Very vocal Husky puppy!! Help!

[Kiskas Mommies]

We absolutely love our new little Siberian Husky but DEAR GAWD she is vocal when she is in her doggy kennel. I read a thread where someone suggested ignoring it for 30 minutes..the problem is she howls nonstop for hours! She has been let out, so I know she doesnt need to potty. She has toys in her kennel, and we cover it with a sheet to no avail. I know she just wants to be out with us because that is fun playtime but we are getting ZERO sleep!

Also the vet sent us home with Science Diet food because he said it was better than our Iams. The labels read the same (with corn and I suspect she may be allergic to it) Any suggestions on a good puppy food?

 

[moe]

I would just keep ignoring her, the second she is quiet tell her she is a good girl and treat, or maybe let her out, dont make a big issue about it just open the door and allow her out no fussing her at this point. give it a few minutes then cuddle her, place a treat back in the kennel and put her back, keep repeating this until she realises that the kennel is a nice place to be. unfortunately some siberians can be very vocal, in fact I have two malamutes both from the litter I bred last year, and the girl is far more vocal than the male, she has something to say about everything. if you have only gotten her recently and just started to kennel her, she will try and try to win you over, do not fall for it, try to persever, she may even have whats called an extintion burst, where she will do it more and more and more, ride this through if you can as you are probably getting through to her, they do normally settle in time, but you just have to give it that time to work

Mo

 

[mojozen]

If you think that your pooch might be allergic to corn or wheat the foods I can recommend are ones without it. They can be a bit more expensive per bag price but you feed less of it so overall price goes way down. My own dog (45lbs) is on Innova Evo, and he only gets about a cup a day... We bought a 33# bag for $40 back in January, and we're still not done with it.

What comes to mind right away are Innova regular or Innova Evo (which doesn't have any grains at all), Canidae, and well, I used to say Wellness - but like many here I am not fond of the changes to formula recently made - Solid Gold, Natural Balance... etc.

Actually Mordy is one of the best people to talk to about dog food on chaz. She has a pretty nifty website about this very topic at the dog food project. And if you go through the dog food section of chazhound you will see this very question repeat itself on almost a weekly basis.


PS: Generally if you are trying to avoid corn/wheat in dog foods then buying dog food from the grocery store/Petsmart/Petco/Pet Warehouse isn't the best of ideas. If you look at the majority of the foods sold there you will find they use a lot of the no-nos. Canidae, Innova, Solid Gold, Natural Balance etc are generally sold at smaller, privately owned pet shops...

 

[brockham]

There is a collar which automatically squirts water into the dogs face if it cry's/barks for too long

 

[makenzie71]

You do understand that huskies are very attached to their people, right? How much time is she spending being crated and how mcuh time does she get to spend with the family? Also how old is she?

 

[dirtmcgirt]

I would just keep ignoring her, the second she is quiet tell her she is a good girl and treat, or maybe let her out, dont make a big issue about it just open the door and allow her out no fussing her at this point. give it a few minutes then cuddle her, place a treat back in the kennel and put her back, keep repeating this until she realises that the kennel is a nice place to be. unfortunately some siberians can be very vocal, in fact I have two malamutes both from the litter I bred last year, and the girl is far more vocal than the male, she has something to say about everything. if you have only gotten her recently and just started to kennel her, she will try and try to win you over, do not fall for it, try to persever, she may even have whats called an extintion burst, where she will do it more and more and more, ride this through if you can as you are probably getting through to her, they do normally settle in time, but you just have to give it that time to work

Mo

I agree.. you have to be persistant with this. Do not yell at her or show her any attention while she is whining.. Is the crate in your bedroom. Sometimes it helps to keep the crate in your bedroom for the first few nights.. This way they don't feel so alone. What always worked for me was to put a blanket over the crate at night. For some reason this worked immediately for our Saint, and he cried ALOT!

And as far as the food.. Definitely switch to something healthier than SD. The foods that mojozen mentioned are all much better than anything you can buy in the grocery store. And, Petco does sell Natural Balance, but the others you will have to find a privately owned place or sometimes vet or feed stores have them...

 

[Mindy Miller]

My darling husky mix baby went through and continues to go through this. We ignored her and after about 3 weeks, she started just going to sleep. She was waking up at 3:30, 5, and 7 a.m., but she had to go out. Now she sleeps through until about 7 when we get up. Patience. Huskies are vocal dogs. (and they're diggers )

 

[joce]

My girl talks all the time it was ear splitting when she was a pup but with a husky crate training is often the best thing you can do for them. they need to be used to a crate. Maybe try turning on a radio,white noise thingydo. I have always fed in the crate and they always adjsut pretty quick and they all run right in now or jsut sit in there with the door open.

 

[Doberluv]

Please don't do anything like squirting things at your puppy. These aversive "training" techniques do nothing but make your puppy more uneasy and distrustful. I think you were given good advice as far as ignoring the pup after being sure she's comfortable as far as pottying, eating etc. She just has to get use to it and it will take a little time. When she finally realizes that her howling won't get her anywhere, she'll give it up. You can, while home during the day or when you can supervise her, leave the crate door open and feed her in there, give her neat toys and treats and see if she'll come and go in and out of the crate on her own. This can help her to not feel like it's some kind of prison....all associated with good things. She'll get onto it in time. But if you let her out after she howls and howls, she just learns that howling a lot for a long time is what it takes to get her way. So, don't reinforce that by caving. LOL. Good luck.

 

[Saje]

Is she getting enough exercise? Enough stimulation? Huskies are very high energy as I'm sure you know.

Also, crate training might not be the answer for this dog. Not all dogs respond well to all training methods. A puppy proofed room might work better.

Where is the crate?

 

[makenzie71]

Also, crate training might not be the answer for this dog. Not all dogs respond well to all training methods. A puppy proofed room might work better.

Exactly. My dogs (huskys/mixes) have never taken to crating very well. They need open spaces and get confined only if absolutely necessary.