Our main concern with Nunya is how he acts inside the house.

When we get him in the house, he immediately runs and hides under the glass table next to the couch. He's very unresponsive and we can't elicit a response from him. It doesn't help that he doesn't know his name or any commands yet, and we're having a hard time training him because of this :/ He won't play with many toys and treats don't hold his attentions very well.

When we open the door, he slinks to it and then runs out and waits for one of us to come with him. He's a little fearful when he's outside at first, but once he get's comfortable he's running and jumping up on us and loves to follow us around. He has to be off-leash because he never had a collar on before yesterday and panics if there's tension around his neck and we don't want him to get hurt. He sticks to us like glue outside anyways, so it's not to big of a deal, but we can't take him to get vaccinated until he can walk on a leash.
I've been taking him everywhere around the property to get him used to walking different places on different things and jumping over stuff, like dead tree branches, running around in the hay loft, in the work shed, in the fields, weaving around trees, climbing snow hills, and whatever else I can think of. He doesn't like being reached down for, especially by really new people. He has only barked once, and that was at a friend who wanted to pet him. If we're just walking with him he will whine to ask to run.

Anyway, how can we get him more comfortable in the house? My mom's friend said that her shepherd was afraid of his collar when he was a puppy and would hide if he was wearing it in the house, so she took it off. We're trying that with him too, but we don't know what else we can try.

He doesn't seem afraid right now, he's napping a little, but we still can't get him to crawl back out.

welcome and we need some important info first
how old is Nunya and that would answer if he is a puppy acting this way or did you rescue him?
if the collar is not working try a harness on him. I WOULD NOT LET HIM OUT with out some kind of leash on in a non enclosed yard. he may come back to you now but one day he may not. if he is having a hard time trusting i would not let him outside with out a leash on.
i can answer more when i have an age and how long you have had him.

How old is Nunya? I'm assuming he's a new rescue? How long have you had him? What's his history?

You could try finding some really good treat like cut up hotdogs or cheese and place them around your house for him to find.

As for outside, put a collar and leash on him. Just let the leash drag behind him (a short leash would work best) at first. Then after he gets used to something around his neck, try holding the leash and add a little pressure. Give him lots of praise and treats when he doesn't panic.

He is twelve weeks-old today and we just got him yesterday, so we're expecting some fear but this just seems a little weird. The guy said he's usually really mellow and just follows him around when he's outside, which is true for now.
He's walking around a little now, I almost got him to play tug with a squeaky toy, but he doesn't look to sure about the idea. I put a toy in the middle of the living room that her really wants and he keeps walking out a little, then turning around and going back. Now he's completely out.. He's almost there.. He picked up the ball instead o.O Now he's back under the table lol

I put him on a leash earlier and was walking him around. When he stopped and felt tension, he started to panic, so I dropped the leash and just kept walking. He looked confused and then just ran after me, happy as can be. I walked him around the yard for about ten minutes before I let him off and tried to teach him to play fetch again.

well you can't expect to much the first week or so. he was just taken from his home and into a new one. let him be and he will come out of his shell soon. sounds like you are doing the right stuff, getting him used to the leash will be KEY. and with him being so young he will stick with you but wait till he is about 8 or so months and you will start to see the rebellion stage of a husky! keep a leash on! also start some crate training as well.

Okay, thanks. I was jsut worried that he was being abnormally fearful.
When would be a good time to start introducing brushes and the nail clippers. He's shedding his puppy coat and it's driving my dad nuts.
I hope we will get him neutered before he get's rebellious... Should we wait until his balls drop? That seems less invasive to me, but I'm not experienced with the castration of animals.

EDIT: Nevermind about the neutering thing, I used google.

Also, since he's not a puller (yet) should we get him a harness or just use his collar? I know jbealer suggested a harness if a collar keeps freaking him out. If so, what kind of harness works best?

Umm...if your dad doesn't like dog hair, you really shouldn't have gotten a husky. They blow coat twice a year and pretty much no matter how much you brush them out, you're going to have white little fur balls rolling around your house. Hope you can work through that issue!

I think it's odd that he is shedding at all at only 12 weeks old. My puppies never had a good shed until about 8 months old. Perhaps he is feeling stressfull and it is affecting his coat.

He is a husky, so he may never play fetch. I've had one fetcher and one who looked at me like, "What are you, crazy!?! You want me to get excited about chasing a sphere of rubber!?!"

Good luck with Nunya! Can't wait to see pics and hear more puppy stories!

They shed twice a year as Sara says, but each husky is also different. My female has been pretty much shedding lightly all through the winter since October. My male has started shedding yet, but last spring he blew his coat in tufts of fur - you could pluck cotton balls off him!

As Sara says, if you think the hair is driving your dad nuts now, it only gets worse as he isn't full grown yet! So I think you need to really think about this...

If your husky had a previous home, he'll take time to get settled in. He's still a pup so he may not take as long as if you rescued an adult, but you'll need to be patient and give him a couple or few weeks.

Dad'll get over it, he has no choice... lol

We had a German shepherd who was a nervous shedder and the floor was constantly covered in hair where ever she laid down, or anything she brushed against. She was also fearful of brushes :/ He got used to her, so I don't think Nunya will be to much of an issue.

Dad is trying to pretend he doesn't like Nunya, but mom caught Nunya sitting by his feet and dad was petting him. Nunya wouldn't leave his side. Nunya was still less than a foot from his precious table, so he was happy.

So far Nunya doesn't like tennis balls as much as he likes hard plastic and rubber balls, but he loves hay WAY more than either, I found an old rabbit toy and he loves chasing it! Sometimes when I throw things he gets all excited and chases it, sometimes he even brings stuff back! Other times he takes a couple steps and then turns around and goes back into a heel. Unless we're in the house, then he just hides under the table.

I also almost got him to play tug of war IN the house c:
He was still halfway under the table, but it's a start.
He even came out from under the table when I was sitting on the floor to cuddle up by me after I was feeding him carrots.

What's a good harness to use for walking him if we need one? And where's a good place to get a working harness for when he gets older? I want him to pull sleds

Just noticed you're from Wisconsin! Were in Eau Claire, whete are you guys located?

Hello fellow cheesehead! haha
We're in Pulaski

http://stores.adanacsleds.com/StoreFront.bok
http://www.alpineoutfitters.net/secure/scripts/default.asp
you can check out these to places for adult harnesses, im no help of puppy stuff.

i also think Nunya is using the table as his "den" a safe place, it would be a great time to introduce a crate to his life and make him use that as his "safe place" that way when you do need to leave the house and crate him he will not freak out. young huskies are not safe left alone in a house, they will eat and destroy everything so for the safety of Nunya and your goods i would get him crate trained.

and what did you read as far as an age to neuter?

I just read that it's recommended to do it after their nuts drop so it's less invasive and less expensive. And my aunt got her dog neutered before his nuts dropped and something went wrong and now he has staple in his side for some reason? My mom wasn't very thorough when she tried to explain it to me.

He has a crate, but it's in my brother's room. The first night he was here, he followed my brother in his room, crawled right in, and went to sleep. The next morning, I had a really hard time getting him out and he hasn't gone in it since. I used treats and dropped tiny pieces around the outside of the kennel and made a trail to the kitchen. Once he got to the door he slunk to the front door and sat there looking nervous. The table is his den, but he won't come out unless the patio door is open and he can see you running around in the yard. He's still really nervous in the house. Once he comes inside, he runs straight there

can you bring the crate out to the living area near the table?

No, there is no room.
It's fine that that's his safe place, we just want him to be comfortable in other places in the house too

dahowlers wrote:

No, there is no room.
It's fine that that's his safe place, we just want him to be comfortable in other places in the house too

give him time, he will come out when he is ready just keep making the times he does come out great and rewarding, then you will be begging for the days he just stayed under the table and not running circles around your house and sofas and everywhere else

I hope so c:
Mom bought him a rubber chicken and he played with that in the house for a little bit, until he realized he was having fun.

dahowlers wrote:

I just read that it's recommended to do it after their nuts drop so it's less invasive and less expensive. And my aunt got her dog neutered before his nuts dropped and something went wrong and now he has staple in his side for some reason? My mom wasn't very thorough when she tried to explain it to me.

If you are planning on doing it early, it's highly recommended that neuters are done after all puppy shots, which should all be given by 4- 4 1/2 months. So with that being said I'd wait till 5-6 months old. Both testicles should be descended by then

Alright, thanks. :]
I found out that the vet we go to only charges $30 more when they haven't descended.
My mom is calling right now for shots.

I had to carry Nunya into the house yesterday, I'm really worried about his fear of the house and I don't know what to do.

Did you rescue him or get him from a breeder?

We got him from a breeder in Michigan. He's fine right now. Today he was following me around the house but not for very long.

He's totally fine outside. I even took him to Petco today to get him microchipped and vaccinated and he was fine. Once he got used to it, he walked up to people, licked them, got petted. He even tried to play with some of the other dogs there, until a King Charles cavalier spaniel tried to eat him.