Soo Durbin is almost 4 months now and I thought he was potty trained I guess im wrong. On Monday I found a wet spot on the hallway rug which I didn't see him do it so I couldnt do anything about that. Then yesturday while my boyfriend was watching him he peed on our carpet, and last night I found another wet spot on the carpet! This is really irrating me he has had no accidents in the house for a good month or so tell this week!! He gets taken out at least every hour by me when I'm home and Shae is lazy so I'm guessing that he takes him out every three hours or so. I can't think of a reason he is doing this I don't think that its a medical issue. He could be mad at us because he is left alone for longer periods of time now since our roommate moved out.

I have two other questions does anyone else’s husky act like they have super vision and bouce on invisable things in the grass! He doesnt just do it once he will do it every 5 mins or so while we are out trying to potty. I really dont think he ever finds anything its funny but a strange habit. I have to keep him focus or we would be out there all day. My last question is when we are playing with him with his toys, or having him chase us around the house he gets really mad when we grab his scruff. He will start barking like crazy and do little baby growls and try to get away. We dont do it meanly at all! Is this normal? Thanks for the help!!

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This is really irrating me he has had no accidents in the house for a good month or so tell this week!!

Having the EXACT same issue with Tika. She was completely house broken then all of a sudden two week she started piddling again inside. It has since stopped again but it was baffling to say the least for the couple of days.

For us it seemed to go hand in hand with a new and bigger water bowl we bought. Tika seemed to be drinking too much and having to go ALOT sooner then normal. For what ever reason she wouldn't make her normal signs or noises So it kinda went unnoticed until someone saw or walked into the spot.

Just clean it really well, and until you catch him doing it so you can reinforce where they should go, High praise for doing it outside.

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does anyone else’s husky act like they have super vision and bouce on invisable things in the grass?

Mine is an Ant eater... goes crazy killing ant mounds and little ants. I watch her do it and think of a child holding a magnifying glass over them laughing manically. Either way I have seen jumps, but they happen more on walks in tall grass then in our back yard.

Our leaves are falling here too.... Walking a husky with blowing small leaves all around making crinkling noises is beyond entertaining for me. Her head DARTS from side to side looking at all the moving "prey".

In terms of focusing him, it may help or not, but we've been actively Saying "Tika Pee" when she needed to go and when we wanted her to go since we got her. I'm NOT SAYING she will pee on command, but last week I let her out and went downstairs and the wife just wasn't 100% sure if she peed or not. She took her downstairs and asked her to Pee and Tika squatted, looked up at Kelly, and nothing came out. She tried or seemed to anyways even though she couldn't. Attaching a word to it could help him focus when he's in hunting invisible things mode.

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He will start barking like crazy and do little baby growls and try to get away.

Haven't heard the barking at all, but the small growl like vocalization I have. When Tika goes full speed, weather it's her and I playing Tag, Her chasing a ball, or anything else I throw down the hall or outside, she indeed lets out a growl like noise.

It's always directed at the object she is chasing and never at us unless we are the object (Tag). With Tika I know for SURE it isn't her growling at me, she bares no teeth, she doesn't stand defiant or protective, she doesn't nip if I decide it's enough and start to pet her, she is just making "playing noises".

It happens when she gets her "zoomies" too. She is just letting it all out and being herself. I've also heard her ACTUALLY growl at another dog that was coming into her den uninvited, It sounded VERY diffrent.

I can't say thats what is happening with Durbin, but next time try and notice if it is really a growl or is he just vocalizing roughly during play time. short deep "growls"

Either way if it's unwanted behavior do yourself a favor. Durbin is having ALOT of fun while this is going on. If he starts to Bark or actually growl during it, Stop. don't even look at him. Just say NO firmly and sit down until he lies down and relaxes.

He should learn eventually it's all fun and games until I growl.... then it stops... Maybe I shouldn't do that anymore.

Hope it helps and if not I'm sure there's much more knowledgeable members here that have better ideas that don't involve the walls of text I tend to write

~Chris~

Snowflake20 wrote:

Soo Durbin is almost 4 months now and I thought he was potty trained I guess im wrong. On Monday I found a wet spot on the hallway rug which I didn't see him do it so I couldnt do anything about that. Then yesturday while my boyfriend was watching him he peed on our carpet, and last night I found another wet spot on the carpet! This is really irrating me he has had no accidents in the house for a good month or so tell this week!! He gets taken out at least every hour by me when I'm home and Shae is lazy so I'm guessing that he takes him out every three hours or so. I can't think of a reason he is doing this I don't think that its a medical issue. He could be mad at us because he is left alone for longer periods of time now since our roommate moved out.

I have two other questions does anyone else’s husky act like they have super vision and bouce on invisable things in the grass! He doesnt just do it once he will do it every 5 mins or so while we are out trying to potty. I really dont think he ever finds anything its funny but a strange habit. I have to keep him focus or we would be out there all day. My last question is when we are playing with him with his toys, or having him chase us around the house he gets really mad when we grab his scruff. He will start barking like crazy and do little baby growls and try to get away. We dont do it meanly at all! Is this normal? Thanks for the help!!

Kale was the easiest dog to potty train so I can't really give any pointers in that area The only time he's ever potty-ed in the house was twice when he was between 6-7 weeks and when he had colitis the first time when he was 5 months.

Kale ALWAYS sticks his nose in the grass and just stands there, then he gets all frisky and starts running in circles lol i have no idea what he smells or sees. Someone I know said that they can hear worms or grub in the ground. pft! I have no idea hahaha I just think its hilarious!

Kale did that too until he submitted to me. When I grab his scruff now (when he's in trouble) he rolls over on his side and shows me his tummy. I let him lay there and sulk for 2 mins or so (without touching him) and then he can go play. He usually only gets in trouble when he eats cat poo. Kale was VERY dominant as a puppy but has gotten more and more submissive as he's gotten older. When he was 5 months, If I laid down next to him while he was sleeping, he'd give a little warning growl and get up and move away, now he comes and lays on my feet to sleep. I remember at night when he'd be sleeping (12-18 weeks old) i'd go to my room and just cry because the hierarchy training (NILIF) was so emotionally taxing. Be strong, things will turn around. Be consistent and remember the NILIF training

Tika wrote:

Having the EXACT same issue with Tika. She was completely house broken then all of a sudden two week she started piddling again inside. It has since stopped again but it was baffling to say the least for the couple of days.

Well its good to know that I'm not the only one having this problem. I hope that he stops or at least I catch him in the act so he knows he's not making mommy happy!! I don't think water is causing this he has always had two water bowls sitting out whenever he needs them! I think he's just mad that we are gone longer now then normal!

hypers987 wrote:

Kale ALWAYS sticks his nose in the grass and just stands there, then he gets all frisky and starts running in circles lol i have no idea what he smells or sees. Someone I know said that they can hear worms or grub in the ground. pft! I have no idea hahaha I just think its hilarious!

The way Durbin is it makes me think it's true!!

Kale did that too until he submitted to me. When I grab his scruff now (when he's in trouble) he rolls over on his side and shows me his tummy. I let him lay there and sulk for 2 mins or so (without touching him) and then he can go play. He usually only gets in trouble when he eats cat poo. Kale was VERY dominant as a puppy but has gotten more and more submissive as he's gotten older. When he was 5 months, If I laid down next to him while he was sleeping, he'd give a little warning growl and get up and move away, now he comes and lays on my feet to sleep. I remember at night when he'd be sleeping (12-18 weeks old) i'd go to my room and just cry because the hierarchy training (NILIF) was so emotionally taxing. Be strong, things will turn around. Be consistent and remember the NILIF training

I can't tell if Durbin knows I'm alpha or not I want to say yes and no! He listens really well and does everything that I tell him. But he does the same thing when I lay next to him on the floor he doesn’t growl but grunts like an old man gets up and goes and finds another place to sleep. On the flip side in the mornings when my alarm goes off he always hops in my bed and cuddles with me tell I get up and take him outside. I haven’t really tried grabbing his scruff too much when I get mad at him makes me feel bad!! He normally just gets a NO and I then walk away! God the cat poo and food Durbin’s favorite also! Nothing makes me more mad when I catch him in either of those ! I havent really looked into the NILIF training we are in private training classes right now so I have really only listen to the trainer. I like the idea of it I'm going to try some of the tips on him!

Good! It's a great program, and you can use it in conjunction with your trainers methods too. It definitely doesn't happen overnight though lol Kale still tests me to this day and I always have to be consistent with the rules. (he's 16 months) Also, it's good you don't grab when your mad; only do it when your calm and collected, if even at all. Some don't respond to a scruff grab. Kale did immediately, but some dogs learn differently and that's ok Find what he responds to best and stick to it.

Snowflake20 wrote:

He could be mad at us because he is left alone for longer periods of time now since our roommate moved out.

A dog is not capable of feeling spite like we are. That emotion spawns from a part of their brain that is not as developed as ours, so I don't believe that's the reason he's reverted back to occasionally urinating in your house. If it had anything to do with your roommate moving out, stress might be a contributing factor. You said he's almost 4 months; that's still quite young. I'm not surprised he isn't 100% potty-trained yet. I have known dogs that were a dream to potty train and were accident free from a very young age, but I think I've met more dogs that were the contrary.

When you catch him in the act of urinating in the house, how do you handle the situation? If you're not doing so already, I would recommend that you make some sort of noise to let him know what he's doing is not okay ("EH" has worked well with Drogo, some people choose to say no. I'm just not a big fan of using the word "no" for correction. Seems like they learn to just ignore the word if it's overused, almost like children do. An abrupt noise seems to work better). There are rare instances I will tell Drogo no, though they are reserved for moments where I have absolutely no tolerance for whatever he's doing (i.e., chasing the cat). We've come leaps and bounds with that, but he'll occasionally test this boundary. I so much as breathe the word and he stops dead in his tracks. I think he understands the severity of the word and how mommy means business when she uses it.

When you catch him urinating in your house, remember to immediately scoop him up and take him outside so he can finish. You said he was doing real good for awhile and now is starting to slip up. Sometimes when puppies start to grasp the concept of going potty outside, people will stop praising/treating them when they do. I've been guilty of this myself; if this is done before they TRULY understand what you're asking of them, they can revert back to having accidents inside because positive reinforcement has stopped when they DO go outside. Still give him treats and act like a lunatic. People might think you're crazy but you're puppy will love it and he'll start to remember that good things come from going outside (and nothing memorable happens when he goes in your house).

I know you don't think it's a medical problem but that could always be a possibility. If things don't improve (or get worse), I would definitely bring him to a vet just to rule it out. UTI's are easy to treat, especially if caught early.

Regarding NILIF training, I am a HUGE supporter of this method. I know some people who think it's "mean", but it truly has shaped the 3 dogs I've owned to be very well-behaved. Drogo pretty much "works" for everything, even a new toy or bone. Something as simple as making him sit, or having him sit/stay at a distance and coming only when you call him works great. More recently, I've been making him give me double high-five, roll-over or speak considering those are the 3 newest tricks he's learned. You can make it fun for them! Dogs LOVE making their owners happy, especially when they get rewarded for it!

toyszruskid wrote:

Regarding NILIF training, I am a HUGE supporter of this method. I know some people who think it's "mean", but it truly has shaped the 3 dogs I've owned to be very well-behaved. Drogo pretty much "works" for everything, even a new toy or bone. Something as simple as making him sit, or having him sit/stay at a distance and coming only when you call him works great. More recently, I've been making him give me double high-five, roll-over or speak considering those are the 3 newest tricks he's learned. You can make it fun for them! Dogs LOVE making their owners happy, especially when they get rewarded for it!

I still use NILIF! He is so responsive to me; I don't even have to tell him to sit for his dinner, he just does, and he will stare at me straight in the eyes until I give him his release command to eat. Once you start NILIF training, it is really easy to keep it up, It becomes second nature

toyszruskid wrote:

Sometimes when puppies start to grasp the concept of going potty outside, people will stop praising/treating them when they do. I've been guilty of this myself; if this is done before they TRULY understand what you're asking of them, they can revert back to having accidents inside because positive reinforcement has stopped when they DO go outside. Still give him treats and act like a lunatic.

I never thought of that being the cause but I'm guilty of that I will start to praise him like crazy again!!

hypers987 wrote:

I still use NILIF! He is so responsive to me; I don't even have to tell him to sit for his dinner, he just does, and he will stare at me straight in the eyes until I give him his release command to eat. Once you start NILIF training, it is really easy to keep it up, It becomes second nature

Durbin always sits before he eats I have taught him that since having him, but I have never made him wait tell give hime a command to eat. I tried to do this last night and this morning. It didnt go to well he goes crazy for food he did ok but his nose was in the bowl before I put it on the ground. Any tips?

It might be easier to teach him to wait for food by using treats first. Put a treat in the palm of your hand and place it in front of him. His first instinct will be to go for it. Close your hand over the treat (so make a fist) and tell him to wait. Keep doing this until he stops going for the treat and either looks away or looks to you for direction. Praise immediately and give him a DIFFERENT treat. I used a treat pouch for this; it clips to your hip and makes it easy for you to reward your pup when he does something good. I still carry one around with me for Drogo.

I used this method with him and he caught on extremely fast. It will get to the point where you can put anything in front of him and he'll look to you for the okay to take it. Another great command(s) to teach, leave it and take it. Once he starts understanding what wait means, you can try incorporating leave it and take it into the mix. Throw a treat down and if he goes for it, tell him to leave it. I had to use my foot at first to cover the treat because he didn't understand what the command meant.

Try the treat thing and see if he catches on. Doing it that way will probably be easier than throwing down a bowl of food and trying to fend him off (depends how ravenous and persistent he is). If you want to skip the treat step and go straight for the bowl, I would probably put him on a leash so you can prevent him from reaching his food. I used my body as a barrier with Drogo. If he was sitting and attempted to go for his food, I'd step out in front of him and walk towards him, forcing him to move back. Once he would sit and wait, I'd release him with the "take it" command.

It's to the point now where he won't pick up anything that's dropped without my permission. I can hold a treat in front of his face and if I tell him to wait, he won't try to take it. I can place his raw food directly between his legs as he's laying down and he never takes his eyes off me. He waits for the take it command before eating always.

Just be consistent and unwavering with him. Huskies are very smart (though stubborn as mules sometimes). I'm sure he'll catch on.

Yup we started with Treats as well....

Tika was INSANE for food. Should would inhale it the moment it was placed on the ground.

Started by placing a treat closer to me then here and telling her to "Leave it". She tried to get it a couple of times but I just showed her it was mine by claiming it. Not by covering the treat, but by letting her be able to see it at all times but impeding her from getting closer. Once she "Gave up" and sat down and kinda sighed at me I praised at rewarded her and said "Ok!".

Gradually the treat got closer and closer to her. To the point where I can put it under her nose and almost force it on her and she just turns her head away.

We did the same for feeding times once she grasp it. She now sits and won't touch a THING on the ground until we say "Ok!". Weather she hears the command to leave it or not now she politely waits. She just stares at us until the release is given. It has helped loads.... She no longer inhales her food, she takes her time and enjoys it more. She actually chews it now.... Where as before I could hear the sound of the kibble sliding down her throat as she swallowed a bunch whole.

As far as the pouncing on things goes, my five and a half month old, Winter, is the supreme master of pouncing on bugs in the grass. I usually can't see them, but he sure can. He does it all the time, too, or at least he would if I let him. We just started with the Gentle Leader, so it's harder for him now. One night, he actually caught a very, very tiny frog (I thought it was a bug), and when he opened his mouth to play with it, this little thing came hopping very quickly out of his mouth. I don't know which one of us was more surprised!

Also, although we haven't progressed too terribly far with housebreaking (my pup is a rescue and wasn't trained), he's having trouble because he has urethritis (not a UTI, but in the same neighborhood, so to speak). The people on this forum gave me great advice, and I'm so glad I got him checked out by the vet - my regular vet missed it the first time. Like Kimberly said, if the peeing doesn't get better, I'd take him in, just in case there is a medical issue.

Winter also makes a funny throaty noise when he's playing - like a growl, but not, if that makes any sense. His "real" growl is very different.

Good luck! He's really cute!

Tika and Kimberly both have extremely sound advice and took the words outta my mouth I started with treats as well, I used the leave it command and then my release command which is EAT. (I use it for water and toys too) i recommend not using "ok" as a release command, A friend of mind had her Dobbie on a sit/stay in here front yard and she had said ok to a friend as he was leaving and Verek took off running cuz he thought she said so hahaha thankfully he didn't get far! you can use whatever word works best for you. ('Take it' works well too) Once he grasps the leave it with your hand try something more difficult,like putting it on the ground, or on his own paw. They love being challenged

1st video of Kale is him at 5 months and the second video shows the difference that consistent training does. (7months in 2nd) (sry second video is kinda lengthy, the leave it is in the middle if you wanna skip the beginning and end)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekwPtiGVLwI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gu8oLyOoti0