Should my brother find our 7 year old siberian husky a new home?

[pilsung]

I live in Massachusetts's about to be shipped off to the AirForce and my brother lives in NC so unfortunately I can not take him. Our Siberian Husky is 7 years old was never properly trained but he would listen to sit, lay, down, simple stuff like that and every now and then resource guard a stick or a toy he had. But we move from that location where he is now alone with my brother and his gf in their house. He has been fine up until a few months ago my brother said where he has started growling and trying to bite my brothers gf and him when they tell him down off the bed and has just been aggressive. Also for the past 2 or so weeks he would be outside for a majority of the day having plenty of time to use the bathroom and as soon as he comes inside he shits and pisses. We both would rather keep him but if its not fixable then my brother will have to find him a new home. Any thoughts? P.S I'm going to send him the link to this reddit so any detailed tips would be much appreciated.

 

[mehgyn]

@pilsung Don't rehome immediately. This stuff can be fixed. First consult a trainer that specializes in aggression. Never try to fix aggression issues on your own. It is likely fixable but you need professional help sooner rather than later. In the meantime, go back to basics and set boundaries. No being on the furniture unless invited. Make him sit and wait for a release before you feed. Sit and wait before you go through any doorway, especially if headed outside. Regular potty breaks every one to two hours. I suggest crate training him when he can't be supervised. Crate training him would also help with the accidents in the house. When he can't be supervised, he should be in the crate. You can give him enrichment and things like that in his crate to help ease the transition and provide mental stimulation so long as he can be trusted not to destroy them. If he resource guards something and you feel like you need to take it away for some reason , trade the item for a really high value treat. Hotdogs, chicken, etc. The reason dogs resource guard in the first place is because they assume we'll take whatever they have. By trading the item for a high value treat, you teach him that you aren't only going to take things away from him.

You also need to remember that moving is a huge change and dogs take time to readjust. You leaving for duty as well as a move several states away are HUGE changes. Even humans need time to readjust for changes that big. Huskies require quite a bit of stimulation and exercise to be properly fulfilled. It really sounds as if he's lacking some serious boundaries and routine. Don't keep him outside, especially in NC. Huskies are northern breeds and do not easily tolerate the heat that NC can have. Like other breeds, huskies can be destructive when bored and in particular are known escape artists. I really suggest looking into a professional trainer.

Ultimately, if you feel like you aren't able to handle these issues or provide the training needed to help him through these issues, then I would absolutely rehome. There is no shame or guilt in rehoming a dog because you are unable to provide something the dog really needs.