MY LAB HAS A ELECTRIC CORD FETISH SHE HAS KILLED THE CABLE BOX 2 TIMES AND SHE CHEWED THE LIGHTS OFF THE XMAS TREE THE PHONE CORD AND THE PHONE AND AT LEST 10 CABLE REMOTS MY GIRL FRIENDS CELL PHONE TWO TABLE LEGS AN ENTERTAMENT CENTER THE LOVE SEAT
Oh dear! Are you SURE you don't really have a husky???!!!
Sorry. I feel bad for you, actually. Here's some real advice from someone who has a long history with insane dogs:
Mostly, lab-proof your room. Put stuff away that you don't want your dog near. Until your dog is 2 or 3 (or longer if it's had no training), it's going to chew. It needs things to chew on. Kongs are great...Boda bones are good too. Apparently, your dog likes plastic (!) so I'd try the Kongs first. You can stuff little treats in them that mezmerize dogs and keep them occupied.
(Just as a point of reference: my boyfriend's lab chewed through a door because he was bored! The door was his chew toy...that's not good! )
Spray-on "Bitter Apple" works, too (available at nearly all pet stores). You just have to know how to use it. Whenever my dog ( the one I described in my previous post) chewed, I would spray whatever she chewed with bitter apple, then give it back to her. She hated it, and developed aversions to these items. I wish I would have discovered this stuff years before she did so much damage!
The single best thing you can do when you are away is kennel the dog. It's a sporting dog. It can take it. Everyone I know with gun dogs kennel them as puppies, so it's not just a husky thing. Don't feel bad about it. Kennels provide a "den" for the dog, allowing the dog to feel safe. After the dog gets used to it, it should start going in on it's own. Never use a kennel to punish a dog, btw. Your dog will associate the kennel with punishment, which will create more problems for you. Better to kennel the dog, than be in a constant state of frustration with it. Neither you nor the dog will have a very good time.
Finally, get that dog in obedience school. Sounds like your dog doesn't know who's boss yet. You probably yell a lot at it, but that won't make a bit of difference until the dog can learn to differentiate your anger from your commands from your praise. Obedience training provides consistency. Not to mention labs and dogs like labs take to it very well. You sound like you're letting your dog off the hook because he's so darn cute...another reason you need obedience training.
Or you can wing it and hope you don't get so mad you cart the dog off to the pound!
Like I said, I have a great deal of experience with difficult dogs--but my experience IS limited to Siberians. My boyfriend is also an experienced dog trainer. He's trained labs, AmStafs, Rotties and Pit Bulls. (not for aggression, but for obedience). If you want to email me, I'll let my "expert" boyfriend take over! My email is
polarpooch@yahoo.com
