Hello All,

A few weeks ago, my housemate let me know that he would be moving out.  He has lived with me for 3 years and I've known his dutch shepherd since he got him and I grew really attached to him.  Now that he's moved out, I will be living by myself, I ended up looking into getting a husky puppy.  I did a lot of research on the breed and although I may not have a back yard, I have a park right next to me and I'm an active/fitness person that likes to go on hikes, bike, run, go to the beach etc.

With that said, I found a well known husky breeder 2 hours away that I've been speaking to.  Before I actually make the purchase I want to buy everything so I can make sure I'm not missing anything.  I would appreciate all of your feedback and help on this!

Vaccinations/Health:
The first and primary thing I want to make sure is that the puppy is healthy throughout its life.  The breeder I'm looking at says that the puppy will come with its first set of shots (8-10 weeks) and then every 2-3 weeks, receives boosters until 16 weeks old at which they receive their last booster and rabies vaccine.  They also recommend a vitamin for proper growth and joint development (any recommendation?) and Heartworm prevention.  Anything else that I should look into?  What are the expected costs?  How often should you bring your dog to the vet?  Annual checkups or as needed basis?  Last item is when should you neuter/spay your dog?

Crates:  I live in a town house with a un-fenced yard outside and will need to crate train the puppy.  I wanted to know what everyone's thoughts were on this setup (http://modernpuppies.com/pottytrainingpuppyapartment.aspx)  Basically, it is a "safety" for the puppy to do its business on the pad if they are unable to hold it.  The other item is, should I have multiple crates.  The crate is supposed to be the dogs den.  If I want the puppy to be with me in the main places I'll be when I'm home, living room and bed room, should I have a crate in both places?

Food and Feeding:
The breeder suggested Nature's Domain food from Costco.  If not a member, also Innova, Blue Buffalo, Taste of the Wild or any other grain free formula.  Would you all agree?  Lastly, how often do you feed your dog and how much?  This my change my schedule below for the potty training.

Potty training:  I plan to have the following schedule
- 7:45 AM Wakeup, take out of crate, bring it straight outside and say go potty
- Walk/small food/playing with them until I leave for work around 8:30 AM
- 11:45 AM - Noon Come home during lunch, take them straight outside and say go potty and then play with them until I go back to work around 1:00 PM
- 5:45-6:00 PM - Come home, take them straight outside and say go potty and then play with them/feed
- Bed around 10 PM and repeat

Toys:  What are your "go-to" toys that you use to play with your husky?  Or even in general, if a toy is just sitting around and the husky all of a sudden just starts playing with it?  The dog I was living with loved any rubberized ball with a squeaky in it.  It was pretty annoying when trying to concentrate or watch TV, but always put a smile on my face with how long he would just chew on that and squeak it just to hear it haha.

Training:  Did you guys bring your husky to training class?  If yes, at what age did you bring them to a formal class?  I plan to do home training with simple commands such as sit, stay, down, etc.  Anything else I need to know?  Also, what treats do you use for when you're doing the training?

Leash: Any recommendation on leashes? I know you should not let a husky off a leash but I would like to make sure he/she isn't a puller or if so, I have control. The dutch shepherd was a puller but we got a gentle leader and it helped a lot. Are there any good leash recommendations? I'd love to have a retractable leash so the dog could feel "free" when I bring him to a park but I'd still be able to keep it from jumping over any fences or running away.

Anything else that I will need to know/be prepared for other than a lot of energy and fun? haha

Thank you!

Welcome,
it sounds like you have done a ton of home work and thank you for that! i have never had a puppy but i can tell you if you use our search button at the top with just a few key words you will find that many of these treads have been started and that the info is all ready on the site with some looking. take the time and read the sticky threads at the start of each section.

as for the vet, all i know is i take my 2 every yr for a check up and then when ever they get hurt or are sick, no way to ever plan on how much each visit will cost, look into pet ins. with just one dog it does not cost to much per month and will help with all the first yr shots and such. we use heart guard plus for our pups yr round.

crates, yest crate train, it will save your stuff and keep your pup safe. many here do not agree with pad training in the house as it leads to bad behavior as an adult thinking its ok to pee inside, try bell training.

food, we feed nature domain and love it. costco also sells many great USA dog treats and the dog beds are the best as are most toys, its a good investment to be a member.

leashes, i love ruffwear, but do not get a retractable leash, they are not that safe, buying a long lead or rope is safer.

just think of it as bringing a baby and toddler in one home, you need to puppy proof your home as it was a human, they will find anything you value and eat it.

also look at tethering to you while home to keep an eye on the pup at all times and to prevent accidents in the home.

Yes crate train - don't pad train
Potty training - sounds like a long time for a new pup, if it's 8 weeks it probably won't be able to hold it that long. I'd try to make it 2 hours for the first month but if you can't do it you can't do it. If you think your sleeping until 7:45 let me know how that goes...from what I've read and experienced myself they wake up around daybreak/6am and sing you the song of their ancestors
Toys - most things will do but careful of the squeaky ones when left alone because if they tear into it it's possible to choke on the plastic squeaker
Training - I took Achilles to proper training at 6 months...went ok on occasion but most of the time he was the one cause havoc, would still at 1.5 years old. But depends on personality. If you've got a mellow dog that's calm around other dogs then 6 months would probably be good.

Jenn's given some great advice. I'd also add that socialization between weeks 8 and 16 is absolutely crucial. Take your pup everywhere you can. He or she will need to have positive experiences with as many different kinds of people and animals as possible during this time. It's a key part of a dog's life when they learn about the human world and what and who is good and bad. Keep each interaction positive. If the pup seems scared, don't coddle or comfort him or her but back out of the situation calmly and make the introductions to the new people, animals or place more gradual.

When socializing your pup before he or she has had all vaccinations, stay away from places that other dogs frequent (parks, dog parks, pet stores, sidewalks where you know lots of dogs go, etc.) unless you are carrying the pup. You want to avoid any exposure to deadly diseases (parvo and distemper, especially). But you can still take your pup out into the world in a controlled way to positively meet lots of people. I also highly recommend a puppy socialization class, which offers a safe environment for your pup to meet and play with other pups its age. You will also learn more about how to positively socialize your pup and deal with other possible behavior issues that may crop up.

Hope this helps!

Hello All,

Been a while since my last post earlier in the year but today was the day.  I drove 2.5 hours to meet with the breeder and to see the parents/puppies and living situation from them.  After speaking with her for over 1.5 hours and then seeing all of the parents/puppies, I knew that I had to have one.  She has puppies available right now but I will be traveling for the month of May for work and would like to take some time off of work for when I get him.  She has a litter that is going to be born within the next 3-4 weeks that should have a red/white with blue colored puppies.  Add the 8 weeks of raising them and I should be able to pick him up 12-15 weeks from now!

With that said, I'd like to start getting the major items together.

The primary item is going to be a crate and cage.  She suggested that when I go to work that I have a cage in the garage with a small plastic kids pool and fill it up with some wood chips that she has.  The reason why she says this is because as she raises the pups, she puts this wood chip down for them to go potty on.  As they get older, she starts making it smaller and in a certain spot so they can get accustom to going to the restroom there.  I should continue to crate train, but when I'm at work, I should have that pool with those wood chips so if they necessarily do need to go and can't hold it, at least they will go in there.  Any recommendations on cages and crates?

I'm looking at something like this for a crate: http://www.costco.com/Majestic-Pet%E2%84%A2-Titan-42%22-Dog-Crate.product.11232531.html

For a cage, maybe something like this.  I'd rather find something that isn't as deep as I'd like it to run along my wall more than cut into my garage space: http://www.costco.com/Lucky-Dog-Uptown-Welded-Wire-Box-Kennel-6'H-x-8'L-x-4'W.product.11671771.html

Here are some pictures I was able to snap.  I'm definitely very excited and can't wait to have a new friend!

These were some of the parents and the 5-6 month year olds in the front set of kennels.


The puppies ready to go home!




Look at this one!  Already a professional cage climber! Haha