Siberean husky or Labrador????

[Sami544]

Hi

we are going to start looking forward and to getting a dog. We are a family of 5 (3 older children, 17,14,11) and large house with good sized garden. Think dh said it was 65ft x 65ft. We have narrowed it down to a labrador or Siberean husky. I love the husky or Finnish Spitz but have read in some places that they are not that friendly and get bored easily.
But maybe the labrador does as well???

Any experiences of either??

Worth taking a breed selector quiz and many be visited Discover Dogs when it’s next on.
Focus on how much exercising and grooming you are prepared to do. Both the breeds you mentioned are VERY hairy!!
A puppy can’t be left at all. Toilet training is full on!
An adult. Four hours total a day is ideal. But some can cope with more. The thing is you can’t know that in advance.
Look into daycare in your area.
Good luck.

Hi OP I am a dog walker.

I am a little concerned about how thorough your research was if one of your two final choices was a husky

As others have said they are not an ideal choice as a family pet in an ordinary home, nor for a first time dog owner.

A labrador is a more sensible choice but even then they can be big, bouncy, over enthusiastic dogs and tend to be quite slow to mature.

I'm a Labrador owner, they are my favourite breed and I'd say they still need lots of time training and shaping their behaviour especially during the first three years. Many get rehomed when owners find them too much.

For a well balanced adult dog I would never suggest leaving it for over 4 hours. For a younger dog much less than that.

A group dog walk would start at approx £10 and a solo £15 depending on the length of walk and where you live. A reputable Walker would not consider taking a dog under 6 months on a group walk and whilst your dog is a puppy walks need to be kept short so frequent visits are the best option.

Dog ownership is a wonderful thing, but it's hard work and not for everyone so it's worth having a really honest think about it before diving in.

I don’t think labs are especially good family dogs. They are hard work. Eat everything in sight, need a lot of walking and shed a LOT of hair. Everywhere.

Tbh I've always had dogs and wouldn't have either breed! The husksys and labs I've known have both been very demanding. A big garden doesn't matter, it's the time you put into training and spend with your dog. Both breeds mentioned were developed to work and still people are surprised when they're too much for the average family

@Chaotic45 advice is spot on. Labrador here. She is lovely but still quite bouncy at 8, is extremely hairy and does prey after small furry animals and steals food if we are not careful! So although we can leave her- after she’s been exercised she’ll sleep and chill out - usually no longer than 3/4 hours and we have a dog walker on days where she will be on her own longer. Good luck but research LOTS !

thanks for all the comments. As I said we are researching so part fo that was looking here for first hand experience.

I only put husky as a possible idea. Have only read that they are demanding on had ruled it out but wondered if others had different experiences of them.

we will probably look at rescue dogs so just at the stage of talking to a local one and reading up on the process before starting it.
Certainly not about to jump into getting a new puppy.

I have a husky. She is recall trained despite all belief that this is impossible however
NOT a good family pet. They're very strong willed and stubborn, know their own minds and take a lot of training compared to other breeds.
They shed like a mofo. You get a few weeks off a year from that, if you're lucky.
Very easily bored. Mine is not so bothered about exercise compared to some buf more bothered about constant stimulation, play, learning or she gets depressed.

Beautiful dogs..not for first time owners though.
I dont know a lot about labs but I'm not sure theyre a great family pet either from what little i do know.

If you go for a Labrador, be aware of the differences between show and working lines.

IME show line Labs are chunkier, slower, much less driven and sometimes really quite thick, while working line Labs are brighter, more ambitious and need more training, exercise and general input. Both are trainable and shed like you wouldn't believe/

We had a lab for fourteen years and loved him to bits, but I’d wouldn’t have another one. Two long walks in the winter gets less enjoyable after the first ten years. I used to be walking him in the pitch dark at six in the morning when I was working, not fun. Don’t get me started on the dog hair, it gets everywhere. Having said all that, they do make lovely family pets, but any gun dog is a huge commitment. Good luck, and have fun.

The DOG HAIR from a lab is horrendous. We have a black Lab. A twit and clumsy but compared to a husky....

Also labs are used to lead blind people round. There is something in there although our dog must have been left out when they gave out brain cells.

We got our first dog three years ago and spent ages looking into breeds, like you. We went for a golden retriever and have no regrets - she is gentle, easy to train and a complete joy. BUT, like the two breeds you’ve mentioned, big and hairy! It doesn’t bother us but it would many people.
I definitely wouldn’t go for a husky. We see numerous dogs every day on our walks and I’ve never seen a husky off lead yet when other dogs are around, and the owners all seem extremely focused from getting their dogs away from other people/dogs as quickly as possible. It doesn’t look relaxing!

I would definitely go for a lab! I think huskies are such hard work and people underestimate the time it takes to exercise, train and stimulate any dog, let alone a husky.

Yes, huskies cannot be let off lead. There is a chap in the village who has one. He can barely control it and again seems to avoid meeting any other dogs. Our lab just makes a run for it when it sees it and hides.

I haven't read this thread but I bet everyone has said get a Lab. I'm joining that chorus. Sure huskies look good but they're not pets unless you have acres and acres of land. Labradors (all retreiver a in fact) are brilliant tho - active and athletic in their youths but biddable (generally!) and they mature beautifully

Remember that not all “husky” dogs are Siberians. I wonder how many of these nightmare dogs are malamutes. Very different breed. I do know someone who owns and has bred Siberians. Hers do go off lead. But they are still not an easy first dog. And the hair. People saying labs are bad. They are but I’ve never seen anything shed like her Siberian boy!

Labs do shed and some people find it an issue. The flip side is coat care and grooming is a doddle. Easy to hose off, easy to dry, no need for professional grooming.

Lots of dogs, in particular the poodle crosses need baths of muddy, regular grooming at home- often a daily brush, and frequent trips to a professional groomer. Without this they get painful matting which can quickly become a big problem.

Another vote for a Labrador. I don't think I have ever seen a husky off-lead; considering they were bred to run vast distances that does seem unkind. All dogs need exercise, grooming and training but Labradors are easy to train, which is why so many assistance dogs and sniffer dogs are Labs or Lab crosses. Huskies, like foxhounds, were bred for a very specific task which they did in a group of similarly bred dogs. Huskies (nor foxhounds) have not really adapted to a modern pet dog's life. I would advise thinking more about your possible choices, meet as many dogs of breeds you fancy as you can and talk to owners and breeders. It's a tragedy for your family and the dog if you get it wrong.

SOME Huskies can't be let off lead. . I wonder how many people hear 'Huskies cant be let off lead'and never even bother trying. It makes me sad to think about that.

My husky girl's recall is near perfect. *

Plenty of other issues with her but that isn't one of them.

*perfect in that she'll never run away and will always come back,just that if she has found something gross to roll in/eat it takes a few seconds longer than usual. Not many dogs that are much different to that,IME.

Labrador.

We let dhusky off as as dpuppy. Until we saw ds madly dashing across a stream after a fastly disappearing ddog chasing a peasant... Dh nearly passed out just watching!! Ds didn't even stop to explain just ran... Ddog walks on a harness round a person's waist. Isn't at all phased by not being off lead.. It actually was a factor in the 'Against' box for me as my other ddogs love being off..

If you are after the look of a husky try looking at the Eurasier. Fabulous looking dogs but completely different temperament. Great family dogs. Only problem is that breeders are few and far between, with v long waiting lists.

Out of the two breeds you've mentioned id definitely go for a Lab. However, if you want a fantastic family dog that sheds less hair than a Lab you could consider a Hungarian Vizsla? They are beautiful, clever and very very loving

(Admittedly I'm totally biased!)

@SilverOtter oh what a gorgeous gorgeous girl. In my experience though a vizsla tends to be very high energy, high drive and not happy to be left for as long as an average lab? So need a certain type of home to thrive.

Apologies if that's not your experience, every dog is different but I've seen this in the vizslas on my books.

Our dhusky can walk for hours.
Can also sleep for hours like this.
Usually in the middle of the floor so we all have to step over her!
She is currently in our ddog - free front room...
Was worth a try..

Definitely a Lab - no way a Husky. Labs are fantastic companions if trained - if not trained they can be a boisterous nightmare. I have had 2 and they were both brilliant. Yes, you will have a house full of hair, they will get muddy and shake everywhere! They will need decent walks, especially when younger. They will be happy to do a full days hike and then finish in the pub :)