tell me about owning a husky

[AnotherLoad]

not planing on getting one right now, maybe next year when i have more idea about them. have awlays wanted one and have recently been thinking of getting a dog.

please tell me your experiences so i can get get a better idea of thed breed and what im letting myself in for - or that it may put me off completely!

thanks redwing :)

jealous a teeny bit of your huskies x

Only one of mine is a husky, the other one is an australian shepherd. The husky needed company, but DH wanted a dog that could go off leash. So we went looking for a rescue dog with similar energy levels to a husky, that could go off-leash, and that was cat-friendly, and rather surprisingly came home with a pedigree. We've taught him a 'find' command in case the husky ever gets loose, hopefully he will find him and bring him home!

I wouldn't go for a Samoyed either (another Spitz breed). Beautiful, intelligent dogs but:

Have really piercing annoying bark
Need 3+ hours of exercise a day
Lots of grooming
Love human company - I wouldn't recommend leaving alone for more than an hour if that.

Have a look at Poemeranians. Spitz again but small. Mine is lovely

I can't spell today - Pomeranians.

oh poooop! puffin - ive just been looking at samoyeds on you tube dogs 101 and thought thats on the list.

right pomeranians..... google...... :)

redwing - still jealous! australian shepperds look cool. you have 2 great dogs!

can see me ending up with a hamster at this rate!!!! :)

I have a chow chow, he's a really good looking spitz type of dog. Very good with children and overly friendly towards other dogs. He can't be let off the lead at all which is a shame, and has a very strong hunt, chase, kill gene, he's just waiting for the day next door's cat comes into our garden and not pay attention. I don't like to let him out even unattended in the garden because he saw a cat jump the six foot fence once and he managed to climb it and escape the garden (yet won't do the A frame at agility). Training has been hard, but he's knocking me into shape and soon I'll be pretty much doing everything he wants .

He's very territorial and he doesn't just regard the house and garden as his territory, but also regards the village and I've noticed walks we go on often he's not keen on other people/dogs/cars being there.

I can leave him unattended for a morning or afternoon, he absolutely loves going in the kennels and getting to bark all day at the other dogs. He only needs about an hour of walking every day and mooches about the rest of the day, he does like the radio to be on though. He's never really chewed anything apart from his toys. Loads of hair everywhere, it's unbelievable and it's a daily battle. He's a terrible thief and will swipe anything off the sides if I'm not careful and he's completely addicted to stealing yoghurt pots out of the bin and shredding them - better than any toy I've bought him.

But he has a lovely nature and hopefully as he calms down as he gets older and when we've perfected his training he's going to be a great family dog. But he has been tremendously hard work to get this far and not like any other dog I've ever had. At this point in time i don't know if I would ever get another, but I imagine these are the hard years and it's got to get easier from now on in.

Thanks Anotherload :) The aussie came with isshoos but they are mostly resolved now and both are lovely dogs :) I am sure the right dog is out there for you.

I didn't realise I'd bring out the shiba inu mafia. I agree that they are not for first time dog owners, they just happen to be my favourite 'dog that is like a husky but more compact and needs a bit less exercise though still on lead.'

To be honest OP any of the spitz breeds are going to present more of a challenge than your average labrador or whatever, they are all 'primitive' in nature and less inclined to obedience. Saying that our local RSPCA centre recently rehomed a 14 year old sibe bitch, used to living with children, cats etc., all she wanted was a walk once a day and a comfy bed to call her own. An older adult dog of any of these breeds may suit you but please not a pup.

redwing, malamutes? are they allowed of leash, training and good with kids? they shed/ blow coat seasonally right?

alicia i did look at chow chow too... lots of great types of spitz :)

puffin - pomeranian googled, they seem abit yappy, please dont take offense as you have one, but can see me falling out with the neighbours :) gorgeous looking dogs tho

toboldygo - have looked into shiba's and for sure is not for first time dog owner!

feel deflated that spitz type are going to be a challenge but wouldnt want to get a dog i dont like for sake of having a dog. i'd rather take on a the challenge do my research and put effort into having a breed i know i really want. just gotta find it..........?

Some people do let their malamutes off-leash - it's not as bad as with a husky - but to be honest I don't think I would because it wouldn't be any good for any cats or squirrels in the neighbourhood. They have a strong prey drive just like huskies and blow their coat twice a year too. They are very intelligent dogs, but also very stubborn so it can be hard work to train them (you have to be very patient). They are very loving dogs, but most people say they are not for the first time dog owner.

Imagine asking your dog to sit, and having to stand there and wait for ten minutes while the dog thinks about it. That's what our dog was like at first - you could tell he was thinking about it the whole time, it was almost as if you could see his brain whirring - and then at the end of the ten minutes he'd either decide yes or no. If no, ask again and wait another ten minutes. You need a lot of patience for training.

If you really love the huskies and malamutes though, it should be possible to find an older rescue that is not so much hard work as the younger ones. A lot of them end up in rescue as badly behaved teenagers that haven't been trained or socialized properly, and they are a real handful. But there are some easier ones out there too, that are a bit older. Just do lots of research on them to be sure that it's what you want.

I'm going to come back again and recommend Eurasiers - a smaller "looky-likey" husky!
Ours is very quick to learn new commands - beats all the Labs/terriers/spaniels in her class hands down.
She currently knows;
sit/down/wait/stay (at a distance)/give paw/drop/leave it/no
I can also send her to the front door and her bed from elsewhere in the house!
She has good recall to voice and whistle, and although she will certainly chase rabbits etc, she always comes back quickly. We have never lost her yet, and she is walked in the countryside every day.
She is certainly not defiant, she really like to please - my daughter took her into her first Fun Dog Show last week, and got a Highly Commended in the Best Child Handler - not bad for an eight year old child, with an 8 month old dog!

If you like Spitz types, check out the Norwegian Elkhound. Very typical spitz looks but a little less full-on than some of the others. Still not without their challenges but are more likely to be able to go off lead (with some vigilance on your part), generally friendly toward other dogs and people and should be steady with children.

LOL at the "Shiba mafia" yes, I can get a little carried away. I talk about them more than I talk about my kid

I think the Japanese Spitz could be a contender. Looks like aSamoyed but less tricky.

yep suited had a look at Eurasiers. on the list, samoyed on list (just about) will look more into elkhound (quick peek)

seems sad that husky, shiba, malamute maybe cant be let off leash for good run. (unless of course you have acres of fenced off land) which i dont :(

will get there! thanks for all your suggestions. :)

ive got rough coat collie on the list too, was my first childhood dog. i remember she was so calm but had her nutty half hour too!

Yes she is barky! We're trying to train her out of it at the moment she is lovely though

I grew up with a Samoyed. He was the most friendly, loving, cuddly dog you could ever want.

However, he did need a lot of exercise. At least 2 hours a day. He couldn't be left on his own for more than a few hours, although that could be said for a lot of breeds.

He died when I was 18 and we would still find the odd clump of his hair 2 years later. I've never experienced shedding like it. He used to cover the house, garden, bushes, driveway, pretty much everywhere with his fur.

I still miss him to this day though. He was just so funny and gentle, such a character.

My parents had owned dogs all their lives and we lived on a farm so my Dad trained dogs to work and he was the only dog they'd ever owned that didn't really want to learn anything past the basics and although they loved him I doubt they would have gotten another dog like him and would not have recommended them to anyone without a lot of experience.

Also, AnotherLoad I have to say, if I had my way my house would be filled with huskies, Malamutes, Samoyeds etc. They are such beautiful dogs. They are my dream dogs and I wish so much my lifestyle would suit them or that I could handle the total change they bring but the reality is, I can't.

I'm alway jealous of owners when I see them out and when I'm walking my dogs but when I talk to the owners about what its like to have them I know I made the right decision to not get one.

Honestly? I love the Spitz breeds and am an experienced dog owner who devotes a lot of my time/life to my dogs. I would never, ever own a Spitz breed because I like an easy life...

It is probably easier to think of what you want from a dog, rather than breeds you like the look of. Before we got our first dog I wanted a GSD/Doberman/Rottweiler and have to admit, I'd still rather like any one of those breeds (and any one of those if well bred and brought up is likely to be as good with DC as any other breed). However, my DH wanted a Golden Retriever and although at the time I thought they were unattractive to look at (yes, I did, I really did! ) I agreed. Now I an addicted and we 'breed' (very rarely!) and show them and have worked them in the past. They are an ideal first dog, IMO and are very, very easy. They also love human company and children. One of ours in the biggest attention seeker ever, she never wants to 'speak' to other dogs at the park, only their owners!

What about a Keeshond? They are part of the spitz clan, smallish but not tiny, teflon coated, look like fluffy little wolf cubs, really friendly with kids, clever and easy to train. Friends of ours breed and show them. They have 7 and amazingly their house never smells doggy or looks hairy. If only I could talk DH into letting us have one... sigh

Me too, Misery. I adore Malamutes and Akitas in particular and I am well experienced in handling large, powerful breeds but, having done extensive research, I am not suited to owning them nor them to my lifestyle.

Although, I grew up around golden retrievers and labs, both as pets and my dad's working drug sniffer dogs and would totally agree with midori. Nothing beats a Goldie's "smile"!

I have to admit, Goldens do have quite a 'doggy' smell, but good feeding does help this.

If I were going to have a Spitz breed, I think it would have to be a Norwegian Elkhound. They aren't that common yet in the UK, bloodlines are limited with many breeders still taking bitches abroad to stud. So you would definitely need to go on a waiting list for a puppy. Most of the UK breeders would be happy to discuss the pros and cons with you, but as far as the spitz breeds go they are one of the 'easier' ones IMO.

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