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I just adopted a 8wk old female husky shephard mix today I am wondering if she will make a good family dog or will she be mean. I have 2 childeren 7 & 8. I want a nice dog who will be good w/ the kids and my cat. Please give me some advice. Thank you
My previous FurKid was a 50/50 Shepherd/Husky stray that adopted me when she was about 9 months old. She was exposed to people from day one and learned that everybody was a buddy. Her only problem was she showed fear of *large* men by barking and backing away. After a big person was introduced, she fell in love with most of them.
Cats were a little different. Shadow would chase any that were wandering around loose. She never caught any, but I'm sure that a few of her targets scratched off one of their 9 lives after she gave them a run. The amazing thing about cats was that "Boots", a tiny kitten, crawled through the torn screen door and decided to adopted us one summer evening.
Shadow was less than pleased that first night, but quickly realized that Boots was being welcomed by the Two-legger and that she had better get used to it. They became the best of friends and could spend hours alone in the house without incident.
Kids? Shadow thought they were created as dog toys. Her only problem with kids was learning not to push over the little ones.
Advice? Bring her up as a member of the family, with early training and social skills. She should fit right in!
A trip to the library for some books about how to raise your new puppy will be very helpful. If you can find one called Good Dogs Great Owners by Brian Kilcommons that is a good one. With two small children it is critical that you teach your children how to relate to a young puppy as well as teach your puppy how to live with your family.
Whether or not your dog turns out to be a wonderful addition to your family or "mean" will depend mostly on how you treat it. Congratulations on adding a dog to your children's lives. Let us know how things go.
You've gotten some good advice already. I can only tell you this. Every dog is different. Their personalities are a result not only of their breeding, but of their environment and "upbringing." You have adopted your puppy at a young age and you and your family will have a HUGE influence on her personality development, e.g. how she is socialized, etc. Start as soon as possible, (NOW!!!!) with puppy kindergarten, then basic obedience, etc. Exposure to new experiences, all kinds of people, especially children etc., are VERY beneficial at this early age in overcoming fears (a huge source of dog aggression) and building confidence. And search all the info. you can on raising a puppy. Rachel gave one great recommendation. Finally, from a personal standpoint, I have a husky/shep (x) and she is the most loving, gentle dog imaginable. This despite the fact that she was adopted at age 1 1/2 after having been SEVERELY abused for her entire life up until the time she came to me. Like Phred's dog, my Cody too was VERY fearful of strange men who came to the house or onto my property (oddly, not EVER out of the house or when off my property, her "territory!!") With patience and training, she has overcome this fear to a great degree. I have another dog as well as two kittys and Cody loves them all very much and is extremely gentle with them. I'm sure you are already eager to love her!!! The best start. I'm rooting for you guys!!! Would love to hear of another terrific rescue story. Please let us know how you and the puppy are doing!!! (What's her name???)
[This message has been edited by tatsxxx11 (edited December 08, 2000).]
it's not the breed of dog that makes it mean it's the way it is raise.
Welcome to the site. You've posted a really good question. Good advice posted already! I'll just add, set the rules for the dog and family now. She's going to be a good sized dog and what is cute now will not necessarily be cute when she's 65+ pounds! So, decide on what her adult rules are to be and teach her that way from the start. Be aware that in a couple of months, she'll be starting to teethe and now is the time to teach her that biting/mouthing is not acceptable. A discussion of this is posted elsewhere on the site (check "black shepherd" postings). I'm the advocate of not pulling away, but several others advocate yanking hands away and yelping. Try both ways and see what works best.
I really agree with Rachel -- teaching the kids how to treat the puppy will go a long way toward making sure she grows sweet as can be. If they don't pick on her or tease her, she should be a great companion/part of the family. Work with them and let them help you with puppy preschool lessons. Notice I didn't say classes. They would be welcome to come to most classes, but ususally one person is to handle the dog in class. Still, they can help at home and learn how to train her along with you. Really best luck -- the breeds she's a mix of are very loyal family dogs and generally good natured, so you should only have the usually doggie-child experiences. Keep us posted -- we love puppy stories right along with puppy breath.
[This message has been edited by ktreva52 (edited December 09, 2000).]