Okay Im starting to get very down about this

I do feel desperately sorry for you but must agree with Tia - the problem is largely because of his genetic make up - just one of those two breeds can be extremely difficult - combining both then allowing a first time dog owner with a very young family to own one is just asking for trouble.

I once lived next door to a Sibe breeder - she had many many years experience in the breed and her dogs were worked so had LOADS of excercise - nevertheless her house had NO skirting boards - great holes in the plaster and almost every door frame was eaten - eventually she stopped having any of the dogs in the house and they lived permanently in kennels.
People are attracted to these crosses because they look so wolflike but they really are unsuitable for most family homes.

It seems to me you have a few options - you can drastically increase his excercise so that he is simply too tired to cause as much mayhem ( get your hubby involved with this - after all he wanted this 'breed'
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) - buy a kennel and run and house him in the garden - this may depend on whether your neighbours can tolerate any subsequent noise - or rehome him to a more suitable environment.

Other things you may try could be to contact his breeder for hhelp and advice - give him some Scullcap and Valerian tablets or use a Dap Diffuser to reduce his anxiety - cahnge him over to a low protein food so that he is lesss 'hyped up'

buying a Malamute pupy to keep him company is very likely to mean that you will end up with TWO large unruly dogs to cope with.

Good luck
 
I think kennels may be the only options then. What sort of thing do I need to organise for this? I know I would need a 'den' like shelter for him and water. I have left him outside once when I went to the doctors, I was gone half and hour and the nighbours I get on with said they didnt hear a peep out of him. He jumped up at the back door a few times, but other than that, he went and layed down. Maybe he would be happier outside when Im out during the day?

Do I need to build him a purpose built large cage, or is it safe enough to give him the garden as he only tends to dig at doorway I leave out of?? I guess if there's any weak spots I would soon notice him starting and take measures to correct them. Starting to feel a little more optimistic now, I know a few people who give their dogs the garden when they go out.

Lets start talking to my dad about building a kennel! :; :;
 
If you are going to go along the kennelling route then he will need a secure kennel with a galvanised metal run. Personally I wouldn't leave amy dogs loose in a garden, no matter how secure they may seem as they can soon dig, climb or jump their way out. If you are going to use wood for his kennel then it will need fully lining (e.g. with chipboard or mdf etc) so that there is nothing for him to chew. Any doorways etc will also need anti-chew strips so that he can't damage it.

Make sure you leave him with plenty of toys and bones because he's likely to be teething, so will need something appropriate to chew.

At 6 months of age he'll need the correct protein levels for growth. Ideally he should be on a junior large breed diet. IMO reducing the protein in his diet is unlikely to improve his behaviour, and isn't worth risking his growth and development just to try it.
 
"IMO reducing the protein in his diet is unlikely to improve his behaviour, and isn't worth risking his growth and development just to try it. "



good point ....his age is a factor in his behaviour too and he is very likely to improve as he matures both physically and mentally - it's just getting through this 'teenage stage' which is so difficult. I think the kennelling idea would be your best bet - my dogs are kennelled whilst I am at work - I put them in their runs and say 'be good' then give them a chew each - they have learned that this is their 'kennel signal and settle very quickly.

It would also mean that you can come back to a clean undamaged house instead of dreading your return home : and you will enjoy your dog once more.
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Make sure the kennel is fully weather proof though and has a secure run area - it's not a good idea to leave him free running in your garden - he will trash it and may well try and escape.
 
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change him over to a low protein food so that he is less 'hyped up'


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Good idea! I hadn't thought of this and I should have because I did it with my collie and had good results. He's nothing like yours but does shadow me and gets quite panicky if I'm the other side of a closed door (like the loo!) He was rescued from quite a bad situation so I put up with it for a year but it got on my nerves a bit so I started working on it with suggestions from a behaviourist attached to the rescue and also substituted some of his complete dry food with a mixture of cooked brown rice, pulped brocolli and carrots and a 1/4 measure of SA37(vitamin powder) so he didn't lose the nutrients in the complete food and I have to say he's a lot better. Have a look at labelling on the food you give him and it should give the protein content then ask your vet if it's safe to reduce this by substituting it partly for rice and veg.

The outdoor kennel sounds like it might work for him too. Maybe he's finding the indoor home life a bit stressful? I've never kept a dog outside so don't know what's best but the wooden lined kennel and galvanised metal run sounds sensible.

I still really think a behaviourist is the way forward as they understand and can help more than you would imagine for less money than you would think, and certainly less than it's going to cost you to replace all your doors!
 
Well spoke to the local behaviourist today which was recommended by the last behaviourist I spoke to (she didnt deal with our area anymore) and its £125 for the intial 2 hr session
 
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Well spoke to the local behaviourist today which was recommended by the last behaviourist I spoke to (she didnt deal with our area anymore) and its £125 for the intial 2 hr session

[/ QUOTE ]Have you booked it? although it does seem alot to pay out initially... however what does a a new wall/door frame cost?!
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I hope this helps you get the route of the problems.

Good luck.xxx
 
It sounds as though moving him outside might be the best option.

I know someone who rescued a Husky from a NY city shelter. Quite why people have sled dogs in Manhattan, I'll never know. Anyway, this dog had been passed from pillar to post, and current owner felt bad for the dog so took him in. Ordinary walks just weren't cutting it, so the new owner -- inspired by Cesar Milan -- bought a harness and took the dog out, with him on rollerblades behind. The dog has settled into his new home beautifully, being that he's much more fulfilled with his quasi-sleigh duties. I'm not suggesting you do this (though it might be fun
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) but I get the impression that breeds of this nature need not just exercise, but "a job", ideally the one they were bred to do. My cousin's Border Collie can run alongside a bicycle for miles and not tire, but fifteen minutes of herding-type commands really wears him out.

Hope things settle down. If not, maybe you could think about agility or something when he's older!
 
"but I get the impression that breeds of this nature need not just exercise, but "a job", ideally the one they were bred to do. "

....hit the nail right on the head there ...thats exactly why they really don't do well in a domestic situation - and her boy has DOUBLE the mix. In my opinion I would always reccommend one of the gundog group breeds - prefereably a bitch -as a suitable first time dog for anyone with a young family - apart from springers or cockers from working lines - for the same reasons as above.
 
Well, I tried him the crate for the first time in ages in our room last night and he was fine. He slept in it all night, so we will give that a week (do you think thats long enough) and then try moving him onto the landing, a week, then gradually to the kitchen, so he feels his cage is a nice place to be, calm and not to be stressed about it. Whe he saw it assembled in our room bless him, his ears went flat against his head and he looked sulkingly at us! But he went through no problem.
 
Its a start
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maybe try placing a cover over it so when u eventually start to move the crate out he cant see if you are in the room or not, and when u let him out in the morning dont praise or make a fuss, just let him straight out, this way he wontfeel like all the exciting stuff happens when he is let out of the cage....so theres no hurry to get out.

GOOD LUCK
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Well spoke to the local behaviourist today which was recommended by the last behaviourist I spoke to (she didnt deal with our area anymore) and its £125 for the intial 2 hr session

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That is far too much.... Have you tried emailing the person I pm'd you about? Ask her for prices so you can compare....
 
Hi, I have emailed her and she's away until the 25th. Ill let you know with what she comes back with :-) Is that a lot for a behaviourist then? Ive never had experience of them or know anyone who has.
 
Right people might think Im mad, but Im going to give the harness a go! Not on rollerblades though, I cant stop on them! Do you think a bike would be too much? He's ever so strong, Ive seen a harness on ebay which looks really good, proper sledging harness, it would definately give him the exercise he needs and the job he's born to do. If it doesnt work or its too much for him I should be able to sell the harness quite easily (or try to learn to rollerblade!
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)
 
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Well, I tried him the crate for the first time in ages in our room last night and he was fine.

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Did you not say before that your crate was too small for him now? He must have room to stand up and turn around if you're going to leave him in it while you're out.

I have pm'd you the details of a behaviourist but it may be the same one widget sent you!
 
Im using it more to calm him down, hoping I can leave the crate in the kitchen so he can use it if he feels. He can just stand up and he can turn around in it, but no he isnt going to fit for much longer, thats why Im just using it at night while he's asleep for now.

Its more of an aid, I figure if he can be away from us at night, he should improve during the day.
 
Sounds like a sensible approach - if it works well then you can get a bigger one. Seems silly to splash out straightaway on a new crate if you're not sure he is going to take to it. And sleeping in it overnight is rather different from being left in it during the day when he would need more space.
 
re the exercise. A pup of 6 months SHOULD NOT be exercised hard, particularly in a large breed. They are still growing and you will damage the joints.

I suspect his exercise will have to be just enough physical but give him plenty of mental stimulation, playing hide and seek with food, obedience etc.
 
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re the exercise. A pup of 6 months SHOULD NOT be exercised hard, particularly in a large breed. They are still growing and you will damage the joints.

I suspect his exercise will have to be just enough physical but give him plenty of mental stimulation, playing hide and seek with food, obedience etc.

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This is very true until he is about a year old. Until then the growth plates are very susceptable to damage which could result in deformed bones and joints. As above, try hiding food in the garden etc. I do 'crunchy hunts' which involves throwing handfulls of dry food (taken from the daily recommended amount) into the long grass scattered over a wide area which they then have to look for. It took a while for them to grasp what's going on but now I call out 'crunchy hunt' and they all fly into the garden to get ready! There is also a thread on here somewhere which recommended lots of useful ways to occupy bored dogs ie stuffing raw marrow bones/kongs or even tennis balls with peanut butter/cream cheese/smears of bovril etc. Be inventive and find something he really enjoys.
 
[ QUOTE ]
re the exercise. A pup of 6 months SHOULD NOT be exercised hard, particularly in a large breed. They are still growing and you will damage the joints.

I suspect his exercise will have to be just enough physical but give him plenty of mental stimulation, playing hide and seek with food, obedience etc.

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Thats a point, forgot about that, well I can still get it and keep it for when he is older :-) Will try to metal stimulation more as in all honesty other than teaching him to sit and paw before I throw his ball, we havent done much else. (Bad person bad person!! lol)
 
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