Siberian Husky

[calibra]

Hi

I am thinking about buying a Siberian Husky. I already have a springer/pointer.

I have done a bit of research on the internet about them. But most of the information I read conflicts with each other.

I have a couple of Q's.

1. Can I walk these dogs off the lead, ie do they come back when called.

2. I work full time, however come home at lunch time for an hour. Is the dog going to get destructive?. Or will they toys and the other dog keep it company.

Thanks

James

 

[PFC1]

1) It is possible, but not likely. My brother's husky is unbelievably well trained, and will behave off leash, and will come when called. So it can be done. But, I wouldn't count on it.

2) No problem if she is crated while you are gone. Again, my brother's dog is fine at home, now, for the most part. Not so much when she was younger, but then, what dogs are good left alone when they are young? My brother does not have any other dogs, so she has no other dogs to entertain her. Once in a while, he will come home to a mess.

 

[joce]

They have a tendency to be destructive if they do not have a job to do. They need a lot of mental and physical stimulation.

I would not go inot it thinking you can keep it off leash. Some are ok when younger(like mine) and then one day they jsut runn and keep going! Others are never good.

Just go to a good breeder or at least rescue,they ahve a lot of problems

 

[Mindy Miller]

I have an 8 week old husky mix that we already have to put on a leash...but she's a very smart girl. 95% house trained, learning commands quicker than I can teach them.

 

[MayasMom]

1. Both of the huskies my uncle has had in his life would run away the second they got a chance. It took six neighbors to hold down one of his dogs when it got away once, and Zack still almost got away from them On the other hand my fiance's cousin's husky is extremely well trained. Sheba will follow his grandmother to the mailbox and would never think of running off. I think in general a husky is not a good off leash dog, but there are always exceptions to the rules.
2. My uncles first husky was kept in a kennel in the garage when my uncle was not home. If left to his own devices for too long though he was very destructive. The husky he has now has to be crated during the day, however, but Jinx has destroyed a few pieces of furniture himself. With his first husky he left him alone way too much in my opinion. The current husky was a rescue, and I don't think he has attempted to destroy anything in a while, just when my uncle first got him.
I love the breed, but they are not the dog for everyone. Talk to a lot of people who have them before you decide to get one.

 

[Martoch]

I had two of them growing up (not at the same time) and BOTH of them would take off the second they were off of their leash...way too fast to catch and they could literally run for miles in one direction. My cousin did train one of them to stay, but he was a dog trainer in the military that obviously knew what he was doing. They were both outdoor dogs, so I can't help you with the destructive aspects indoors. I don't know where you live, but I was in PA at the time and oh what fun they were in the snow!

 

[joce]

You have to remember they have bene bred to think for themselves so its in their blood If it is well bred it will probally want to run and wont even turn a head to look at you! I have seen horribley bred ones that don;t have any of the drive,but I would never advise looking for a badly bred dog,although you probally could contact a rescue and look for something that fits what you want(although they probally won;t like off leash eitheir).

 

[Saje]

I think you really need to think about the climate you are living in (I have no idea where you are) and how much exercise the dog will get. They are a working breed so it will need a lot of exercise or it will get bored and 'destructive'

 

[calibra]

Hi

Thanks for the feed back.

I live in the UK. I have a 3 bedroom semi with a large-ish garden.

From what I gather, if you are lucky you can let the dog off the lead and it will come back when called. However, most of the time the chances are the dog will just run and run.

What about an Alaskan Malamute. Is this dog going to be the same as the husky?.

Before I even consider buying one, I will ask you guys first to make sure I am doing the right thing.

Thanks

James

 

[moe]

Hi I am from the UK too, and own 4 Mlamutes. I agree with what has been said, regarding huskies and malamutes not being allowed off lead for 1 thing they have a high prey drive, the other is they have very selective hearing, I know of a few that have had 100% perfect recall with their sibes and mals, only for a day the dogs going into selective hearing mode, totally ignoring the owner to return, and run off to be found a few miles away luckily they never crossed roads on this spree otherwise they would have defiantely been killed. Malamutes are very dominant, and highly intelligent and will challenge you at every step of training, if its not worth it to the dog it wont be done simple as that, you more of less have to let the dog think what you want it to do was the dogs idea, they have loads of energy which is best channeled into something they enjoy like working in harness, if bored they will become destructive there is no doubt about this especially a youngster. for good information about siberians, contact the siberian Husky Club of GB you can do a google on that, and for mals contact The alaskan Mlamute Club of UK, both of these organisations have a breed rescue, and will be able to assist you into contacting reputable breeders, do not buy from the free adds or free adds on the net, too many puppy farmers are knocking out sibes and mals at the moment that have bad health issues and temperment problems,

Good luck in your search, you are right in doing loads of research before buying, all to many buy on looks alone and not realise til its too late what a hanful they may have taken on, only to later have to give the dog to some rescue society, or just plain dump somewhere.

mo

 

[BlackDog]

Hi
1. Can I walk these dogs off the lead, ie do they come back when called.

2. I work full time, however come home at lunch time for an hour. Is the dog going to get destructive?. Or will they toys and the other dog keep it company.

1. Kinda unlikely. When they see something interesting, like a small animal, they can take off.

2. Huskies are high energy dogs. They need a job, they can become destructive if you don't fufill their exercise needs. Creating is also a good idea, but don't use it as a substatute for exercise and much desirved attention

 

[PixieSticksandTricks]

I would rescue one first off. There are alot of purebred huskies in rescues (atleast around here)

1. Can I walk these dogs off the lead, ie do they come back when called.

Depends on the dog and the age. My sibe Mishka wasent the most trustworthy dog offlead but after some years and she matured she is more trustworthy.But we were also consistant with training and such. Also some huskies will stick like glue to their owners like I said before it just all depends.

2. I work full time, however come home at lunch time for an hour. Is the dog going to get destructive?. Or will they toys and the other dog keep it company.

Once again I would say it all depends on the dog and its age. Mishka isn't destructive but when she was a puppy we did keep her crated when no one was home. I do also agree though that huskies need a job to be happy. It doesent have to be something huge but it should be something stimulating.

 

[moe]

A few links from the Siberian Husky club of GB.

Damage caused by huskies. http://www.siberianhuskyclub.com/huskydamage

These are answers on the clubs website, to questions asked, very interesting reading.

http://www.siberianhuskyclub.com/faq/fullfaq the people that have answered these questions are ALL seasoned husky owners.

Mo

 

[casablanca1]

That reminds me - one of the sadder stories I've ever heard was of a woman whose small dog was killed by her neighbor's Malamute, which jumped the fence separating their properties. So even if they're trained to recall well, you still have to worry about the safety of other people's pets with them and, obviously, they're large enough to jump fairly tall fences.

 

[calibra]

Hi

Thankyou all for the information

Moe, thanks for the detailed info.

I will keep researching. It's not something I will get right away. My next thing to find out is what food they eat and if I have got the time to let it pull me on a mountinboard for two hours a day

James

 

[oc_spirit]

I competitively race Siberian Huskies and here're my experience with them:

1. Can they be trusted offleash?

Never 100%. There are a few lucky ones who's Sibes stick around but that's just it, they have been lucky. Very young puppies and older dogs are more likely to stick by the owner but the ones in their prime are likely to run off.

This guy I knew had a Sibe who he ran with a local team. While hooking up he'd let his Sibe offleash and the Sibe would just hang around and do his own thing until it was his turn to get hooked up. They did this for years and years. Then one day the guy let the Sibe out of the truck and the Sibe was sticking around like normal and then just out of nowhere he took off. Friends of his found the dog and brought him back. The next day they went running again and when the guy let the Sibe out of the truck the moment his feet touched the grund he was off and got hit by a truck.

So moral of the story, they might be good most of their life but more often than not one day something just "clicks" and it only takes one time for them to cross the road at the wrong time.

My own boy I can somewhat trust off-leash. He sticks around for the most part but if he finds something REALLY interesting he never hears me when I call him. All the other dogs I've run can never be trusted.

2) Are they destructive when left alone?

This depends on how much excercise you're giving him. If he's well excercised both mentally and physically then they're great dogs to just lie around and wait for you to get home. However if you're trying to get away with only walking them a couple times a week then expect to come home to a tornado having gone through your home. I can gage whether OC's getting enough excercise by how destructive he is or how much he's digging. Inside the house he's an absolute angel and only destroys his toys, but outside if he's bored he'll go after the flowers, he destroys the snow fence during the winter, and he digs pot holes. Mind you, he stays in his outdoor kennel whenever we're not home and he is thoroughly excercised so destruction just really isn't something in his mind.

3) Are Malamutes the same as Sibes?

In reference to your questions, yes.

4) What food do they eat?

If you get one from good breeding they'll eat anything in their bowl but not much of it. One thing I LOVE about these guys is that they'll only eat as much as they feel they need. With some competitive mushers this is a nuisance because they wonder if their dogs are getting enough calories for the type of work they're doing but for pet owners, or those who aren't die-hard competitive in the sport, it's a wonderful thing! I feed Wellness Super 5, Pro Plan Lamb and Rice, raw diet, and am currantly looking for a puppy food that doesn't have too much calcium in it to feed during racing months.

5) About the mountain board...

Make sure you train to pull weights slowly, build up the muscles, don't just expect the dog to pull immediately. It'd be like expecting someone who's never weightlifted in their life to bench press 100Lbs.