Question for you Dog people

[wink-_-wink 1]

I currently have a full bred German Shepherd.  He is a little over a year and I am considering bringing in a new pup to the family.  I was at a place today and played with this Siberian Husky.  It was so calm and sweet it was hard to walk out without the pup in hands.  My GSD is a male so I think I want a female pup.  My wife is really wanting a Husky.  For those of you with Huskies... I keep seeing horror stories (they rarely print the good news) and people are telling me "Huskies are on the top 10 most dangerous dogs list" to which I reply, so are German Shepherds and I got one of those... lol I am buiilding a dog army and I want the badass ones.  idiots.... lol I know dogs and breeds are only as good as their owners and training but I am curious if anyone can give me some good news about huskies... I am telling you it took everything in me to not bring this pup home today!!  (Pics of your Huskies are encouraged! or any dogs really)

[Greydaddy 2]

Go for it! You can see my dogs are Brittanys, but my nephew has a male Husky (beautiful dog) and he's a pussycat!

BTW my dogs are male and female, no problems.

[thug the bunny 0]

'Dangerous breeds' applies only to those dogs who are raised with incomplete/bad training.

 

I had a Samoyed long ago and I am pretty sure they are close to Huskies in temperament ant intelligence, and I have known a few Huskies from freinds. They are scary smart. Engage your pup, train her well, keep her engaged. They always need something to do. A neglected Husky might well be a little more unstable, but a loved, well trained Husky will be a thing of joy. My Sammy was incredibly intelligent and could almost talk, and I swear he would sometimes look for ways to break the rules, so again, stay engaged with your pup and she will provide unlimited love and enjoyment.

[DSD1026 48]

'Dangerous breeds' applies only to those dogs who are raised with incomplete/bad training.

 

I had a Samoyed long ago and I am pretty sure they are close to Huskies in temperament ant intelligence, and I have known a few Huskies from freinds. They are scary smart. Engage your pup, train her well, keep her engaged. They always need something to do. A neglected Husky might well be a little more unstable, but a loved, well trained Husky will be a thing of joy. My Sammy was incredibly intelligent and could almost talk, and I swear he would sometimes look for ways to break the rules, so again, stay engaged with your pup and she will provide unlimited love and enjoyment.

^^^  This

 

There is no such thing as a dangerous breed, there are only dangerous and irresponsible owners.  Huskies can be great and well trained dogs as long as you keep them 'occupied'.  They are, after all, working dogs (much like GSD's).  They are happiest with a job to do (even if the job is playing).  They are intelligent and they are absolutely beautiful dogs.  They can be a little high strung if they are bored, and because they are smart, will be "curious" if they are left with nothing to do.  Most dogs are the same way though.  Thug is right, his Samoyed is very similar in temperament and looks, as are most Spitz-type breeds. 

 

There is nothing wrong with bringing a second dog into the house, especially if the GSD is only a year old and is fairly well trained.  He might enjoy the company and playmate.  "Top 10 dangerous dogs" my a$$..  You know what is #1 on the most dangerous breed list?  Pit bulls.. Guess what?  My pit mix is the gentlest, sweetest thing that would rather lick your hand than bite it.. 

 

If you both want a husky and there is one available and you're ready for a second round of puppy training, then I dont know what reason there is not to bring the damn dog home with you...  (note, they are pretty heavy seasonal shedders, but so are GSD's so you should be used to that).  They also can have those piercing blue eyes that can look right through your soul..

 

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/siberianhusky.htm

 

Im failing to see why you didnt bring it home..  heh

[tony357 386]

A friend of mine had huskies and his dad still to this day has a huskie,  They are great dogs always well behaved when we visited they are very docile never jumped on you always  friendly never once did i feel any aggression form the 3 i new and visited..

 

They also had a malamute which was also a very friendly dog..  

[Silphidae 33]

All dogs are bred for certain characteristics. While I agree to a certain point there are no bad dogs, there are dogs with inherent capabilities and innate drives that make them more challenging in a pet role. My American Bulldog was the best dog EVER and I understood that I needed to train for her incredible prey drive and protective nature. A husky is bred to live in the cold and run for many miles at a time. Be prepared to deal with that energy and you'll be fine, ask the dog to be a lap dog and dismiss the pedigree and you may be in for a challenge. It all depends on the individual dog of course, but generalities do apply for the most part, as they have been bred for a for hundreds of years to do a particular task. Do your homework, understand the breed tendencies and ask if you can provide the appropriate environment. If it's a yes then go for it and I'm sure you'll be fine.

 

Good luck. They're my daughters favorite but we went with a boxer (still very high energy and high prey drive but worth all the effort).

[notmetoo 41]

'Dangerous breeds' applies only to those dogs who are raised with incomplete/bad training.

 

 

Agreed.

I have a full bred German Shepherd as well and he's no danger to anyone but an intruder (he's my 'condition 0' weapon). When he was 1 y/o we brought in a 10-wk old border collie/mutt and they get along great.

Huskys are great dogs, a friend of mine had one and she was a pussycat, so to speak. 

[Agewon 0]

Slight drift here;

When I was born, my father also brought home a shepherd/malamute mix. The dog was big, beautiful, and extremely protective. All to the point that my mother demanded the unthinkable; that he be in a pen outside during the day.

She didn't have the time to socialize the dog to strangers, and with the old man working long hours, the dog became territorial and his predator drive was insane. He'd get loose every so often and although he wasn't a threat to any human, any animal was fair game. When my father would come home, he'd bring the dog inside and he'd be fine with us. But if the doorbell rang, he was "ready".

To this day, my goal Is to get a GS, but only when I retire and have the time to devote to training.

[BullzeyeNJ 104]

Huskies can be dominant aggressive dogs so keep that in mind. It is more common in this breed then practically any other breed except springer spaniels. This is the most dangerous form of canine aggression since the dog usually reacts without any provocation from the person involved. Very unpredictable and potentially dangerous. I would not recommend a huskie with a family that has young children. Attached is a link that explains dominance aggression in more detail.

 

http://www.hilltopanimalhospital.com/dominance%20aggression1.htm

[Howard 538]

Huskies are fairly smart and stubborn dogs, they do what they want which may not be what you want.  They have a tendency to dig and attack small pry.  That said, they are wonderful dogs and great with small kids.  I currently have two, and had two others before them.  If you train them well they are great.  We have had ours all trained on the electric fence and not one has ever gone through it even when chasing deer and other animals in the yard.  If you want pictures, well I have thousands.  You can check some out here:

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kirbinster/sets/72157601463565910/

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kirbinster/sets/72157605504721783/

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kirbinster/sets/72157635204971196/

 

[raz-0 1,259]

I've known three husky owners with 5 huskies between them, and at least 7 shepherd owners with 9 or so between them.

 

All the husky owners got bitten, one of the huskies also bit my wife and a kid before being put down. Only one of them gave any warning in that the dog had serious anxiety issues, and that wasn't the multi biter. Also all their owners wardrobes were blended fabrics of at least 40% husky fur. My feeling on them are that they are a high energy working dog that doesn't take well to modern suburban lifestyles. They are wired to burn a lot of energy and sort out a pecking order amongst their doggy peers. Household pet where they get left to their own devices for hours a day seems to be a poor fit.

 

 

 

 

[Howard 538]

Anyone that would like please feel free to contact me and visit my Huskies at anytime, they are the calmest friendliest dogs in the world.  My biggest concern is they might kill someone by licking them to death.

[Double Cheese 8]

Anyone that would like please feel free to contact me and visit my Huskies at anytime, they are the calmest friendliest dogs in the world.  My biggest concern is they might kill someone by licking them to death.

 

LOL!  This is my experience with Huskies as well. 

 

Raz-0 is correct in pointing out that Huskies have a lot of energy that needs to be burned off...especially the younger ones.  Don't get a Husky if you plan to leave them for hours a day.  They need to move!

[Howard 538]

True, they are kind of wild till they get to be two or three years old.  We have an electric fence so they are outside a lot.

[MandM 2]

My husky/shepard mix is energetic to say the least. But greeting him is always the same... he wants to give you kisses on the face. And the biggest problem with that is 70-75 lbs of airborne Shepsky.

 

One thing to note... he is sort of territorial. Bandit loves my neighbor... but if she's on her side of the fence he'll bark and bark until she leave or I bring him inside. The second she comes into our house or yard, he's her best friend. 

[wink-_-wink 1]

Thanks guys this is what I was looking for! She didn't come home with me because she was $1600 talked down and discounted from 3400 but it includes 8 generation pedigree, free training for life and life guarantee for health issues like hip dyspepsia... Otherwise she would be here in my lap right now!  She was GORGEOUS!!!!! and I know all about high energy dogs, if I dont run hero daaily sometimes twice.... he is a MANIAC!  That being said anyone wanna buy anything for $1600.... lol jk i have nothing worht that much.  But we are seriously talking and double checking our budget .  There will be updates.

[Howard 538]

Why do you want to buy that much pedigree unless you are going to show the dog?  This is for a family pet right?  I've gotten mine from small family type breeders and they have had AKC papers, but never paid more than about $700.  Actually, our first one we got at 7 months old from a couple that bought the dog from a pet shop.  The woman went back to work and the felt guilty leaving the dog in a small home for so many hours a day.  We paid $200 for the dog, a huge metal crate, nice metal dog bowls, leash, collar, dog food, etc...  Basically the dog was free, and he was the best dog we ever had.

[TheDon 3]

I own a briard (see my profile pic, a dangerous breed, outlawed in Germany).  The only thing "dangerous breed" means is the owner needs to understand that the breed has certain instincts that need to be managed and disciplined. 

 

For example, with a briard, I need to have an *off* command.  e.g., when my dog was about 1 year old, my niece and her boyfriend came over for a visit.  Tobi had never met them before.  They walked right into my house, each picked up one of my sons, and started hugging, tickling, and playing with them.  I thought Tobi was going to kill them both.  If I did not have Tobi conditioned to break off, we would have been taking them to the hospital.

 

Huskies seem to be more concerned about pack hierarchy than most breeds. That is why they tend to bite children when children unintentionally do something that the dog misinterprets as a dominance display.  These are not "I'm-a kill you" bites.  These are "you better watch your place" bites.  But as far as the law is concerned, a bite is a bite is a bite.  True alpha huskies are not suitable for children, so don't favor the most dominant puppies in the litter (as is often conventional wisdom). 

 

Your theory about needing a female because you already own a male is projecting human traits upon your dog.  As a rule, 2 males will get along better than a male and a female. 

 

My advice is: learn about the breed, know it and understand it before you buy.  As long as you are willing to educate yourself and work with the animal, you should be fine.  Good luck and enjoy your dogs. 

[wink-_-wink 1]

Why do you want to buy that much pedigree unless you are going to show the dog?  This is for a family pet right?  I've gotten mine from small family type breeders and they have had AKC papers, but never paid more than about $700.  Actually, our first one we got at 7 months old from a couple that bought the dog from a pet shop.  The woman went back to work and the felt guilty leaving the dog in a small home for so many hours a day.  We paid $200 for the dog, a huge metal crate, nice metal dog bowls, leash, collar, dog food, etc...  Basically the dog was free, and he was the best dog we ever had.

I dont want to pay that much and am not going to.  We decided to wait for a little while.  But I will be keeping my eye open for them in the future.  I am not sure how to introduce the pup to my year old GSD.  He is slightly dog aggressive and everyone I say that to says that he will realize it is a puppy and be fine with her.  Ill worry more about it when we get closer to purchasing.  I am slightly curious about the grooming maintenance of a Husky.  Do they do well in this humid climate.  I mean people have them I know but I am just curious.  I love the breed they are gorgeous and I am pretty sure my wife is hooked

[JayWilling 33]

We have had dogs (usually more than one) our whole married life together- 33 years now. We had one Siberian husky,  a female. We adopted her from a young guy who worked for me and she was basically not trained or socialized and about 5 months old when we got her. She was very dominant and tried to run the household (our 3 kids were about 5 through pre-teens). She would steal things from the kids, and I had a few knock-down drag outs with her before she got where her place was supposed to be.

She accepted our older dog as her superior, and eventually she learned our pack life.

 

All good advice on here. I only know about Siberians, but they love to run and will often break for the door, love to join in pack activites (good OR bad), they are wicked smart and need to have a job all of the time. They also have some breed weaknesses, like juvenile cataracts and a few other things. Ours was progressively blind for the last half of her life. Also they shed giant puffballs of fur, even when you're brushing them a lot.

 

I tell you all of this because, although she got a bad start in life, was always in trouble, and we consider her to be the worst dog we ever had, we loved the hell out of her. With all that bad start she was still a manageable dog, you just had to be on your toes. Never a dull moment.

From a responsible breeder I would think you'd have a great chance at having a wonderful pet.

 

We now have two Jindo rescues. They are Korean and in the akita, shiba inu mold. They are considered a "Primitive breed" but we have had nothing but a wonderful experience with them.  It's all in the pack and the training.

[Njsarge 11]

I have been a dog owner for about 2 years.  My 2 year old boxer is great.  I would suggest whatever breed of dog you decide on, invest in good obedience training.  It has changed the way we interact with our dog.  We have really bonded with the dog since going through the training.  She is under control and we are able to take outside in our yard off leash, she plays with the kids and retrieves her ball.  She stays with us in the house and outside wherever we go.  We do use a training collar when we are outside because she still likes to run in the street to greet other dogs. 

[Njsarge 11]

Here she is playing in the yard.

[carguy3j 0]

Why "buy" a dog? Unless you really need "pedigree" for show purposes, there should be no reason to pay for a dog (or cat). It kind of bothers me when pets are treated like possessions and property, instead of living creatures/family members. I'm sure many of you, who have bought the dogs in your life, do care about them and treat them well. Its just the idea of buying and selling them seems wrongs. I know a lot of people consider "pets" pretty much interchangeable, but they really do all have their own unique personality, such that they are really more 4 legged furry people.

 

Why not go to the local animal shelter and save an innocent life from a lethal injection? Especially with the economy the way it is and has been, there are so many animals that have been turned in or abandoned. You may not get exactly what you want, in terms of breed/appearance, but this isn't a new couch or wall paper. I'm sure you'll find a sweet, loving animal. Besides, I thought that mixed breeds tended to be healthier anyway; generally speaking.

[ogfarmer 138]

I am also in favor on rescue dogs, unless your planning on showing them. I grew up with purebreed Cairn Terriers since my mom was abreeder and showed some. But after leaving home I rescue dogs now. I had a GS/Lab mix that passed. Then 6 years ago I adopted my Aussie cattle dog/blue heeler, spitz mix and she is the best dog I ever owned. They are one of the smartest loyalists dog breeds out there and they look beautiful. They love kids and are gentle. I highly recommend this breed,

[TheDon 3]

Why "buy" a dog? Unless you really need "pedigree" for show purposes, there should be no reason to pay for a dog (or cat). It kind of bothers me when pets are treated like possessions and property, instead of living creatures/family members. I'm sure many of you, who have bought the dogs in your life, do care about them and treat them well. Its just the idea of buying and selling them seems wrongs. I know a lot of people consider "pets" pretty much interchangeable, but they really do all have their own unique personality, such that they are really more 4 legged furry people.

 

Why not go to the local animal shelter and save an innocent life from a lethal injection? Especially with the economy the way it is and has been, there are so many animals that have been turned in or abandoned. You may not get exactly what you want, in terms of breed/appearance, but this isn't a new couch or wall paper. I'm sure you'll find a sweet, loving animal. Besides, I thought that mixed breeds tended to be healthier anyway; generally speaking.

No offense, but that is your opinion.  God bless you.  You obviously have a generous heart.  But, I am not a bad person for preferring purebred dogs. 

[thug the bunny 0]

Why "buy" a dog? Unless you really need "pedigree" for show purposes, there should be no reason to pay for a dog (or cat). It kind of bothers me when pets are treated like possessions and property, instead of living creatures/family members. I'm sure many of you, who have bought the dogs in your life, do care about them and treat them well. Its just the idea of buying and selling them seems wrongs. I know a lot of people consider "pets" pretty much interchangeable, but they really do all have their own unique personality, such that they are really more 4 legged furry people.

 

Why not go to the local animal shelter and save an innocent life from a lethal injection? Especially with the economy the way it is and has been, there are so many animals that have been turned in or abandoned. You may not get exactly what you want, in terms of breed/appearance, but this isn't a new couch or wall paper. I'm sure you'll find a sweet, loving animal. Besides, I thought that mixed breeds tended to be healthier anyway; generally speaking.

 

 

I have to agree. I have only bought purebreds in the past, but after visiting a lot of shelters a few years ago while looking for our present pooch (we think she is a hound/lab mix), it just broke my heart seeing all of the dogs abandoned in those jail cells, and I will never buy a dog again. You can still find plenty of purebreds in shelters if you look, just maybe not the breed you're set on.

[DSD1026 48]

im an "adopt a dog" person myself.  that said, i dont begrudge people who want pure breeds..

[carguy3j 0]

I am also in favor on rescue dogs, unless your planning on showing them. I grew up with purebreed Cairn Terriers since my mom was abreeder and showed some. But after leaving home I rescue dogs now. I had a GS/Lab mix that passed. Then 6 years ago I adopted my Aussie cattle dog/blue heeler, spitz mix and she is the best dog I ever owned. They are one of the smartest loyalists dog breeds out there and they look beautiful. They love kids and are gentle. I highly recommend this breed,

What a cool dog. He looks like a cross between a skinny tiger, and a wise old man.

[TJ 4 the Boxers 0]

I'm for the adoption option also. Just know that there are rescues out there that specialize in certain breeds, just Google your area. Not sure about the Huskies but when I adopted my girl Jazzy, I was approved through 2 different Boxer Rescues. There were about 5 rescues that operated from MD to CT for Boxers and just as many for English Bulldogs, though that was 7 yrs ago at the end of the month when I got her so things might have changed a little. Best $300 donation I made.

 

Sent from my XT907 using Tapatalk 2

 

 

[Bubba-NJ 0]

Ultimately it's your decision. If a pure bred is what you want then buy from a breeder, avoid the "puppy mills". I can understand the rescue option also. Breeders usually will give you a guarantee on your purchase. I have an Aunt who is a German Sheperd breeder for a long time and I've had a couple and they were amazing dogs.