How to Train a Husky to Not Destroy Things

Hello, First, I would stop putting her face into the mess. Unless you are catching her in the act, she probably doesn't associate that with what she chewed earlier, and instead associates the nose rubbing with your frustrated emotions instead of her actions, so that approach won't help her learn differently. Second, she has to be crate trained and crated when you can't supervise her right now. Every time she is chewing without someone there to catch her in the act it's making that bad behavior stronger and making it harder to teach her wanted behaviors when you are there. You can also use the crate to teach her to chew appropriate items by giving her her own chew toys in the crate, making those toys interesting by stuffing a hollow rubber durable rubber chew toy with treats, to help her develop a habit of chewing on that instead while access to your items is limited. My guess is that she was given too much freedom before you got her too, and this chewing habit has been going on for a while. She needs more structure. Chewing, especially in a breed such as a Husky, is normal for the first eighteen months, but too much freedom before that age can lead to worse chewing habits, damage to your property, and longer-term chewing habits, opposed to those that pup can learn to direct to healthier outlets like toys and outgrow, preventing or breaking the chewing from being habitual. When you are home, I recommend teaching Leave It and using things like a deterrent spray on items she likes to go back to over and over again too. Finally, if there is a particular item she fixates on and returns to over and over again, like the couch, in combination with everything else mentioned above, there might be a place for something like low level remote collar training after you have practiced leave it, and done all of the ground work for several weeks. Remote collar training should be done very carefully though because it can create a fear of the area or the object she is corrected while near - and not always in ways you expect. This type of training is best left to someone who is very experienced in its use, or you spend a whole lot of time learning about it before trying yourself. Honestly, it doesn't sound like you haven't done any of the necessary things to address chewing yet. No shame intended at all, we do what we can with what we know, but I say that to encourage you that I wouldn't get rid of pup just yet. I would give it some time using other methods and techniques that tend to work better and see if things improve. I would give yourself at least six months of consistent training for things like Leave It and crate training and chew toy training, to see if you see things improve. Check out the article I have linked below for more information on how to teach things like Leave It, and other training techniques I have mentioned. https://www.petful.com/behaviors/train-dog-not-to-chew/ For crate training, if she is not already used to a crate, expect crying at first. Check out the Surprise method from the article I have linked below. https://wagwalking.com/training/like-a-crate If she continues protesting for long periods of time past 3-5 days, you can use a Pet Convincer. Work on teaching "Quiet" but using the Quiet method from the article linked below. Tell her "Quiet" when she barks and cries. If she gets quiet and stays quiet, you can sprinkle a few pieces of dog food into the crate through the wires calmly, then leave again. If she disobeys your command and keep crying or stops but starts again, spray a small puff of air from the Pet convincer at her side through the crate while saying "Ah Ah" calmly, then leave again. If she stays quiet after you leave, you can periodically sprinkle treats into the crate to reward quietness. If she has issues with aggression, I would hire professional help rather than training on your own. Quiet method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bark Only use the unscented air from the Pet Convincers - don't use citronella, it's too harsh and lingers for too long so can be confusing. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

Feb. 13, 2023

Hello, I would start by crate training him and crating him while you are away until he is ready for more freedom without destroying the home, and to keep him safe in the meantime, and to prevent the destructiveness from getting worse and harder to address in the future too. Check out the Surprise method from the article linked below and work on that method to get him used to you being out of the room while he is crated. https://wagwalking.com/training/like-a-crate He also needs to build his independence and his confidence by adding a lot of structure and predictability into his routine like mentioned above. Things such as making him work for rewards like meals, walks, and pets. Working on "Stay" and "Place," commands while you move away or leave the room, and teaching him to remain inside a crate when the door is open as well as closed. Give him something to do in the crate or on Place during the day while you are out of the room (such as a dog food stuffed Kong to chew on). Place: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omg5DVPWIWo Another protocol involves teaching the dog to cope with their own anxiety by making their current anxious go-to behaviors unpleasant, giving them an opportunity to stop those behaviors long enough to learn something new, then rewarding the correct, calmer behavior instead. This protocol can feel harsh because it involves careful correction, but it tends to work much quicker for many dogs. If you go this route, I suggest hiring a trainer who is very experienced using both positive reinforcement and fair corrections. Building his independence and structure in his life will still be an important part of this protocol too. First, check out this video from SolidK9Training on treating anxiety. It will give a brief over-view of treating separation anxiety more firmly. This trainer can be a bit abrupt with his teaching style with people but is very experienced working with highly aggressive, anxious, and reactive dogs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5GqzeLzysk Second, purchase a Pet convincer. DO NOT use a citronella collar, buy the additional unscented air canister if the collar comes with the citronella and make sure that you use the unscented air. (Citronella collars are actually very harsh and the smell lingers a long time so the dog continues to be corrected even after they stop the behavior). This protocol can also be done with a low level remote training collar for dogs who do better without seeing you during the training, but for any training collar use I recommend working with a professional trainer proficient in their use for training. Next, set up a camera to spy on him. If you have two smart devices, like tablets or smartphones, you can Skype or Facetime them to one another with pup’s end on mute, so that you can see and hear him but he will not hear you. Video baby monitors, video security monitors with portable ways to view the video, GoPros with the phone Live App, or any other camera that will record and transmit the video to something portable that you can watch outside live will work. Set up your camera to spy on him while he is in the crate, and you leave. Spy on pup from outside or another room. Leave however you normally would. As soon as you hear pup crying or see him start to try to escape or destroy the crate from the camera, quietly return, spray a small puff of air from the pet convincer at his side through the crate wires, without opening the door, then leave again. Every time he barks or tries to get out of the crate, correct, then leave again. After five minutes to ten minutes of practice, as soon as your dog stays quiet and is not trying to escape for five seconds straight, go back into the room where he is and sprinkle several treats into the crate without saying anything, then leave again. Practice correcting when he barks or tries to escape, going back inside and sprinkling treats when he stays quiet, for up to 30 minutes a session at first. After 30 minutes -1 hour of practicing this, while he is quiet, go back into the room and sprinkle more treats. This time stay in the room. Do not speak to pup or pay attention to him for ten minutes while you walk around and get stuff done inside. When he is being calm, then you can let him out of the crate. When you let him out, do it the way Jeff does is in this video below. Opening and closing the door until your dog is not rushing out. You want him to be calm when he comes out of the crate and to stay calm when you get home. That is why you need to ignore him when you get home right away. Also, keep your good byes extremely boring and calm. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5GqzeLzysk Also, for longer alone times give him a food stuffed Kong into the crate/room with him. Once he is less anxious he will likely enjoy it even if he didn't pay any attention to it in the past, and that will help him to enjoy alone time more. First, he may need his anxious state of mind interrupted so that he is open to learning other ways to behave. Once it's interrupted, give him a food stuffed Kong in the crate for him to relieve his boredom instead of barking, since he will need something other than barking to do at that point. Regularly practice him staying on Place and in the open crate while you are home and leave the room as well. Finally, teach pup the Quiet command to make communication with him clearer. Quiet method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bark Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

Oct. 3, 2022