Husky !! wrong dog for me ?

meesha

meesha

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Hi all, I currently have one border collie who is great with other dogs - he is 12.

On Sunday I caught a stray husky who looked about 7 months old - in good condition - slim but not overly so. It had been hit by a car - the car driver was telling the jogger who saw it happen what had gone on rather than chasing after the dog ...and actually drove past me without stopping when he saw I had caught the dog - didnt ever stop to see how it was !!

I got husky in car by scruff of neck (no collar but luckily very friendly) and took it to local kennels I know- I explained it had been hit and rang later in day to check up on it and it seems totally fine - it is chipped but they are having a few issues getting hold of the owner (they have contacted dog warden and owner has 8 or 10 days I think they said to reclaim). Hopefully it will be rehomed with its mum and dad but if not I said I would be interested as I totally fell in love with the stupid thing even though it managed to get mud and hair on every surface of my car !

However, trying to be sensible I looked up the breed on the internet and it states on numerous websites that huskies should NEVER be let off the lead - I have my own land (4 acres) that I could probably dog proof but like to walk my current bc along the lane and I also take bc out with horse (not on lead).

My gut instinct if the kennels contact me is to say that I cant take the dog but just thought I would run it by you guys !! It is the NEVER off the lead issue which is a deal breaker for me I think !

ps. I have a lovely cool garage which links to cool kitchen for summer months as I know how easily overheated the breed can get (also plenty of shade down field) and garden is 6ft fenced all round (not sure if it would jump this but wouldnt leave it unattended out there anyway).

Not alot on offer apart from lemsip as seem to be constantly ill - I blame the weather !
 
They are unreliable off lead - they can be let off the lead in very secure areas and while there are exeptions to every rule, they have a high prey drive, are expert jumpers and diggers...many think their dogs are bombproof when they are young but when they hit maturity...boom. Seven months is just a puppy.

They're bred to run in harness (in an ideal world, too many are being bred for cash at the moment!!!) so ideal exercise would be to jog or bike them or attach them to a rig.
While your set up does not sound terrible for a husky, 6ft would be a doddle for a lot of large dogs.
 
I would contact the Husky club (presuming there is one?) and have a good chat with them. I don't see many off lead when walking my dogs. There is someone locally who races hers. It sounds as if your heart is ruling your head a bit here, which is perfectly understandable given the circumstances. If you were actually looking to get another dog, what breed would you choose??
 
well done you and thank goodness you were about :D

Ive no idea about huskies really, they are stunning but not a dog Id have - they dont tick how I like a dog to tick ;) if that makes sense? It sounds like you are more a collie person so why not get another?:cool:
 
My brother and his partner have a husky, He is off the lead most of the time when they go to the beach and the moors, He is fairly nervous and therefore doesn’t stray away (even when my brother goes in the sea) and has excellent recall. They also go cycling a lot and the dog runs along the bikes off the lead too. I am aware that he may be an exception to the majority of huskies though.
 
meesha said:
Hi all, I currently have one border collie who is great with other dogs - he is 12.

On Sunday I caught a stray husky who looked about 7 months old - in good condition - slim but not overly so. It had been hit by a car - the car driver was telling the jogger who saw it happen what had gone on rather than chasing after the dog ...and actually drove past me without stopping when he saw I had caught the dog - didnt ever stop to see how it was !!

I got husky in car by scruff of neck (no collar but luckily very friendly) and took it to local kennels I know- I explained it had been hit and rang later in day to check up on it and it seems totally fine - it is chipped but they are having a few issues getting hold of the owner (they have contacted dog warden and owner has 8 or 10 days I think they said to reclaim). Hopefully it will be rehomed with its mum and dad but if not I said I would be interested as I totally fell in love with the stupid thing even though it managed to get mud and hair on every surface of my car !

However, trying to be sensible I looked up the breed on the internet and it states on numerous websites that huskies should NEVER be let off the lead - I have my own land (4 acres) that I could probably dog proof but like to walk my current bc along the lane and I also take bc out with horse (not on lead).

My gut instinct if the kennels contact me is to say that I cant take the dog but just thought I would run it by you guys !! It is the NEVER off the lead issue which is a deal breaker for me I think !

ps. I have a lovely cool garage which links to cool kitchen for summer months as I know how easily overheated the breed can get (also plenty of shade down field) and garden is 6ft fenced all round (not sure if it would jump this but wouldnt leave it unattended out there anyway).

Not alot on offer apart from lemsip as seem to be constantly ill - I blame the weather !
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You sound like a lovely person and well done you for rescuing the husky. They are adorable dogs, aren't they, and I can quite understand how you have fallen in love. However, the one thing you said that really caused me to worry was your mention of the dog putting mud and hairs all over your car ... WELCOME to my world!! Before I say anything else, I would state firmly and categorically that you need to be 110% committed to WANT to have a breed like a husky - they are very, very different from a BC for instance! If you are house/car proud, but have to work I would say absolutely do not adopt this dog. I have 2 very large Mal/Husky/wolf cross types, and I could hoover every hour of every day and my house would still look like a snow storm! Unless you kept the dog outside in a secure enclosure with a kennel, I am afraid you would have to get used to the dirt and mess, otherwise the dog's life would be miserable and you would be likewise.

That said, if you are still keen on adopting the dog, then there are further issues you should know about that would not be apparent to "virgin" northern breed owners. These dogs are extremely intelligent, they are escape artists, they can dig for the olympics, they can be extremely destructive if left home alone - they are pack animals, and they HATE to be left home alone, even with doggie company. Your 4 acres sound absolutely great, but the cost of fencing this sufficient to completely remove the possibility of a husky being able to escape would be monumental. They can scale a 12' tennis court fence - I know, because I had a husky cross who did just this! I don't buy into this "northern breeds can never be let off the lead", never have and never will. However, it takes an enormous amount of dedication and hard work to train a reliable recall in these exceptionally intelligent dogs who can and will go deaf if they get onto the trail of something, and will run for miles before suddenly realising that you are missing!! Both my wolfie dogs have an exceptionally good recall, and can reliably be let off the lead (although one is DA, and so we have to be very careful to only do this in deserted areas etc. etc.), but any husky or malamute breeder will tell you that they should NEVER be let off the lead, and for the average owner this is probably very good advice. But if you are prepared to put in the work, with a dog of this young age it should be possible, although you might have to resort to using an e collar which doesn't always sit comfortably with a lot of people.

But if you are at home all day, or most of the day, and you feel you can cope with your garden being excavated, and your home and car turned into a muddy, hairy mess, then go for it!!
 
Thanks guys, hopefully he will have been reunited with his owner's so I won't have to make a decision. Interesting that some seem to be ok off lead tbh it would only be down lane at yard which is blocked one end with gate at other I could close. Do they shed a lot of hair and get v dirty and most importantly.... R they clever enough to stay out of way of 2 large horses ! I have new push bike so could train dog to lead from that, would get us both fit ! Just be gutting when I go skiing to have to leave it behind hehe !
 
Thanks nikki j, icommented about car as I already had my dog in cage in boot so husky had to be loose in car for short trip to kennels, if I were to adopt a bigger cage or guard for husky in boot would be installed. Back garden is fully decked so no digging chances and due to amount of time spent at my yard they r never left unattended in garden. Yard is enclosed by Reans and hedge but leads to other fields with good fencing b4 road ... My main worry would be how much horse sense it may have, happy to put in the training time, wasn't particularly looking for another dog but mine would welcome the company, the hair in house does put me off a little but muddy dog is worse, current bc wears coat or gets hosed if muddy then dried.
 
We have a Husky and I certainly wouldn't have another! :D don't get me wrong she is a beautiful, loving dog but people buy them for the wrong reasons, their lovely blue eyes and after watching all those Husky films! :rolleyes: she is never on a lead as we have our own livery yard (which is secure but she has found holes) and she is ok left to run around. She has got out on to the road though so she is put back in her kennel if she has as punishment! She never comes back to you when you shout, completely ignores you, pinches things and finds it hilarious to run away from you with it in her mouth as fast as she can :mad::mad: but, once she's had a blast and has calmed down, she tootles about with you and is fantastic with the other dogs. Its up to you whether you decide to get him or not but we got her at 7 months old and training was non existant, I think if we had had her as a young puppy things might be different. But I think you sound like you have an ideal home for him which would be nice, rather than him passed from pillar to post. Hope whatever you do you make the right decision and don't let my crazy beast put you off! :D
 
meesha said:
Thanks guys, hopefully he will have been reunited with his owner's so I won't have to make a decision. Interesting that some seem to be ok off lead tbh it would only be down lane at yard which is blocked one end with gate at other I could close. Do they shed a lot of hair and get v dirty and most importantly.... R they clever enough to stay out of way of 2 large horses ! I have new push bike so could train dog to lead from that, would get us both fit ! Just be gutting when I go skiing to have to leave it behind hehe !
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No gate would ever be tall enough to keep a husky confined - they can scale gates and wire fencing using their claws, agility and strength! They are usually great with horses - mine have always been overly friendly, but when the horse has threatened them, quickly get out of the way and learn to be more respectful and cautious.

You would be very unwise to go away IMO - as a breed and also as a type, huskies and most northern breeds suffer to a greater or lesser extent with separation anxiety. In the 15 years we have owned wolfie boys, we have never been able to go on holiday abroad - you cannot put them in kennels, they would be absolutely miserable. It is possible to leave them - say with a friend, or someone staying in your house - but I personally would never consider leaving my boys for more than 1 night with my daughter looking after them. With strangers, absolutely no way. They would howl the place down, refuse to eat, although of course your boy, if you do adopt him, may be fine, especially with your BC to keep him company.

Usually they are terrific with bikes! Mine just run loose beside us, and if we pass a field of sheep for instance, we just speed up and they stay close. It is a pack thing, the faster you go the less likely they are to run off, even if you go past some escaped chickens on the towpath like we did once!
 
Hehe sounds like I would be getting fit ! Mum has bc at present when away which is only once a year skiing and maybe one or 2 weekends. Will be interested to c how it copes in kennels until reclaimed. It is same kennels as we got our bc from and if mum away occasionally goes back there for odd couple nights (never a week) and istired when gets out but none the worse for it !

I do dame as u with my bc, if out with horse and see sheep we speed up so all his energy is taken up with keeping up with us, although he is struggling with long rides now at 12.
 
meesha said:
Thanks nikki j, icommented about car as I already had my dog in cage in boot so husky had to be loose in car for short trip to kennels, if I were to adopt a bigger cage or guard for husky in boot would be installed. Back garden is fully decked so no digging chances and due to amount of time spent at my yard they r never left unattended in garden. Yard is enclosed by Reans and hedge but leads to other fields with good fencing b4 road ... My main worry would be how much horse sense it may have, happy to put in the training time, wasn't particularly looking for another dog but mine would welcome the company, the hair in house does put me off a little but muddy dog is worse, current bc wears coat or gets hosed if muddy then dried.
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Seriously, don't do it!! If you are "a little put off" by hair, and a "muddy dog is worse" ... then forget it, honestly!! I work a long way away from home, and have a round trip each day of 70 miles and am out of the house from 7.30 in the morning until past that sometimes at night. I have therefore very little time to do housework, and our place is pretty disgusting. It is tidy, and the loos, bathrooms, kitchen are all clean and hygenic, but as I said before, I could hoover every hour of every day and the place would still be fluffy! You can imagine what it is like by Saturday - the only day of the week I have to do my housework!

If you are freaked out now by what I have said, then believe me, you will be apoplectic after the first day, and it really would not be fair on the dog. Too many people want northern breed types because they have seen Snow Dogs, or they like the blue eyes, without any idea whatsoever what the realities are like. You actually sound like a very good home for a husky, but if you don't like mud, then believe me, don't get a northern breed! We hose our 2 off, or at least OH does, every day when he comes back from walking them, and they go into our porch on a slate floor to dry off. So the porch is filthy and stinks of wet dog. When they come into the house, they then drop the dried dusty residue (you can never hose off all the mud, not with my boys who have double coats) all over the place, along with a ton of fluff and hair. We have laminate, slate and stone floors everywhere, forget carpets, but even so my house is filthy - I would need to be there 24/7 to have a nice clean house!

I'm sorry if I am sounding harsh - I don't mean to be critical of you at all, most people would not put up with what we put up with with our 2, I am just trying to warn you in case you have to make the decision whether to adopt or not!!
 
Mine isn't a husky, he is a husky x malamute x gsd x czech wolf dog.

I always have him off the lead (we walk on the beach) and have no issues with recall. He isn't dog friendly so he goes on the lead around them.

I will say that dogs like this are mischievous and will find something to do if not given something to do.

My dog is naughty and makes a mess of my home - but he is loyal, loving and hilarious....and so I forgive everything just for the sheer joy of being with him.

I am lazy about brushing him so I take him to a professional groomer every month in order to keep atop of the shedding.
Otherwise they really do need a weekly brush or your house will be covered :o
 
I have two and they are never off lead in an unenclosed area - and your idea of an unenclosed area is probably vastly different to mine! I rent a few acres for the horses which has good taut 4ft stock fencing and a thick hedge behind that and they still are not permitted totally free roam of that, they have their long lines attached so I can stamp and reel in if necessary. They can, and have, dug under or leapt over faster than I can react. The rescue that I volunteer for, and have adopted one from, stipulates in their contract that the dog must never be let off in an unenclosed area.

These are dogs with which every effort has been made in obedience training, one competes in agility to a decent level, seems mad that I can unclip her lead in the agility ring and have her do long sequences of obstacles successfully at my every whim but unclip her anywhere else, where you are not asking for 100% focus every single second, she'd be gone. Nothing to do with hard work or dedication, it's advisable to put this in as with any dog but it will not get you anywhere when the dog is already running.

It is well beyond the realms of possibility that they would ever come riding with me or biking off lead (though they are very, very good at being attached to said bike or other vehicles which is a sport in its own right).

The shedding is just about bearable most of the time, we hoover daily, don't have guests round and tolerate having an inch of hair on the bottom of socks as you travel round the house. The annual coat blow is something else, however, and has to be seen to be believed. Even the bloody air is thick with it at the moment. :o

Incidentally mine are fine with the horses and even with cattle but I would never, ever trust them with sheep and cats, chickens etc. will have no chance.

They are crap pets and I only enjoy them because I am a mad loon who has adjusted every facet of her life to accommodate them. :o I don't recommend them to anyone. There's a reason so many 6-18 month olds end up in pounds and rescue.
 
Such beautiful dogs, but like Beagles, I can't imagine why anyone would want one (usual caveats in place, before I get belted.....)
 
As mentioned on another thread, there are individual dogs out there who buck the trend but it would be arrogant of we humans to assume that we can argue with or over-ride the genetics of dogs.
 
Well done for rescuing this one! Hopefully he will have been reunited with his owners byt now (unless it is a case of that they have realised how challenging these dogs are and deny ownership!!). I am not a fan of these dogs - they just don't do it for me. However, there is a lovely one near where we ride our horses and, although he was rather 'aloof' at first (ie he did escape from the garden and hi-tail it across the neighbouring wheat field!), we often see him being walked off the lead, happily trotting along. He is also left outside in the garden quite a bit from what we see (when owners are at home) and he is always just chilled out lazing about. The garden is secure as in it has fencing and walls but it is not that high - nowhere near 6 feet - so i guess he must be an exception. He's a very fit, healthy looking husky too so it's definitely not a case of him being too fat to move! Lol. I think there are exceptions to every breed. I still wouldn't want one myself though! :)
 
CaveCanem said:
As mentioned on another thread, there are individual dogs out there who buck the trend but it would be arrogant of we humans to assume that we can argue with or over-ride the genetics of dogs.
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Exactly! It is extremely difficult or impossible IMO to over-ride certain aspects, such as the high prey drive, separation anxiety and to a lesser extent the lack of recall - I say lesser because it is possible to train a reliable recall, but you have to know what you are doing and there is no guarantee of success.
 
blackcob said:
They are crap pets and I only enjoy them because I am a mad loon who has adjusted every facet of her life to accommodate them.
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:D:D:D

Pretty much the case.

We have to 'secure the house' before leaving it......

1) Close all the doors.
2) Leave the kitchen bin or lift it on the work surface.
3) Leave something to sacrifice on the kitchen surface for him to steal (like a piece of fruit or a vegetable).
4) Leave a bone for him to chew on.
 
Yep. Kitchen bin up onto work surface, all surfaces cleared of food, stair gate closed (they can open doors including round knobs), windows closed, bone/kong down. Must have had a decent walk immediately preceeding. Thankfully they're happy with this for a good four hours and don't howl the house down, unlike the early months with Daxy when she also had to be crated to stop her destroying the place and boy did she howl.

Nothing is simple with these kind of dogs - I could never employ a dog walker, for example, because I'd be forever worrying that they'd not done some of the above, or absent mindedly/false sense of security let them off the lead, or got dragged about chasing a pheasant and hurt themselves. Kennels are chosen on the merit of their fencing and they are let into secure pens, not walked. Even family members have to be briefed before going on walks.

We don't have a garden but even when we do it'll be sectioned off with roofed run panels, I wouldn't leave them out unsupervised with even a 6ft fence. When they're out of my eye line and quiet you know they're doing something they shouldn't. There's pictures somewhere of a five month old pup scaling a 6ft galvanised bar dog run and several of sibes climbing 6ft+ chaink link/mesh fences. And if they can't go over, they'll go under...
 
Reciting in my sleep, please let it find its owner, please let it find its owner !

I am sure they have some good points... I am already used to challenging dog behaviour ! My BC was a rescue at 7 months, hyper, destructive, chased horses, won't let anyone touch him... Growls if they do.. Even growls at us on regular basis.. But is a little star and wouldn't change him for the world !
 
Crossed my mind but don't think I would be able to let it go after having it stay with us and not really fair on my bc, there one min gone the next !
 
Well here is my brothers husky just to show how good he is
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ETA Sorry about the size of the pics
 
blackcob said:
Yep. Kitchen bin up onto work surface, all surfaces cleared of food, stair gate closed (they can open doors including round knobs), windows closed, bone/kong down. Must have had a decent walk immediately preceeding. Thankfully they're happy with this for a good four hours and don't howl the house down, unlike the early months with Daxy when she also had to be crated to stop her destroying the place and boy did she howl.

Nothing is simple with these kind of dogs - I could never employ a dog walker, for example, because I'd be forever worrying that they'd not done some of the above, or absent mindedly/false sense of security let them off the lead, or got dragged about chasing a pheasant and hurt themselves. Kennels are chosen on the merit of their fencing and they are let into secure pens, not walked. Even family members have to be briefed before going on walks.

We don't have a garden but even when we do it'll be sectioned off with roofed run panels, I wouldn't leave them out unsupervised with even a 6ft fence. When they're out of my eye line and quiet you know they're doing something they shouldn't. There's pictures somewhere of a five month old pup scaling a 6ft galvanised bar dog run and several of sibes climbing 6ft+ chaink link/mesh fences. And if they can't go over, they'll go under...
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Yup! With huskies, Saarloos, Czech's, Mals, and mixes of these you really need a roof made of wire as well because they can scale a 12 foot chain link fencing as easy as wink - one of our's did! - and then ran across the M1 to get back to us! As you say, they will go under if they cannot go over, so concrete bases are often the order of the day. They are supremely intelligent, and will outwit you given half a chance. I would never have any other type of dog though - it would be too boring!! I love my Norty wolfie boys, they are hugely entertaining and a joy and delight to own, and well worth the sacrifice of no foreign holidays, no restaurants, theatre, cinema, only places where we can take them such as a dog friendly pub.
 
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