First things first, my puppy is 5 months old and it's a male!
The first issue I'm having is with house training. I live on the 5th floor of an apartment. I walk him 2 or 3 times a day and he does go outside when given the chance. Our elevator is currently broken so getting him outside fast is a no go. I purchased a puppy pad but he is not even the slightest bit interested. When I pick him up and place him on the puppy pad he will pee, but he doesn't know to go there and pee on his own. I'm so sick of cleaning up pee it's ridiculous. When I first got him he had a bladder infection, so my thinking is that he just simply got used to peeing on the floor. Does anyone have any helpful tips?

My second issue is his nipping / yelling at me in a sense. Does anyone elses husky seem to do a weird bark / talk at you until they get what they want. Whether it be a treat or a toy. It is so loud and strange sounding. He also puts his mouth on my hand and when I yell OUCH! Will snort and start talking to me again.

My third and final issue is crating him. He is completely fine being crated IF he can see me. If I am not home he will constantly make noise - and by constantly I'm talking 4 + hours with no stopping. Rocking the crate, whining, the whole works! Is this separation anxiety? I thought he would eventually tire himself out but he just keeps going! It drives my roommate and neighbours crazy!

Any advice you have would be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much guys.
Despite what it seems like I do love my pup very much ha ha! He is just a lot of work sometimes.

Colleen

Hi, Colleen and welcome to the forum! There are several threads already started on these issues. Check them out!

Potty Training
It sounds like you need to start taking him out more often. Make sure you're using an enzyme cleaner to clean the area.

Crate Training
Sounds like you need more positive reinforcement.

Puppy Biting
You need to ignore him and walk away from him. If you don't shut down interaction, he won't understand that biting is unacceptable.

Good luck!

Tori's right, read those threads and then ask any questions you might have.

I would add that, without seeing what he actually does, I think the nipping and talking is different than the young puppy biting. We have an 8 month old and he will do this to our 10 year old son. I think it's a dominance issue. We are making our son, Evan, deal with the issue without any adults stepping in. We are instructing Evan to first, sharply say, "No" usually that causes the dog to talk back and nip again. He then says, "No barking" and turns his back on the dog, often leaving the room and saying, "All done" to let the dog know that the nipping and barking behavior has ended playtime. A few months ago this behavior had gotten so bad that occasionally the dog would follow my son out of the room continuing to nip and jump on him and bark. Evan would then put him in time out for a few minutes. After a few months of correcting the behavior, he rarely gets so out of control that he has to go into time out now, but he still occasionally jumps and nips and barks. Usually the "No barking" or "No" command will make him stop.

After saying all that, I know that Evan is selected as the "push over" at our house. The one person who, maybe because of his size or his personality, that the dog tries to make demands of. I also know that the dog is being demanding because he has pent up energy and really does want/need to play. If we keep him entertained and WALKED, we definitely see less bad behavior.

Good luck and welcome!!

THANK YOU! I will check those forums out right away. That's going to suck if he's trying to be dominant over me. Being a 19 year old living on my own raising a puppy is hard enough without him challenging me. I've noticed he only does the talking and biting when he gets into trouble. Aka begging for food, stealing socks/ underwear. It's like he's upset he's being punished, much like an adolescent child. I must admit that I laugh at it sometimes which I know I shouldn't do... It's just he's so goofy sometimes it's hard not to crack a smile which I'm sure isn't helping the situation.

Thank you for the warm welcome and the great advice! I'll try and keep you guys posted. AND get a picture on here haha. He has very unique markings and the whitest blue eyes. I'll stop bragging now haha. Thanks again!

Colleen

colleenc wrote:

He has very unique markings and the whitest blue eyes. I'll stop bragging now haha. Thanks again!

Colleen

We all brag occasionally! We love our huskies!

I think he is getting close to adolescence and he will test you. Stay strong and good luck!

Your puppy WILL challenge your dominance and place in the hierarchy. Luckily, this is VERY easily assuaged. In order to "train" your pup that you are the boss, you need only to GENTLY lay him on his side when he challenges and GENTLY hold him in that position, keeping one hand firmly on his neck, and the other firmly on his hip. Hold this position until he stops struggling (which usually coincides with a deep sigh from him). At his point, he should remain in that position in a calm, submissive state. Say nothing. If you speak, you intensify the energy and therefore intensify his struggle. Your energy should be calm and patient. If he resumes the unwanted behavior, repeat this action. You will be surprised how quickly this activity will establish your position as his pack leader and "boss." This is an important first exercise to undertake so that he knows you are the person he needs to listen to from that point on in his training.

Also -- exercise. Exercise. Exercise. And just when you think he's tuckered, tack on another 30 minutes. My dogs and I do anywhere from 10-25 miles everyday. On crappy rainy days when we just do a quick mile or two, boy can I tell!