Anyone experienced with huskies?

J

JessicaR

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My daughter has her heart set on a Siberian husky, she has been begging for several of years now.
Here is her backstory... She will be 12 years old in 20 days. She is dyslexic and is mildly autistic, Asperger's to be specific. She has always had trouble in school and with being in a social setting. So I promised her last year that if she tried harder in school and brought her grades up; if she raised a guide dog puppy for 4h and does most of the care; and if she does extra chores around the house to help "pay" for the puppy we would get her a sibe.

So far she is doing great, she has raised her grades from almost all Fs to C's and D's, she even joined choir and band! She is helping out with extra chores and we currently have a 2 month old black lab that she raising. Of course at her age she is not perfect she does complain some about the extra work, but all in all we are happy with the progress she has made.

Her plans with the pup is conformation, sledding/bikejoring, and obedience/rally I am not sure how competitive she will be but I am happy she wants to actually compete. I have bought her books on huskies, and she has been looking up information on the internet.

I have started the researching breeders, though it will still be a year or 2 before we actually bring home a puppy. The problem I am having is my daughter is pretty specific on what she wants. She wants either a black and white or a grey and white with blue eyes. All the reputable breeders I have looked at state on their website that the application will be thrown out if you request blue eyes, as they do not breed for eye color. I totally understand not breeding for eye color, but if my daughter is willing to wait for a certain color then why cant we request it. Any suggestions on how to talk to the breeder about this issue?

Does anyone have any tips or advice on raising a husky, like I said we have started to research all the care and we are in the process of making our yard more husky friendly/escape proof. I just want some personal experience stories I can show my daughter.
 
Two experiences I can draw on, our neighbor's Siberian would climb an 8 foot wooden fence to come over and visit our Sheltie. She was a GREAT dog but a total escape artist and we often would catch her loose on the street as well. They can have very strong prey drive. One day she came over the fence to visit and decided our bunny, who was in an enclosure with 3 foot fence, looked like lunch. She chased him down and grabbed him. Luckily we were right there and my hubby grabbed her by the scruff and back legs and hauled her out of the pen. She dropped Pedro who luckily was only bruised but scared to death.

The other experiences are from the 4 Huskies we've had at the shelter I volunteer at. They would all be adopted and returned multiple times due to escaping issues, and also being very stubborn about training. I think they are a very challenging breed to manage successfully. I like them a lot but I'd never own one. Hopefully other folks have more positive experiences.

Good luck; I know it's tough if your daughter has her heart set on this. :hugs
 
I kind of suspect that you won't meet a lot of Sheltie folks who have also owned Sibes... they are VERY different breeds. It sounds like you've done your homework (you are already escape-proofing the yard, smart lady!), so you know that already.

I wish I had a personal story to give you about owning Siberians, but I don't... I will say that, when I was your daughter's age, I had my heart absolutely set on owning a Borzoi. I thought they were gorgeous and so interesting (read: not Shelties). I even found a breeder who was willing to give me one to show in Juniors! How could my mother say no?

Well, you already know she did! The rule was I could have any dog I wanted at our house, as long as it was a Sheltie. If I wanted something else, it would have to wait until I was grown up and on my own. And since I was twelve, that was that. It didn't stop me from dreaming about my future Borzoi breeding program, but dreaming is what being twelve is all about.

I moved on, and I came to love my Mom's Shelties. I do have my little rescue Cocker as a pet, but... obviously she's not a Borzoi! It turns out that now that I'm on my own, I don't want to feed, vet, transport, or anything-else a seventy-five-pound dog any more than my mother did back when I was twelve.

All of this is to say, it's not easy to predict what's best for us, or what we really want, and when you're a kid, it's even harder to do.

As to the breeder/eye color thing... I think it's less of a "talk to the breeder" and more of a "talk to your daughter". It's a good opportunity (especially given that it will probably be a year or two before Puppy comes home) to talk to your daughter about how to choose a dog. It's like with people: what's on the inside is so much more important than what's on the outside.

Choosing a dog (the dog you want, a dog different from what your mom wants) is a very grown-up decision, and if she wants to make it, then your daughter needs make it in a very grown-up way... that means that coat and eye color take a backseat to temperament and "fit". It's a great life-lesson, but not an easy one for a kid. You know your daughter way better than I do, but I think this is an important one for her, if she's going to get her Sibe.

I love how your daughter has really stepped up in school and with her guide dog puppy. Being eleven-almost-twelve is hard enough, even without having a learning disability or being on the autism spectrum. I am cheering her on!
 
In terms of the breeders, I'd say that if you/your daughter can form a relationship with a breeder it may help. I know that some breeders put that kind of stuff on their website to scare away people that just want a dog for cosmetics, not understanding that personality is a major factor (what if a very busy dog went to an older home just because it had blue eyes?) But if you can open a line of communication they may realize that you are an exception to that fear. If a breeder sets a hard line on that, I would look elsewhere. I told Enzo's breeder that I didn't want a dog with blue eyes, and I was willing to wait.
 
As already mentioned, Sibes are the ultimate escape artists and once loose they tend to run...friends of our's had a Sibe who escaped and was finally found 3 states away!

In general they are not nearly as focused on their person as a breed like Shelties and this does make them tougher to train. They can be very dangerous around smaller animals due to high prey drive...although some Sibes are good with small animals that they have been brought up with and consider part of their "pack".

However, all the Sibes I have known have been very good with children and with dedicated early socialization and early knowledgeable training they can become a very loving family pet. One of the puppy ob classes that I attended years ago had a 6 month old Sibe pup in the group...he was a sweetheart who loved everyone he met and his owners were working really hard with him and making good progress in keeping his focus and responding to commands.

As far as talking with breeders about the blue eyes issue...I would explain how hard your daughter is working to earn the right to have a pup...and how she has her heart set on blue eyes. But I would also take your daughter to meet any available litters from reputable breeders because she might give her heart to a pup in the litter who doesn't have blue eyes...it is hard to resist the pup who climbs into your lap and looks at you with love no matter what color their eyes are.

Trini
 
My neighbors when I was a child had one. As the others mentioned, this one was an escape artist too. One day I was outside playing and it got out over the fence. This was just as a puppy. Weeks later, to solve the problem, they put him on a chain in the fence. Well the puppy tried to get out and climbed over the fence only to get stuck hanging on the other side choking. Luckily I happen to see the entire thing and ran to get help (I was only 8 at the time). After that they moved... I have another friend who has not reported such but Luna is an apartment Husky so there really isn't much escaping there. They keep a close eye on her at all times. That is mostly my experience with them.
 
Thanks everyone!

I am extremely proud of her, she has made so much progress in the last year. She has went from not looking any of the 4h advisors in the eye to making eye contact and talking to the other kids in the group. :smile2:

I have tried to talk her out of a sibe, we talked about all the negatives, the biggest one being prey drive since we also have rabbits, cats, and chickens. Not that I don't like sibes I just want to make sure she is absolutely sure that this is what she wants. She was offered a irish red and white setter pup by one of the advisors that breeds/shows them, but she said no.

The good thing is she will have lots of help. She will have a mentor for showing, even though they have IRWS they said they will help as much as they can. Our 4H trainer is experienced with sibes/Alaskan huskies and has trained sled dogs.

I think she will come around to possibly not getting a blue eyed dog, especially once she sees the puppy.
 
Siberian Huskys are the breed I see the most in classes because the owner cannot manage behavioural issues (aside from labs, but they are also the most popular family breed). Don't want to put a dampener on things, but they can be a handful for most people.

These are a breed I would only recommend to experienced dog handlers. So often people get them because they are pretty or they look like wolves, and just ignore that a dog that is more closely related to a wolf is going to act most like a wolf.

You hear people say Shelties are a 'soft' breed, well Huskys are a 'hard' breed. They need a firm hand, strict boundaries. This is the problem I often see the most in classes, wishy washy owners and dogs that just choose to ignore them. Not dominance, but you do need clear leadership and when you give a command, mean it. They aren't lap dogs, sleep on your bed, constant companion and don't bond to their owners like a sheltie. Given your daughter's health issues I wonder if she'd be better off with a breed that will bond with her.

They are not an easy dog to train and can be stubborn. I've seen Huskys doing sports, but it's always been with an experienced handler. If your daughter wants to do dog activities she would be better off starting with a more trainable dog. Does she take any of your shelties to training - because she should start trying with them to at least learn how to handle a dog, Huskys are not a beginner breed for handling.

Sibes also shouldn't be allowed off lead - they can run off, and they are prone to hunt anything that moves fast. That's the other reason I see them in class, they've attacked another dog or animal. Let them have a good run in a well fenced yard, but keep them on lead outside. Actually they are a dog that invariably ends up as outside dogs.

I don't think a Sheltie and a Husky are a good mix. You'll need to handle them both very differently while still ensuring no jealousy arises with the Husky. Shelties like a run and Huskys like to hunt, so I'd be cautious about play and interactions.

Sorry about the bad rap, but this is what I see in classes so much. In the right hands a Husky could be a great dog, but in the wrong hands they can be a problem.
 
From what I have read, sibes sound a lot like my first dog. I got my first dog when I was 11, my parents figured a german shepherd/chow/wolf mix would make a good dog for me. :rolleyes2: Yes I loved that dog, but he was a challenge! Very high prey drive, he killed my rabbit, and a neighbors rabbit; he could not be trusted off leash, he would run for hours, definitely an escape artist. He was smart though, and protective of me, which I do understand is not a husky trait (protectiveness).

Even though this will be my daughters dog I will be helping her, she will not be doing this alone. I do have dog experience with breeds other than shelties, besides my wolf mix I grew up with german shepherds, great danes and various mix breeds. Through the guide dog school we have raised labs, poodles, Dobermans, boxer, golden retriever and german shepherd.

Honestly a "hard" breed is what I am looking for. Not that I don't love my shelties, but I have found they don't like the rough and tough play of the kids and their friends. As soon as the kids start getting loud the shelties usually go to another room, unless a ball is involved. :lol:
Time and time again I have seen huskies are one of the best breeds to have with kids, which is needed since Ethan is 1 now and walking everywhere. While I am teaching him to be gentle with the animals, lets face it he is 1 and his version of petting is a bit rougher than the older kids. Plus he has only been walking for 2 months so he is still somewhat clumsy when he walks, and has accidently fallen on the dogs before, which has resulted in a warning growl.
 
This is our first dog ... raised from an 8 week old pup.

http://cmgd.net/archive/pierre_onsofa.jpg

His name was "Yukon Pierre" but we just called him Pierre. :wink2:

Huskies present some unique challenges some of which have been touched on already so excuse me if i'm a little redundant.

Territory and escape. Huskies are not territorial by nature. Okay, they are, it's just that they think the entire world is their territory. And they like to run, walk, roam all over their territory. We had a 5 foot fence which he couldn't get over until we had a couple feet of snow that as it packed and hardened he discovered he could climb out. I was luck though, the one thing Pierre liked better than wandering was riding in the car. If (and when) he got out, all I had to do was open the car door and he was on the passenger seat ready to roll. :smile2: Even with a fenced in yard you have to keep an eye on them. And that's 24/7.

Exercise. They need a LOT of exercise. We walked/ran/trained three times a day every day for 11 years, so be ready for a big time commitment. If you don't give them both the physical and the mental activity they need, you are going to have a bored husky. Bored husky = Bad husky.

Relationships. Pierre and I were very close. I would say he bonded with me and there was definitely a pecking order in our "pack". It was (in his mind, anyway) me, the Mrs., dog, then kids which is only natural since he was there before our son was born.

Pierre never really had much interest in anyone but me probably because I was the one who worked with him. He was never aggressive towards kids either our own, or visiting, but he was a big and very powerful dog. He easily knocked them down just by pushing past them in the house. Outside in the yard there were a good number of scrapes and bruises, so you need to be ready for that.

Huskies in general, and Pierre specifically are/were strikingly beautiful animals. That can cause problems. I can't tell you how many people would run (yes run) up to him to "pet the pretty doggie" only to be greeted with pearly white teeth snarling from a wolf-like face. Huskies can be trained and socialized to ignore that but they are not happy about it. Huskies aren't your friendliest of dogs.

Now let's talk about grooming a Husky ... take two Shelties, throw them in a bag of lint and then rub them on a balloon. That's about the size of it. Huskies shed. all. the. time. And they have a lot of surface area, too.

I don't want to discourage you, but I wonder if she's set on a Husky because of their looks rather than any real information. They aren't usually like Balto they can be more like Rambo.
 
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