Anyone experienced with huskies?

Addition

A Husky has no protection instinct and normally is not barking.
Mine even teched my collie that five times barking is enough to announce someone coming :)
They are are very calm at home if they have enough excercise.
But if she wants to have success in agility or obedience she should choose a sheltie or collie.
My Husky Girl brougth me ball and so on once but no second time. Just as if she was thinking when I bring you back your thrown item and you throw it a way again - get it yourself:razz:
:lol::lol::lol::lol:
 
My Husky Girl brougth me ball and so on once but no second time. Just as if she was thinking when I bring you back your thrown item and you throw it a way again - get it yourself:razz:
:lol::lol::lol::lol:


Yep, same with my Samoyed and all northern breeds (Husky). VERY independent. May be hard to train (I've heard trainers call them "stubborn".) VERY powerful. Needs LOTS of exercise. (Working dog and if you don't provide them a job, they will find one themselves and I promise that you won't like it.) Smart as a whip and I've heard of Siberians dragging chairs over so they can easily escape a tall fence. (My Samoyed jumped a six foot fence from a standing position in which she was parallel to the fence. She landed in our neighbor's tree. My husband just LOVED retrieving her.) Oh the dogs have a habit of digging shallow holes in the snow so digging under a fence is a snap for them. (Husband had to bend wire UNDER the grass by the fence line to prevent it.) I know that a Husky is a striking breed but you just might want to look into another breed unless you are into sledding and dog teams, are as equally strong as the dog, and have acres and acres of land to give him plenty of exercise.
 
My son had a beagle husky mix. Escape artist also. He looked like a beagle but
he had the attitude of a husky. They are very intelligent and their mind is going
all the time to escape.

My son bought a big heavy duty kennel for the days he was work and nice
outside. He tore the kennel up to get out, and he did.
 
My son bought a big heavy duty kennel for the days he was work and nice
outside. He tore the kennel up to get out, and he did.


I can believe it. They are STRONG. My previous Samoyed shattered her airline approved plastic crate when she was a mere pup!
 
I have worked with many, many Siberian Huskies in different settings, I could definitely give you the good, the bad and the ugly! My country (Ireland) is rampant with them as they became a very fashionable breed a couple of years ago, we are now paying the price for this trend, I see them in pounds and rescues daily. At the moment German Shepherds and French Bulldogs (bulldogs in general too) are starting to become the popular breed.

The good: They're one of the most hilarious breeds I have ever worked with. You can have full blown conversations with them. I have also never met a shy Husky, most of them are up to their eyeballs in confidence, which is a great thing to have as a predominant feature in a breed as owning a fearful dog can be tough.

The bad: Their exercise needs, this is one of the primary reasons I have so much experience with them is in a doggie daycare setting. A lot of average dog owners with average 9-5 jobs are simply too tired at the end of the day to meet their needs. You need to be aware that this is a dog that will live 10-15 years, you need a lifestyle that fits them in, you need to already be going out exercising daily WITHOUT having a dog there, because for most it's not realistic to go from being someone who takes a casual walk every once in a while to putting 1-3 hours of exercise, play and training in daily. This is a working dog, a pet may look out the window when it's raining and say "no way," a working dog will say "why not?" :o
Also shedding and general noise making etc etc! Not like we don't know what that's like!

The ugly: Prey drive, certain lines can have a LOT of it. Most Huskies do not like small furries such as squirrels and cats. My poor Shelties experienced it when they were puppies, a Husky decided it was a great idea to chase them (example of prey drive) when they were in the dog park, terrifying the life out of them. Also, their recall tends to be very poor, generally speaking they say a Husky should never be let off leash. So putting prey drive and an off leash husky together can be a recipe for disaster. Also, their escape artist tendencies, but I see you have gone over that.
They can be immensely stubborn and determined in turn they can be extremely frustrating, if you don't have patience you can totally lose it with your Husky, because they can repeatedly do things you don't want them to, but they'll happily keep doing it because it benefits them. Often with training you basically have to make them believe it's what they want to do.

Proper socialisation (not flooding!) with other dogs is critical. There are many, many dogs out there who don't get along with Huskies as they can come off too strong and forward. My German Shepherd AND my Shelties are three of them, all having had bad experiences with pushy Huskies.

Also, is there a chance you could go to a Husky rescue in your area and ask about volunteering? Even if your daughter can't, if you go you could get a feel for the breed yourself, as they are very distinct in personality as a breed.

Hope this helps.
 
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We are definitely holding off on getting a puppy for awhile. After talking to a breeder and our trainer she is now split between getting a husky or a german shepherd. She likes both breeds and I cant help but think the shepherd would be a better fit for us, but finding a good shepherd breeder is even harder than finding a good husky breeder :eek2:

Until she is 100% sure on what she wants and what goals she has in mind she is just going to continue being a puppy raiser for the guide dog school. Right now she is not sure if she wants to put more focus on conformation or obedience trials, agility is something she only wants to do for fun, not competition.
 
Had to say Hi! I'm in Ireland as well! Definitely noticed how many huskies end up in the pound here.
Hi!!! :biggrin2:

We are definitely holding off on getting a puppy for awhile. After talking to a breeder and our trainer she is now split between getting a husky or a german shepherd. She likes both breeds and I cant help but think the shepherd would be a better fit for us, but finding a good shepherd breeder is even harder than finding a good husky breeder :eek2:

Until she is 100% sure on what she wants and what goals she has in mind she is just going to continue being a puppy raiser for the guide dog school. Right now she is not sure if she wants to put more focus on conformation or obedience trials, agility is something she only wants to do for fun, not competition.

I brought a GSD into my home as I fell in love with the breed after working with them in daycare, I find them very compatible with Shelties.
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Like Huskies, they are a working dog, but they are much more handler orientated and much more emotionally sensitive, they tend to be a one person dog, they gravitate to the person who they have the most fun with. They are very sensitive to your emotions.

They are also physically very strong, if you don't get to grips with loose leash walking from the moment you start taking them on walks you may find yourself being pulled around when they're older! It's also VERY easy to find a bad dog trainer if you find yourself with issues training your GSD or if they develop behavioural issues*, a lot of terrible trainers will use certain collars or jerking their leash to "correct" issues, which with a highly intelligent breed like a GSD does nothing but lower the confidence of a dog, damage handler-dog relationship and/or further make issues worse.

*A nervous German Shepherd is a nightmare to own, they can have themselves convinced that there is something to worry about, and it takes time, patience and a consistent training to change that state of mind. Leash reactivity can be pretty common in the breed if not socialised from an early age. They say they have a shorter socialisation window than some other breeds. GSDs are not like Labradors, they aren't naturally very sociable with strangers, which makes thorough socialisation from the ages of 8 weeks to 12 weeks critical for their development.

They can be highly destructive if their mental and physical needs are not met. They're affectionately known as German Shredders and German Shedders. :razz:

All in all, GSDs are great. You just have to do your part and get over the hump of the puppy stage, my boy is currently 9 months old and while he looks like a 3 year old adult, his behaviour is ALL puppy.

If you yourself are dedicated to the training and exercise needs for the next 10-15 of his/her life, I'd say go for it. But they are not for inexperienced owners or people who don't actively enjoy training.
 
I am very familiar with GSD's I grew up with them. :smile2:

Our trainer is a very good trainer, although he is more old school. He has had over 40 years experience training sled dogs, he also trains personal protection dogs, tracking, (narcotic and explosive) hearing ear dogs. He also has worked with both mentally and physically disabled kids. We are very lucky to have him as a trainer! He has volunteered many hours to 4H.

I am really pushing her to get a GSD over a husky I think in the long run she will be happier with the decision, the only thing I am worried about with the GSD is my sons friends have a tendency to just walk in the house unannounced. With the shelties I don't have to worry they just bark at them, but with a guarding breed.... that might not go over so well. :eek2:
 
I am very familiar with GSD's I grew up with them. :smile2:

Our trainer is a very good trainer, although he is more old school. He has had over 40 years experience training sled dogs, he also trains personal protection dogs, tracking, (narcotic and explosive) hearing ear dogs. He also has worked with both mentally and physically disabled kids. We are very lucky to have him as a trainer! He has volunteered many hours to 4H.

I am really pushing her to get a GSD over a husky I think in the long run she will be happier with the decision, the only thing I am worried about with the GSD is my sons friends have a tendency to just walk in the house unannounced. With the shelties I don't have to worry they just bark at them, but with a guarding breed.... that might not go over so well. :eek2:

Brilliant, all the more reason it may be a better match!

Maybe even find out if your daughter likes white GSDs? :smile2:
And that might be a problem alright! But it could also be a great part of socialising a GSD in your home, she or he will grow used to them coming into the house from time to time, but you're absolutely right that it is something to be aware of, along with getting a GSD who comes from a long line of dogs with stable temperaments.
 
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