full with this one! So fast forward to now almost 8 months old. She is (almost completely) potty-trained. She is great in her crate (always has been for the most part....if she's bored when crated during the day for a couple of hours, she will pull the towel cover in and chew on it, but that's really the only thing she does. she never cries, she goes right in when we say Crate, and at night she sleeps/is quiet for about 11 hours). She goes to day care a few days a week and is very social with other dogs. She is never aggressive with my husband and I. She's terrible on the leash, despite lots of training. Training doesn't go well lots of times because, well, she doesn't feel like listening. LOL. I never knew that a dog could make you feel so.....boring, unloveable, like you are just bugging them and irritating the crap out of them with your "sit" and your "leave it" and your "Xana, come". It's almost like there's two dogs in one body...one that's sweet and sort of lovey, who greets us at the door with wags and kisses, who will do training and seem like she's having fun, and then there's the other one who is obstinate and seems like she's annoyed by us and not that she DOESN'T LIKE us, but that she's INDIFFERENT. She doesn't care if I'm there or not. I'm trying to teach her to "check in" with me on our walks---not gonna happen. She barely ever even looks my way, and if I have treats, that doesn't help. When we are outside, forget it. I'm not anywhere near as interesting as EVERYTHING ELSE IN THE WORLD. A stick, a blade of grass, a bump in the road, ANYTHING is better than me. I will admit, it sometimes bothers me and hurts my feelings! I've tried reading everything I can get my hands on about developing a relationship with her, but I'm really worried that we are just not clicking, more on her end than mine! If she's laying on the floor, and you go lay next to her to pet her, she gets up and moves. I guess what I'm asking this community is for advice, and also to know is ANY of this due to being a puppy and she will improve or is ALL of this just Husky behavior and I can expect her to NEVER be trained, and to NEVER really feel like she loves me. I never thought I'd be questioning the relationship with my dog like you would a significant other LMAO! I do love her despite her little attitude, and I can handle SOME sassinness, but this is way more than I ever dreamed and feels so much worse than I thought it would to be so annoying to my dog LOL. I guess I'm just trying to prepare myself for the worst (that she never improves). She is still sweet and manageable but I think the relationship will always be strained then, because it will be me constantly trying to get her attention, and her constantly looking away and irritated that I want her attention. I don't want to feel like I'm emotionally chasing my own dog if that makes any sense??? Thank you all for any advice, words of wisdom etc. I really want to make things be the best they can be for her and for us. Tha nks in advance! ---ArcticSun66

I can't address all your issues - because some of them are just the breed.  I have three of them and you're right there's a whole lot of "Nope, I don't wanna do that!"

Punishing a dog is somewhere beyond the last resort, unless you can catch them in the act, they don't understand why they're being punished.  There's also a big difference between correcting them and punishing them.  For example, if the pup decided to take a wee right in front of you, you can haul off and knock it silly - that just does one thing, it proves that (for the time being) you're stronger than the dog and makes him fear you - something you don't want.  Most recommendations for that situation are to keep a leash on the pup all the time, indoors and out and as soon as you see the signs that he's gonna take a wee, you take him outside - dripping all the way, yeh, probably.  It'll take time but he'll eventually make the connection.

The other thing I'm going to suggest is that you take a look at this Google Search for NILIF (NILF or Nothing In Life Is Free) and you'll see there are a lot of people who recommend it.  To sum it up simply, your dog gets NOTHING unless they earn it.  "Do you want your food?" then set and stay until I set it down and tell you to get it.  Don't set, no food; don't stay, no food ... and don't worry, a dog can go for days without eating (but free access to water is always a must!) Now, I'm not saying you take the food away forever (if you're free feeding, BTW, Stop it!) but if he insists he's going to get in your face while you're getting his food ready, leave the food on the counter and take a break.  If he refuses to set, put the food on the counter and take a break. 5-10 minutes later, try it again.  You won't see an immediate turnaround, but this is a lot quicker than simply praying for change.

No we don't free feed, in fact we don't use a bowl probably 90% of the time at all. We use her food for training, do scatter feeding, use feeder puzzles, etc. I only feed in a bowl when time truly won't permit the other things. I've never hit her, or punished her at all. I do tell her NO in a strong tone when she does something she shouldn't, but only if I catch her doing it. We started having her sit for everything--she doesn't go in or out a door without sitting first, she doesn't get food etc. But now it's like she will sit, but you can tell she's annoyed by it, and sometimes she will turn around and sit with her back to me which I feel is her way of saying "I will do it, but on my own terms". I knew they were strong personality, but until you've had a dog just flat out tell you no, or that they don't care whatsoever that you are telling them to do something, you don't even know that exists! I have never seen a dog act like this! It's like I"M the subject and SHE'S the Queen. On one hand, it's kind of cute. But it's not cute at all when she won't listen to me when she NEEDS to (stop, sit while walking because a car is coming and our roads are pretty narrow etc) and if there is another dog involved FORGET IT, she is NOT paying any attention to you AT ALL. And she's really a sweet girl, I know I'm making her out to be a devil dog lol. She's not. She's sweet, and in some ways she is really good. I just don't know if I can have a fully grown Husky who will NOT listen at any cost to me. She is too big (40 lbs at almost 8 months), and too strong---I'm 125 lb woman and she can easily knock me on my butt when she gets bigger. I need her to LISTEN to me. I'm sure some of it is user error, I'm probably not the best trainer in the world, but I'm definitely trying and learning everything I can. But I think I just lucked into one of the more obstinate and willful of the breed, and wonder will this get better??? With time and age and consistency and repitition, will she eventually improve in this area, or can I expect a 70 lb Husky who just does whatever she wants no matter what I say or do???

Not much time so didn't read thoroughly...will touch on just one thing. Not paying attention on walks. First...par for the course for an 8 month old. One thing you can do...be unpredictable. Walk at a good clip forward, abruptly reverse direction...turn around walk briskly in that direction, reverse direction...mix it up, sometimes 180° turns, sometimes 90° Sometimes stop completely. No commands, just you, confidantly, in control. She should get the message at some point that she needs to pay attention. Maybe also teach heel and do this exercises. Prong collar could help here.

Sounds like your breeder really did a disservice to you by giving you a dog without actually taking your needs and experience into account. It's easy to be unrealistic about these dogs because they are beautiful and we do love them, but sometimes we forget that what we go through and put up with is not everyone's cup of tea. At 8 months you are in the bratty teen phase, so if she seems like a bratty child then you are totally right. She is, and some of it is a phase, some of it is not. Their personality will mellow some with age. They do get where they purposefully push your buttons less, but probably going to be closer to 2 years before you see that happen. She has learned the routine. Sit at the door then go out. It bores her and she isn't progressing if she's bored and got it down. Change things up. Make her lay down before going outside. You want to see a dog give you the evil eye, ask a husky to lay down. lol. NILF is a great way to train. It works for many but you have to mix things up. Challenge your dog. If she has trouble with something or fights it then make her do it more. No, is sometimes not enough for these dogs. Especially if they don't take you seriously. Having that leash attached where you can give it a quick snap depending on the offense can really drive a point home when a no and finger wag can't.

Huskies are not affectionate dogs, so give up on her loving and kissing on you like a lab would. Some of the males can be, but not that many females are cuddle bugs. My female hates to be touched unless it's on her terms or the time is right. She is more cuddly in the mornings but forget it the rest of the day. Light pets and move on. My big male likes to lay in a room completely away from us and pretend we don't exist but he does enjoy attention and will take cuddling better than my female. They show us they love us in other ways. Like hopefully listening when we really mean it and need it and being there for us when we are having a bad day. They also get us up off our butt.

What kind of exercise do you do? You said you run, but dogs under a year old shouldn't be doing any structured running, especially on sidewalks, because their joints aren't done growing. Multiple 40 minute walks a day is recommended. Plus training and play.

What kind of walking gear are you using? Do you walk her on a flat collar with leash or are you using a harness?

Did you finish the puppy training class? Does the trainer have any higher courses you can take? There are usually multiple levels of training that you can do. After you graduate the puppy course you can step up to an intermediate course where the training becomes more complex. It could help you have more things to challenge her. Some courses will work you up to training for agility trials which will get you some in person help with recall.

Amymeme, she does seem to understand "this way" and will follow my lead but always gets ahead and to the point that she's not loose leash walking.  I've tried to teach heel, but she won't do the training.  She absolutely pays no mind to the training when we are outside and even with treats she will not participate.  She is too distracted. Inside, I can get her to heel with treats but the second we step outside, no go.  

Twister, the breeder is a friend and I think she really thought we would enjoy her, and I do Mostly!  LOL.  When I take her to a friend's or to the pet store, I remind myself of a parent who has a bratty child and cannot control them, and how sorry I feel for that parent because I know they've tried everything but nothing works!  She gets into everything, doesn't listen, breaks things, etc.  When she is being a little terror (which is not all the time!),  I become a helicopter parent especially if I take her anywhere, following her everywhere to make sure she's not leaving disaster in her wake!  I sometimes joke that she loves her crate so much because she's like "FINALLY, I get a few minutes away from mom telling me what to do!"   But if I don't helicopter, she is like a bull in a China shop and will get into everything and eat what she shouldn't and generally be a little terror!   She is affectionate sometimes.  When she's sleepy she will lick my hand so lovingly and look up at me like she really loves me, and she greets us both with wags and kisses.  So at least a bit, but all other times it's like I'm not there lol.  As for exercise, I walk her twice a day, 20-45 minutes depending on our time, if she's going to day care that day and also the weather.  It's REALLY been hot this summer so I try not to keep her out too long when it's 90 plus.  She goes to day care about 2-3 days a week, where she gets a ton of play.  I have not started running her yet, my vet said 8 month to a year; besides, she runs faster than me and since she's terrible on the leash, I'm dreading trying to get her to run with me!!!  I don't know you guys.  I'm just frustrated and feeling defeated.  I want so bad to have a good relationship with her!!!  I really do wish we had researched more but like I said, we didn't even know there was anything TO research.  I guess I was just clueless.  I hope I'm like all of you that have just come to accept this behavior from your dog and it doesn't bother you---I don't know if that will ever be me, and I'm worried.

First off, welcome to the forum and congrats on your new puppy! I read your post and found myself smiling the entire time, LOL. I've had Huskies my whole life so to see someone's perspective that is new to the breed, is pretty cool...and funny, haha.

In reading, about the only thing that struck me as to probably being mostly due to you and your husbands lack of experience with dogs, is the peeing in the house. Other than that, you guys are doing awesome! with people who have little to no experience with dogs/puppies, house training just takes awhile longer, mostly being because your pups first few weeks at home are when they do the most learning/setting up routine, it's the time that what they learn, almost becomes part of their DNA, it doesn't really, of course, but it seems it's the stuff that just stays with them forever. Since I don't word myself well, I usually will try and give examples from my experience to help get what I'm saying, across better, this will be one of those times, haha. My last pair of Huskies before the two I have now, we're also a boy and a girl, the boy being 8 weeks old when I brought him home to a 4.5 year old female. So, while he was that young, he couldn't go on walks with my female and I yet, so I'd put him in his crate and go walk my girl, about 8pm each night.When we came back, at around 9:45pm, I'd let him out again and after getting situated, I'd play with him, this was "his" time. Even with my experience of having huskies my whole life, I didn't know I was actually setting a routine down that would stay with him his entire life because he would come get me, at 10pm each night longgggg after he was grown and walking with my female and I, to play with him. "His" time stayed with him, even though that pattern wasn't something he had to do for very long. I didn't even actually notice it, until after he passed away and 10pm would roll around and I'd miss him coming in, I had to really think what was so special about 10pm for him, and then it clicked, it was his routine in the first few months I had him. Potty training is the same way. To a person who has had dogs/puppies, things like what to look for, like signs they want to do their business, or time frames after eating or drinking when you just know they should be going potty by now, come kinda naturally/instinctually, so in their first few weeks at home, and you rushing them outside when you notice they have to go, a routine is established very quickly and because it's established so young, stays with them forever. My current boy was potty trained in his first couple days, my girl by about a week old.  Being that your pup is 8 months old now, it's not quite as fast because she has a routine down already, established very young, that now needs to be broken. You already mentioned though that she's improved, part of that is likely her age now and not needing to go as often, but a lot is you already breaking her habit too, I bet you didn't know in the 6 months you had her you developed so much experience already, huh! You've picked up on her signs and/or developed a sense that she needs to go out.

With the affection thing. There is a bit of a difference in how male and female Huskies express their affection, in my experience anyways. But also no doubt in my mind that the love/affection they feel for you, is at the very least, equal. The females are more subtle with their affection. An example...Whereas the boys will lay right on top of you and cuddle, the girls just want to be in the same room as you, they want to be close to you, but not in your face, close. The girls don't love you any less, they just display it differently. My current girl, Mishka, is a cuddler. She will lay right up against me on the bed, and fall asleep with her face buried under my arm, but if I pet her for 10 seconds too long, lol, she's out of there. She wants to be close to me, but she doesn't want to be bothered. I also notice that if you are somewhere else in the house than them, the boys will come look for you and lay close to you, the girls though, they know where you are, they've been watching you the whole time, and they have comfort in just knowing that. My last girl had a spot in the house that was her "favorite", again I didn't know why til I figured it out after she passed away. In this spot, she knew where everyone was. She had a view of the entire house, and even outside so she knew what room I was in, and what room/or outside, her little brother was. Huskies really are affectionate, they are just more dignified in how they express it. Never doubt your little girl loves you and keep in mind, out of her 8 months, she been with you 6 of those months, that's a relatively short amount of time, as time goes on, your bond with her, your understanding of her and her ways, will only get stronger.

Huskies were bred to be working sled dogs. part of that is being independent enough to disobey a direct command if they think it isn't safe to obey - ie avoiding thin ice, a bear, etc... In our family homes where they aren't sled dogs, that translates to them not always obeying if they have a better thing to pay attention to, according to the dog.

I've found that having a sound that I can make that means stop that and come get a treat immediately and, a pocket full of treats helps a lot with my four. (Ages 4 months to 8 years.) PetSmart and Tractor Supply think I'm insane, I'm sure, going through the store with "Hup, hup, hup." and handing the dogs treats every two seconds on the rows where they want to grab things they think they want but, it works and, beats me having to buy 20 things I don't want because the dogs took them halfway across the store and, all I really wanted was one toy, one treat and, a nail trim for each dog. LOL.

The other thing to understand is the zoomies, if your dog is racing around, grabbing things and, seeing to be insane when she sees you, she loves you, she's happy and excited to see you and, as a result, she got the zoomies.

A Husky won't argue with you unless they like you. Yes they will back talk, sass you and compalin vocally at times, that's part of their charm. My 4 month old has to spend a good four or five minutes telling me why it isn't bed time before she gets in her crate to go to bed each night. She loves her crate, napes there of her own free will and, happily trots in after telling me why it isn't bed time, even though it is bed time. LOL

Same thing over a bath, "Wooo, rooow, ooooow, grrrrrr-yip, wooooooo, rrrrroooooooww." Then happily hops in the tub. That's the breed. Just laugh and let them tell you all about it LOL.

As for the eating everything, you have to be on the ball and ready with a favorite chew or toy like a Kong or rope bone to shove in her mouth. They do eventually learn that if they want something in the mouth, go get one of the things you've been giving them for the last six months instead of that rug, rock, shoe, pillow, purse, door handle or whatever. Just keep the go to stuff handy and, ready to give to the dog or, where she can see and get them on her own.

They aren't cuddle bugs though most do like to cuddle on their terms, when they want to cuddle. Take my four - Kaila's idea of cuddle is play patty cake with her paws swatting at my chest and me rubbing her belly. Halo's idea is weaving between my legs while I pet him. Silver's game is I hug him and ruffle his ears, he runs in a circle, then wants me to do it again. Knight only wants to be petted and loved on if I lay down and let him climb on top of me.

Each of mine have invented or were the first to initiate at least one game we play together. Kaila decided to play fetch, no training, her idea. Halo plays trade me with anything, as in will trade his food for a rock or stick, then trade that for a mouthful of hay, and that for his food. LOL. Knight loves to ambush be from around a corner. Silver likes playing hide and seek - he hides and "talks" until I come find him, then he gets the zoomies. LOL.

I'd think something was wrong with mine if we went a day without some sass, zoomies and, them giving me the cold shoulder at least once LOL. Of course, I'd also think something was wrong if I didn't get mauled with licks and pawed at for attention from them at least once a day.

My husband is a truck driver so, gone all week, he also takes blood thinners so, bleeds easily. the joke here is that he isn't officially home until at least one of the dogs had scratched him and, made him bleed by pawing him, asking him for attention. LOL

The best I can tell you is that a Husky is a wonderful combination of a loving sister or brother and, a rebellious teenager with ADHD. LOL You learn to love, appreciate and, accept them for who they are and, each one is unique. You train them but, you let them train you too.

Mine have me trained that a car ride means we get hot dogs or I get four howling dogs if I dare drive past the last Sonic without stopping before going home - they howl the entire 12 miles home from the last Sonic if we don't get hot dogs. I cannot go to bed without telling each one "I love you [name]" and, scratching under their chins before closing the crates for the night - I will hear about it for 10 minutes if I forget the routine. LOL (Nobody is sleeping with four complaining huskies in the house.)

Thankfully town trips are only once a month with all four of them and, vet trips as needed for one or the other of them so, not too many hot dogs.

TwisterII they push your buttons starting at 2? Oh boy, Zi turns 2 in September but he does that daily now. I could be in real trouble! lol

I’m sympathetic to your concerns. Zi is our first husky, and we’ve had him a couple of months. Our last dog was UBER affectionate. It was common for me to find her and my husband napping on the couch he big spoon her little. But she wasn’t a husky. With Zi, I’ve had to adjust my expectations a bit, and as most have mentioned, am learning when and how he wants to show me affection. And true to my needy nature, I wait for those signs and bask in it. I’m learning he likes to have his chest rubbed in the morning and he’ll lay near enough for me to do this. He does get actively happy to see me when I come home from business trips, rushes to say hi, ears flat, and the ‘zoomies’ as described above. I’ve also learned that he brings me birds and chases bugs because he wants to feed me and save me from those nasty things. He literally pounces the bugs away from my chair when we’re outside. Since they make me squeal, I think he picked up this was his job.

But the best advice I got from a fellow husky owner at the dog park one night was to think of my boy-o like a roommate, not a dog. He’ll do what he wants, sometime make a mess, and never pay the rent on time. Lol.

All kidding aside he was trying to help me level set my expectations. Husky’s aren’t like other dogs, and I’ve had several breeds in my life. But they are warm and caring, you just have to know the signs. Hang in there. I didn’t have him during the teenage years but I’ve heard they are rough. The other side of teenager is worth it though!

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They push your buttons LESS starting around 2 usually.

It's not about getting used to the behavior and accepting the behavior. It's about accepting the journey to better behavior. Huskies just are more difficult because they are more independent. They aren't the dog that is going to do something just because you said to do it. they are the dog that is going to look at you and ask, why should I? Because I said so doesn't work for them. Because that's the only way you are going to get out the door is a better answer. That's the only way you are going to get to sniff that bush, is an answer. Because that's the only way you are going to get to continue with your walk or go down that aisle is an answer. You can't be in a hurry when you take a dog that tends to be over excited and crazy places. When you take her make sure you have ample time. Make her work for every step of that walk. At every corner she has to do a different command in order to keep going. She pulls too hard stop, make her sit and wait. Do it every time she does it. You may only go 10 feet on your walk but it will frustrate her and she will eventually get it. Make her do tricks at the end of aisles to earn her way to go down it. She gets too noisy with things put her in a sit/stay and make her wait. Start teach leave it and drop it. All of those will help you ultimately to curb the tiny terror. NILF training will really put her through her paces because it's for everything, not just food, or to go out the door, but everything.

Thank you all for your input! It has been tough, and I will say it's been like a rollercoaster....yesterday, she was SO bad, very bratty, ignoring me and my commands, acting bored and irritated. Today, she got out of her crate and stretched so cute and then got up on the bed with my husband with tail wagging and licked him all over his face, layed down next to him to play a bit. She's seemed much less obstinate today. It seems when she goes to daycare, the next day she is calmer and less obstinate. Even as a tiny pup, she would get in this mood where she is basically bored, pacing the house, getting into things, gets "bitey", won't listen, seems like she's doing things to push your buttons.....but now there are many days she will be calm and will play etc but otherwise she's just chill. In the beginning she was ALWAYS in the bratty mode. Once she started daycare and as she's gotten a little older it seems she's less often in that mode. I guess that's what I wondered, does that mode ever go away? Like I said, I don't mind a little sass, but when it's constant and not cute but annoying, I just feel like we've made the biggest mistake!!!! This was not at ALL what my husband had in mind when he wanted a dog. He really is the one who wanted her, but because she's been so difficult it's mostly been me who is dealing with her. He thought he could just take her to work every day, and she'd just lay there and want to be near him and he could take her to his softball games and pretty much everywhere with him.....but she's so difficult that he can't take her anywhere and he's sort of like "why did I get this dog?" Like you said ZiMan, it's like a roomate....only we didn't want a roommate lol, we wanted a companion. I really love animals but I knew a dog would be a lot more work than either of us could imagine so I was leaning towards not getting one. I just wish we had known about Huskies before we got her. Because I think my husband really wanted a loyal, follow you everywhere and do anything for you sort of dog. So I feel like we were kind of mislead in getting her, and now we don't want to give her up because we do love her, but it's dealing with the disappointment of realizing she's NOT that dog and probably never will be. If that makes any sense. Makes us sound like terrible people, we are not I promise.....we were just not very well informed and trying to just make the best of it now. She is 95% potty trained now I would say....has only ever pooped in the house once when she was really little (my fault) and has peed in the house maybe 3 times in the past 3 months, once was the day after she was spayed so I don't really even count that one. So doing really well with housebreaking. Does great with her crate. Just hoping that once she gets past her "teenage" period she will be less obstinate and easier to take places and do things with. Right now I hate taking her anywhere because I know that she will get excited and start not listening and being bratty and I'm like a mom who has to take her kid home because they just won't settle down and behave lol. It's also been hard because frankly I get tired of training all the time every day. but I know that's what needs to be done, just like with kids, so I do it. I'm sure she can feel my frustration too, and I hate that for her. I'm sure we will adjust over time, just like new parents. Already it's gotten a little easier and feels a little less heavy to me. I appreciate all the kind words and support, it's just nice to know we are not alone and that there's someone out there who understands!

I had to make a quick post to say every time I have a few rough days with her, I will have have a day where she is just SO GOOD, and today was that day!  It gives me encouragement and renews my good feelings about having her.  She woke up this morning and had a little round of snuggles, cuddles, and kisses initiated by her, and all day she was sweet and cooperative and playful and just a joy to be around.  I need to remember this day and learn to be patient and see the good, because it's definitely there!!   I really do love her <3  Thanks for all your kind words and support!  I'm glad to have found this community! I absolutely love reading all of your stories, and all the great advice. Thank You!

The time you put into her now, training, bonding, etc. is a small investment for the dog you will  have in the future. As hard as it may seem now, the pay off will be huge. Huskies truly are a remarkable breed. This little girl has only been with you a short 6 months, give her a chance, she will show you she is a dog like no other...in a good way I'm confident of that. You might even want to get another one!

Hi there! I had a similar experience to you as far as potty training and leash walking, but my Riley is six months old now and we have both of those down, and here's why:

Nothing in life is free. Riley gets no food, play time, pets, NOTHING without sitting and staying first. No door opens for him without working for it. After about two weeks of this philosophy, he was potty trained!

As far as leash walking, I wholeheartedly recommend a Herm-Sprenger correction collar (prong collar). People will tell you that they're inhumane, but studies have found that they do FAR less damage to the throat than a choke chain provided that they are use correctly. I recommend a consultation with a trainer experienced with this method to teach you. Now Riley walks at my side, at my pace, with a goofy smile, and it's only been a month. This collar has turned him into the dog I've always dreamed of!

Hi Arctic,

 "She's terrible on the leash, despite lots of training.I'm trying to teach her to "check in" with me on our walks---not gonna happen.  She barely ever even looks my way, and if I have treats, that doesn't help."

I've been there! We went to an obedience class based on Positive Training, and it did not work for my dog. We must have walked 100+ miles, me always carrying bits of chicken and cheese...he would walk beside me and look at me to get a "snack" when he felt like it, then he would be off again! Somebody pointed out that he was using me like a vending machine :-)

That is when I gave up being "Human Treat Dispenser" and implemented the "You Pull, I Stop" strategy. Within just a handful of walks, the leash hung loose between us. I simply refused to budge if the leash was taut. I can out-stubborn as a husky when I need to!! (as my husband will attest) If he get excited and starts pulling hard, a few warning words from me ("Don't Pull!") will calm him down and he'll remember his leash manners.


"If she's laying on the floor, and you go lay next to her to pet her, she gets up and moves."

Mine is not cuddly either. He shows his adoration by following me everywhere...i.e. the other day, there was a nose poking through the opening in the door when I was taking a potty break!!    Personally I don't like dogs that lick, kiss, and are all over me ...I am a more physically reserved person, so actually I think he's perfect. You could be my best friend and I am overjoyed to see you, but I won't grab you and hug you, because that is just not how I am...I bet in her own way, she loves you...

"Right now I hate taking her anywhere because I know that she will get excited and start not listening and being bratty"

Have you tried group obedience classes? That would mean teaching her to listen with lots of distraction around (other dogs and people) and the advanced classes are sometimes done in a real-world environment i.e. at a cafe, outside at park, etc.

I think this is just a hard age!

Didn't read the whole post but it's all the stuff we've been through with Lachlan. At 1.5 years things are improving but we've invested heavy time and energy into learning husky psychology and training. Get a prong collar! After some firm corrections she start paying attention. It's a matter of firm corrections balanced with high value treats. Hang in there!