Okay, so you finally got that adorable Siberian Husky puppy, right? Fluffy ball of energy, those piercing blue eyes. Cute as heck living here in Illinois. But man, that cuteness wears thin real fast when he’s chewing your favorite shoes or pulling your arm off on walks. I figured training had to happen, pronto.
Let’s Be Honest, I Was Clueless at First
Seriously, where do you even start? I grabbed a collar and leash, thinking “How hard can it be?” Famous last words. Tried putting the collar on little Loki. Huge mistake. Instant wrestling match. He flopped around like a fish, biting the collar, whining like I was murdering him. Yeah, felt awful. Lesson #1 learned immediately: Make it fun, not a battle.
So I stopped fighting. Just sat on the floor with him near Des Plaines, tossed some tiny treats nearby while the collar sat near me. No pressure. Let him sniff it, ignore it, whatever. Next day, same thing. Held a treat through the collar loop. He nudged his nose through to get it. Big praise! Did that a bunch of times over like three days. Finally, he barely flinched when I clipped it on. Small win!
The Leash Was Another Story
Attached the leash to the collar inside. Loki froze. Total statue. Refused to move. Like the leash was made of lead. Okay, fine. Dropped the leash. Walked away, pretended it didn’t exist. He took a step. Praise! Treat! Did this forever, it felt like. Then he decided dragging the leash was fun. Chased it, bit it. We worked through it. Eventually, held the leash loosely, followed him wherever he wanted to go in the house. Just getting him used to the feeling.
Stepping Outside (Big Deal!)
First time outside near Geneva? Sensory overload. Squirrels! Birds! Weird smells! Grass! Forget me. He was pulling like crazy in every direction. Pure chaos. Pulling back? Useless. Stopped dead in my tracks whenever he pulled hard. Just stood there like a stubborn tree. The second the leash loosened even a tiny bit? Marked it (“Yes!”), gave a treat, kept walking. Rinse and repeat. A million times. Seriously felt like my arm was gonna fall off. Illinois weather didn’t help – icy sidewalks one week, muddy slush the next.
Sit, Stay? Yeah, Right.
Teaching “Sit”? Held a treat right above his nose, slowly moved it back over his head. His butt naturally plopped down. “Yes! Sit!” Treat jackpot. Simple enough.
“Stay”? That’s where the real patience got tested. Got him to sit. Held my hand out flat like a stop sign. Said “Stay.” Took one tiny step back. He immediately followed. Ugh. Reset. Got him sitting again. Hand out. “Stay.” Managed one step back, he stayed for a split second? “YES! Good stay!” Treat. Slowly, painfully slowly, built up distance and time. We practiced this every single day, multiple times. Used his kibble meals for training sessions, kept him hungry and motivated. If he broke the stay, calmly walked him back to the spot, no treat. Consistency was brutal but key.
Chewing Everything? Survival Mode
Oh man, the chewing phase in our Naperville apartment. My couch corners! Baseboards! Phone chargers! Lost my mind. Shouting “NO!” did nothing except maybe scare him for a second. What actually kinda worked? Sigh. Whenever I caught him chewing something wrong, I’d calmly say “Ah-ah,” pick him up if needed, and immediately shove the right chew toy (frozen Kongs saved my sanity) into his mouth. Then praised like crazy when he chomped on that. Had to have toys everywhere and constantly redirect. It sucked, but slowly, he got the idea that the toys were way more rewarding.
We’re Getting There (Mostly)
It wasn’t quick. It wasn’t easy. Some days were pure frustration walks around here. But slowly, piece by piece, Loki started figuring stuff out. The big things? Making it rewarding for him, catching him being good even for a split second, marking it (“Yes!”), treating immediately. Being more stubborn than him when he pulled. Redirecting the chewing instead of just yelling. Seriously, tons of tiny steps.
He’s still a husky, stubborn as heck living in Illinois. He’ll see a rabbit and forget I exist sometimes. Chewed a flip-flop just last week. But honestly? Walking without him dragging me across the prairie path? Priceless. Getting him to sit and wait before bolting out the door? Huge win. Seeing that fuzzy face look up at me when he actually listens? Makes all the messy, frustrating, chew-marked days kinda worth it. Takes constant practice, every single day. No magic fixes, just putting in the darn work.
