evening all

were considering getting a husky puppy, it would be joining 2 other dogs in our household.

im just wondering what are peoples views on the huskies? anyone on here have them? and could offer some advice?

thanks
simon

what are your other dogs?

basically, huskies need a lot of mental stimulation and exercise

also brushing... lots and lots of brushing...

i'd love one myself, but i wouldn;t be able to keep up with either of those things!

Brushing isn't a problem, we have 2 small ish dogs. I think ones a parsons jack Russell. And the other is something similar, the dos are walked twice a day and have access to the garden throughout most of it.

At weekends they are taken up the local park for a couple of hours and give us a good run around lol

I think the exercise would be fine as were an active family mental stimulation is that giving them toys to chew/bones etc?

A huskey will need around 1 hour walking every day.

hi cosmo,

is that in 1 hit? or two half hour walks? how we currently do it is in 2 walks, they average about half hour each, (we go down a local park and walk around the pond etc etc)

do you have one?

thanks
simon

Two half hour walks minimum. If you notice the dog is behaving excitedly indoors - barking excessively etc. then it's likely that more exercise is required.

You also have to watch for dominant behaviour. As you already have terriers I'd guess you know all about that anyway.

A friend of mine has two huskies and walks them for 30 minutes morning and 30 minutes evening, then walks them for two or three hours in the woods on saturdays and sundays. Throughout the walks he uses a tennis ball to get them running and retrieving.

A treadmill is also good for getting rid of excess energy but must never be the sole source of exercise. Going outside for walks with the pack is a primal necessity for all dogs.

the walks your friend does sounds very similar to our routine, the dogs run around with each other and run after sticks/tennis ball.

i have read that huskies should be ok with other dogs if their raised from a puppy with them, and we would get a puppy so it can be brought up in our environment.

theres a good chance the dog would be walked longer in the evenings anyway, but the above is allowing for a general walk,

were lucky that we live a 5 minute drive from some beautiful reservoirs, or in the other direction woods which has some superb walks in it. so the dog would be well exercised, were certainly not like some who will let the dog live its life going to the loo in the back garden

does your friend enjoy them? have they had any problems your aware of? sorry for all the questions! i like to be as informed about things as possible

There are various huskies (e.g Siberians, Greenland dog, malamutes, samoyds are sled dogs but are generally considered to be spitz rather than husky type) and they vary a bit in behaviour and how they look e.g siberian huskies are leggier and lighter than Malamutes and are considered sprinters and they are generally less confrontational with other dogs. Malamutes can used for weight pulling with less speed and some breeders advise against ever letting mature males off lead, unless in a secure area away from other dogs, as they can be aggressive to other dogs once mature (although no doubt there are some exceptions).
All huskies typically tend to be quite assertive, strong-willed dogs and they are termed "northern" dogs who are considered to be closer than some other dog types to wolf looks and behaviour e.g howling, denning i.e digging, including into furniture and gardens and testing boundaries.
In terms of exercise remember that when fit they are breed to run up to 20 miles plus a day, pulling weight.

thanks for that tass, sorry didnt mention it was the siberian we were looking at,

so exercise is a very big point with these, which isnt a problem for us as were not out every night (very rarely infact) so we can devote time to walking them and ensure they get a good run out etc.... not up the road and back.

No real problems as such. They're just a lively breed like any other really. With you having terriers you should already know how to handle anything that comes up.

Siberians can be a bit easier to manage than some of the others (and the prettiest imo) but they all vary.
They are becoming quite popular at the moment and I recently saw two unconnected pups, both male, who were really very aggressive at 10 to 12 weeks of age about getting their own way on things, (one had a litter mate who had already been returned for aggression by someone else) so be sure you choose carefully. See the parent(s), handle them and the puppies well and carefully observe how they are behave. If you don't like anything you see, or you feel uncomfortable about something don't accept any excuse from the breeder but wait and find one elsewhere, no point rushing when you're choosing someone you'll be living with for the next ~12 yrs
Talking to people you see out with Siberians and finding where they got theirs if they're happy with them can be a good starting point as someone with a pet has no vested interest in selling you a pup, literally or figuratively.
Unfortunately as soon as any breed picks up in popularity the standard can drop as people begin to breed anything that will sell well.

thanks so much guys,

we will be doing plenty of research before we do anything tass, thanks for your help

ive heard of the kennel club, is it worth checking them out, i was told they have a list of recommended breeders or something?

thanks again

The kennel club run pedigree dogs registrations but it is based very much more on a "beauty" basis than anything to do with health, temperament or, where appropriate, working ability although after a lot of recent negative publicity they are trying to improve their reputation on health issues.
You could certainly contact some breeders and ask about the breed but remember virtually all breeders are enthusiasts of their breed(s) and so will give you all the good points but, like pround parents, they can overlook anything negative, or have become so accepting of it, that they may not bother to mention it.
A certain forum popular with breeders of various breeds always refuses to accept as true any post that describes aggression, particularly in puppies, invariably claiming the poster merely cannot recognise play. They also frequently dismiss significant behavioural problems e.g interdog aggression as "oh that's just what ******(insert name of any breed) are like"

This is the link to tell you about the KC breeders scheme:
Kennel Club Accredited breeders .

oh right ok, sounds like as you suggested then, speak to owners of them (theres a few around here)

see how they feel, where they got theirs from etc...

edit: thanks for the link (didnt see it first time round)

An old friend of my mother's became a breeder of huskies in Canada, and she says that to keep the breed true they should be interbred with wolves every four generations. This is for working huskies, obviously.

[quote=SPARKIE1984;35166444]oh right ok, sounds like as you suggested then, speak to owners of them (theres a few around here)

see how they feel, where they got theirs from etc...

edit: thanks for the link (didnt see it first time round)[/QUOTE]

It probably wasn't there then as I had to go and check it and edit it in once I'd picked it up

BTW I'm not saying avoid the KC, just be aware that breeders can have their own agenda and outlook on things. It may well be that one of the pet owners you speak to will suggest someone who happens to be a KC breeder.

ha ha, thought i was going mad for a minute

It would probably be worth talking to the breed clubs and Husky resues before committing yourself.

I've met a few Huskies (Siberian) and the 'happiest'/least problematic of them are the ones with a job to do - one breeder I know uses hers pulling sleds. An owner I know has his play fetch/retrieve for most of their walk. I know some that can never be off lead because of recall issues - if you don't train recall constantly from a pup a Sibe can run and run. And others kept on lead because they are right b'stards with other dogs. I must know over twenty Sibes and only one has major issues with people, though most are rather reserved.

If you talk to the breed club you'll know what to look for in a breeder (I'm not aware of any health issues - but Sibes aren't my dog) especially regarding temperament. If you talk to rescue, they may have a pup for you and can tell you the MAJOR issues Sibes, especially the boys, have when they hit their teenage years - agression if not properly socialised, ill mannered if not properly trained, head strong, chewing, marking.

They aren't an easy dog. They need to 'work' - certainly not a part time dog. And - in my experience - second only to Labs for crotch sniffing!!!

Beautiful dogs - but challenging.

Unless you are very experienced I dont think husky and terriers are a good mix.

If you get a husky pup you may find thing are fine until the husky approaches adulthood and the 'pack' dynamics change....ie the husky decided it wants to be the alpha or beta rank which your other two dogs prob already have this rank and this is where the trouble may start,....ie husky moves to take either of these roles and terriers are unlikely to back down as part of their breeding is to have a very strong will.

Husky also being strong will may end up fatally wounding both or either terrier, it can be quick, picks it up by the neck, shakes it like a rag doll and can be over in seconds.

This doesnt mean it cant work, but will need a lot of understanding of the breeds and pack dynamics.

In my opinion an hour walk will be now where near enough unless you get a low energy low rank type, you will just most likely end up with a demented over excited / hyper dog without a lot more exercise, plus they also need plenty of mental stimulation also, exercise on its own is unlikely to be enough.