jherr0789 Posted January 31, 2019 Report Share Posted January 31, 2019 My girlfriend and I recently adopted a beautiful red and white husky. He is super affectionate and loves attention. We walk him regularly for bathroom breaks and longer walks for leisure and to burn of his crazy amount of energy. I have ordered a much longer leash to allow him to run more while at parks and a weighted vest to assist in giving him more of a workout.... but he is still extremely destructive when it comes to his kennel. When we are home he is out and about usually lounging on the couch with us but while we are at work he destroys his kennel and escaped once. I think it might be linked to him drinking his entire bowl of water in one sitting and having to use the restroom. We limit his water in take at bed time and he will be fine all night. But during the day I give him a bowl full to last him. The time we are away is shorter then the time we are home so I don’t understand why he is ok at night but not during the day....Some advice would be greatly appreciated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2Huskyfun Posted January 31, 2019 Report Share Posted January 31, 2019 Welcome Sorry not much help. Mine are either at daycare or are babysat. When I have to leave. Then loose in my bedroom at night. They have crates. They get all their meals and treats in their crates. But I keep them open all the time so they go in on their own for naps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robke Posted January 31, 2019 Report Share Posted January 31, 2019 Simple...he is bored...nobody home...at night at least you are there, how many hrs is he alone in his crate during the day? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachael_Astro Posted January 31, 2019 Report Share Posted January 31, 2019 Hi there I wouldn’t limit the amount of water you are giving him, he should have access to water at all times. Huskies are well known escape artists and can be destructive if bored Sent from my iPhone using Husky Owners Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BingBlaze n Skyla Posted January 31, 2019 Report Share Posted January 31, 2019 Have a look at a dog crate water bottle , it might help as he'll have to drink slower Sent from my [device_name] using http://Husky Owners mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jherr0789 Posted January 31, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2019 9 hours ago, robke said: Simple...he is bored...nobody home...at night at least you are there, how many hrs is he alone in his crate during the day? 8 hours ago, Rachael_Astro said: Hi there I wouldn’t limit the amount of water you are giving him, he should have access to water at all times. Huskies are well known escape artists and can be destructive if bored Sent from my iPhone using Husky Owners This will hopefully answer both of your replies, Maybe 8 Hours, I wouldn't mind leaving him out but he still has "accidents inside" due to the fact that he can't seem to pace himself when he drinks. I have thought about finding him a friend to keep him company throughout the day and have looked into interactive toys. To be honest I think he is just dying to use the restroom. He isn't very playful and seems to prefer cuddling on the couch, he doesn't show interest in much else. I know boredom is a minor factor but I think the majority of it is the bathroom and drinking issue. He will whine barely able to contain himself, go out side and use the restroom and then he will definitely let me know he is ready to go back inside. Once inside he sits like a good boy and I remove his leash. Then its straight to the couch where he waits for me to finally sit down and relax. Then after dinner is our long walk for his benefit and mine I have read in other forums about water intake at night to prevent "accidents" We still give him water of course just not as much as during the day. But any time I present a bowl of water he will drink until its gone. His food is another story he will only eat when he is hungry and well go back and forth to pick at it. To tie it all together We keep his water bowl about half full as much as possible but only because he will drink himself sick and until he is going to explode with pee, like he does during the day. I don't deprive him of anything whatsoever. I don't want to contradict my previous statement about his energy because he can walk for days if we let him, but I do have a very lazy husky, He loves his leisure time and naps. Which is why his personality leads me to believe that its not so much the boredom throughout the day as it is his urge to use the restroom. He isn't wild or rambunctious at all. 6 hours ago, BingBlaze n Skyla said: Have a look at a dog crate water bottle , it might help as he'll have to drink slower Sent from my [device_name] using http://Husky Owners mobile app That would indeed make him drink slower, however, I believe he will just drink slower until it is empty. I know they make food bowls with timers to prevent over eating and such, but I don't know if they do the same for water or if I should even use one or if it will even work. He will just chug every time it is open with the same outcome of having an open water bowl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robke Posted January 31, 2019 Report Share Posted January 31, 2019 i will be honest... 8 hours is to much in a crate, in my opinion... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2Huskyfun Posted January 31, 2019 Report Share Posted January 31, 2019 It seems like the issue is him pottying in the house not destructive behavior. I would block off a room, safety proof it, and keep him loose. Going to the bathroom might be a stress reaction from being in the crate so long. Even if mine (my boy could be fine crated) could be left for a long time, I could not leave them for 8 hours straight. Is there away someone could come by every 2 or 3 hours? I would rather come home to potty all over the place then my two EATING everything. I have two! There are pros but also double the cons... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jherr0789 Posted January 31, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2019 21 minutes ago, robke said: i will be honest... 8 hours is to much in a crate, in my opinion... I agree with you wholeheartedly, I have no desire to keep him "locked up". But he will force himself to drink everything he can until he is forced to relieve himself in the house 8 minutes ago, 2Huskyfun said: It seems like the issue is him pottying in the house not destructive behavior. I would block off a room, safety proof it, and keep him loose. Going to the bathroom might be a stress reaction from being in the crate so long. Even if mine (my boy could be fine crated) could be left for a long time, I could not leave them for 8 hours straight. Is there away someone could come by every 2 or 3 hours? I would rather come home to potty all over the place then my two EATING everything. I have two! There are pros but also double the cons... Those are my thoughts exactly. He doesn't mind being crated and goes in and out willingly. He just doesn't know how to pace himself and thinks he is supposed to drink until he has to pee. I have thought about getting the potty pads and leaving him loose in the living/dining room. But I am afraid he will absolutely destroy the area trying to get out of their to potty. I was also thinking of getting him a friend, another dog the keep him company while we are at work. But then I don't want two destructive dogs. I should add when he did escape, everywhere he did cause damage were the doors leading outside. He knows he is supposed to go outside but as I have mentioned over and over, he will force himself to the point where he can't hold it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2Huskyfun Posted January 31, 2019 Report Share Posted January 31, 2019 I am sorry, I am sure you have already answered this, but how old is he? What kind of water container does he have? I had to switch mine from a regular bowl to a 3 gallon auto. Mine scarfed down water too until they realized they would always have water. Has he gotten a clean bill of health? No medical reason for this behavior? How about a doggy door? I have one and it works great... unless my asshole neighbor’s dog is out. LOL But if you Husky proof it and have it attached to a room that is Husky proof. That may solve the issue.?. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jherr0789 Posted January 31, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2019 26 minutes ago, 2Huskyfun said: I am sorry, I am sure you have already answered this, but how old is he? What kind of water container does he have? I had to switch mine from a regular bowl to a 3 gallon auto. Mine scarfed down water too until they realized they would always have water. Has he gotten a clean bill of health? No medical reason for this behavior? The animal shelter said he was 3-5, But I am thinking closer to 1.5 to 2 years old. His water bowl is a large metal bowl set inside a larger rubber riser that is supposed to make it difficult for him to tip (it doesn't). I might try and see if it is a mental issue and try the auto dispenser. And as far as I can tell he has no medical issues. He was seen by the vet at the shelter as a favor as my girlfriend works there. But we still plan to take him to a regular vet within the next two weeks. We live in a large apartment, more like a town home, with parks nearby and such we take him too regularly. He is a master escape artist which is why his previous owners did not want him and he even escaped the animal shelter on one occasion. I cannot trust him with a doggy door until we buy a house towards the end of this year with a back yard. I do have a fairly large fenced in porch. I suppose I could husky proof it because the fence is about 5 feet which he could clear easily. He might enjoy being outside more than the kennel. Which I have to say is fairly large in itself. I bought one meant for mastiffs and great danes lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2Huskyfun Posted January 31, 2019 Report Share Posted January 31, 2019 Have your girlfriend find out if he had “happy tail” or did circles in his kennel. Some dogs that have been in and out or spent to long in a shelters will develop a mental condition. Every breed is different in how quickly they develop this condition but I am assuming a Husky would develop it very quickly since they have such a high need to interact. This would explain the water thing. Dogs are normally only interacted with in the morning and before closing time. Pushed out to clean and feed and then the same before everyone leaves at the end of the day. I wonder if someone was refilling his water in the middle of the day when they saw he tipped it. This would have taught him to tip or drink all his water so someone would interact with him 🤔. This May be a good thing because at least you have a reason why he is doing it and a starting point to retrain him. Poor guy. Get the outside secured (a wire meshing or something to go from the top of the fence to the patio cover- something he can’t chew through) and leave the slider open. Test that with short trips on your day off and see how that works. Kennel syndrome can be reversed but it will take some time and lots of reassurance from you guys to pull him through it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jherr0789 Posted January 31, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2019 He was in the shelter for about a week, but he did develop a habit of pressing up against the cage to be pet which he still does in his kennel at home. We do let him free when we are home and we don't pet him until he is completely out of the kennel to try and reverse that habit. Not to say petting him in the kennel is bad but to teach him the kennel is his "den"... his own safe space and that he doesn't have to beg for attention. I don't want him to get in the habit of doing that and whining to get what he wants. Their water bowls were secured in order to not be tipped but it is possible why he drinks the way he does. I am going to try that with the porch and Ill leave puppy pads out there to maybe prevent him going in the house Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2Huskyfun Posted January 31, 2019 Report Share Posted January 31, 2019 I have had dogs so upset that they still managed to tip their buckets Those hooks only work so well. LOL Good luck and keep us posted. We also love lots of pictures 😀 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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