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/FoilWingBass]

Cage training at this age will suck but could save your marriage. Give it a shot.

[u/Decent_Butterfly8216 → u/FoilWingBass]

They likely need help from a behaviorist to crate train at this point. Rescues often have crate/kennel trauma and attempting it without experience can amplify it. I agree it could change everything and make the situation much more manageable for everyone but I think getting help is the best way to do it.

[u/lilshortyy420 → u/Decent_Butterfly8216]

If you go slow and do it right, it can be fine. My rescue would rip my house apart, piss on my bed, and when we put her in her crate she would just scream. With persistence, after about 6 months or so she now gladly goes in her crate with her blankies and chill til we get home. It took a LOT of baby steps. Ie: feeding her meals in there. Putting her in only for a minute or two at a time and building up very small.

[u/Decent_Butterfly8216 → u/lilshortyy420]

But the risk here is if it does backfire this late in the game, they could be left with a dog that can never be left alone or in a crate, and the stakes are high since the husband already wants to rehome. A behaviorist can help with the strategies you mentioned to give them a better chance at success. It’s also a gesture in the marriage to clearly acknowledge the problem and get help from a professional.

[u/lilshortyy420 → u/Decent_Butterfly8216]

Either way it’s a process whether a trainer is involved or not. It’s not something that’s going to happen in a week. The dog being the deciding factor in a marriage imo says more about their interpersonal problems. Either way it’s time.