Siberian Huskies

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GinaB

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I don't know a whole lot about these dogs but I know a few people on here have them. To me they are a dog that needs plenty of stimulation, time, patience etc from their owner. I have done a little reading on the net and which says they can be destructive, not good with non canine animals and livestock, need fencing at least 6ft, among other things.

Now here's the problem..I know someone who is getting a one year old one, but this to me is a terrible idea as they can't even look after the dog they have (pug) never gets walked, enough attention etc. This was their first dog (2 yr old now) would it be a really bad idea for them to get one? They don't strike me as a 'beginner' dog at all! They also have a 7 year old who hasn't a clue about dogs. Pulls them about, annoys them etc. Other members of the family also now own a JR pup, I myself own a schnauzer and these dogs are in regular contact. Would they be able to have contact with the husky? It is currently in a pack and coming home in 2 weeks. Can anyone give any advice on them please?
 
If the dogs are properly introduced then I dont see a problem but it would always be sensible not to leave them alone as huskies like to play rough and could accidently hurt a smaller dog.
My two get on great with all kinds of dogs and love puppies and they seem to treat all small dogs as though they are puppies. A friend of mine has two sibes and 3 chinese cresteds and they get on brilliantly too.
 
I'm more worried they may not be able to handle the dog. They have a bad enough time with the pug. Also what about with kids? Esp.kids with no respect for dogs? I'm worried she's gnna end up being ignored just like the one they've already got.
 
Huskies are friendly enough dogs (it's the malamutes that tend to be aggressive). That being said, Cyrus is spot on. The huskies play very very roughly and other dogs can take this as being agressive.

There are a number of dogs in our village that get along fine with my rotty, but not my husky for example. My mum comes to visit most weekends with her small dog and my sibe absolutly terrorises him.

Again, the arent aggressive with people, but they will play rough if allowed and they will challenge you for the alpha position quite frequently! All this being said, again they are individuals and I dont think I would say with absolute conviction that my sibe wouldnt bite. She is (quite uncharacterisitcally of sibes actually), very protective over *her* family and I suspect if she ever felt threatened enough, she could be aggressive. Equally, I wouldnt leave her (or any!) dog alone with children under any circumstances. My sibe gets wound up very very easily if people play with her and without meaning to, she can hurt people.

They do need a LOT of stimulation and a LOT of exercise otherwise as you say, they do tend to become destructive. This also has to be controlled exercise as they shouldnt be let off the leash. It should also be noted that they both dig and jump / climb. Its usually advisable that fencing around a garden is sunk a few feet under the ground to take into account the furious speed with which they can dig. My dog has easily scaled a 5 foot fence in the past so that needs to be accounted for also.

I walk my dog 2 or 3 times a day. I dont work, so the only time she is home alone is when Im riding. We still cage her when I go out as she can still be quite destructive in the house for even a small period of time (and remembering again that they can jump, climb and dig like crazy.. you can imagine the damage)

I love the sibes... they're a very special breed but they're not for everyone. They can be very vocal, very rough and very destructive if not handled correctly. The problem is they are stunning to look at and as such, appeal to so many people who don't know enough about the breed before taking them on. I'd certainly recommend that anyone considering one meets with a good breeder in advance to learn about the breed. We also went to a few dog shows and working dog rallies (on the insistance of our dogs breeder), to meet with other husky people before we took on our dog.

For me, what it comes down to is that huskies are more than a pet.... many of the people who have them show them, run them and work them. They benefit much more from being a "hobby" than a pet dog. I'd urge you to try and get them to reconsider! Many of these dogs appear for rehoming at around 1 year - 18 months old precisely because thats when they stop being cute and fluffy and start being extremely demanding dogs!
 
Couple more things that spring to mind after re-reading your post.

They arent that great with none-canine animals or livestock UNLESS they have been introduced at a very young age. I wouldnt trust mine as far as I could throw her with a cat, for example.

Huskies do fair very well in pack groups (looking back at their heritage shows they were kept in large packs) and Id be concerned about taking a dog that has been kept in a pack to a home with just another small dog (which may well be terrorised to be frank). This also implies to me at least, that the dog is a working dog and for it to go from that amount of exercise to nothing could be disasterous!
 
You do make Sibes sound like a greatd og...if you have the time! I'm not sure if she was ever working. But I think once the novelty wears off we'll end up with a very unhappy dog!
 
They really are fabulous if you have the time! They just arent really "pet dogs" imo :/

Hope you manage to sort things out. Dont worry about the dog being openly aggressive with yours... I think thats highly unlikely (particularly if it's a bitch) - but they will play rough so it's best to keep an eye on the situation.
 
Yeah they always strike me that they'd make great working dogs, doing what they originally done.

I think I'll keep my precious Beastie and my lab well away though! Although the lab likes to play rough sometimes.

We'll see how things pan out. She's not coming home until a run is built. And then the 'fun' will begin
 
about the pack thing.... the whole family is part of the pack... you dont need a house full of dogs like i do... humans are always top ranked (alpha) as they are the boss etc etc then the dogs are below... sometimes when the dogs become higher ranked than the humans is when you could have problems.

And as for huskies with litte dogs... i know this sounds insane but when my jrt wouldnt house train, we put her out in the kennel with the huskies (about 8 of them at that time)
for a couple of months... didnt even touch her! this may sound terrible i know but they didnt bother as they were introduced carefully to each dog etc and it worked! never has she peed inside again!

we are trying to sell some pups at the moment, some of the phone calls you have are insane... like, someone wanted one of our pups because the heard if you breed a husky with a GSD you get a stronger back end... and this was someone on a farm... where it would have free roaming of the place... and plenty of animals to stalk! oh the things people get into their heads!

as for the match regarding this post... i think it should be ok! but keep us posted as to how it goes!
 
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