Siberian Husky - Am i doing okay???

Hey everyone,

I brought Remy home 2 weeks ago. He is a 11 week old siberian husky. Any advice or guidance you could give me would be greatly appreciated!

Potty Training:

Remy has acclimated well to his crate. He whined a lot the first night but since then has gotten a lot better. He no longer whines when it's bed time and only whines for about 30 seconds when I am leaving for work. If I cannot physically interact with him or keep eyes on him, he is in his crate. At all other times he is supervised either in my bedroom or livingroom/kitchen area.

I generally put him to sleep around 10pm and take him out for potty breaks at 1 am and 4 am. Breakfast/wake up is normally around 630 am. He has had 1 accident in his crate when I took him out only one time overnight and i noticed the shirt I left with him was damp in the morning. When I do take him out, he immediately goes potty and i praise him and give him treats. I'll admit that i have not been as consistent as I should be with the treats when he goes potty, but it is something I am working on. I am having difficulty figuring out if he is actually learning he should be going outside or if the schedule I have him on is just so convenient that he has plenty of opportunitites to go potty outside.

He has had a few accidents. On days 1 and 2 alone he had probably 6-7 accidents. Since then, it has been about two weeks and I can only recall 3 accidents.

How do i test whether he actually is learning? I am noticing subtle signs like if I allow him to walk from my bedroom on a leash, he will go to the door and then I will take him outside. I want to be comfortable letting him roam unsupervised, how do i get there?

Biting:

Remy is AWFUL about biting. Today he knicked be pretty good. He went for his toy and got my hand. I have tried the whole divert him to toy (literally shoving a toy in his mouth) or make a sound like a puppy screaming to get him to stop, but it does not work. He is in such a frenzy that he looks at the toy i give him for a split second and is going back for my hand, or shoulder, or pant. I have started to stand say "NO!" and make like a tree for 20 seconds. When i make like a tree, he just stares at me and sits there. Sometimes he'll start chewing on the run and then I have to correct that. Regardless, as soon as i sit back down with him, the biting-make like a tree cycle starts all over again. I did spray alcohol on the area of the rug he bites and he's since stopped. Any help with this?

Leash walking:

He pulls one way.. I go the other. If he doesn't want to walk, he'll just lay down. Day by day we walk further and further so it is getting better. It would help if he knew his name and responded to it.

Daily routine:

0630 - potty
0640 - breakfast/play
0700 - walk/exercise
0740 - crate so i can get ready for work
0800 - potty then crate
1130 - potty/play/lunch
1230 - crate so i can go back to work
1700 - potty/dinner/play
1800-2200 - supervised play with potty breaks every hour
2200 - bed with 2 potty breaks at night.

Pics of Remy!

Dogs usually stay in the puppy training phase for 6 months to a year. For the potty training and treats giving, it's good to actually reward in a number of ways. You don't want him to expect a treat every time and get to where he only potties because he wants a treat, he needs to learn the he just needs to potty outside so I wouldn't worry as much about giving a treat every single time. Stay consistent on times.

If he is going to the door on his own then he is probably learning(: took my first dog only 2 weeks and my second dog actually took almost 3 months to be fully potty trained.

Bite inhibition is controversial. Some trainers say that you should allow your puppy to bite during play time so that they learn to bite soft. Dogs bite each other during play and you don't want Remy to not have bite inhibition and end up injuring another dog. Whether or not you decide to practice bite inhibition, the best way to stop him from biting you is telling him "No" and redirecting with a toy....same with chewing. There is a spray called Bitter Apple that is made with alcohol in combination with other things to prevent chewing and licking.

Walking on leash is a challenge for many dogs. Haltis or martingale (choked) collars/leashes are very effective training tools! Some people have said they are cruel but they don't hurt the animal. The choker will pull on their neck (similar to a collar but the more the pull the tighter is gets so they can't slip it) only when the dog is straying away. Haltis keep dogs from pulling, it's set up kind of like a horse bridal. You can try treats or toys to get him to continue following you.