Hello everyone! My name is Sapphire and I am from Texas. I have two beautiful husky puppies. I first had the one male, Zakai. About 16 weeks after I had Zakai I thought that he needed a playmate so he wont be so lonely when I'm away at school. So I brought home a 10 week female husky puppy named Periwinkle. Zakai loves to play with Periwinkle. But the problem is that whenever I try to play with him, he does not want to play with me! He would rather play with Periwinkle. After I exercise Zakai and Periwinkle I separate them so I can work with them individually to train. I try to train Zakai using toys and playtime to create a better bond with him but he just wants to leave whichever room we're in so he can play with Periwinkle. He will not even look at me no matter how many times I call his attention. He will just stay looking at the door. And I try to be as exciting and interesting as I possibly can, goofing around, making funny noises, but nothing works. So then I try to train him with treats and the same thing. He does not listen to me. I have tried separating them 3 times a day so I can train them. I taught him all the basics. I just want to teach him a lot more new things. Periwinkle is such a good girl. She listens and she's focused. I have no problem with her. It's Zakai that won't give me the time of day. So, fellow husky owners, I reach out desperately, please help me and tell me what I must do.

Try training them together. More likely he's just anxious about being separated and, might actually work better with her training with him.

You do not want litter mate syndrome to set in. They need time apart to ensure they become their own dogs. They are still young. Time will help. You can try training together some but more than likely he will still ignore you. You may try a puppy class with just him. Hand feeding him will help with direct bonding. Play dates with other puppies can help break his obsession with your female.

Totally agree with Jenn, training together will ultimately encourage both dogs to be each others companion and not you. I would never train 2 puppies at the same time, nor would I allow both having to much alone time with each other, so I also would not place crates near each other. Taking the puppies to a training class separately should help break their bond with each other and form a closer bond to you. They are individuals, they need to be dealt with as individuals.

He's got a new buddy! Sounds like you just need more time.

If he wants to go outside to play with the other dog, make him do something first. If he won't look at you, then he doesn't go outside until he does. Find a higher-value treat and you'll get his attention: hot dogs, chicken, cheese etc.