My Husky mix is destructive!!?

Question

We rescued a formerly abused and overbred husky mix and, for her breed, she is very well behaved! Shes very very quiet and calm, laid back, gets along with cats and all people and animals, housetrained, great during walks, etc. The problem is that when we get back form work, errands, etc, we find that the carpet is pulled up, padding ripped, doorjams chewed up, etc. its only for the door that we leave through. Weve tried kenneling her, she just escapes and bends the wires. The plastic crates--she ripped them open with her teeth. Bitter apple--she is way to stubborn to give up because of some smell or funny taste. walks--still doesnt help. kong--grows bored of it withing a few minutes. This is a huge problem and we need some honest and HELPFUL answers. Please no rude opinions. We really are trying to work with this dog instead of giving up on her like eveyone else has
(sorry for the long post)..

btw, she is 3 years old and we also have 2 other dogs who keep her company.

One of my other dogs is very hyper and they play together all the time. Weve tried leaving them alone in the house. The two others are very well behaved but Sienna (my husky mix) is still destructive.

And weve used 2 plastic crates (she made her gums bleed tearing it apart) and also a metal cage (she stretched out the bars to get out and tore up the plastic tray)

Oh and another thing: weve tried muzzeling her, she somehow tore it to shreds off her face! :)

Answer 1

It's separation anxiety. When you're around, the dog is fine, but the second you leave it, it goes crazy - I hate to say it, but it's probably why her previous owners got rid of her!

You need to speak with a dog behaviorist for training/control as well as your vet, who might need to prescribe a mild sedative to use when you leave the dog alone.

Answer 2

Sounds just like my Lab!! Separation Anxiety is very difficult for both dog and owner.

Some other things we tried were Clomicalm (medicine from the vet) which made her extremely happy, but did nothing to sway her destructiveness. We tried swapping out the toys every day so she would have something new to play with every day. We do the ignoring thing before and after we leave (don't make a big deal out of coming and going), we tried the crates with the same results as you. We also kept certain toys (her favorites) put away until we left so she would have something to look forward to. NOTHING helped.

In the end, we got another dog. A hyper little JRT mix to keep her company. Now, when she starts getting wound up he insists that she play with him. It saved our furniture, doors, windows, etc. We got lucky though. She could have taught her destructive ways to him. He was crated for a little while, but sahe was still destructive so we leave them both loose in the house now and all is good.

Another thing....start jogging, if you don't already, and bring the dog. A tired dog is a good dog.

Good luck, I know what you're going through!

ADDED...There are plug-in devices (for outlets) that release some sort of phermone (sp?). This is a scent that's supposed to help calm the dog/ You may just have to talk to yourvet and see what their advice is. Sounds like you've exhausted most options. Have you tried Clomicalm? Like I said, it didn't work for my dog, but every dog is different. Ask your vet about it. From what I understand it has no long term effects or adverse effects.

Answer 3

Unfortunatly that is simply the husky in her. If you read up about huskies you will find that they are very easily bored when left alone and usually do better when left alone if they have another companion, preferably another husky. Although sometimes it can make it worse because they become partners in crime. i have two huskies and when we first got our first one he was very distructive when we left him alone. Then we got a girl one and he never hardly messes up anything anymore. The girl is destructive but she is still young so i am hoping she will grow out of it. She usually have to be put in her kennel when we leave. But aslong as the boy is in the same room as she is he isn't destructive at all. You may want to consider another husky as a companion for your dog. If this isn't an option try getting a large cage not enclosed kennel to keep her in. I put mine by the window so she can look outside and stuff when we are gone. Some dogs feel better in a cage because they can still see there surroundings.

Answer 4

I sympathize with you, rescueing is a noble thing... however, oft times, you end up with a dog that has some behavior problems. We have a Husky too, and she is incredibly distructive when she is bored, nervious, or has be "wound up".

In our last house she utterly distroyed our back door, the siding along the length of the back of the house, and some of the doors and molding in the house. As for the crating issues... they didn't work, nor did invisible fencing (something you should NEVER buy with a husky, our first on got out a lot and was hit and killed one day).
We ended up getting her a harness (one she could not get out of) and put her on a run... one of those thick wire leads... we hung ours the length of the yard, but just short of reaching the actual door (or siding) but, with enough of a lead that she could get into either of her dog houses or under the patio. She also still gets a walk at least once a day.
As for the boredom, we've bought the puzzle blocks, and puzzle balls, and every other toy we could imagine to keep her occuppied (as per her trainers suggestion) these too failed to entertain her much. It came down to finding out what she liked doing, and what she could do when we weren't home to entertain her. (for us, it ended up being getting another dog... they really entertained each other, and played on their own. Her distruction dropped markedly, though she is still a wreck with storms or fire works, but that's another issue for another day.)

I would suggest getting some training first off, and see what the professionals say... but I hope I was able to shed some light on your problem... I feel for you. Good luck, and don't give up hope yet.!

Answer 5

I'm not sure but, I'm assuming she's to old for teething. But, in my opinion she sounds like she's missing you. Leave her a blanket with your scent on it where she can get to it to sleep, play etc. Leave the TV or radio on. This doesn't work with all dogs but, it sounds like you love her and are will to try.

Answer 6

The destructiveness is separation anxiety.
http://www.ddfl.org/behavior/sep-anxiety.pdf
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1551&articleid=2266

Try DAP http://www.healthypets.com/dapdogappher.html
Anxiety wrap
Behaviorist
solid metal crate http://www.activedogs.com/default.asp?SID=xFTF9DZUCEE247CB5KCN6H&S=500&A=F&SearchText=&CategoryID=789637&NID=3420434
Medication