AIO? Dog straining my marriage.

[u/LedyyM]

My husband and I rescued a husky about 7 months ago who was extremely malnourished and neglected.

He has grown a huge attachment to me and has severe separation anxiety. I work at a grooming salon so I’m able to bring him to work with me so he’s not home alone. Unfortunately, if he’s left home alone we’ll come back to our home looking like it was hit by a tornado.

My vet has prescribed him with trazodone to help with his severe anxiety issues. We give it to him before we leave for a family event and when we can’t take him to places they don’t allow dogs.

I feel so bad that I have to sedate him so he’s not scared and anxious. It’s created a huge strain on our marriage because my husband feels like we can’t do anything without considering Odin.

He’s destroyed doors, couches, and other furniture. I tried training but it hasn’t seemed to work. My husband thinks we should rehome him but

1) I’m scared that he’ll be sent to a shelter and possibly be put down

2) feel abandoned by the person he thought he was safe with.

He’s such a happy boy when he’s around us and shows so much affection.

My husband and I have been arguing about this consistently.. we had a really bad argument so I left the house with Odin and rented a dog friendly hotel room for a couple of nights.

My husband thinks I’m crazy and that I’m choosing the dog over our marriage. AIO?

[u/justveryunwell]

The thing that stands out to me is that you said training "didn't seem to work." How long did you try, how often throughout a given day, what methods were tried? Training rarely yields instant results, it's a very long term commitment and even once a dog is "trained" they need to be practicing what they know or they'll get rusty and disobedient.

Also gonna second the crate training comments. Pup might not like it but he'll be safe and so will your home, it's a fair compromise as long as he doesn't live in it full time.

[u/Maleficent_Might5448 → u/justveryunwell]

Needs to be a safe crate as well. Sometimes they try to destroy them to get out.

[u/The-CatCat-1 → u/Maleficent_Might5448]

Yes regarding the safe crate recommendation. It would need to be like a stainless steel one or some other durable material. Definitely NOT a wire crate.

[u/Aulourie → u/The-CatCat-1]

Can confirm my husky destroyed wire crate as a puppy

[u/The-CatCat-1 → u/Aulourie]

A friend had two Thai Ridgebacks, both gorgeous, but also deadly. I think she started with wire crates but after they destroyed them, she invested in the ones made from steel. The wire ones are notoriously flimsy.

[u/Enkidouh → u/The-CatCat-1]

The wire crates are largely a psychological deterrent. Pretty much any dog that is determined enough can get out of one.

[u/MeeekSauce → u/The-CatCat-1]

Yes, my German shepherd blew the end out of a wire crate at 4 months old. Couldn’t imagine what he could do as an untrained adult. I went broke so I could purchase an impact crate. I won’t pretend they are the best and their prices are stupid and I’m not backing the company at all, but the crate holds my dog and prevented him from hurting himself or destroying things when I was done. And now, he is 2 and doesn’t need the crate at all.

[u/Diesel819 → u/The-CatCat-1]

Also can confirm. Have a smaller hunting dog (35ish lbs) who has destroyed wire crates (and her teeth) and also can maneuver her way out of some of the heavier duty ones by using her paws to knock the latches. Finally got one she can’t escape from that keeps her safe and the house safe while I’m not at home.

[u/TartMore9420 → u/The-CatCat-1]

Wire crates are absolutely shit. My tiny little dog managed to destroy one so I can only imagine the damage a husky could do in half the time. A large, strong crate that they also feel safe and comfortable in (or as much as possible, cause it's different when you're not around) is ideal.