So my fiance and I have been thinking long and hard about this. We currently have a female pure bred husky from D&J Kennels. She is soon to be a full year old in February! So, like every other Husky owner on the planet, we are nuts and NEED another one. We have decided with the rescue option because, this breed is highly misunderstood,  and so many are homeless it is quite depressing. We have our eye on a special 3 year old girl who we really want to bring in! I had an hour and a half conversation with  a fantastic volunteer  last night. (What was supposed to be a little set of test questions turned to us sharing stories of adventures  with huskies.) LOL  we will have someone come and check out our home and yard this weekend. Our dog Sif was raised here since she was a little under seven weeks old, as you can imagine she is the princess of the house.

So this is where you guys come in! I would like to share stories of  Husky owners who brought in a secondary husky/ what challenges you guys  faced. I know it is going to be a long time before Sif accepts a new dog into the home so I am looking at a lot of hard work, a lot of separating, and tons of supervision (luckily I work from home!) To give you guys a basic idea, Sif is awesome at dog parks! We have stayed over friends houses with her in different states, that had two resident dogs. And we take her to my fathers who has  a crazy little old jack russell. We unfortunately do not have visitors  who come here for puppy play dates. So when we introduce  her to a dog she has a great old time till they are in her yard, and then it is  her chasing them around doing the whole pecking order thing. It is to be expected! This is her territory after all and we are the only pack she knows. I will be relying on the fact that she is VERY young still and has a ton of puppy energy. I also know it is possible for her to warm up to another dog since she gets along so well with them in play situations.  We are ready for the challenge!  

and just so I am not abusing you guys with a wall of text here is  my Sif photo-bombing one of my photo shoots in the most graceful manner!

When you had other dogs in your yard, where were they first introduced? It should be on common ground. Then a walk together helps them burn off energy. Then, you can bring in both dogs to your yard.

I introduced Loki to my 2 non husky seniors. My female was very dominant and never really took well to other dogs at my house except Dom who was submissive to her or dogs that ignored her completely. Loki immediately flipped on his backed and licked her nose and my other dogs nose when they met. So best advice is if your current dog leans to dominant side get a rescue that leans to more submissive. It makes it easier.

I have taken in two rescues since I started fostering. Just about to take in a third.

My husky is very submissive. She loves to go to the dog park too and always has a great time with all of the dogs.

First things first, I would have Sif ready on a leash when you bring the rescue home. Walk both of them immediately. Then they are not on a 'territorial' ground. I would walk for at least 20+ minutes or so.

Then, if you have a yard, I would let both of them sniff each other while on the leash. As long as they aren't baring teeth, snarling, growling, or showing any signs of aggression, let both of them run in the yard. Don't let them both loose until you are confident that they will get along though.

Raised hackles don't always mean being aggressive either. It could be from a submissive stance while trying to appear bigger. You may see some raised hackles. My girl raised her hackles when a slightly aggressive female came to my house.

Around the house, I would definitely pick up all toys/bones/etc until they can share. If they can share the same water bowl, that's a good sign. Wait a few days before sharing toys.

During feeding time, you'll want to feed the rescue in her crate for a while until both of your huskies have their own 'feeding' spot.

Also, even if the rescue is potty trained, she may pee in the house for a few days until she figures out where the door is.

That's all that I can think of for now. I wish you the best of luck!

Thank you so much for the advice everyone, Last time I had a dog here It was an untrained male husky AHH! I was watching him for a friend overnight, and let me tell ya it was interesting... i told her to meet me at the dog park first, they played awesome together so we let them play and play and play. Eventually they were both laying down so I took both of them into our car, sat in the back with them. Sif slept the whole ride home and the boy took a lot of coaxing to lay down. Once me and my Fiance pulled up to our house we took them on a walk together then introduced them into the yard Sif was not exactly fighting him, but she sure was pushin his buttons! My awesome friend failed to inform me her dog was neither crate trained or house broken or anything trained so I ended up separating the two and crating the male. Praying for the morning to come quicker! The two of them were fine in close quarters, Sif pretty much spends most of her time in the kitchen, it is big and there is a ton of room to play ... so when they were both in the kitchen she was fine! It was out in the yard she was being a butthead. I expect it to take time, and training , and patience lol ...

NicciFett wrote:

Thank you so much for the advice everyone, Last time I had a dog here It was  an untrained male husky AHH! I was watching him for a friend overnight, and let me tell ya it was interesting...    i told her to meet me at the dog park first, they played awesome together so we let them play and play and play. Eventually they were both laying down so  I took both of them into our car, sat in the back with them. Sif slept the whole ride home and the boy took a  lot  of coaxing to  lay down. Once  me and my Fiance pulled up to our house  we took them on a walk together  then introduced them into the yard Sif was not exactly fighting him, but she sure was pushin his buttons!  My awesome friend failed to inform me  her dog was neither crate trained or  house broken or anything trained so  I ended up separating the two   and crating the male. Praying for the morning to come quicker!  The two of them were fine in close quarters, Sif pretty much spends most of her time in the kitchen, it is big and there is a ton of room to play ... so when they were both in the kitchen she was fine!  It was out in the yard she was being a butthead.  I expect it to take time, and training , and patience lol ...

That's pretty typical for a young female husky. lol

When my husky friends and I hang out, Juneau likes to paw at their face to irritate them. It's a play thing. Most dogs find it annoying though.

LOL! oh yes she is very notorious for playing with her hands, and as much as she adores all people including small children most parents thing I am a huge jerk for asking their excited children to please not pet her while I am shopping in the pet store. I have had parents tell me "you should not bring your vicious dog to a store if she can not be pet" So I kindly asked them to please "control" their kids from running up to strangers, as I was taught at a young age it is very dangerous to run up to strange people with dogs, especially cute dogs.