Hi everyone,

I made a post a few weeks back about Royce, my 9 month Husky. I apologize to anyone who posted and I didn't respond.
My wife and I love him to death, but some of his habits seem to be a bit out of control. He always has a ton of energy (which, obviously, is normal for a husky), but he constantly bites, plays a little too rough with the other dog and has pretty much chewed on everything in our apartment. We let him run in the backyard and take him for walks, practically all of the time, but we had to cut the "by myself in the backyard," when he came back into the house and his paws were covered in dirt and we realized he had been digging to get into our neighbors yard, so, until we know he's better, I have to go out there with him to monitor his behavior.

I've noticed a suggestion that everyone makes is to take him to a trainer, which I agree with 100%. Unfortunately, we can't afford a trainer, but it seems as though it's our only option. Does anyone know of a trainer who is on the cheaper side, who can help us? I want nothing, but the best for Royce, and I know that a trainer would be a huge milestone for us, and especially for him.

Are you in the city or burbs?

Lincoln Park area. Unfortunately, I don't have access to a car, so it'll be tough for me to get to far destinations.

Siberian's have a rough style of play that is normal for the breed.

How much time are you dedicating to structured exercise? If he's an only dog "alone time in the backyard" won't do anything for him. Based off of the information you offered in your post - Royce sounds like an understimulated and underexercised dog. Digging in the backyard is most likely due to being bored in this case. The destruction of things is most likely boredom as well. I'm basing this solely off of the information you've offered in your post.

These behavioral problems (aside from the rough play) can really be fixed with upping the amount of exercise you give him and mental stimulation he is getting. Biting can be curbed/redirected by placing toys in his mouth (teaching him proper things to chew/bite) and beginning bite inhibition training.

Not really things you need a trainer for unless you don't feel that you know enough about dogs/dog training or that these problems are exacerbated to a degree that you can't handle.

NewHuskyMan132 wrote:

we realized he had been digging to get into our neighbors yard, so, until we know he's better, I have to go out there with him to monitor his behavior.

I don't have my husky yet, so I haven't looked into training facilities in this area.
I have been researching the breed for 6 months and I've learned that Huskies do not "get better" when it comes to digging. Digging is a natural instinct for this breed. There are some good books out there that have advice for dealing with these irritating (it might be helpful to see them as funny) innate instincts-- "The Siberian Husky" by Lori Long and "Siberian Huskies for Dummies"
"Before and after you get your puppy" by Ian Dunbar has some great all around advice as well. One trick is to give the bad habit a name, and train the dog to do it on command. For example, you can train your pup to "dig" by burying a bone in a sandbox and saying "dig!" This will set up to train the dog that it is okay to dig in designated areas, but not in off limit areas.

I'd agree with Ceara, it sounds like he could use some more exercise. Walks are great for seeing new things, practicing manners, and bonding and stuff, but I wouldn't call a walk intense exercise. It's not the type of exercise he's gonna come back and pass out for a few hours after, even if it's good for getting his legs stretched.
Maybe you could look into if there's a humane society near you, they usually have pretty decent priced classes, just research any trainer you go to first, of course So that you think you'll see eye to eye on their methods. Group classes are nice because he can practice staying focused amidst lots of distraction as well. Even if he's got the basics down, you can meet new people and it should do great things for tiring the little man out on those days.
Does he have any games for mental stimulation? Treat toys and what not? Short training sessions are good for that too. Or bringing them somewhere new. New things to sniff, sights to see, that always knocks mine out for a good long time.
Does he fetch? I know it's not really a husky thing, but mine LOVES it, and it tires her out really well. Think of it as tennis vs. walking. They get to run in short bursts, it takes a lot of energy to stop their momentum and double back to bring you the ball/toy/etc. And he can stop when he's had enough.
Also redirecting the digging is a good tip.

Tamara from miss daisys manners for paws is based out of Buffalo Grove, I'm not sure of her rates or the distance from here that she's willing to travel but you could look into her. She also owns a small healthy dog treat business and there is info for her training on the treat site, tammysdelights.com. shes very nice and works with you to make sure your able to impliment what she teaches, she uses positive reinforcement. Her treats are awesome to, when we give the dog's a treat amd my nephews around we have to pull one out for him also, its all human grade ingredients and completely sage so we have no problem letting him eat them! But check Tammy out she might be able to help you out.

Well, I will be honest here LOL. Training is not going to help much on the problems that you are having. All of the undesirable activities that you are describing are typical behavior of a Husky. I would say he is doing those things because of boredom. How long do you walk him per day?

First, regarding the chewing of your things. Redirect him everytime you catch him chewing on something that he shouldn’t. Nikko has chewed his share of things, hats, paper, credit cards, remote control, coasters, etc. Get him some nylabones, or something that he will be more interested in rather than your stuff.

For his playing rough and biting, there are a few things. Again, when he starts nipping, yelling OUCH! Or telling him NO can work, and give him a toy to chew on instead of you. Huskies are known for playing rough, so what exactly is he doing to the other dog? I find that my two will appear to play rough, and Nikko will grab Yukon by the neck and shake him around, and he will yelp, but then a few seconds later they are back at it. I have learned to just let them go at it, if there is no blood then they must be fine. They usually sort it out.

Now, for the digging! If I go to my friends with Nikko and leave him on a tie out, he will dig and dig and dig. He has dug quite a few holes, so either I just deal with it or don’t leave him alone. I would suggest he only gets monitored time in the backyard because he WILL dig if he is bored, or wants to get out. They are escape artists! One question, is he fixed? If not, maybe there is a female dog he wants to get to. A friend of mine saw two dogs mating through a chain link fence!

Although training won’t do much for the specific problems you’re having, I strongly recommend training anyway. There is a PetSmart in Lincoln Park you can take him to. It’s not the best training out there, but it is reasonably priced and will at least give him some structure.

Good luck!

Have you considered sending him to a doggy daycare for a day or two each week? We started doing that with our puppy right after he was neutered. In fact, it's his favorite place to go! He loves it and thrives there. It has been great for his socialization and it has also taught him how to plat nice with other dogs.

Admittedly, I don't give him as much exercise as he deserves, mainly because I've been on the job search hunt for quite some time, which takes a lot of energy and time out of the day. We just bought him $50 worth of toys, which has definitely changed his attitude from being bored to loving every minute, but I know I need to start taking him to the park and letting him run, until he starts to slow down.

I did look into some doggy daycares, which would be perfect for him, but it goes back to money issue. The ones that are close to me, charges upwards of $100 a day, which wouldn't be a problem, if I had the money to support it.

Yesterday, I took him outside a played with him for a solid hour and when he came back inside, he hit the floor and fell asleep for a very long time, which, in my personal opinion, is a miracle in this household, so this will be a routine that I'll make sure to keep up with.

That's awesome! Yeah, even when things get really busy and stressful here, I find that the hour it takes to wear mine down pays off in good behavior, happy puppy, and stress relief. And it's much easier to get things done when you don't have a husky zooming around and misbehaving to get your attention.
Doggy daycare is expensive..
Have you looked around for doggy playtimes? A lot of places, at least here, host them. And while you can't just drop them off and pick them up later, the events usually only last an hour or so and are way cheaper. Playing with a bunch of other pups will leave him drooling at your feet for a good while. Another hour investment that might make your life easier