Zeus and Hades Posted July 31, 2011 Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 my husband and Igot Zeus and Hades about a month ago and house breaking is a nightmare as well as their behavior. most of the time they are really good but then a mood will strike them and they will start chewing and eating extremely inappropdriate things like sicks whuxh they keep vomitting up and then re eating if they are not caught in time. im not concerned with the loss of socks as much as what it is doing to their tummys. the potty training is horrible just when i think we are making progress they pee or poop on the floor. they give no indication of need to go till its too late except when it iroutine potty time then they bark and sit bythe door idk what to do!!!!!!! my husband doesnt help but is now the one frustrated and starting to think we took on too much. i need practical solutions that work for simeone whois gone all day on week days. please help :banghead: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Franklin Phil Posted July 31, 2011 Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 How old are these pups? How much time do they spend alone during your work day? What have you TRIED to do to change behaviors? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted July 31, 2011 Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 Lots of missing information here.. 1. Crate trained? if not get a crate, makes life with them sooooo much easier. 2. How old? 3. How much attention and exercise? 4. Where do they sleep at night? Inside with you or outside? 5. First time owning a dog or had others? 6. Do they have toys? list goes on but lets start there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
husky princess Posted July 31, 2011 Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 In addition to the above did you have them from tiny pups (litter mates) or rehomes what food are you feeding and how much Did you initially paper train/use puppy pads do you feed regularly or free feed (food down all the time) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tan J P Posted July 31, 2011 Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 as above have already said we need some more information to enable anyone of us to try and help/advise you. are you saying they are left alone all day while you are working? this in itself will cause problems for you especially since you have only had them a very short time and they are obviously not in a routine at all yet. how old are they? if they are young,they will need to go out to wee/poop each and every time they play/sleep/eat as well as other times inbetween,so,if they are left for long periods they will just do it anywhere because they dont know any different and cant hold it for a long time until someone lets them out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mydiamond Posted July 31, 2011 Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 well huskies are not known for being easy to housebreak x) Lots of missing info on there, tho so can't really provide an advice just yet. But if you don't think they're fully-housebroken, why don't you restart the 24/7-supervision-period that people give to their new puppy? Real easy, keep Zeus and Hades on a short leash all the time. Don't tie them up tho, keep the leash around your waist or simply in your hands. That way, whenever they did something bad, they'll always be caught in-time. When they chew something bad, say "no!" firmly and pull the thing out. If it's a small object like chicken bone, open up their jaw and take it out by hand--simply bcoz it'll be hard to make them spit it out x( Oh so they have spent 1 month with you already? Great, you must have already known the "signs", right? Whenever they're sniffing around and walking in small circles, you can be sure they're about to go potty. When they're showing "the signs", take them out to the grasses with a dog cookie in hand. When they eliminates in the grasses, it's a big hug and a cookie for each of them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeus and Hades Posted July 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 How old are these pups? How much time do they spend alone during your work day? What have you TRIED to do to change behaviors? Thanks. my boys are 4 1/2 and 5 1/2 months. They are alone from about 8 am to 6 pm on a typical day, during this time we let them roam free in the basement where they have a water dish and a cement floor where if they cannot wait they can go and I just clean it up every evening. They also have nothing that they can destroy down there and they have a few balls and a knotted rope chew toy. As far as what we have tried, for the chewing problem we take it away, say NO firmly and give them a firm (but not hard) tap on the nose. They are getting to the point where we can say their name firmly and no firmly and they will drop/stop chewing the item which we reward with a good boy and thank you. I have had to start hiding all clothing to keep them out of it, but there are a couple things that we each have decided we didnt want anymore (has holes already, no longer fits, etc) that smells like us that we gave to them and have given them permission to chew and I do redirect them to those "chewable" items as well. For housebreaking, I take them out first thing in the morning when they wake me up (they sleep in our room at night either on the floor or sometimes on the foot of the bed) and when they go outside the are praised and usually given a treat for doing a good job, then they are each given their first cup of food and their water dish is filled. We normally have to leave pretty quickly after that so a second trip outside is rare, however, they go to the basement and as I have said they are not corrected for going down there during the day. Then when we get home same thing I let them up from the basement take them out potty again rewarding them for going outside and most nights the 4 of us go for a nice long walk, then when we get back they are fed a second cup of food each and more water. I usually take them out again before bed and if they act like they need to go, but they don't really have signs inside, they dont circle or sniff around they just go (obviously if they squat I try and stop them and get them outside, but they are often in a different room). A new thing we decided to try as of last night is to get the puppy training pad and the training aid spray. I want to do that both in the main spot they have accidents and in the basement. I personally, although my husband disagrees, think that the free peeing/pooping in the basement is confusing them. My solution to that is to teach them to only go on that one spot so at least they are learning they cant just go anywhere, and then if they go on the pad upstairs less of a problem. When they do have accidents I gently yet firmly put their nose by it and say NO then I take them to the door and take them outside, hoping to associate that need to go with going to the door then going outside. I have also been told that the pads help with that because you gradually move them to the door so they start associating "need to potty" with "go to door". Hope that helps answer some of your questions Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeus and Hades Posted July 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 Lots of missing information here.. 1. Crate trained? if not get a crate, makes life with them sooooo much easier. 2. How old? 3. How much attention and exercise? 4. Where do they sleep at night? Inside with you or outside? 5. First time owning a dog or had others? 6. Do they have toys? list goes on but lets start there I am going to answer the questions here that I did not answer above, keep the repetition down for everyone No they are not crate trained. They came to us completely untrained at 4 and 5 months old. Up to that point they were kennelled half inside a garage, half outside, so we are starting from the beginning after they have already learned bad habits. 4 1/2 and 5 1/2 months When we are home we give them nearly all of our attention, unless they are sleeping or they are playing together. We try and take them for a fairly long walk every night and we put in spurts of jogging so they get to run. I have had 1 dog and she was a 5 year old stray chihuahua. I know nothing about this, but I did read up as much as I could about training and Huskys before we bought the boys. I tried to familiarize myself. My husband has had several dogs in his life from puppy to death so I had expected him to know what he was doing... you know what they say about assuming anything. ok, so that is a bit unfair, but he has a bad habit of wanting to take easy routes and not help much. He has spent much of his time on training them how to behave on a leash which was a necessity, but not our #1 issue to be dealt with. Yes the have a couple of old baseballs, tennis balls, a knotted chewing rope, and a little stuffed dog that Hades just loves. In addition they have a couple of shirts that smell like us that they chew and or snuggle with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeus and Hades Posted July 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 I am going to answer the questions here that I did not answer above, keep the repetition down for everyone No they are not crate trained. They came to us completely untrained at 4 and 5 months old. Up to that point they were kennelled half inside a garage, half outside, so we are starting from the beginning after they have already learned bad habits. 4 1/2 and 5 1/2 months When we are home we give them nearly all of our attention, unless they are sleeping or they are playing together. We try and take them for a fairly long walk every night and we put in spurts of jogging so they get to run. I have had 1 dog and she was a 5 year old stray chihuahua. I know nothing about this, but I did read up as much as I could about training and Huskys before we bought the boys. I tried to familiarize myself. My husband has had several dogs in his life from puppy to death so I had expected him to know what he was doing... you know what they say about assuming anything. ok, so that is a bit unfair, but he has a bad habit of wanting to take easy routes and not help much. He has spent much of his time on training them how to behave on a leash which was a necessity, but not our #1 issue to be dealt with. Yes the have a couple of old baseballs, tennis balls, a knotted chewing rope, and a little stuffed dog that Hades just loves. In addition they have a couple of shirts that smell like us that they chew and or snuggle with. oh and they sleep in our room at night with us. This works out great and they rarely go in the bedroom so that has not been an issue, sometimes when they are super naughty and we are at our wits end they go to the basement but that has happened once. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeus and Hades Posted July 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 In addition to the above did you have them from tiny pups (litter mates) or rehomes what food are you feeding and how much Did you initially paper train/use puppy pads do you feed regularly or free feed (food down all the time) No we got them at 4 and 5 months. They are cousins, but raised as brothers. they are getting Purina puppy chow, 2 cups a day each No we assumed at that age it was better to go straight to house breaking, thinking that one over and are now working on the puppy pads regular feedings as that is how they were started out, however I have increased the amount. They were only giving a cup a day each. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeus and Hades Posted July 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 as above have already said we need some more information to enable anyone of us to try and help/advise you. are you saying they are left alone all day while you are working? this in itself will cause problems for you especially since you have only had them a very short time and they are obviously not in a routine at all yet. how old are they? if they are young,they will need to go out to wee/poop each and every time they play/sleep/eat as well as other times inbetween,so,if they are left for long periods they will just do it anywhere because they dont know any different and cant hold it for a long time until someone lets them out. Yes they are left alone all day. I hate it, but unfortunately we have no alternative. That is why they are not expected to hold it all day. What is your thought on the idea of the puppy pad training for the basement so they have just one potty area, do you think that will help? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeus and Hades Posted July 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 well huskies are not known for being easy to housebreak x) Lots of missing info on there, tho so can't really provide an advice just yet. But if you don't think they're fully-housebroken, why don't you restart the 24/7-supervision-period that people give to their new puppy? Real easy, keep Zeus and Hades on a short leash all the time. Don't tie them up tho, keep the leash around your waist or simply in your hands. That way, whenever they did something bad, they'll always be caught in-time. When they chew something bad, say "no!" firmly and pull the thing out. If it's a small object like chicken bone, open up their jaw and take it out by hand--simply bcoz it'll be hard to make them spit it out x( Oh so they have spent 1 month with you already? Great, you must have already known the "signs", right? Whenever they're sniffing around and walking in small circles, you can be sure they're about to go potty. When they're showing "the signs", take them out to the grasses with a dog cookie in hand. When they eliminates in the grasses, it's a big hug and a cookie for each of them! I may have to give the supervision thing a try, I have personally never heard of it. It will have to be when I am home of course, but the basement is free of temptation because I dont feel it would be right for me to punish them for chewing something that is just left down on the floor down there when I am not around that would be my fault not theirs. I was really proud of them last night we left them in our bedroom while we went our instead of the basement which they hate anytime other than while we are at work, and we put up a couple things they tend to chew and we dont want destroyed and when we came home they are sleeping in their ususal spot and there was nothing that had been chewed we were so proud of them we gave them tons of praise and pets and treats for being such good boys. as I mentioned in one of the above posts there are generally no signs when they have to go they just do it. I was suprised actually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mydiamond Posted July 31, 2011 Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 it's a bit weird for male dogs to just "do it" w/out any warnings few seconds before O_O but, what do I know I have never had a puppy before x) maybe they're showing a sign that is slightly hard-to-notice?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeus and Hades Posted July 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 definitely a possibility Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mistyrayn Posted July 31, 2011 Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 They are alone from about 8 am to 6 pm on a typical day, They also have nothing that they can destroy down there but there are a couple things that we each have decided we didnt want anymore (has holes already, no longer fits, etc) that smells like us that we gave to them and have given them permission to chew I personally, although my husband disagrees, think that the free peeing/pooping in the basement is confusing them. My solution to that is to teach them to only go on that one spot so at least they are learning they cant just go anywhere, and then if they go on the pad upstairs less of a problem When they do have accidents I gently yet firmly put their nose by it and say NO then I take them to the door and take them outside, hoping to associate that need to go with going to the door then going outside. I have also been told that the pads help with that because you gradually move them to the door so they start associating "need to potty" with "go to door". Hope that helps answer some of your questions wow thats a long time to leave them alone 8am till 6pm. give them something to destroy.. the more active you can make it for them the less they will want to do when your home. in my opinion by giving them clothes that have your smell and allowing them to destory these ..is giving them permision on all clothes.. they cant tell the difference that these are old clothes and these are new.. these you can chew these you can't.. you have got to make one rule not a 50/50 rule.. i agree with you not your hubby.. they will only see that if they can do anywhere in one room why is another different. use puppy pads in the basement also NO NO NO never treat a dog like that, they only learn what you teach them. and doing that teaches them that its wrong to go to the toilet..making them scared to do it.. that is the wrong way to teach them. yes the pads help because you move them little by little toward the door.. but to be honest its a bit unfair to leave them for 10 hours and expect them to learn they can only toilet outdoors.. could you hold it all in for 10 hours.. i know i couldn't Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeus and Hades Posted July 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 ok so no on the saying no when they go on the floor... check i agree they have to have an indoor potty option when we are not home. i would like them to try and tell me when we are home though, but have the indoor option as well just incase. glad you agree with the puppy pads i am hoping it works. then going inside wouldnt be a problem for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mistyrayn Posted July 31, 2011 Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 im not saying dont correct them ..just dont put there nose down at what they have done... just say sternly a "NO" and let them out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeus and Hades Posted July 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 never thought of the clothes that way though. it has seemed to help with all but socks as far as clothes go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeus and Hades Posted July 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 im not saying dont correct them ..just dont put there nose down at what they have done... just say sternly a "NO" and let them out. ok that makes sense Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeus and Hades Posted July 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 any suggestions on what they can be given to destroy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnetser Posted July 31, 2011 Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 Hi Kristin Having an indoor option is really going to make it much more difficult. Honestly, your best option would be to get two crates and crate train them. Lots of information on this site about that. 10 hours is really pushing it. Would it be possible to have a neighbor stop by in the middle of the day to let them out once? Crate training would help with the destructiveness too, as they could be crated when you can't supervise them. It sounds like they shouldn't be allowed out of your sight at this point, in other words they should be in whatever room you are in. Take them out every 2 hours, whether you think they need to go or not and praise the heck out of them when they potty outside. Frankly, if your husband is not stepping up, don't leave them in his care if you can help it. My husband try's but constantly forgets about them. All dogs I've had prior to him never had accidents. All dogs acquired after him, have accidents. Consistency is the absolute key. If you think of every accident as your fault, it helps you figure out what you need to change. Is your yard fenced? Julie (across the state Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeus and Hades Posted July 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 no it is not fenced i take them out on leashes. im still trying to convince my husband to get a tie up outside Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mistyrayn Posted July 31, 2011 Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 they love to chew.. so anything they can safely destory .. ragga toys are good ,, in my kennel the girls have a tree stump. but the more things they have to do the less bored they will get and less liable to want to chew. when you are home do you play any games with them that makes them use their brain.. like toys they have to search for there food in.. like a Kong or the Tornado.. they have been to be honest locked away and had a lot of time to get bored ..you need to excercise their brain just as much as there legs,, take a look at some of the toys on this site that make them work for their food and use their brain.don't leave the toy with them but use when you are there to supervise.... its fun for them and it will be fun for you.. its a UK site but im sure you can find these toys in most countries. http://www.traininglines.co.uk/interactive-dog-toys-treat-dispensing-toys-training-toys-activity-toys-treat-balls-515-0.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnetser Posted July 31, 2011 Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 Also, be very careful what you give them to destroy and frankly, I wouldn't let them have anything they can rip up when you are gone. They WILL ingest it and you will end up with a dead dog or a huge vet bill from surgery. This is where crate training comes in too. They typically just sleep in their crates and don't need a bunch of toys for company. Save the toys for when you can supervise or till they are a little older and are less inclined to be so destructive. Some harder chew toys like nylabones may work when you are gone, or kong toys filled with frozen peanut butter (although not if that would cause the two of them to scuffle over it) Taking on two adolescent huskies at the same time is definitely not for the faint of heart! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mistyrayn Posted July 31, 2011 Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 My husband try's but constantly forgets about them. All dogs I've had prior to him never had accidents. All dogs acquired after him, have accidents (across the state my advice Julie start retraining the husband take away his treats and pleasures till he learns.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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