help adopted dog

Question
yes i have a husky that i adopted from the pound over a year ago. i cant get him to stop pulling me and also he likes to destroy things like my solid oak door to get out and run.also he has taking down wood paneling.i tried the basic training like bad and no and tried the two fingers on the nose when i see him do it but still nothing.he was abused and very scared when i got him so i don't want to hurt him.is there anything i can do to correct this behavior?

Answer
To teach him to walk on a loose leash (and other important skills) I'd be looking for a good, positively based - clicker - obedience class. Stimulating his mind and giving him new ways to react will also make him less generally anxious (and probably less destructive). I would also crate train him - start by rewarding him for going in an open crate, and continue from there. If he is not loose to destroy your home, he can't do that. If you are there, supervise. That may include actually tethering him to you, so you can redirect him when he starts to think about damaging things by giving him something approved for chewing, or some obedience or trick exercise to think about. Give him something you like for him to do and reward him for that, rather than punishing him for doing something "wrong". Telling a dog "no" leaves a vacuum. It doesn't tell him what to do instead. Good behavior doesn't take hurting him, or physically correcting him. While he is a rescue and may have had a rough like before, he's not having a rough life now, and you need to think of him in present tense. He does. It just takes training. Good luck! Sandy Case, BFA MEd CPDT www.positivelycanine.com