Husky Advice?

“Anyone have any words of wisdom about owning (having) a husky?

”

“I've heard they taste like chicken. ;-)”

“That puppy is already stalking your hand. Don't let it think of your body parts as prey. Teach that one now.”

“siberian? Alaskan? McKenzie?”

“Try this site.
http://www.everythinghusky.com/

It looks like you already have the dog, but they are one breed that is frequently abandoned. It is a working dog, they want to pull or run, have lots of energy.”

“I have a friend who does skijouring with her huskies, and another friend who puts packs on their backs during walks.

Adorable puppy!”

“Cute!!!
;)”

“Just be aware that really don't make good off-leash dogs. They can be fine for years, then suddenly get the call of the wild and just go.
Buy a dyson vacuum, or become familiar with getting overrun with fur bunnies.
If you ever want a cat then start socializing it to kitties now. Few more months and it'll want to eat them.
Get your AC upgraded.

The northern breeds have stronger pack instincts than most other dogs - learn what you need to do to convince it that you are the alpha dog, and repeat on a daily basis. Doesn't take too much for them to think they are in charge.



This one is a malamute, though a lot of the same rules apply.
last edited: 1/07/07 8:53:08 PM”

“I have two Huskys and I like them both better than Stihl. :)”

“harman... lots of advice.

First, have fun! This is very exciting. I am envious. My last dog was a huskie, my current dog is a rottie, and my next dog will be a ... huskie. Tough call because I love rotties so much, gut variety is the spice of life and I am a firm believer in animal adoption... there are a LOT of huskies that need homes and not just any home but one that understands the needs of the breed.

First, these are WORKING dogs. They are very close to wild animals... full of instincts and behaviors that come from their wild cousins. You are in for a real experience with this pup!

1. never, ever let it off the lead. it will run away. not even for a minute. inherent in the breed is the need to "wander" and their intelligence and curiosity means if they get free they will take off and it could be a long time (if ever) before you see your loved one again.
2. keep it in a fenced in yard and watch it... they are escape artists.
3. the pups eat everything in site. hide your shoes, sofa cushions, etc, etc. :)
4. They are highly social animals. Try to never leave it alone.
5. They have a high prey drive. Watch small animals and little children (small animals will get killed, little children nipped).
6. Lots of exercise. I love to run with mine.
7. They dig DEEP holes in the ground.
8. Get ready for constant hair cleanup when they blow their coat. Never wear black again. :)
9. Lots of training. Work on a good recall (which in my experience is never foolproof with this breed). Be prepared to change it's name if it learns to ignore commands (I knew a husky that had it's name changed like 5 times before it finally got a recall down with the last one).
10. ALWAYS position yourself as the leader of the "pack". Never let the dog do ANYTHING without permission from you.
11. Get out and let the dog get into as many situations as possible. Socialize, socalize, socalize.
12. Crate train the dog and use the kennel. It doesn't hurt these dogs and often makes them more secure. My dogs love their kennels and go there to get away from kids, noise, etc. The doors are aways open unless we need to close them (lots of little kids and a 90 lb rottie is a chaotic combination).

The usual stuff: lots of love, toys, attention. enjoy the dog and let it enjoy you. it was bred to need the company of people.

What amazing dogs! I know you will have a lot of fun. I can answer any questions you may have. It's a breed that I have a special interest in.
last edited: 1/07/07 9:25:01 PM”

“Train it well, and there are devices that will allow you to let it go off leash. Let it do what it does best.”

“...yeah, a "fence".”

“We have an invisible fence for my son's lab, I wouldn't trust it with huskies. I lost two. One escaped from me, the other escaped from the house. One never seen again, one hit by car.”

“She is cute.”

“a 6' tall fence to be precise.”

“We have cats... four. If he grows up around them do you feel that they are going to be in danger. If so, does anyone want a great husky pup?

Thanks for all the other advice!”

“You have to watch the dog. It's not something they learn, it's something built into them from their breeding. When their prey drive kicks in it's like a different set of programming takes over. They can no more help it then you or I could stop ourselves from sneezing. I had a husky that had almost no prey drive the lived in peace with my chiuauhua. I knew another that was a total sweetie but had a very high prey drive. It's something that is wired into any given dog, not something you can "train" out of them.”

“You know I checked the first photo out....the girl is not all that HUSKY....I suggest she check and see what her realistic weight should be. There is such a thing as too skinny.”

“... but just so you don't get discouraged, huskies can live with cats and if the prey drive is right having it raised in the house with cats from a pup will socialize it better to cats. they will do fine but watch the husky closely as it grows up and supervise it's time around the cats as much as possible. it will be the adolescent years when there will be the most danger. you can test the pup out by playing games to see if you can trigger the prey drive. you play these games with the cats already probably (making them chase things, etc). it's the same thing.”

“If you have cats then you should well be ok. If convinced from a young age that cats are part of its pack, then you should have a good basis to work from.”

“just be careful. these dogs are serious animals... working dogs people think make good pets. the prey drive of a dog comes mostly from it's parentage. two dogs with a high prey drive will produce mostly pups with a high prey drive. as with all things in genetics there are exceptions. anyway, you can ask the place where you got the dog about the dogs parents. if they say their parents had a very high prey drive then you need to be very careful. i use adoption so i have never had the luxury of knowing the parents of my dogs. i have to evaluate them or have someone that i am adopting the dog from do the evaluation for me.

in the case of my last husky i brought my chihuahua (a little fawn colored princess) whom any adopted dog would have to live with. actually it is hard to find a husky that doesn't have a prey drive that is safe... you can see it in their eyes as they watch the little dog move around the room. it's scary but like I said, it is what it is.

...if the dogs prey drive does kick in all it could be just for a few seconds. that's all it takes... a quick movement, something running away from the dog, the right smell and motion. Sound seldom is a trigger. Once it's over the dog will be back to "normal" like nothing happened. think of it as a "dog a" and "dog b" thing. the dog can not help it's prey drive and it's behaviors at that level are instinctive. if you punish the dog it probably won't even know what you are yelling at it about. "dog b" is gone and it's back to "dog a". it's like a different set of wiring kicks in and everything that "dog a" is goes out the window for something more primitive and essential to the dogs being.

i like to say that dogs are good at one thing only: being dogs. you can't fault them for doing things that dogs do. i had a friend that had a dog that constantly ate food from the counters (a "counter cruiser") and dug in the trash. i told him to think about it, a dog is a scavenger... it would be abnormal if his dog DIDN'T cruise the counters or get into the trash. that's not to say that the dog can't learn limits, but to expose the dog to an environment where it's weaknesses are preyed upon (putting a chicken on the counter 3' from it's nose and leaving the room) isn't going to help matters.

my point is just recognize the nature of the breed and the nature of the dog and build on what the dog is good at. simple things are huge rewards. a dog will look at the smallest crumb of a treat like you are offering it the leg of a cow. the same is true of your time and attention if you are playing to the themes the dog lives by.”

“I now own my second husky and all the advice that you have thus received has been good advice.If they have it in their mind that they want something or to do something they will at any cost.Iffin they get loose they will most likely come back but they will bring something dead back with them. They have unbelievable personalities and you can't help but love them and grow very attached to them.My first husky could say "I love you" no #&%!$!”

“mine was the only dog i ever owned that could truly howl... made you feel wild.”

“They're totally F$$$ing nuts!! Get one and you'll only regret it about 50% of the time. the rest of the time you'll be amazed.”

“For anyone who cares...

My husky is wonderful! He has really become a member of the family and most/all of the advice was very true. The cats are still alive but he keeps them on their toes (see bottom picture).



Kitten's camping trip was not as fun as she had hoped.”

“LOL!

He looks like quite a handful. ;)

Nice addition to the family. :D”

“Is that mud on your paws or are you just happy to see me?”

“Great looking dog. I've added a husky mix to the mix since you got him. She has all the toughness of a retriever and the obedience of a husky.”

“I'd like to add one to our family too but they aren't often found at the shelters. Beautiful dogs, and perfect for our climate in da UP.”

“NonC - look for the breed specialist rescue charities and you should find a few rather than the general rescue places. You may have to travel a little to find them. It's like that here - there just aren't that many rescue dogs up here.

http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/northernlights.html

http://www.malamuterescue.org/

http://www.iamra.org/

http://www.amrone.org/

http://www.siberianrescue.com/sibrescu.htm”

“My Favorite is Chesapeake Bay Retrivers!!!”

“Y2, it sounds like you got screwed out of what could potentially have been a great dog :)”

“glad it worked out harman. very glad.

you watch those cats!

y2: "obedience of a husky" ... you are kidding, right? lol!”