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Hi, all.

Nya is now 10 weeks old, and she is completely housebroken. I thought I would have had an issue with it at this point, but she's been a breeze. However, I do let her out frequently.

Though the reason I'm posting is that she wants to be outside all the time. I keep the blinds up at the back door, otherwise she will deem it as a toy for her to chew and tug at. Sometimes she will sit at the door and whine to be let outside. I know she doesn't have to go because I will have just taken her out, and she did both #1 and #2.

I may have mistakenly obliged a few times to her whining because it had been awhile since I last let her out, so I thought that may be why she's whining. When I do take her out at these moments, she may or may not go, and then she just sits in the grass refusing to move. I take her out for an extended period of time every morning, afternoon, and evening. Most of the time, she just spends it sitting and watching. We're still working on walking on a leash.

I suppose my source of frustration is that I can't take her out every 30 minutes just because she whines. Is there a way to combat this? She has plenty of toys and things to chew on. I try to play with her, but I also have other things I need to do. Sometimes the best moments are when she's asleep, so I can focus on getting something done. Any advice?

Hi, I hope it is okay if I chime in with my 2 cents worth

I agree with all the above advice, AND I have also found an age-old remedy for diarrhea (at least a temporary one) although it doesn't cure anything if there are underlying causes, but it will help and has been recommended and approved by the various veterinarians I have consulted over the years.

#1: Buy some good boneless skinless chicken breasts (and read the package or check with the butcher to make sure it is not injected with tenderizers/salt/juices etc)

#2 Rice (I like to use white, but you can use brown)

Boil the chicken breasts in plenty of water for maybe 30 min (even more), then set them out to cool.  You can cut them up and freeze in small portions. Leave enough chicken out for maybe a day or two, but freeze the rest.

Boil (or steam if you have a steamer) the rice, using more water than necessary (like 3 cups water to 1 cup rice) and cook until that rice has absorbed the water.  This will give you some water-logged rice and well cooked, which is good.

Chop maybe 1 cup of your cooked and cooled chicken into tiny cubes, the smaller the better, minced is good.

After the rice cools, mix even portions with the chopped/minced chicken (like 1 cup rice to 1 cup chicken, or 1/2 cup rice to 1/2 cup chicken).  You can even add a little more water to the mix if it looks a bit dry.

Feed this to your pup maybe 3X per day for a day or even two. Don't feed any other food (but provide plenty of fresh water).

This is a sure cure for diarrhea, at least in my experience ...although it doesn't cure any underlying causes of diarrhea.

You could also add rice to any of the above suggestions from people (like add rice to the cooked turkey, etc).

Aside from her meds, switching foods often causes diarrhea, even switching up from a puppy food to an adult food.  Also I agree with everybody above who stated that your pup is too young to be eating adult food as opposed to puppy food.

Years ago, I recall that purina puppy chow had milk in it (milk solids?).  Some dogs are allergic to dairy, and maybe that could have played a part before you switched to adult food?

I use Taste of the Wild, there are 2 good flavors for puppies (and many more for adults).
Make sure you transition your pup slowly when switching foods.  Start with the regular food adding just a small amt. of the new food.  Gradually mix in more of the new food, every day, so that the change doesn't happen all at once.  Sibes are notorious for having sensitive stomachs, haha.

I hope I don't sound like I am trying to be a know-it-all here.  It's just that I speak from experience and research   in addition to listening to my veterinarians

Good luck and keep us posted!

Holy Cow! I'm sorry my "2 cents worth" was so long! haha

Last weekend I took Jack up on a 4 summit adventure, i knew it would be to much for Sierra so she stayed home.
we hit 2 ranked and 2 unranked 13ers.
Santa Fe Peak- 13,180ft-ranked
Sullivan Mt.- 13,134ft- unranked
Geneva Peak-13,266ft- ranked
Landslide Peak-13,238ft- unranked
Took us 5hrs 57min, and we did 7.6 miles RT and gained 3,100ft of elevation.
link to our tracks
https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=zg-snrdqJx-c.k1QOzCZbNhpQ&usp=sharing

the drive up was not near as scary as the drive back down the old dirt mine road, i had white knuckles and thought we might roll over a few times, that's what happens when you drive up something half asleep at 6am, you don't think about the return trip!
We had a lovely solo day on the mountains and every time i have Jack out he impresses me with his skills and off leash behavior, love that boy.
Ok on to some pictures.


where i ditched the car


all the peaks in view


heading to santa fe


santa fe summit #1


views






Sullivan mt summit #2 looking back to santa fe


looking towards Geneva pk, next summit


Jack telling me to hurry up






Geneva Pk summit #3


looking towards Landslide pk, final summit














Landslide pk summit #4


and now to go back and do them all over again!


found a bone to something


















back up Sullivan mt


last stretch home




and just before we found the car.

then i had to figure out how to get my self turned around with no one telling me when i have gone to far so i don't end up over the side of the mountain. I figured it out and we got down, now i really want a Jeep!

hope you enjoyed all the pictures.

Till our next adventure...

Hey guys,

Kygo has developed a new quirk. It has been raining a ton in the midwest and will continue throughout the summer. When I take Kygo out, he will absolutely refuse to walk on the wet grass. I have tried walking with his prong collar, enticing with treats, and walking around the block but everytime he gets near the wet grass, he stops in his tracks and will not move an inch. It's to the point where he will potty just a little but then when i bring him back inside, 10 minutes later i find that he went to the bathroom (#1 AND #2) in the hallway. He knows it's wrong and always does it by the front door but i have only been able to catch him in the act once. I tell him no, then clean it up but with the outlook on the forecast, this needs to be broken.. Tips?

Everything is growing and Sierra is eating all my zucchini, squash, and cucumber plants  and she got a hold of the Water Hyacinth in the pond and ate it (not safe for dogs i found out)

some updated pics.


i put in on the left a iris Louisiana, and the small one in front is a water snowflake, on right  is a cattail and the tall green thing is a saururus cernus. the floating thing was the hyacinth. only know cause i still have receipt with me for all the names.
need to get some duckweed for the top now and my water lily


this is in front of the house by the steps, blooming now.


snow in summer going crazy and the Russian sage is growing, the bushes in between are also regrowing


filling back in, week or so from blooming i think, and my weeping mulberry is leafing


state flower, Columbine

now to the back

yarrow is blooming and the front red flower is new, tried a few versions of lavender and they never come back so i gave up.


full view of the corner bed, want to try a butterfly bush in the bear left. my iris's have no shoots on them, not sure if that late snow killed them or not, im sad about it. giant lilac in the middle, started as a small twig from costco!


my shade corner from hell, dogs tromping nothing growing, almost giving up. but my miss kim lilac does well, on the right. the new plants around it has small white flowers on them, will they live or will they die...


other side with my weeping birch and more shade ground cover that is not spreading. i really hate this bed, its my least fav of everything. i know what i should do redo all the soil but that sounds like hell, and i just put new mulch down this yr. maybe next  yr...


raised bed #1, on left basil, cucumber, cherry tomato, to the right herbs of all kinds, and my strawberries that i never get to eat.


raised bed #2, Sierra's salad bar.  it had cucumbers, zucchini, squash and cherry tomatoes, tomatoes are the only thing untouched by her

once things start blooming i will do close ups. all this rain is driving me mad.

oh and my inside pride

its about 7rys old and it blooms every spring

Awesome replies guys. His name is Cider now but considering changing to Kygo, Kilo (I'm a weightlifter), or Kokanee (old dog friend.. Would use "Koka") pic below!

He is chipped so that is #1 this weekend getting the info changed over. I planned to transition him to TOTW. Unfortunately, he hardly ate at his last adopters and is around 30lbs..very skinny. Will beef him up slowly with high protein wet food, pb, coconut oil and transition slowly with TOTW (using natures variety(?) now). Plan to price vetbeds tomorrow but will use old blankets for the time being. My husky shepherd tore every thing in sight his first few months with us!


https://i.imgur.com/T4KHmSt.jpg

Rachel ,

No joke you just brought tears to my eyes.  You should pay zero attention  to any negative comments from anyone on here or any dog trainer you encounter.  You are committed to your dogs and open to suggestions on improving their Iives with you.  You should be proud and honored by that devotion and that bravery.  Admitting mistakes or problems is how we strive towards improvement and betterment.  

You should post videos if you'd like to.

Are you open to prong collars and/or e collars?   How does more calmness and peaceful coexistence sound with the addition of good obedience and you as your dog's #1 priority?

If you are open to those then I can try to find someone in your area to talk to and , hopefully,  work with. You are going to need to have a more nuanced conversation with your dogs of Yes and No as well as provide them with more boundaries and structure.   They'll need to spend way more time in command at all times for a while .  Less free time, less impulse, and less arousal.  

How does that sound?

Our new babies…Zeus and Zena   They will be eight weeks on Tuesday.  They are doing pretty awesome with crate and leash training/in and out of home.  They love to go outside and I practically have to drag them back inside, lol.  They are indoor huskies, but not sure they are pleased with that.  They love running around on the pool deck and have even stuck a paw or two in the water already.  Zena is a crazy howler/talker already…has to always tell me all about it.  Zeus seems to enjoy barking more than howling, but will get going with her.  He’s more chill and she’s a bit on the high-strung spectrum…haha!!  I stay at home with them all day, so they are only crated at night and when I need to run out somewhere.  Zeus is a rockstar when it comes to the potty department and has never had an accident inside.  Zena is more of a diva and does not like to wait longer than two whines at the door.  You better have your sprinting shoes on or you’ll be cleaning up after her…though only #1, has always gone #2 outside.  They both want to drink water like they have been walking in the desert for a week.  At six and a half weeks Zeus weighed 9.6 lbs and Zena weighed 7.3.  Zeus’s dad is a big boy, too!!  They go to the vet on the 21st at 8 weeks and I will have them weighed again.  He looks to be twice the size of her, but she can hold her own!!  They half cousins.  Their dads are half brothers…share the same dad and have different moms.  Both of the litters were born on the same day.  It has been neat to look through their pedigree/bloodlines!!  They are eating Canidae Pure for puppies…seem to be doing pretty good on it so far.  Even after researching for more than a year on this breed, nothing can quite prepare you fully!!!  I have seen MANY Husky traits in the short time I have had them home.  They have me laughing one minute and pulling my hair out the next..hahahaa!!!  Can’t wait to watch them grow 

Zeus’s parents.  Mom is on the left and dad is on the right.


Zeus at 1 week.

Zeus at 2 weeks.

Zeus at 3 weeks.

Zeus at 4 weeks.

Zeus at 5 weeks.

Zeus at 6 weeks.

Zeus at 7 weeks.


Zena’s parents.  Dad is on the left and mom is on the right.  


Zena at 1 week.

Zena at 2 weeks.

Zena at 3 weeks.

Zena at 4 weeks.

Zena at 5 weeks.

Zena at 6 weeks.

Zena at 7 weeks.


Zeus and Zena




I thought Zena’s left eye was going to turn brown, but as the time passes, it is a mix of green with a bluish and hazel color.  This isn’t the best pic, will have to try for another with outside natural light as it is gorgeous!!


Look Mom…we know the water is up there!!



Always sleeping buddies!! Had to use one of my old baby gates to keep them away from the 100+ year-old wooden kitchen table!!!

But what about duration work in the crate, in Down, or on a bed or mat? Will she stay somewhere and not get up prior to being released?

One of the most effective and easy ways to work on separation anxiety is by providing your dog with a LOT of structure and foundation that essentially works by narrowing her world view a bit to make her feel secure and functional.

It's very good that she gets little affection. Affection is probably the #1 cause of separation anxiety because it makes the difference between you around and not around very emotionally charged and dramatic. It might even help if your praise and remaining affection is lowered in intensity and reduced.

But one thing for sure you can do now is provide her with more structure at home and keep her in command more than in free time. This will absolutely slow her mind down a bit and chop away at some of that anxiety.

Anxiety is a state of mind, an unhealthy one. Structure and foundation protocols in training work to calm that state of mind and create more of a healthy balance mentally for the dog.

So more duration in the crate, in a Down, or in Place, which is a bed or mat or cot or rug . Place is loose, so she can sit or stand or lay down . So long as she's on that item. It's like doggie meditation.

If you would Ike video references please let me know.

For me it was between HealthyPaws and Trupanion, but Trupanion would have been too pricey for my dog and cat, so I went with HealthyPaws which came out to $50 for both pets. Haven't had to use it yet, thank goodness, so I'm hoping its great insurance. It's #1 on an article about other pet insurance companies.

A proper Release command is a basic foundation protocol that should be implemented across the board.  So, positions, all thresholds such as doorways, gates, crates, waiting for food, on walks with peeing, marking, meandering, sniffing, socializing, and play indoors.  

Impulse control is a fundamentally basic problem that rears its head in all of these areas, so unless you manage all of the areas that it show up, you are not going to be able to properly tackle a dog's impulse control issues----> the #1 thing that prevents overall calmness in a dog.

So, you have to implement a Release command across the board.  It will ease the dog's mind and teach deference to you.  

As you are training, Yes should only mark a correct response to a command and not be a Release.  But what you want is full compliance.    So, Down does NOT mean *down until you cash in on your treat then do whatever you want*, it DOES means *down until I tell you what to do next.*

It looks like this:

-Down
-dog goes down
-Yes (Very calmly and ideally without a treat.  You don't want to evoke excitement here.  I personally do not nor do I recommend training basic default positions with treats because it triggers Release).
-Walk away, wait, whatever.  
-dog gets up.
-No (calmly, but sternly.  It's "I don't agree" not "I'm mad at you.")
-leash correction
-guidance back to position and Down
-Walk away, wait, whatever
-Release (can be Okay, or Here, or Come, etc)

Choose what Release you want and that will be your consistent command at all areas listed at the beginning of this post.

Notice there is no Stay.  With true compliance, Stay is not needed because the dog is taught to await Release at all times.


With distractions, your dog is still young so the attention span is pretty short.  But, you can practice distractions in two ways:

-as you've mentioned with getting them to go Down with distractions
-or staying in Down with added distractions

A great way to test and practice is with a bag of treats.  Since distraction / duration training is intensely more difficult, it is definitely appropriate to use treats.   With a bag of treats you're adding a very tangible motivator for compliance.  It looks like this:


-Down
-dog goes down
-Yes
-Walk away and grab the treats and make noise with them
-dog gets up.
-No (calmly, but sternly.  It's "I don't agree" not "I'm mad at you.")
-leash correction
-guidance back to position and Down
-Walk away and repeat with the treats
-Release with your Recall command and then reward with the treats

If you give your dog something tangible like this to work for, the exercise has more clarity and you'll get better results.

If you think the verbal marker Yes is triggering Release, then you can just start cutting it and adding Good or even just mark silently with a nod or body language.

With Sit at a distance, there's a combo of 2 things you can do.

1)  Correct for any movement towards you if there's distance between you.  Say Sit from a distance, and the split second he moves forward, correct him by marking "No" or whatever verbal cue you use, the guide him (if he's on leash) back to the correct position or wait for him to stop moving forward, then say Sit again and when he does, praise and reward.  If he doesn't stop moving forward at your verbal marker then you aren't doing it convincingly enough.  Project your body language forward when you mark for NO, think of it like projecting a force field between you like you're a Street Fighter character.   Also, have him on leash and tie him to something so that he actually can not close the distance, and command him to Sit from there.  He won't be able to come to you, and when he sits, reward and praise.

2) Whenever you actually do want him to Sit in front or beside you, recall him to that position and guide him there.  So you need to start commanding closing the distance if you want him near  you, and commanding just a Sit if you don't want him near you.  Sit this way will require your Recall command first, and then Sit secondarily.   

He needs to know the difference between Sit    and     Here/Come...Sit.  


Sit from Down is very tough for whatever reason.  That just seems to be a very difficult thing for any dog to understand, as the tendency is to Stand, not Sit.

So, that said, you need to teach him a Stand command, which you can do by simply marking Yes while he is standing in conjunction to saying Stand, and then rewarding and praising.

A Sit from Down will require on leash physical guidance, which is just one hand on the leash gently guiding up from Down and the other hand on his butt gently pushing down to prevent the back legs from rising to Stand.  

You just have to physically guide the body to position and condition the muscle memory with the Sit command by preventing Stand.  So, if you teach Stand in and of itself, and use this physical guidance to a Sit from Down, it will become two distinct behaviors for him that you can mark and reward.


With my dog from Down I command Up when I want a Stand and I just use my flat palm of my hand moving up above my head, like holding a tray of food. I have a hand signal for Sit, generally, which is just index finger #1 and then he Sits rather than Stands.

I have actually never taught Stand as a command, it's just two separate hand signals from Down that I use and that works for my dog.

Ashley,
 
   thanks for answering our questions with so much clarity.  This will be so much easier to address what's going on.

I'll keep your format here and respond to your answers one by one in red.  All I'm gonna do is respond to what's given.   I will make suggestions and maybe clarify some things.  In no way am I judging you or criticizing, just trying to react to what's given and offer ways to help that you can consider.  You can ask more questions or ask for clarifications, etc.

What are you walking him on (type of collar or harness)?

He is walked on a basic collar.  He pulled more using his harness

It's very good that you are not using a harness.  Harnesses in general are not very useful tools at all for walking larger dogs on a day to day structured walk, even less so for reactive dogs like yours.  Basic collars are ideal for ideal dogs who are non-reactive and polite.  Your dog is not either of those, so you need to up your game a bit to properly address his behavior problems.  Have you considered walking him with a prong collar?  

The advantage and benefit of a prong collar for a reactive dog is that it allows you to have a pretty detailed conversation with your dog with very minimal effort and they are very unobtrusive and gentle.  The conversation is basically Yes and No, I agree with this, I do not agree with that.  All you have to do is rotate your wrist and you can give your dog substantial information about his behavior.  

With your dog, the escalation goes from zero to 10 in a split second.  The key to addressing this is prevention, so the split second you see the eyes lock and the ears erect and forward you give a firm correction with prong collar and deescalate his mind from going overboard and causing problems. But, he has to be in proper position to do this.  Your dog is also walking ahead of you, which is not good for a few reasons.  One is that he is more tuned in to his senses and impulses than he is to you.  Two is that once he is stimulated, you are behind him and thus any input you give is strengthening his output as opposed to countering his output.  Three is that any tension you feel or give will translate through the leash and onto his body, making him alert and tense and on the prowl.  

All of this can be prevented and corrected with the use of a prong collar and having him walk beside you in a heel position.  With a reactive dog, treats and praise and basic collars or harnesses won't work because they are too driven by their impulses and once they are stimulated, the draw of the impulses is too strong to counter.  It's time to start preventing those impulses and establishing more boundaries and structure to your walks which can easily be done with a prong collar and a proper heel.  

When you see these dogs do you tense up or start pulling in the leash?

In this case I did tense up.  I have a slipped disk in my back so I pulled him over to the side so they could pass as we had no other way to go.  He gets very excited when he sees anyone, dog or person.



 Again, here is a lot of the same of what I just said, but even more so due to your injury.  Your margin for error with your dog is smaller with less physical strength so you would be better off using tools that require less effort with more results, which is a prong collar.

By pulling him off to the side, you are creating tension and making a bigger deal out of the situation than he is doing himself.

 Eventually, once you achieve a better structured walk with more  boundaries and proper corrections, you won't have to steer to the side.  Your job with your dog should be to walk when walking, that's it.  I think it would be a very good idea to eliminate all socializing on walks until you can walk with him in a solid heel and get to be non-reactive.  You want to narrow his impulses to you and your walk, that's it.  Walking is heavy duty symbolic work for a dog and with your dog you need to reduce his impulses by narrowing his focus onto you and that's it. He should be heeling and *released* with Okay to do anything while walking: sniffing, marking, peeing, pooping, meandering, etc.  Take all of his drive and focus onto you and your walk, give him structure, and give him commands to break from that structure.

Your absolute #1 priority is to stay stable and calm and cool the whole time on a walk.  If you say Good Boy, or say No, or if you pet your dog or correct your dog, it should all be in the same tone with the same energy.  This includes seeing other people or dogs.  If you get excited, so will your dog.  If you stay calm, your dog will too. Nervous? Tense? Scared? Same thing, so will your dog

How do you respond to his outburst? Do you tense up, get scared, correct him, redirect him??

I tell him to leave it or if possible we turn and walk in a different direction. His "huskiness" takes over when he sees anyone, and therefore forgets his commands.


 "Huskiness" is just prey drive let loose because you are expecting too little from him and allowing him to be impulsive.  Once you work on that, your dog can be more of a dog and less of a "Husky."  That sounds horrible, but if you think about it, it's true.  We use breed to justify bad behavior, brattiness, disobedience, and impulsiveness all the time.  It doesn't have to be that way.  You just have to counter that Huskiness with stronger boundaries and structure and expectations, and it will go away.  I promise you.  You should be able to walk your dog calmly and you can if you create more rules and enforce them, because walking an impulsive, reactive "Husky" kinda sucks.  With a dog like this you absolutely have to have accountability for all commands.  Correct your dog for breaking command.  A command does no good whatsover if your dog can break it as he pleases.  Once you give him this structure and these expectations his mind will settle, as will his impulses, and he can start acting more like a dog and less like a "Husky."

How does he walk with you? Pulling, ahead of you, beside you, heeling??

He walks ahead of us on a loose leash.  He never took to heeling even though we spent a lot of time on it at home and in training classes.


More of the same here.  His Huskiness has taken over you and your walks and I'm going to assume you attended positive reinforcement training classes, yes? no?  The problem with this type of training with a Husky is that the rewards you offer do not outweigh their impulses and without corrections and proper structure or rules the impulses run wild, rendering your commands and rewards irrelevant.


Is he really impulsive on walks: peeing, marking , sniffing, meandering, lunging, socializing whenever he wants to?

This is a tough one to answer, he does meander on walks. Even though we live in a suburb, there are many areas without sidewalks so we are stuck walking on grass or in streets.  He also is EXTREMELY picky about where he poops.  He won't do it in the grass, only on mulch, trees he can get his back legs up on, bushes, plants, and piles of things like snow, leaves or dirt.  He does socialize a lot.  He doesn't like to walk passed people without saying hello to them.  He does sniff a lot and does mark often.  He does listen to his commands, Gee, Haw, On By, and one I made up Potty or Leave It - to stop his constant sniffing of spots and it works wonders. But if there is something he wants his attention goes to that.  For the most part he is an excellent walker.

 You should get the drift by now in terms of his escalating excitement, impulsiveness, and why he ignores commands.  When I, and Jen below, walk our dogs they do not socialize with any dogs or people.  Why?  Because it causes excitement and impulses and detract from our mission, which is to walk with a dog engaged to us.  Your dog socializes a lot because you let him, and socializing gets him in trouble because he has not been trained how to properly handle it.  So, don't allow him to socialize on walks, especially by his own solicitation or impulse.  Get him walking engaged to you with a prong collar and in a heel and narrow his worldview and his stimulation, and you will transform his mind and his emotions into a calmer, more balanced state.  THEN, when you wish to allow him, you can release him with Okay and let him socialize when you want on your terms.  This will calm him down, teach him to trust you and defer to you, and teach him that he needs to filter his impulses through you.  These are the foundational steps needed to combat this aggressiveness you are seeing, which is really just pent up anxiety and frustration because his impulsiveness is driving him into a state of imbalance. Now, you need to balance him and calm his impulsiveness down.

I'll stop here and let Jen respond to her questions. She's going to give you excellent tips and suggestions and really enjoy responding.   But, knowing what she will say, I hope with her and I's responses you see a pattern here for your plan of action and have gotten to know the root of the problem you are seeing a little bit better.   Let me know if you want more details about anything or if you have more questions.

Here's a great video about introducing a prong collar

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Nf0bA9sudM

And one on the benefit and method of a proper heel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kv75lADEbRM

Great..... #1 - my husky walks off leash with me, however I did extensive training with an e-collar, never trust a husky, they will take off if not trained. My neighbor's husky must be leashed, since he wasn't trained in any capacity. So yes you can walk off leash, but I suggest having a professional help in training with an e-collar so you know how to properly use it. I do not know of anyone on this site that will walk off leash without the use of an e-collar(it is somewhat a controversial issue).

#2 - I did not crate train, however I believe that is a must with a young husky, or like myself the rare occasion, I put my girl in our work shop, I doggy proof and leave her treats, and this is after extensive exercising. She is 2 years old. I recommend crate training and use of a crate for young huskies when left alone, for their safety as well as your house. As they age, some do mellow out and can be trusted. I try to emphasize to new people that crates are not a punishment, most huskies need a "den" that is theirs, a quiet place. My neighbors crate their 3 year old husky. This leads to question 3, since you mentioned doggy door. I rarely leave my girl alone, and typically it's a few times a year for 2-3 hours max.

#3 - I do not have a fence at all, if she's out, one of us is out with her. My neighbors do have a 4 or  5 foot fence in their front yard, because he is out their when they are home he has never tried to go over nor tried to dig under. However, they do have an enormous crate/kennel in the back yard for when they go to work, because he is an escape artist, they had to put a roof on top, and cement the bottom, because he would climb over and dig under.

A lot of this is personality, my girl is well exercised, my neighbors is not, he will try and run every chance he gets. Miya wants to be with her people, I'm outside to ensure she will not take off after a small animal, through our e-collar training I do have 95% (please see this, I am saying I am not 100%) confidence she will not take off, especially if I had to warn her. There are some folks here who are successful with an e-fence. My best suggestion is to use the search function and read some threads on the off leash issue, e-collar, and e-fence. Ask as many questions that come to mind. My life is drastically different for having a husky, she is my best friend, and to me the greatest breed and dog ever. They are not the easiest, but if they have a fulfilling life they will give you a fulfilling life.....I'd be happy to answer any other questions.

That is the #1 problem I have in training Ami...I find his antics a constant source of amusement

Hello, thanks for your question.  Welcome to the forum.

Problem #1: Destruction and tearing stuff up.  

There is a bomb proof, 100% way to prevent this and it is a crate.  Crate your dog and none of this will ever happen, ever.  It is that simple.  If you're dog is in a crate your dog and your house are safe.  Being alone for 6 hours is nothing for an adult dog.  That may be challenging for a puppy, though.

Problem #2: Shedding

There is absolutely nothing you can do about this.  If you get a Husky, dog hair is a way of life, especially late summer and late winter when they blow their entire undercoat all over your house and everything you own.  There is no preventing it or way around it.

Huskies can enjoy swimming in water like any other dog. Mine loves to swim, especially if I am in with him.

A lot of the problem is building respect. I encounter 3 different scenarios in any given day. So here's my    

Scenario #1 - I like having my breakfast at the computer, me sitting on the couch. Miya will automatically lay and stay, no problems, same with my lunch, although at this point thug #2 is involved, my 14 year old Siamese cat, so now there's a problem, because they both think one will get something and the other won't. I get the same respect, lay and stay from both of them and they will get a treat.

Scenario #2 - husband comes home for a quick lunch, likes to surf while eating. He has both thugs on either side of him waiting for a morsel to drop from his lips. Why such a difference? Lack of respect for him, he gives in to them and slides them food. I will not tolerate it, he will to a point. He doesn't understand why? It's because he has given in to them and he is not firm.

Scenario #3 - same as #2 but I'm there, simple nudge(body block, if you will) for either one and a uh-uh, is often all that is needed, a quick Miya lay down and stay if it's extra yummy (chicken lol). They both know they will get a treat if they mind their manners, if not no treat. So like the others it's not giving in, be consistent, be firm.

Things to help you: feed them at the same time you eat, I make 3 dinners every night, and both dog and cat know to wait for their food, they will hover over their bowls until I release them to eat(yes even the cat), they get done before us, and I will say lay down and wait, typically this works, if not it's my husband they bug, still he has no clue why, lol, that is now his issue, I can eat in peace.

Also remember that it takes more muscles and time for a dog to go from a laying position than it does with sit, and with sit more than a stand. So keeping a lay and stay takes longer for the thief to come and get your food, hence when you see him start to get up a simple uh-uh lay down and stay should be enough.

As he matures, and you are repetitive and never give in, he will have respect for you and your space. You have to be consistent in how you handle things, never give in. They don't like you being in their face when they eat, they need to give you the same respect.

Btw, they wouldn't bother my husband if he followed my rules and not give in to them, he doesn't get the notion that he has to be consistent. When he has had enough of them bothering him, he will tell Miya to go lay down and stay, and then she leaves him alone.