Hey everyone, new to the forum but have been lurking it for a while and have to say I feel like I have learned so much already from you guys! I am currently in the process of getting my very first Siberian puppy! After reading up on here, I decided once I get him I would use the crate training method to train the puppy, but then I came across the Puppy Apartment and I have to say it looks like it could be pretty legit. Just seeing if anybody has had any experience with this, thanks alot!


Heres the link:

https://www.youtube.com/user/PottyTrainingAPuppy?v=IPQAazegMQg&feature=pyv

Welcome! IMHO, I don't think training a puppy to go potty in the crate is a good idea, kinda defeats the purpose. You have to train them to hold it till taking them outside.

I feel like it'd come in handy though when I have to leave the pup for a few hours at a time i.e. for work or school. That way instead of going in its bed it can just go right into the other "room" onto the pad.

Well I agree with brooke on this one. I haven't had a puppy yet but I would think it wouldn't get that waiting to go is what the goal is. to me cleaning a mess every now and then is okay. Everyone has to try things, thats how we all learn together. Good luck IF you go that way, but I would pass on it.

Huskies like staying clean so I highly doubt he will go potty in the kennel. Ive had both of mine since they were little puppies and they never ever peed in the kennel, ever. Its a horrible idea to get him accustomed to going in the kennel, huskies are stubborn it wouls be very, very diffucult to break that later on. If youre gone and hes in the kennel he can probably hold it for around 2 hours, so if youre gonna be gone lomger then that id recommend having a friend or family member stop by and let him out.

Welcome to the forum! Just curious, who are you getting your puppy from? Indigo sibes? They're in Jax too.

Back to the topic, unfortunately, looks like a bad idea to me. And knowing from experience, it will be very hard to housebreak the puppy if you do this. I kept Siku in an exercise pen with a small crate and kept pee pads outside of the crate for her to go on if we weren't home (which keep in mind they do like to rip up those pee pads!). It did work, but it then took me until she was 9 months old, to get her to stop going where the pee pads had been. Elara on the other hand, I kept her in a crate and took her outside. I didn't use any pee pads and she was house broken at a much earlier age. It was much easier to teach her not to go in the house since I never let her think it was okay to by using the pee pads.

If you do go with this idea, I wouldn't put the pee pads in the crate. I'd put them outside of it and keep the crate in a puppy proof room or an x-pen.

How long are you typically away from home? Have you considered adopting an adult husky? It would save you on having to potty train it.

Thanks for the welcome! I am in contact with a few breeders right now trying to narrow down the right puppy for me, and the main one I am talking to right now is Donna and Scott Worth @ www.happypawskennelga.com. I am usually gone for max 5 hours at a time. I do have roomates though who could let him out, but all of our work schedules change every week so it'd be kinda hard to nail down exactly when they could take him out, but I'm sure we can try something. I have thought about getting an adult but in the end I have decided to get a puppy, as I feel like you grow a stronger bond with your dog in the long run by getting it as a puppy and growing with it.

So overall it seems like this thing isn't all its cracked up to be, so what do you guys suggest I do? Get a crate just big enough for him to go in, turn around, and sleep in and train that way? Thanks!

Kevin,
welcome, and thanks for joining our family! now i don't want you to take this the wrong way but i might say some things that you may not want to hear but im going to anyways.
first that crate is a BAD idea, and others have listed why, if you go with a puppy i would get a large crate to grow into that comes with a divider to make it smaller for the puppy.
Im a big fan of adopting and it does not matter the age of the husky and for how long you have them in your life THEY WILL BOND WITH YOU. really based on your living and working times i would HIGHLY suggest you looking at adopting a husky over a yr old.
that site you listed that you think you might get your puppy from is a BYB (back yard breeder) hardly any of the dogs are AKC (CKC means shit, or BYB) anyone breeding multiple breeds of dogs is out there to make money and they are not focusing on making that ONE breed better. they also list they let the puppies go at 6 weeks HUGE RED flag, puppies need to stay with the litter till 8-10 weeks for social behavior learning. im not sure if that picture shown is their dog runs or not but i did not see any shelter for them.
SaraB might be able to point you in the right direction for a reputable breeder near by.
look at this---

https://www.itsahuskything.com/t1042-how-to-find-a-reputable-breeder

I just looked at that site. I didn't see anything mentioned bout hip and eye testing. Their information page is blank. And they are breeding so many breeds! I would run away from that as fast as I could.

Ahh thanks for the heads up, like I said I am new to this! I looked at that link and will print it out for when I go meet the breeder of whatever puppy I get. Does anybody by any chance know of any breeders in florida/georgia/alabama? Thanks alot!

I would message Sara, she posted above. Shes around your area and probably knows a great breeder.

Don't worry at all! Many people don't know the difference between breeders and what to look for. There is a breeder referral list on the Siberian Husky Club of America's website. http://www.shca.org/shcahp4f.htm Like I mentioned before, Indigo Siberians is a long time show/breeder and lives in Jacksonville. I don't think they're going to breed again for a while, but Sheila is very nice and could help you find another breeder with puppies. Unfortunately, their website is being re-done, so they have no website right now. But you can find them on FB as Indigo Siberians. Make sure you send her a message that you're wanting help to find a puppy with your friend request or she will not friend you back.

Another one not quite so close to you is Sally O'Connell (Mileka Siberians), she also is friends with another breeder who's website is no longer on the web (think she's redoing it) and they both live in the gainesville/archer area. In GA, there's Trillium Blue Siberians. I've talked to that lady a few times through e-mail and she seems very nice and has very nice sibes.
Some others you can find on FB, though I don't think any of them have puppies right now though I could be wrong about that, are Sue Cobert, Juan Jose Chota, and Rose Anna Gregorich. They are all on FB, but don't have websites unfortunately.

I don't know how much you're willing to travel, but I know Elizabeth Chism (Mirage Siberians) has puppies right now, but she's in Texas and Evyenia Dunlap (Allure Siberians) is going to have a litter soon and she's in Virginia.

And if you consider adopting, you will bond with the dog. It seems like most rescues understand that you saved them and they form a really strong bond with you! My mom actually does all breed rescue and has a mostly white female sibe right now: http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/21839238

I don't know how open your weekend is and if you'd want to make the drive, but there's going to be a big adoption event (we're taking Raiya) this weekend in Maitland called Pookie's RescueFest and there are going to be over 25 rescue groups there including Husky Haven of FL and Siberian Husky Rescue of FL.

We are also going to be having a husky camp in Ocala Feb. 3rd thru 5th. https://www.facebook.com/events/285211964846875/

For now the only breeder i could think of is www.trilliumblue.com
Id check them out theyre pretty great

Whatever breeder you go with make sure they at least check eyes and hips by CERF and OFA (those are the two main problems in huskies) and that they will take their puppies back at any time (i.e. they are responsible for their puppies through their whole lives and don't want them to end up in a shelter). Stay clear of breeders who won't take their puppies back if need be. Those breeders are in it for the wrong reasons and are why shelters and rescues are overflowing with homeless dogs.

I would not recommend trying to put a pad in your pup's crate for him to go potty...First, it teaches him that it is ok to go potty in his crate. It also teaches puppy that he doesn't need to.let you know if he needs to go potty, which will make it a harder and longer process to teach him that he needs to potty outside. Puppy pad training might be "ok" for small breeds that are mostly indoor dogs, but for medium-large breeds it's not a good idea. You want your pup to associate going outside for potty...you don't want him to associate going on puppy pads for potty.

I recently got my first Siberian husky pup(currently 11 weeks old) and we also live in an apartment. I would absolutely recommend crate training to help with the process of potty training, but you should know that potty training is going to take dedication and lots of patience. An 8 week old pup can only hold its bladder for about 2 maybe 3 hours at a time, so unless you are able to keep an eye on him throughout the day and watch his cues for when he needs to go, it will take a while for puppy to learn where he is supposed to potty. You said that you are away for about 5 hours at a time for work, so leaving your pup in his crate for that amount of time he is going to have to eliminate in his crate at some point because he simply won't be able to hold it for that long, which will really derail your puppy potty training process. Young puppies take a lot of dedication and patience and training to learn good habits, such as potty training and it can be very difficult to potty train due to work schedules. Have you thought about getting a puppy who is a little older? Like maybe 5-6 months? Because you will still be able to grow and bond with your pup, but an older pup will be able to hold his bladder a bit longer than an 8-12 week old baby. Also, an older puppy will, most likely, have all of its shots and so you will be able to take it for walks, which you won't be able to do with a baby since he won't have all of his vaccinations yet.

My pup is almost 12 weeks and, for the most part, potty trained(with an accident happening rarely, because I didn't get him fast enough or didn't notice his potty signals)...I've had him since he was 8 weeks and some tricks that helped me were associating the word "outside" for potty and also having *special outdoor-only treats* and lots of praise for when he successfully went potty outside. *Note* using the special outdoor-only treats also make him go potty right away, as opposed to playing around and taking his time to go potty, because he anticipates getting his special treats after he goes potty outside. Also note that once he realizes that he will get a special treat for going potty outside, he will manipulate the situation and make you take him outside for just a tiny piddle so that he can get a treat...don't buy into it. Only give him the treats when he has had a decent potty. Otherwise, for just a small piddle, give him praise, but no treat. Another thing that helped limit accidents inside our apartment were keeping our pup on a leash at all times, so that we can watch him all the time and he can't sneak off to go potty when we aren't watching(also if puppy has to go potty while on the leash he will be desperately trying to get away from you and will act anxious suddenly. That will be his way of telling you that it's time to take him outside to go potty). We are starting to trust our pup a little more lately, because he has been going and sitting by the door when he needs to go outside. He also knows "outside" means potty, because we say it often and every time we take him outside. He has also been sleeping through the night lately without needing to go outside for potty...so, if you dedicate your time and have a lot of patience, potty training will happen!!!

I hope this helps you with your potty training process!!! Good luck with your new baby and post pictures!!

I can relate to snoori's post as well, my pup who i've had since he was 7weeks and 5 days old is now (do i dare say it) house trained. He is 16 weeks and i can't even remember when his last accident was, maybe 3 or 4 weeks ago! All you need to do really is watch them... watch them ALL the time... Your puppy will need to pee quite a bit - i think when they have a little bit to get rid of, they just go - they don't "hold it" even if they can! I noticed Luka wanted to pee after he had a good drink of his water, straight after he had a little nap, and every half hour or so in between! Now, by every week, the pup will go less frequently and get rid of more at a time. Its deffo worth putting the effort in... you'll have him/her trained in no time!

Ideally, for the first month, you should be with your puppy all day, every day - this helps with everything, from training to social skills! The more vigilant you are and the more you go outside to potty before he/she goes inside, the quicker they get it. Just remember lots and lots of over excited praise and a treat!