I Know that this is not a new topic, I have read threads here of others going through this.

We adopted 1 year old female spayed husky about 3 weeks ago from a shelter Lost Dogs Home. ( The age is not 100% though as shelter wasnt certain)

Kira has a safe place now, like a crate but its her bed. with toys everything she needs. She always goes there when she sleeps, plays toys. We give her lots of love , treats, walks, affection praise for good behaviour.

She has had some training in past she sits, walks really well on lead but needs more training i think. She has bonded with dad and me mostly. But unfortunately i dont live with her so I come and go often but she has dad and mum there with her mostly. Mum works dad is home most of the time but its the time he needs to go out which becomes a problem and her being alone.

She has shown destructive behaviour being alone. ( ie knocking over plants jumping on basin knocking down things, chewing things etc..nothing serious yet)

We know that she has been abused by previous owners hit or kicked, escaped previous owners 3 times and they didnt want her back and left her at the shelter. Thats what the lost dogs home told us. But they werent even 100% sure of her age, they thought she was around 1 year old even vet said 1year maybe 2 at worst we dont know for sure.

What have others found has worked for them ? We havent had her very long, she was spayed before we got her so hopefully her hormones are stabilising.

She is very affectionate follows dad or me around when we are there. She is also submissive to people and cowers down to, this is another issue along with fear of going in car issues. Poor little thing she has a few issues.

We love her dearly and want the best for her but having trouble getting her use to being alone when nobody can be home...

We have tried radio on doesnt seem to work, we are trying the kong with treats in it at the moment before someone leaves.

Any suggestions and how long you think it might take before she will get use to being alone. When i leave she sometimes crys and whines even when dad is home. Running in and out looking for me everywhere, some days its not long other times it can last 15 minutes.

A crate and a bed are not exactly the same thing. The dog may have her bed in the crate, but a bed is not a crate. The purpose of the crate is to contain the dog so she can not get into things when you are not home. This keep your things safe and the dog safe. Many dogs end up getting hurt or sick by ingesting things or chewing on electrical wires.

It may take her time to get use to a crate, but there are many threads here that give great advice on crate training.

When Ezio was smaller we'd leave him in the crate if we needed to go out for a bit, only because he was good about not having accidents in the crate and he wasn't fully housebroken yet. Now that he's almost 8 months old he's a lot better and we leave him out. On the weekends we have to go grocery shopping, but beforehand we usually take him to the dog park to wear him out. Have you tried walking/running her, or taking her to the park to get some of that energy out before she's left alone? He's only at the park for an hour, maybe an hour and a half, and he's worn out for almost the rest of the day (and he sleeps the whole time we're gone)! Kira is a bit older and might have more energy than Ezio, but it might help.

Thanks Char/Enzio

Understand now about the crate, yes I have walked her before leaving for an hour, I actually do this whenever I am there. Unfortunately dad is not in best health and cant walk her much.

We have had a husky before. I had Laska for 15 long years. We got her when she was only 12 weeks olds, she never ever had any issues being left alone even from a very young age, but she was not a shelter dog.

There in lies difference I guess. Laska was raised from 12 week old pup and never feared being alone. We would come and go each day and each time we got back we found her sleeping in her bed not one thing did she destroy in all her whole life . She was an angel doggy. I guess she trusted us and felt safe in her bed at home when we were gone. We never had to crate her as you explain above.

She passed away on 24th of August this year, due to falling ill with acute leukemia ( cancer ). She meant the world to me. She was my shadow. Not a day goes by that I dont think about her. I miss her so much still.


Mum thought getting another husky would help us move on, after losing Laska, especially me as I had the tightest bond with Laska. Giving a rescued husky ( Kira ) a new life she thought would be a good thing instead of inevitable fate if she wasnt adopted.


Unfortunately poor little Kira has had a bad start in life with previous owners, and clearly has a lot of issues we need to try and fix. Its early days still with her I guess, so it will take time to heal all her wounds and gain our trust and confidence.