Hi my name is Brady I just joined, I am 24 and the owner of a year and a half old siberian husky Kiara... I knew what I was getting into before I purchased this dog but I have issues that need to be fixed. Due to an emergency I need to move home to my parents house, they have a very nice home with lots of plants. I was in a rental home so her occasional digging was not an issue but at my parents house she likes to rip up the plants. I am not sure what can be done about the digging since its part of the breed so thats not a huge concern, I can find a way with around that. My main issue is she likes to throw her whole body at the sliding glass door and her paws hit about 7 feet, thats her way of letting us know she wants in. I do not know how to correct this behavior because she wont do it if I am outside so I dont know how to correct her to stop from inside the house... My mother doesnt like her glass door to get scratched.. She also gets so excited to see new people she CONSTANTLY jumps on them I try to correct her but she still does it.. So I am trying to get advise on how to change this behavior and yes she gets exorcise.

I don't know what to do about her jumping on the door. You're also correct that she will dig. A few members here have installed sandboxes in the yard for their huskies. I like that idea and may do the same.

Our trainer is encouraging us to have the dog sit when we see the new person approaching then stand on the dog's leash with just an inch or two slack in it. When the dog lunges toward the visitor, the leash will hold him down. Of course, you would be saying "off" or some such command to teach him the proper way to greet a new person. I guess all of this is assuming you are there with her and have a leash on her. We are currently doing this, but I don't know if ultimately it is teaching what we want it to teach. Without the leash or being held down, he is still a jumping fool! We are also trying to take our dog with us places so he can be "desensitized" to crowds. I'm not sure that's working either... These huskies just LOVE making new friends!

Welcome to the forum! There are some very knowledgable folks here so I'm sure you will get some more advice!

Thanks for the reply... Yes I need to figure out a way to get her off the door, she also will lick and chew on the handle and push her lips on the glass trying to get in which is funny but at our rental house trying to get in she ripped off the screen door and also taken off other screens on windows and will even scratch on the windows.

Anyone else have any idea?

Welcome to the forum, Brady!

A couple of things....How MUCH exercise is she getting? She sounds rather hyper, so I'm wondering how much you're actually giving her. A year and a half old husky can need anywhere from 1 hour to a good 4 hours of exercise. Perhaps what she is getting is not enough. Is there a dog park you could take her to or a doggy daycare? Jumping on screens like that is not particularly normal behavior.

Second... I would start by not letting her have unsupervised outside time. If she can't be trusted not to dig, why is she getting the chance to do it outside by herself without someone to correct her? It sounds like this would alleviate both of your problems.

You can install a sandbox, which should help with the digging. Another idea is to put her poop in the holes that she already dug, which will discourage her from digging.

How does she behave when she is inside the house? Are her only issues when she is outside?

I'm sure you'll get more replies today... you posted in the middle of the night for most of us

Welcome.

Is jumping into the door her way of letting you know she needs to come in or go out? my guess is that she doesn't jump on the door when you are out with her because she doesn't need to.

I would go out with her. If you can't go out each time, I would be sure to watch her and try calling her in before she is out too long and jumps on the door. If she is jumping on the door to go out, I wouldn't let her out right away. I would bring her away from the door to calm down and when she is calm then reinforce that behavior and let her out.

Frankie would just sit by the door and wait. However, if I wasn't home others in my house didn't always know. Frankie had to come up with more "effective" ways to alert them. And when the dog has to come up with an idea, it's never really a good one. He started barking and scratching frantically at the door. And guess what......it got peoples attention, lol. Now that everyone is on the same page, he doesn't do it often.

I know some people who have trained their dogs to hit a bell that hangs on thier door to let them know they need to go outside too.

She only does it to get in and the thing is I have been unemployed for a while so I can be w her most the day. I take her to a dog park close by for at least and hour, mostly closer to 2 hours. I would like to be able to leave her outside when I have to go places cause she can't be trusted alone inside. She likes to counter surf and tear up trash cans if she gets a hold of one. She is calm inside mostly, my roommate has a jack russel that is the spawn of Satan that chasers her around non stop trying to play, he never quits so even if I don't take her out to the park she has that. They run up and down the stairs and all around the house. She doesn't have that much energy compared to the other huskys at the park, I see them run non stop and she only has energy for like 20 min then she's walking around most the time w her tounge practically on the ground and every so often she will get a burst of speed up but she seems to tire much faster than the other dogs. So all in all I can't be with her every second, especially when I start working so I hope I can eventually leave her outside w my other dog without her trying to chew her way through the glass and rip off the screens exc. She's actually pretty well behaved compared to a lot of the husky storied I've heard, she doesn't chew up personal items or furniture exc. Just the door jumping is a problem, I could put a gate on the side of the house that is all cement but then there isn't anywhere to go to the bathroom and access to the pool during summer is a must when it's 110 outside here.

Since this isn't your door, are you instantly reacting to the jumping/scratching? That's where I failed, by going to address the behavior I was unknowingly reinforcing it by my presence (whether I let them in or not).

There are things called "scat mats" for dogs and cats.
http://www.google.com/search?q=scat+mat+dog&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a#q=scat+mat+dog&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=GOr&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&prmd=ivns&source=univ&tbm=shop&tbo=u&sa=X&ei=w7eoTZDaH4XliAKZvbGNDw&ved=0CFgQrQQ&biw=1024&bih=651&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=691466ca07669fbe
You could put that on the ground just in front of the door so she can't have footing near it. That would be my approach, along with working on intervals between jumping. But instead of buying those, I would check for closing office/retail places for those mats under the wheely chairs. If you turn it upside down it's a scat mat. Just make sure it's secure or you will have a completely different problem to deal with (ingested plastic).

And welcome!

Yes I was thinking of a scratch guard but that seems a much better idea of keeping her away I was thinking of gates/electric fence or something to keep her away but that sounds much more effective/inexpensive. Thanks! I usually ignore her and she will give up it's just sometimes I get so annoyed of hearing her body thrown up against the glass. I will try more running

I tried the chair mats w the spikes on th bottom. Didnt phase her

Just read that other post... I don't care how destructive she in indoors... please don't leave your husky outside when you are gone. Besides being dangerous for escaping, someone taking her, injuries, etc.... any climate that gets to 110 degree heat outside, with a pool or NOT is NO place for a husky to stay unattended.

Please invest in a crate and start crate training her.

As for the glass jumping... for a while (while you're unemployed) take her out only on a leash and stay with her. You can let her off to play in the yard, but when you exit the house= leash. When you enter the house= leash. As you walk towards the door, if she starts jumping, stop and make her sit. When you GET to the door. Stop and make her sit while you open the door. If she remains sitting, praise her a ton, give her a treat and tell her good girl. If she starts to jump or make a move to go inside before you "release her" make her sit and wait. When she's calm, let her go inside and praise her.

If you can be consistent, she will learn "I come inside when I calming sit and wait at the door."

Hmmm... Have you considered purchasing a crate to put your dog in when you're not at home? That would prevent her from wreaking havoc inside and also prevent her from causing problems or getting injured, etc. while outside. I hope that helps... Oh, and definitely make sure that you get a water dish or something of that nature that attaches to the crate, so that she doesn't have to be without water if you're gone for extended periods, if you decide to get a crate, that is.

~Jenelle

I believe this member vanished about 4 months ago so I don't think she is seeking advice anymore- though I suppose she could always be lurking