Hello all:

We just took in a 2 year old husky that was a rescue, and we are new to the breed. It is a long story, so I will spare the details but it was a very sad situation. We live in an apartment, but he gets plenty of exercise daily. He has a great temperament, but there are a few behavioral issues that we would like to work out. First of all, he is a barker. Does anybody know if there is an effective way to help control this while indoors and/or will the neutering help? He also seems intent on licking our other male dog's penis. Is this a "normal" behavior? It seems rather odd to me. My other big question is how much should I expect him to calm down, in general, after neutering.

I know an apartment is not ideal for this breed, however right now it is his best option and we would really like to make it work if at all possible.

Neutering making dogs calmer and correcting ingrained behaviors is a myth. (Neutering is still a good idea as it curbs roaming behavior or the need to look for a mate, and can eliminate prostate (and mammary) cancer altogether as he ages). Yes, males can get mammary cancer.

Huskies in general are a very vocal breed. Is he actually barking, or is he "talking"?

Dog's that groom other dogs can be a sign of submission. If your other dog allows it and does not seem stressed out, i'd let them figure out their relationship on their own. My Bfs little dachshund terrier mix loves to groom all 8 of his other dogs; ears, mouth, paws, etc. I'd say normal just from my observations of his pack of 9.

Don't worry about living in an apartment; there are quite a few members here that live successfully in apartments. No one has any right to judge your living situations without knowing your lifestyle

Couldn't have answered that better!

Congrats on your new husky!

Oh man. I KNOW how you feel. I've just adopted a 15 month old that sounds EXACTLY like your guy. He's dominant, unruly, unneutered, and does the same thing where he licks other males junk. Only difference is mine doesn't bark xD Brooke pretty much summed it up but I shall wish you luck!