Siberian Husky Owners...I have a question...

[Christiansmommy]

We are in the early stages of thinking about getting a dog...we just recently got our yard fenced in (to keep my son from wondering about)...so since the yard is finally fenced in...a dog is now an option for us. My husband has always been fond of the beauty of the Siberian Husky...but we don't know much about this breed's temperment, personality, etc. Those of you with this breed, can you give me some pros and cons...i have an 18 month old son, so that will need to be put into consideration (as far as the dog liking him...b/c he loves and respects dogs already...especially, Bella, (my mom's dog). We dont want to jump into anything...just tossing around the idea...and havent ruled out other dogs either...just curious about the Siberians...from your own experience....thanks in advance :)

Robyn

[aly]

I don't have a Husky myself but I've worked with them a lot at work. I don't know how much dog experience you or your husband have. I just wouldn't recommend one for inexperienced dog owners. They can be a little bit harder to train from what I've noticed. I think they are great dogs though. I just love Amy's dorky Nebo :D

[wolf_Q]

Thanks Aly! I love my dork dog too. :D

I agree with Aly...how much experience with dogs do you have? Huskies are very independent, and definitely not the dog for everyone. They are of course very intelligent but really, really stubborn....you can teach them something, but they will only do it "if they feel like it." lol

How big is your yard, and how secure is the fencing? Huskies are known to be bad diggers (though for some reason mine is not) and also extreme escape artists...the fence should be at least 6 ft high. They also LOVE to run, run, run, RUN! They should never be allowed to run off-leash except in a fenced yard.

Siberian huskies shed like crazy...expect them to "blow" their coat about twice a year, and also they will just shed pretty much constantly on a normal basis.

As far as temperament, huskies are not guard dogs....they will not bark at intruders, and usually are friendly to everyone. They may be a bit reserved at times. My Nebo is a very sweet dog, when he feels being one. :rolleyes: He loves kids, but has a tendency to knock them over, lol. He likes other dogs for the most part.

Oh, and they have a very high prey drive, so it's usually pretty hard to get them to behave around small animals like cats, birds, etc.

Feel free to ask any more questions!

[wolfsoul]

wolf_q is right, they aren't exactly the best dog for a first-time or inexperienced owner :p They are wonderful, but take alot of dedication. I would personally never get one, only because I'm very fond of the whole "guard dog" thing and I don't want a dog that may wander off when it feels like it, lol. My neighbors have a sibe that has to be tied up when it's outside, and I just don't think it would be very fair for me to have a dog I might have to tie up (then again, I would also have a higher fence :rolleyes:) I read that most huskies can jump atleast ten feet while standing, and I've seen them jump, they do it with such ease. :eek: They are great dogs, one of my favourite breeds, but they just aren't for me :p Very obstinate :p

[Christiansmommy]

Thanks for your replies. I didnt think they were the dog for us...just had to persuade my husband of that too. He now realizes that we live on too busy of a street to have a dog that might be able to jump a fence. They are beautiful, but just not the right decision for our house.

We are just exploring and researching before we make any decisions....i know many shelters have many different breeds and mixed breeds, but i kinda just need to know about a dog/breed personality before i get one, b/c i have a lot of things factoring into my decision, such as a kid friendly and cat friendly dog and one that can have free run of our yard (pretty big) w/o having to be put on a run or something so it doesnt jump the fence...so we'll just keep looking...thanks again for your replies :)

Robyn

[anna_66]

I really don't have anything else to add, I think Amy covered it all, but here is a couple of websites, maybe let your husband look at these and he might see why this may not be the best breed to get;)
Both of these sites have quite a bit of great info, and why the husky really isn't for everyone. Hope these help!

The Many Personalalities of the Siberian Husky (http://www.siberescue.com/Breed_Info/BGardener.html)
Siberian Husky Breed Information (http://www.huskycolors.com/siberian.html)

[mysiberianhusky]

hi,

so you think you may want a siberian husky. well i have had mine for about 1yr. first you must have a very very very well secured yard. siberian huskys are extremely smart and love to escape its in there blood. what i had to do to my yard was alot, it was already fenced but i had to dig right next to the fence line about 1' down and wire tie chicken wire to the botom of the fence and then bury so when the dog trys to get out by diging she gets caught up in the chicken wire. you must have a large yard besuase huskys have so much energy they need room to run and play. they are light eaters most of them, the females stay pretty small about 40-65lbs males are bigger about 50-75. do not mistake the sibeian husky for a alaskan malumute.the malumute are much larger usally over 100lbs and as big as 190lbs they are used for frieght pulling by eskomies becuase they are so big. the siberian husky is more of a sport sled dog cus they are smaller and faster. the siberian needs alot of attention if you get a siberian i suggest that yo think hard about it they need alot of atention and exserzie so you must run them daily. you can not let your siberian off leash because they will run and run they really can help it it is in there bread so you never let them off leash out side of your yard un less they are very well trained. they are very fun dogs if you can handle the work. but remember they need lot of love and exersie.

i atached a picture of my siberian "Tasha"

[mysiberianhusky]

hi,

so you think you may want a siberian husky. well i have had mine for about 1yr. first you must have a very very very well secured yard. siberian huskys are extremely smart and love to escape its in there blood. what i had to do to my yard was alot, it was already fenced but i had to dig right next to the fence line about 1' down and wire tie chicken wire to the botom of the fence and then bury so when the dog trys to get out by diging she gets caught up in the chicken wire. you must have a large yard besuase huskys have so much energy they need room to run and play. they are light eaters most of them, the females stay pretty small about 40-65lbs males are bigger about 50-75. do not mistake the sibeian husky for a alaskan malumute.the malumute are much larger usally over 100lbs and as big as 190lbs they are used for frieght pulling by eskomies becuase they are so big. the siberian husky is more of a sport sled dog cus they are smaller and faster. the siberian needs alot of attention if you get a siberian i suggest that yo think hard about it they need alot of atention and exserzie so you must run them daily. you can not let your siberian off leash because they will run and run they really can help it it is in there bread so you never let them off leash out side of your yard un less they are very well trained. they are very fun dogs if you can handle the work. but remember they need lot of love and exersie. also they are the most friendly dog ever deffinetly not a gaurd dog! i have a 2yr old nefew and there hs been 0 prblems

i atached a picture of my siberian "Tasha"

[ParNone]

Hi Christiansmommy,

Since you're still in the thinking, researching stage, I thought
I'd suggest the Smooth Coated Collie. Their friendly, gentle
nature makes them great with kids and other pets. They're
protective in a non aggressive way. They live to please you
and be near you, so they're easy to train and are stay at home
dogs, not apt to be escape artists. They're athletic and can
be as energetic as you need them to be, so they're always ready
for a good romp, but will also be just as happy to take a nap with
you. Not known to be destructive chewers or diggers. Drawbacks
due to their herding instincts are a tendency to be nippy and a
bit barky. Smooths are moderate shedders and have very low
grooming requirements.

Here's a picture of my Smoothie:

http://whitetrashdumbutt.homestead.com/files/oz_motion7.jpg

Par...

[anna_66]

Tasha is very beautiful, I hope you stick around and share more pics of her:D