Quote Originally Posted by pessimisaurus
so.. tell me, what is it like living with a husky? how do yours act with people they know? people they dont? dogs they know? dogs they dont? what are they like to train? how obedient would you say they are? are they hyperactive? how much exercise do yours need/get? what kinds of activities to you do with them? what funny quirks do they have? what are they like in the house? do they bark much? howl much? anything else???

Welcome back.

What's it like living with huskies? Well, it's never boring.

They are extremely smart dogs, but also extremely difficult to train. Not that they can't learn, but you have to make it worth their while. They have no desire to please their owners. Most are not terribly food motivated so you have to come up with things they like as rewards instead of treats.

They are very stubborn and prone to selective hearing, particularly around the "come" command. Huskies have been bred for a very long time to run as far and as fast as they can in front of their humans! They don't come back when they are called and often end up a very long way from home before they stop running. They lack a homing instinct so if your husky escapes, chances are you are going to have to search for him, he is not going to reappear on his own!

A tired husky is a good husky. There is no such thing as too much exercise for a husky! Mine run over a 100km a week as sled dogs, plus all the playing in the yard, walks, ect. My 13 year old girl still runs, plays and still needs regular outings.

A bored husky is a dangerous dog--dangerous to your stuff and to himself! A bored husky will escape, chew things, destroy couches ect. If you don't amuse a husky, he will amuse himself however he can!

Huskies tend to be aloof with people they don't know. They are often aloof with people they adore. They are not underfoot, follow you every where kind of dogs. They are independant and will do their own thing. They are rarely aggressive towards people. Completely useless a guard dog. They might woo at an intruder, but they aren't going to protect your home.

With other dogs, females can be nasty to other females. Most of my pack is males. It's much easier to introduce a new male into my yard than a female. Most of the time they just want to play with new dogs. Occasionally they will battle for status or dominance. Dog aggression is not a huge issue in the breed, but it happens. Huskies play rough. They like to wrestle and it looks like fighting. Other dogs don't always appreciate that style of play!

Is your house fenced? How tall and what kind of fencing? Chainlink is a ladder to many huskies, mine included. My fence is 7 feet tall, made from big game fencing, buried underground so they can't dig under. You can't go anywhere in my yard without going through at least two gates. All gate latches have locks on them. Several of the dogs can open latches if they aren't locked. They are escape artists and just when you think the fence is husky-proof, they will show you a new weak spot!

Are you renting? Huskies dig and could be very destructive to your yard. We had two when we sold our last house. Took 3 truckloads of black dirt to fill in the holes in the backyard(a small city lot). The digging is instinct. They think it's fun and if you get one that is a digger, it's almost impossible to stop.

Mine don't bark, but they sing several times a day. Anvik screams like he's being killed when he's alone. Muskwa actually got the SPCA called on us once when we lived in the city. He was howling while getting a bath and our neighbors were sure we were beating him. The SPCA officer who responded laughed and left in 5 seconds once he saw a young husky was responsible for the racket!

If you live somewhere warm, you'll need to make sure your husky has a way to escape the heat. (Airconditioning ect).

I would say they are a mix of calm and hyper. They have bursts of energy(that can last hours) where they are totally hyper and then spend just as long lounging about. As puppies, they are hyper and go through an acting out teenager stage at about 9 to 18 months!

They do shed alot, especially when they blow their coats(up to twice a year). The hair literally comes off in handfuls during coat blows. People will ask if your dog has mange!

My biggest concern for you would be your small creatures. Huskies have a prey drive, many of them have very strong prey drives. Most huskies can not live with cats, bunnies, rats, gerbils, even small dogs. They will kill them. I have a friend who's husky opened her daughter's very secure gerbil cage and ate all the gerbils! I have cats, but my cats are never allowed outside and the dogs are never left unsupervised with them inside. If I can't watch the dogs, they are confined to a cat free area of the house or outside. My dogs have killed one of my cats when she escaped and got outside. Finding her little broken body was the worst moment of my life. Before you get a husky, you need to be very sure your smaller creatures are safe from the dog.

Good luck with your decision. Huskies aren't the right breed for everyone, but for the right person they are the perfect breed!

edited to add:
Here's a site with photographic evidence of typical husky behavior:
http://www.gimpydogs.com/breedstuff/huskybreed.html
Some of my dogs are featured at their naughty best!