Hey Everyone!

I come to you as experts and admittedly need help. I've written here before and you all have been fabulous. I got Cash about 6 weeks ago, he's now almost 4 months old. He's beautiful and funny. But he's becoming more and more aggressive in his playing, biting a great deal (playing but still hurts), and going through phases where he seems wild, almost out of control.
I am at work during the day (9-5) but my mom is at home with him because I live with my parents to help take care of my dad. Cash is in his crate overnight, 10:30 to 6:30, roughly. He eats about 7am, then goes back in his crate around 8:30am and typically sleeps for a couple hours. She gets him out to go outside and to eat (he had giardia, 2nd round of meds so he's on bland diet and eating 4x a day), then out of his crate for 1-2 hours (outside and inside). He then will usually need to be back in his crate for an hour or two while she runs errands or picks up my dad (on dialysis). Then he eats again between 4 and 5 and I'm home between 5:15 and 5:30. Usually when I get home he's excited but beyond wound up. We immediately go outside for a little while and make many trips the rest of the night. The last few days he's been absolutely exhausting and getting pretty aggressive. He seems almost out of control when he's outside and LOOKS crazed, it only lasts 20-30 minutes like that. He also rolls in the grass, rips up the grass and just generally crazy. He's still on a leash outside because there's a small hole at the bottom of our fence that needs to be fixed AND with all the talk of them escaping I am petrified of him getting out since I live near a very busy street. He's actually still on a leash in some parts of the house because of his craziness and not being puppy proofed. We just got an extended gate this weekend that will go up this week, which I hope means no leash in the house. But with his craziness, I'm genuinely concerned and feel clueless.

This isn't my first dog but my first husky. I read all the information before getting him but reading and finding out are two things. What worries/scares me a bit is the amount of information online that makes it sound like having a husky is terrible and they are horribly behaved dogs who only run, bite (play) and need walking all day long. I read one article that says "if you don't have a stay at home job, don't get a husky". I had a shepherd prior to Cash. I knew about him getting exercise but what I thought and actuality aren't even close. I absolutely adore him and want to do everything possible to make him as happy and healthy as possible, while still having my own life. I feel like I can't go out because he responds and behaves best for me. He likes my mom and dad but they are clearly second. I feel rather "tied" to this dog because I spend all my time at home with this dog and the only area he's "calm" is my room (which is his room, where his crate is) but that's not fair to only be in one area (he's not but I know it's the one area he'll calm down). I don't want to always hope for what makes him calm or hope he goes to sleep. I want to do right by this dog, I want to have fun and play. I can't stop crying because I'm SO worried that I'm not going to be able to keep him if this keeps up every night or gets worse. I don't know if this is a puppy stage, a husky stage, or if this is "my life"....

Please let me know ANY and ALL thoughts you may have as you all are way more experienced. You can respond here or my personal email is azurebluedolphin@aol.com . I appreciate all your input more than you know. I absolutely love my baby and want him and I to have a great life.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.

Crissi

Welcome to the crazy world of husky puppies! He sounds like a typical energetic husky puppy. Is he getting any kinds of walks or is his main form of exercise around the house/yard? A short walk (5 min per month old) can do wonders for the energy. Training sessions will also help because mental stimulation also can tire them out.

There's lots of threads on here about bite inhibition in puppies. A quick search will bring those up. Good luck!

Are harnesses or collars better for leash training/walks?

I appreciate your post! I did some searches on here but wanted to give my situation first. He gets most of his exercise right now around the house or yard simply due to the weather. I plan on changing that tomorrow (honestly, it's going to finally be nice!)

Huskies are notorious for evening "zoomies" , the crazed running around, butt-tucked running, peeling out, etc. it's normal. The fact that it seems so crazy is because it sounds like he isn't getting enough stimulation throughout the day (mental and physical). When Kale was 4 months, we took a walk in the morning, then played soccer for about 45 mins. Nap time. Outside runs again in the afternoon, nap time, treat toys in the mid afternoon, zoomie time around 5-6pm, then wind down time, frozen kong, treat balls, something to make him think and tire out his brain. I think with added exercise and mental stimulation, he'll appear to be calmer, the frustration he is exhibiting will decrease and his nipping should calm (increased mouthiness can be a result of his frustration).

How long of a walk did you go on? Were you home all day with your puppy? What kind of things did you freeze in the kong? This is all new to me, my other dog didn't need or do anything with these.... lol What are treat balls and when you say mental stimulation, what do you mean? I know in humans what that would mean but not in dogs/huskies. I think he needs more too, but I am not sure WHAT during the days since I'm not here. Does the "zoominess" ever stop?

I can ditto what hypers said about zoomies lol. Im not sure the zoomies stop alltogether . my ups same age as yours but i can tell you my golden never outgrew the zoomies. Just did less

Your post reads a lot like what I just posted about being frustrated.

Kongs are really good little investment. You can put peanut butter, treats , their breakfast buy kong filling ( its like cheese whiz looking stuff) freeze the kong with its filling ( if you want it to be more of a challenge for them.

I realize that post seems disjointed...I'm terrible typing on a tablet. Sorry! I also meant to write that when he gets aggressive try stopping play time completely and ignoring him. It seemed to work for kiba. I used to say No Bite and just walk away and she would whine and cry. When she calmed down we resumed play.

You have to remember that just because he is a puppy doesn't mean he doesn't need exercise. I was walking Sheba for about 15-20 minutes when she was the same age. Mental stimulation means training games, obedience, leash training..all those sorts of things. Training can tire out a pup just as much as walking can. Laying around in the house and in a crate all day will make any dog/puppy go nuts!

While huskies don't require all of your time in the world, you should WANT to give any breed of dog all your time in the world!! I want to spend every minute of every day with my two girls! I can't get enough of them! When I'm at work, I miss them! When I'm out on a date with my boyfriend, I miss them! My dogs are never and will never be a "damper" in my social life. It kind of throws me off that you are afraid your dog will "take over your life". You should WANT your dog to be your life.

I think your pup is spending waayy too much time in his crate. Have you socialized him at all? Or has he just been sitting around in his crate and around the house? You need to socialize him and get him out about and in the world!

Also you might want to do a little bit more reading up on Siberians and Siberian puppies. There is a lot of helpful information on here!

Do you think the fact that I sit on the floor to play with him makes him not obey me as well, am I too close to being on his level and him thinking I am more of a playmate than leader?

THANK YOU ALL!!!!!

No.. That has slim to nothing to do with it. Have you ever been to a puppy training class?

No I wouldn't think that's it. I think you may have to try a few different methods to get results but that you can stop the biting over time. Ive seen a few good threads on biting idmreccomend checking out. Im no expert though and I've had days ( like today) where I'm frustrated with how it's all been going so I can feel your pain a bit.

Also Kelsey is right about walking the puppy. For every month of the dogs age is five minutes of walking time you can do with them. So for kiba being 4 months we usually go on one or two 15-20 min walks and have play time too. Helps a lot

Sheba&Kennedy- Please don't misunderstand my post, I adore my baby. Like you, I miss him when I'm at work and can't wait to get home to him. Ask anyone, he IS my baby. I love spending time with him, I'm just a little frustrated and feeling overwhelmed I guess. EVERYTHING in my life changed when we got him, which I guess I wasn't expecting. Believe me, I adore this dog and whenever I am home, which is typically every night and weekend, he's with me. We do work on obedience, leash training, etc... We play with his ball a lot which he loves. I will try stuffing the kongs, especially the freezing them. I have been hesitant to give him much besides his chicken and rice due to his tummy issues.

He's been out somewhat, he meets the neighbors and their dogs, he's been to meet some others, as well as the vet trips but he generally does great at the vet. I don't do dog parks. I live in such a weird area that I didn't want to walk him more until he was better on a leash, but I guess that's a catch 22 because he won't be better on a leash until he walks more.

KibaHope, thank you! Everything I heard was "a two hour walk" and that just sounded exhausting for every day. I will start walking him more tomorrow. And I will change what I'm doing with the biting tomorrow as well. I just got to a point tonight that I started crying, I couldn't figure out what to do and not do, not to mention I'm exhausted from work (I'm a toddler teacher, there are SO MANY similarities)!

thank you all who have posted, I appreciate your input so much.... any one else, keep them coming!!! You guys have definitely helped me calm down and feel sane!

When your mother gets him out during the day, one of the things she can do with him is out him through his "paces" per se. Make him sit, lay, whatever tricks you've taught him so far. Five minutes of that a couple times a day is really good mental stimulation. Also, invest in treat toys, I got Karli a kong wobbler for Christmas and she gets one meal a day out of it. Takes up about half an hour of her time and she usually takes a nap after she's done with it. Walk him for 20min at a time right now, since he's only 4 months old. Two walks a day would really help him a lot. Running in the back yard does not count as exercise, because that's his back yard and he's not getting the stimulation he needs back there. Are there any dog parks near you? Taking him to socialize with other dogs will help immensley. The dog park is one of the best inventions known to man in my opinion. Hopefully it gets better soon!

https://www.itsahuskything.com/t1646-puppy-bitting see this thread regarding the bitting. Yelling "OW!" worked well for us, but Karli didn't really have any biting issues to begin with.

Sounds like pent up energy to me. It's tough when the weather is horrible. I've been bad and haven't taken Lucian on a walk in quite some time. But I did get him to the dog park the other day. I try to play with him outside for a while, and do some training with him in the house. It helps out a lot. Puppies do get frustrating, I've been there not too long ago. Lucian still has issues we need to work on, but as long as I keep at it, and work with him, it can all be worked through. Hang in there, your not alone!

I REALLY have to disagree with taking a young 4 month old to a dog park.. I personally would never take a dog who isn't at least 6 months old and had all the puppy shots and rabies shot. So many bad things could happen at a dog park with SUCH a young puppy..

I know a lot of people on here have taken puppies that age and younger, but it's just my personal opinion.

Sheba&Kennedy wrote:

I know a lot of people on here have taken puppies that age and younger, but it's just my personal opinion.

Rabies is usually given around 4 months of age. At least here it is. Of course I would wait until all the vaccines are given to take the pup to the dog park. I assume at 4 months of age, rabies and everything else was already given.

I wouldn't give a pup rabies at 4 months of age. Like I said, this is all just my personal opinion. Nobody has to agree with me, but it's just what I think. I haven't ever given a rabies until at least 6 months of age. To me, 4 months is too young. But I also follow a limited vaccine protocol.

I took kale on a 20-25 minute walk morning and evening. Look up Kong Wobbler, Everlasting Fun Ball, Tricky Treat Ball. All of those are great withhelping drain mental energy. Leash training, dog park, and training sessions. I did 20 minute sessions with Kale since he is so focused. Regular Kongs filled with canned 95% meat dog food, then frozen, great for when you need a break. I was with Kale 24/7, he went everywhere with me, and still does, pet stores, my college classes (vet tech), Starbucks, farmers markets, etc. the more experiences and places you take them, the more well-adjusted and socialized they will be.

ETA- rabies in my county is required at 4 months. If caught without one, there's a $500 fee, plus possible impounding. Plus they won't be fixed, so if impounded, they must be spayed/neutered before release. Spayed at 4 months? No thanks! Lol

Azurebluedolphin wrote:

( I'm a toddler teacher, there are SO MANY similarities)!

This is so funny to me. I tell people this all the time about Saphire. But you said it right there. When your pup does something that is frustrating, think about how you would handle it with one of your toddlers. And remember your routine. Toddler's without a routine are trouble. Same goes for your Husky.

I agree with everyone else a little more mental and physical exercise should solve the problem. I know its miserable when its cold and yucky out but my husky LOOOOVVVEEEESSS that weather best. Even a block or two when the weather is bad is better than nothing.

As for being tied to your pup and not being able to do anything. Start looking for fun things to do with your pup. You may have to wait until your pup is fully vaccinated, but take your pup with you when you can. Lots of stores in our area are pet friendly, so I take Saphire any time I can. This way I feel less guilty if I leave her home for drinks out with the girls.

Keep your head up. I had these days in the beginning too. But they will pass.

Agree with everything Brooke said.

The dog park can be great, but if he hasn't been socialized much yet, maybe see if you can meet up with someone you know that has a puppy friendly dog. I've seen far too many dogs that just get thrown into the mix at the dog park when they're still pretty young and it seems to overwhelm some. Maybe work up to that?

But I think everyone has days where they feel a little overwhelmed with everything. Training a puppy is hard work, but definitely work it in the end!

Quote :

I absolutely adore him and want to do everything possible to make him as happy and healthy as possible, while still having my own life. I feel like I can't go out because he responds and behaves best for me. He likes my mom and dad but they are clearly second. I feel rather "tied" to this dog because I spend all my time at home with this dog

in regards to your social life! ---

Since Cash is almost 4 months old, he should soon be fully vaccinated.. Perhaps, once he has received all of his vaccinations, you could start taking him out places with you. This would not only allow you to regain a bit of your social life back, but will also provide great stimulation for Cash, as well as seriously valuable socialization and excellent opportunities to apply your training with him in more distracting places (you can work on those leash skills!) Once my girl Maya was fully vaccinated, I began bringing her nearly EVERYWHERE with me! From conventional doggie places such as the pet store and the dog park; to short car rides so I could run errands (things such as the bank, where I would not be required to leave my car); to friends' houses and even social gatherings/ parties (don't worry, nothing too outrageous or rambunctious by any means ); and finally, hikes in the woods and many walks around various areas of the city (I live in the suburbs of Philadelphia, so a trip to the city is only a half hour drive for me) Basically, when you don't have work (evenings, weekends), perhaps try to incorporate Cash into some of the activities that you enjoy doing outside of the home environment! It will probably feel great for the both of you

Azurebluedolphin wrote:

I will try stuffing the kongs, especially the freezing them. I have been hesitant to give him much besides his chicken and rice due to his tummy issues.

You can always stuff the Kong with his normal chicken and rice, and freeze it. It will be his normal meal, but he has to work for it to get it. I bet he would love it.

Quote :

I REALLY have to disagree with taking a young 4 month old to a dog park.. I personally would never take a dog who isn't at least 6 months old and had all the puppy shots and rabies shot. So many bad things could happen at a dog park with SUCH a young puppy..

It all depends on where you live, but here rabies is required by law (dogs get a tag when they get the shot and have to wear it) and they technically aren't allowed to go to the dog park without it. Also, a lot of dog parks here wont allow dogs in them until they're five months old. I didn't mean that she take the puppy before it had all its shots, that's just asking for trouble. We didn't take Karli til she was fully vaccinated.

Do you have friends that have dogs? When I wanted to socialize Karli before I could take her to the dog park, I took her over to meet my friend's dogs and play with them. She is now fearless at the dog park and her favorite dogs to play with are pits and dobermans (my girlfriend had two dobermans who were the first dogs Karli ever met). It may help if she could play with other dogs. Good for socialization as well.

And I take Karli on all my errands with me. I bring a kong and she goes at it while I do what I gotta do. Any store she can come into I take her in with me and everyone just loves her and she gets treats and pets. Most of the fast food or coffee shops around here have puppy treats (we discovered this when we got coffee the other day lol) and she got a free ice cream at dairy queen once lol.