First off, I have to say, we did research the husky breed before we got ours, but we didn't fully understand just how insane they can be until we experienced it firsthand. Our dog Tuko is a 5 month old male and he is becoming out of control. We are experienced dog owners (we both had several growing up, but never a husky) and have not let up on training. We use NILIF and have been pretty consistent. We take him for long walks to tire him out. But he just never settles down. When he is in the house with us, he is constantly tearing around, jumping, biting, chewing, etc. I understand that this is normal puppy behavior, but he will never stop even for a minute and the bigger he gets, the more of a problem it is. We have a 3 year old daughter and he is becoming a danger to her, often knocking her over and biting. Except for his early puppy days, I have never seen him just lay down and rest in the house. I guess my question is, do they typically settle down when they get past the 1 or 2 year mark? We are considering giving him away to friends and want to know if there is light at the end of the tunnel. If there is a chance he will settle down and not be such a danger to our child, then we would wait it out (with constant supervision, of course). But if this is just how the breed is and always will be, we feel it would be best for him and for us if he lived somewhere else. Again, we DID do research, but until you actually have a husky, you don't realize how different they are from other dog breeds. I would appreciate any input. Thanks in advance!

Just curious - how long of a walk do you take him for? Stark goes to the dog park whenever he can, and he's usually pretty pooped out that night (sometimes even the next day for a bit)... At 5 months, he got an hour long walk in the morning, a half hour at mid-day, and dog park most night (or another hour at night)... Just wondering how much your pup gets...

I've been through this twice.
It's why I adopted an adult.
Probably a lot of others are going to chime in about puppy and teenage husky destruction.
But it does get better.
I don't think anyone would keep huskies as pets if it didn't.
Usually, by a year and a half or two years, they are mature canine citizens.
With a tendency toward occasional impish regression.

For now, exercise is your friend.
I think also that dog training class should be in Tuko's future.

Do you have access to a doggy day care?
When my dog comes home from a half day, he just sleeps for the rest of the day.

I'm sure others will have better suggestions, but don't give up on Tuko.
Huskies aren't insane, but husky teens can be.
If you can get through this, he will mellow.

What kind of mental stimulation is Tuka getting? Games? puzzles? Making him think, and getting toys that he will have to learn to solve greatly reduces physical energy. Like a 1st or 2nd grader that is just learning math or to read. All the mental stimulation, coupled with routine exercise is what will make him feel more tired.

Or you just got a REALLY hyperactive pup. Kale calmed down when he hit around 1.5 years, but he was never incredibly rambunctious.

My husband will run him for a half hour or so in the morning or evening, and during the day he spends some time playing outside in our large fenced yard. I know he needs at least one more run during the day, it's just difficult for us because my husband works a lot, and he's gotten so big and so bad on the leash that i can't really handle him and my toddler at the same time. Which is why we are trying to decide if it is really good for him/realistic for us to keep him. We are going to check into dog daycare, we do have a couple in our area. What kind of things can he do for mental stimulation? He has a kong that we put treats in but he gets them out very quickly. Any other suggestions?

Training is the biggest mental stimulation! It tires them out! You're dog is lacking training, that's why he's horrible on leash and you have zero control over him.

Brooke mentioned other things that are good for mental stimulation.

Honestly, like I said before, he needs training! Take him to a group class or a private class. It tires them out and it's good!

If he hurt's you're child, then you're going to give him away and it's going to be hard for him to be adopted out, because he has a bad history.

There are puzzle games where you can hide treats or pieces of kibble and then the dog has to figure out where the goody is. I believe Petco or Petsmart maybe even Amazon.com should have them. Training is always a good mental stimulator.

The time he spends outside in the yard playing...is that alone or are you and your husband interacting with him and playing with him? Little games of tug of war or tag are great to tire him out. I know it worked for our two.

Good luck and don't give up on him!

Don't give up on him! Huskies are wonderful pets. Take him to the dog park and let him run around with other dogs, Daisy usually get's really worn out after trying to chase and play with other dogs. Do you use a crate? When Daisy gets really bad, we put her in time out in her crate for 1 min. or so BUT you do not want to associate crating as a punishment, so first you must establish that going inside the crate is a good thing, so when you do give him time out he'll stay in there and be calm. After about 1 min. or so we let Daisy back out and she'll be good again (most times).

Also, you can teach the "calm down" command.



I've taught Daisy this and it seems to work. BTW, I really like this guys "how to" videos.

Kyjen makes some nice puzzle treat toys. Training is also something that should be apart of your normal daily routine as mentioned. 10 mins tops a day will do wonders. I would suggest a dog trainer before giving up on him. Making him sit (or do something that he knows well) before getting or doing anything, having him sit and wait before going through doors (helpful with young children, prevents collisions), teaching "gently" and "easy" when around your child (and when taking things with his mouth), and leash training with an appropriate tool that your pup responses to (are you using a flat collar, harness, slip, or pinch?). They are hyper, stubborn and obstinate, but with respect training and by you letting him know you mean business and if he disobeys there are consequences (time-outs, ignoring, etc.), they are awesome partners in crime and will fill your life with lots of laughs and love.

I adopted mine at 7 months and she was absolutely insane. A lot of that had to do with having zero training up until that point and little time spent inside.

At 10 months she is still absolutely insane, but I can tell she already gets worn out easier than she did a few months ago. She'll also now lay on the floor and chew quietly on a toy if she likes the toy enough! She actually sat through almost an entire movie the other night.

I believe it does get better, but you have to give it time. There are bad days and good days.
(I asked my mom on the phone the other day if there were days she didn't like me and my brother so much after I'd had a rough day with Pippa. She assured me I annoyed the hell out of her plenty growing up haha)

Good luck and don't give up!

Another thing I just thought of; Thinking back to when Kale was little, we had a definite routine. Training session for 10-20 mins (that's a long time for most, he is very food motivated ), a brisk walk, play-time/zoomie time for about 30-45 mins, then come inside and play a few quiet games (like in children- wind down time), and then he usually slept for a few hours. Then it would be intense playtime in the evening (50 mins to an hour of pure running/ridiculousness) and then more games or a frozen Kong treat in the late evening. And he would always let me know if I was running late with any of the above lol

I completely agree with all of the above- just try exercising him as much as you can, daycare or dog parks can be a blessing when it comes to this. Also a structured walk or a couple structured walks are very useful. Maybe instead of your husband taking him in the morning for a while, you could try taking him instead while your husband stays with your child. Just until you can get him at the control you would like and then try adding the child to the mix. As Brooke said, there are many different walking training tools. I started with a regular collar and Cally was fine until about 5 months then the pulling started, then I tried a harness which was okay- but didn't do the best job and finally I got a pinch collar and it works miracles. It all depends on your dog!. Make sure to do lots of training throughout the day. Even if it's something they already know ie. sit, lay down, roll over. Even if you do 10 mins in the morning 5 mins at night. You will start to see a big difference. Don't give up on your boy, he will mature eventually and you will be thankful that your daughter had that best friend to grow up with. They are such a loving breed!