Husky...

i have a husky x and i cant have him off the lead in my garden as he just scales the back fence and is off with zero recall as he has found rabbit/birds live in the woods at the back of my house, so in the garden he is on a long lead
out on walks he has decent recall, and is allowed off his lead in certain circumstances, but i wouldnt have him off the lead where there is the possibility he could find something to chase and kill
he is very hard work and needs plenty of exercise, but he lives in the house and sleeps on the bed and is a very loving dog, he doesnt fuss for more exercise than i give him (2 x 1hr walks) but loves to be cuddled and will fuss for hugs and loves
 
wildwest said:
this is my point ..............
i had a 13.2hh heavweight cob who was the best ja pony my daughter ever had
and won athe pc pony racing 3 times on the trot ............
but ???????????????
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And I have a Shire X who I've taken Eventing, I've always ran him on soft ground and taken care of his joints, but at 16 he is riddled with arthritis. Sometimes, no matter the exceptions, you have to face facts and realised certain animals shouldn't do certain things, whether they are able to or not.

Cyrus, if only all Huskies were as lucky to have a bad owner like you!! I do think you should re-home your Locomoot though.. to meeeeee! :p :D :D
 
I have an Inuit - so not a husky but he has some traits.

We live in Blackpool and we walk on the beach off lead every day.

He is co-dependant on my other dog (who has excellent recall - being a GSDvxCollie;)) so he never strays from us.

If there is a "risk" nearby (usually a fast moving dog) he goes on the lead until it's gone past.

I am very strict around the house (with dogs, son and husband) which I think is important as part of recall training.


Here is his recall (I just played the video - he heard my whistle from the laptop and came running to me - bless:))

http://www.youtube.com/user/horseysez?feature=mhum#p/a/u/2/VqkW0yEpXPI
 
kirstyhen said:
And I have a Shire X who I've taken Eventing, I've always ran him on soft ground and taken care of his joints, but at 16 he is riddled with arthritis. Sometimes, no matter the exceptions, you have to face facts and realised certain animals shouldn't do certain things, whether they are able to or not.

Cyrus, if only all Huskies were as lucky to have a bad owner like you!! I do think you should re-home your Locomoot though.. to meeeeee! :p :D :D
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Are you sure? She looks like a giant chinese crested at the moment lol lol
 
wildwest said:
dont worry you wont have to . im not stupid.......
hes never let off in places where he can come to any harm whatsoever.
im a responsible dog owner thanks
with no horror storys to report about dead pups .... shaking small dogs etc
unlike the proffesional husky owners ????????
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The person I know whose dogs killed a pup I would never call a 'professional husky owner'. A stupid idiot more like and he shouldn't have dogs full stop. But that's another story.

I mentioned it as an example of what they are capable of if not correctly supervised. Unfortunately there are many people who have lots of huskies and seem to have no ability to manage the pack etc. I see some really badly behaved dogs at rallies. We have owned the breed for quite some time but we never stop learning about them and I don't think we ever will. They take up pretty much every spare minute of our time (I have a bit left over for my Horse as well though ;-))
 
Oh and re the shaking a little dog hes tried to do it once (he was not given the chance to get ahold of it) and he has not been given that chance again he still socialises perfectly with other dogs as do the whole pack.
I thought I experienced it all when we had just one but nothing prepares you for pack dynamics thankfully they work brilliantly together both in harness and in the home, I have some wonderful breed people to thank for that
 
Cyrus said:
Are you sure? She looks like a giant chinese crested at the moment lol lol
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I can clip a Mal out, right?? :p :D

We have the most beautiful Sibe boarding at the moment, if I wanted an even higher maintenance dog than Otto I could easily snaffle him away! :D Poor sods never really stand a chance do they, if they looked like a bag of crap it would be far better!
 
NOISYGIRL said:
2 husky's were shot by the farmer near me the other day, bloke had let them off lead in the woods near by .....

My friend has a malamute (sp) he is the soppyest thing ever, but was a git when he was a puppy, don't think they let him lead. He used to do runners out of the house he was a monkey
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Same thing happened to someone I know, but with his Akita dogs - they took off and were shot by a local farmer when they headed into his field full of sheep and lambs :(

I have a malamute - he is 7 months old and real handful - I got lots of good advise from husky and mal owners on these forums so I went in with my eyes wide open - we have been to puppy training classes and intermediate classes - but he is very willful and he is only off leash in the fenced off part of the forrest when me and OH are both walking him and can do "happy recall" between the two of us with treats in hand when its quiet and nobody else is around. He vanished for what must have been 20 seconds into the forrest one day - longest 20 seconds of my life. My OH's friend breeds huskies and races them - he was the first person to tell me never ever to let Korben off leash and expect to have him for long - I respect his experience and wisdom so the leash stays mostly on.

When you buy one of these breeds you arent just buying a dog, you are entering into a lifestyle. Its very worthwhile if you are willing to put the work in, we adore Korben and he is growing into a fine young dog, but there have been times when just for a second I think maybe I should have gone for a lab lol :D
 
Any dog can have a loss of recall from time to time for any reason-no dogs recall is 100%
Also, why do the majority Husky owners think they are more "special" and "dedicated" than 'normal' dog owners!?:confused:
 
GeeGeeboy said:
Also, why do the majority Husky owners think they are more "special" and "dedicated" than 'normal' dog owners!?:confused:
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Because, as Hevs has just pointed out, these dogs are a lifestyle choice - it's really not like caring for a 'normal' dog. They have different needs.

I'm sure no-one is claiming to be special or more dedicated than any other dog owner, just pointing out that these dogs have very different care requirements and you must be prepared to meet them before taking on one. This does entail a certain level of responsibility and sacrifice that many people are not willing to take.

Being able to do so doesn't make one special, but it possibly does make one mad. :p
 
blackcob said:
Being able to do so doesn't make one special, but it possibly does make one mad. :p
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Mad lol I think we`re all a bit more than that

GeeGeeBoy you only need to look at the sheer number of them coming into rescue at about 6 months of age because the people who have bought them have realised they arent like your usual lab (I was brought up with labs and terriers so know the difference)
 
katielou_houston said:
Until you have owned one you have no idea how easy "normal" dogs are.
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I can vouch for that; I very arrogantly thought that I'd be able to overcome all these warnings about poor recall and everything with training. Sure, I thought, it might take a bit longer than my last dog, bit more work on the long line maybe, some one-to-one classes... my last dog didn't wear a lead for the latter half of his life, didn't need one, I was a corking dog trainer, these husky lot were just giving up and not putting the work in, surely?

...I've been shown the error of my ways. Love her to bits anyway, even if I am mostly defeated in my dreams of owning a husky agility champion. :p
 
GeeGeeboy said:
Any dog can have a loss of recall from time to time for any reason-no dogs recall is 100%
Also, why do the majority Husky owners think they are more "special" and "dedicated" than 'normal' dog owners!?:confused:
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Husky types don't so much suddenly lose recall or go through a bad patch, more they never actually have proper recall to begin with. Returning to your side is ALWAYS an option for a husky. They don't rely on having you around all that much, so you're far more likely to lose out when the slightest distraction comes along.

I don't think the majority of husky owners are more 'dedicated' or 'special'. But I do think that the GOOD husky owners (such as Blackcob, for example) are. They have to revolve their life around their dog's nature quite a bit more than the rest of us. With a husky you have to accept that it must be excercized on a long line/in harness, that it needs a LOT of that excercize, that it would be asking for heartbreak to ever buy a cat or other small animal (and yes, they are known to live with cats for years, before suddenly snapping). They're also beggars for separation anxiety.

They're just a lot more.... dog-like, than most domesticated dogs. If that makes sense? They're working dogs, and not great pets. Yes you can have them as household pets, but just be willing to work around them, rather than expect them to fit in with your lifestyle/ideal of a pet dog.

That said, I have always wanted a husky. And if it wasn't for the fact that a family friend worked on a research base in the middle of the frozen wastes and was happy to tell me all about the dog team they had there, then I may well have made a terrible mistake and bought one. As it is, I'll wait until I win the lottery and can live in such a place where I can work a team :D

Just my 2p worth as a non-husky owner :p
 
blackcob said:
I am mostly defeated in my dreams of owning a husky agility champion. :p
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Now that would be an instant Youtube classic. The perfect round......
















..... and then said husky pegs it into the distant sunset, tail waving in the air. A picture of freedom, speed, and incredible sudden-onset-deafness :p
 
Pix said:
Husky types don't so much suddenly lose recall or go through a bad patch, more they never actually have proper recall to begin with. Returning to your side is ALWAYS an option for a husky. They don't rely on having you around all that much, so you're far more likely to lose out when the slightest distraction comes along.

I don't think the majority of husky owners are more 'dedicated' or 'special'. But I do think that the GOOD husky owners (such as Blackcob, for example) are. They have to revolve their life around their dog's nature quite a bit more than the rest of us. With a husky you have to accept that it must be excercized on a long line/in harness, that it needs a LOT of that excercize, that it would be asking for heartbreak to ever buy a cat or other small animal (and yes, they are known to live with cats for years, before suddenly snapping). They're also beggars for separation anxiety.

They're just a lot more.... dog-like, than most domesticated dogs. If that makes sense? They're working dogs, and not great pets. Yes you can have them as household pets, but just be willing to work around them, rather than expect them to fit in with your lifestyle/ideal of a pet dog.

That said, I have always wanted a husky. And if it wasn't for the fact that a family friend worked on a research base in the middle of the frozen wastes and was happy to tell me all about the dog team they had there, then I may well have made a terrible mistake and bought one. As it is, I'll wait until I win the lottery and can live in such a place where I can work a team :D

Just my 2p worth as a non-husky owner :p
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Excellent post BC is rather fabulous isnt she, if I was ever to breed a litter and she contacted me interested in a pup i`d have no qualms with putting her at the top of my list
 
kirstyhen said:
I can't believe how willing you Husky lot are to take another normal (ish), well adjusted (ish) member of society and drag them down to your level!! So eager to inflict another Husky on poor BC!! :rolleyes:

:p :D
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They're trying to normalize their own completely mental behaviour...

"She did it! So it isn't just me that's utterly barking!"

Heh, I did a pun....

*shame*
 
Ok genuine question then- if these dogs are so complicated, difficult and time consuming to own then why have them? Seriously,there are hundreds of other breeds out there. Is it just because they are so beautiful that makes people want them?:confused:
 
GeeGeeboy said:
Ok genuine question then- if these dogs are so complicated, difficult and time consuming to own then why have them? Seriously,there are hundreds of other breeds out there. Is it just because they are so beautiful that makes people want them?:confused:
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To the people who have done the correct research on the breed it would probably be last on the list, you have to put up with quite a bit for those looks.
People who havent researched them are definitely going on looks, they then realise what hard work they are and either get rid when they arent a cute pup anymore or they suck it up and do their best by the dog and generally become addicted :D

GeeGeeBoy where abouts in the country are you?
 
Why work with a horse? Inconvinient flight animals :) Why take up falconry? Be a pidgeon fancier? There is a joy in working with animals that doesn't have to depend on the animal fitting in with a human lifestyle and being treated as a mini-person (I'm not saying every non-husky owning dog person does this!). Working huskies, or just watching them work... you can't help but admire them as dogs, just for being dogs. With no personification required :)
 
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