I want a husky, help !!?

By the sounds of it you have not done your homework on the breed. Do it BEFORE deciding anything.

It sounds as if you really are in no position to handle the needs of a Husky. They can be VERY demanding. They really are not a dog for a first time pet owner.

Huskies are a special breed that most definitely is not for everyone. Yes, they are beautiful. Everybody loves them. And they have many good points as well as bad.

The good points:

1. They love people of all ages.

2. They love company.

3. They are extremely intelligent.

4. They are easygoing and forgiving.

5. They are clean with little or no “doggy” smell.

6. They are generally quiet. They rarely bark, but will “talk”

or howl like their wolf ancestors for no reason.

7. They don’t require a lot of food. (get good fuel mileage)

8. They are honest. Their body language and voice can be

taken at face value

9. They are not fussy eaters and will eat anything that doesn’t eat them first. But they do require a proper diet. (see # 6 on the next page)

10. They usually get along with other well adjusted canines

but will take up a challenge if offered.

The bad points:

1. They love people …. any people. This is sometimes

seen as a lack of loyalty.

2. They are not guard dogs in any sense of the word although they may come to your defense.

3. They have a STRONG desire to run. This cannot be

trained out of them.They must be kept in a secure

area. They are escape artists like a hairy Houdini.

4. They are extremely intelligent and mischievous. You

have to be smarter than they are to stay ahead of

them. Don’t laugh. It’s true, they are smarter than

most people.

5. They are too independent and strong willed to make

it through obedience training. (see # 4 above)

6. They are very keen and efficient hunter / killers.

7. They must be kept occupied. A bored Husky is a

destructive Husky. (see # 10 on next page)

8. They shed. A LOT! Year round. Then twice a year or more they “blow” their coats. This takes shedding to a whole new level.

9. They dig …. A LOT! You could rent your yard

to NASA to train astronauts on.

10. They need company, either human or canine and will

be miserable without it. Though they can survive

outdoors they really need to be inside with their

“pack”……. YOU!

11. They can live 12 to 14 years. Maybe longer. This is

not a bad thing. But can YOU live with a 2 year

old that long? That’s what it’s like with a Husky

in your life.

Know what you are getting yourself into. If you can't handle the challange unfortunately it will be the Husky that pays the price.

If you do decide that you can handle the challange, go through a rescue group. DON'T go to a pet shop or a back yard breeder.

A person above said that Huskies are huge and smell. They are wrong about both. Huskies are a medium sized ( +/- 45 to 55 lbs on average) dog. Some may be a bit larger and it also depends on gender (two of our boys are 60 & 65 lbs one is 78 lbs). They are a clean dog (on par with cats) with little or no odor. Some people with allergies to dogs can live with Huskies. We have rarely given any of ours baths except when we first rescued them from the pounds. As I said, they keep themselves very clean.

Add: to Bob and Sue. I have to disagree with you about the "electric" fence. Huskies are escape artists. We have 14 of them. The only thing that I have found that they can't go over or under is invisible type fencing. Some folks say that it doesn't work on Huskies. You can't buy the cheap stuff either like what they sell at Lowe's or Home Depot or PetSmart etc. The best I have found is the Smart Dog 2100 by Innotek. You can find it on line for less than $300.00 with 2 collars. The key is taking the time to train your pet. I have known of people to pay big money to install a fence, strap the collar on their dog and then complain that the fence is junk when the dog blows right through it. Long haired breeds require a longer contact probe on the collar (these are included with the system above). Training may take awhile, one of ours took 18 months (she was a bit stubborn) before we trusted her, most were pretty good in a month or so and we have one that it only took 3 days! The amazing thing is that we can take the collar off, put them on a leash and when we head towards the perimeter their brakes come on immediately! You can also block off areas of the yard that you don't want them in. When hurricane Isabelle came through we had no power for 3 weeks, the terrain was changed with all the fallen trees, and the underground wire for the fence was damaged and NONE of the kids even tried the fence. As I said earlier, the people who say that it doesn't work don't know what they are talking about. We have 14 Huskies (15 until we lost one over the summer due to medical reasons), all free to run around, contained in our 6 acre yard. And no I am not a dealer ..... just a satisfied customer with 14 hardheaded Huskies most of them rescued as adults. We can leave them outside unsupervised for hours with no problems. Huskies have an extremely high prey drive. Where we live we have a lot of wildlife, large and small. The kids will line up along the edge of the field and watch the rabbits, geese, deer etc. They won't challenge the fence. The deer and geese have learned where the kids can and can not go and will stay just outside "Husky country". Sometimes within 5 feet of the kids. As I said it does work. The key is training. That is the most important part of the installation of the fence.

Dear Help,

I have (2) 8 year old huskies, and last July I bought another one. I understand your "want" for a husky. I think you would appreciate for yourself and the dog, if you wait till you have a fenced yard. The husky is very much a "people" dog, one thing though, they love to run. My husband and I both work, and we pay for a sitter (very expensive). I wouldn't have it any other way. When we first got the (2) huskies, we were chasing them all over the neighborhood (very scarey). I didn't realize just how much they love to run, until that time. Even at age 8, trained, etc., we still ended up losing them. The park where my husband walks the dogs, I can't because of them 100 lbs each, called a couple of months ago saying the campers were reporting (2) wolves. Of course, we let them out to go potty, a rabbit distracted them, and away they went. They did not obey our calls, nothing, after the first years of running after them, my husband just say "fine". We stayed by the phone and window, hoping and praying we'd get a call or a sight of them. Just a note: Electrical fence: Our female husky layed on the electrical bountry line, until the battery wore out on her collar. Of course, after that, there was nothing stopping them. I'd say from experience, wait until you are ready (emotionally and physically). I wouldn't of got the younger husky, except the female is having hip problems (over-weight). It is just a matter of time now, if she could run like she needs to, I probably wouldn't be in this situation. But I do love them all very much, and they are very dedicated to their owner. Good Luck, just be patience, okay +)

Husky are not suitable as small room dogs

They need a large yard, 6feet fence&LOADS OF EXERCISE.

The HUSKY is not the BREED for you-you need to getpermission from your aunt to get a pet.

Rabbits, Guinea Pigs make great appartment pets too

Small dogs make better pets for appartments&small rooms or a cat.

Greyhounds are one breed that can live in an appartment

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

Itallian Greyhound

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

Animals Shelters are the BEST PLACE

Make sure you choose a breed suited to your lifestyle, don't make your choose on the cute factor, fluffy factor, breed alone or colour. Never buy from a petstore.

PETSMART is PETSTORE.

http://stoppuppymills.org/

http://www.samsmiles.org/petstore.html

Don 't knock the adults.There not someone elses problem

http://www.broandtracy.org/articles/adop...

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

Animal Shelter aren 't picky, they just want the right dog to go to the right home.

Do you want a siberian husky because you like the way they look? You need to research the breed. They come from a line of sled dogs-working dogs and need alot of exercise. If your aunt say's no to a dog perhaps you should consider another pet-like a bird or a cat. What ever pet you get, dont forget you will be committed to the pet for life, not just while you are lonley. Good luck.

well first off I don't think a husky will be happy in a small building. one thing is that it won't have enough room cause they are big. and two I know its bad that you're lonely but it doesn't allow pets. Personally I like husky's too but I'm allergic to them but you could a different kind. But it will be hard not having the dog that you've dreamed of but trust me if you do get a dog no matter what breed it is you won't be lonely.

Time to grow up and stop whining.

If you really want a dog, move somewhere that allows it, has ample space for a large dog such as a siberian husky, has a secure backyard or other place to walk your dog. Being lonely isn't exactly the best reason to get a dog. What happens when you get a girlfriend or take a busy job or makes lots of friends that you want to go out with. Dogs aren't just something to keep you from being lonely at home. They are very active beings that require exercise and human interaction ad that must be dealt with when working late or long hours or when going on vacation or away for the weekend.

no pets allowed means no pets allowed.

i am sorry...but you can't adopt a husky...esp. in a small room, they need a lot of exercise and can get very destructive when you're out.

wait until you have moved out into a house and is financially stable.

in the meantime, i'd get like, a fish or something, ask your aunt if that is an exception to the 'no pets' rule, since they don't do much.

but it is something to take care of.

well if you want to get a dog 1st things 1st you need to get yourself a new place where you can have a dog and one with the space for a dog to live in. If you want a husky then you will have 2 have a big garden as they need to have space to move in. Just think about what dog you want. Not because of the breed or its looks you need to think about it's personality. Husky's are very stubborn so are you willing to let this dog take over your life. for example if this dog was sitting on your bed and you wanted to go to sleep, unless this dog wants to move you won't be sleeping in that bed. They are very active dogs and they need a lot of grooming. it is a big commitment to make. Huskys are DEFIANTELY not for 1st time dog owners. You need to know how to deal with dogs and how to train them... also what is going to happen the dog whilst your in work. remember you cant leave a dog in the house on its own unless you want to come back to an empty shell of a house, because trust me all your furniture will be gone if you leave this dog alone all day in a house with nothing to do.

Sorry but its a horrible idea.

Huskys are HUGE. it wouldn't do in a small room that doens't allow pets.

Huskys also shed ALOT and smell bad if not washed and they take FOREVVER to dry.

They are also VERY ACTIVE dogs who likes to run alot

putting a dog in an apt enviornment is not a good idea for the dog as well. He/she might get depressed and unhappy and start peeing on the couch, ripping up your bed etc to show how unhappy they are.

If you really need canine company, i'd recommend getting a small toy dog. Its not very big and it is kinda "girly" dog but they are small and Maltese and yorkies ddon't smell bad. I'd recommend you get a yorkie thats not too hyper so that they dont' bark so much... I had both a yorkie AND a husky and my brother had no problems walking the yorkie even though it was a toy dog since its adorable...

To the person who said Huskies are huge and smell, You're so wrong, in fact Huskies do not have that "dog smell' at all. In fact they are noted for that, they require very minimal bathing if at all. However they do shed profusely. My full grown female only weighs 43 lbs., and even when wet does not stink at all!!