Alright, quite honestly II thought maybe we could make a thread for tons of information for new puppy owners to read instead of repeating the same thing every time someone joins xD Also I thought there was already a thread like this but couldn't find it? Please pitch in and expand on anything you wish because I am not an expert on this! Plus I'd like to put a lot of the helpful links here.

New Members, please come introduce yourself here! https://www.itsahuskything.com/f1-the-welcome-mat
Also, make a scrapbook for your puppy so we can watch him/her grow! https://www.itsahuskything.com/f5-scrapbooks
Confused as to what those 'treat' things are under posts? https://www.itsahuskything.com/t4488-what-are-treats

1. - Most of you will be bringing home those balls of fur at 6 weeks old. Don't be afraid to ask your breeder to hold the pups until 8 weeks. There are many benefits to waiting, your pup will learn important socialization from its siblings that it cannot learn if taken away too early. You will have to work very hard on bite inhibition and manners if your pup is taken home before 8 weeks.

If your pup does come home at 6 weeks, please look into this thread for some helpful bite inhibition techniques
https://www.itsahuskything.com/t1646-puppy-bitting
and try and set up a few playdates with dogs you know are vaccinated and well mannered so he/she learns proper manners

2. - You probably think that you'll have to socialize your pup with other dogs as soon as possible. Don't rush it! Don't take your pup to dog parks or parks that are often frequented by other dogs. You don't know if those dogs have been vaccination and parvo could be living in the ground, don't risk your pup getting sick just for a day out. Look into to puppy socialization and training classes, these will be well monitored and safer for your new pup. Make sure your pup is 16 weeks old and has had all of its vaccinations before taking it to a dog park or similar area.

3. - Make sure you expose your pup to new things in safe places. Although you don't want to expose him/her to other dogs, you do want to make sure he/she is exposed to many different things and definitely socialized with many different people.

4. - Look into heartworm / flea treatment meds. A monthly heartworm pill is part of ownership, you want to make sure your pup is properly treated and vaccinated throughout his/her life. Flea/tick treatments come in many different varieties, consult your vet for some different ones.

5. - A vet!! Find a vet you're comfortable with, and knows the breed. You want someone who is knowledgeable and you know you can trust.

6. - Food. Many huskies have food sensitivities. Allergies to chicken and problems with grain by-fillers are common, so look for a grain-free diet and try this site to find the best brands. - http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/

7. - Have lots of patience, and a camera ready for lots of pictures of your new little furball!

8. - Just wanted to add one bit. Just because your siberian husky has AKC papers, does not mean is it breed standard or even breeding quality. Please look into this before thinking about breeding your pup. https://www.itsahuskything.com/t5575-thinking-about-breeding

I also wanted to add this link. For brushing teeth: https://www.itsahuskything.com/t6940-brushing-vs-dentasticks
Crate training: https://www.itsahuskything.com/t918-crate-training
Potty training: https://www.itsahuskything.com/t920-potty-training
More potty training: https://www.itsahuskything.com/t7927-how-do-i-teach-her-to-tell-me-she-has-to-go
Apartment Living: https://www.itsahuskything.com/t7919-keeping-a-husky-in-an-appartment-advice-needed
Banfield vs local vet: https://www.itsahuskything.com/t7713-banfield-vs-smaller-local-vets

Thanks for posting this! Hopefully this gets turned into a sticky. Here's one that come to mind right away:

8. Crate training. "Crate training is often practiced with new puppies as a method of house-training. Puppies naturally do not want to dirty the place where they sleep, so they will try as much as possible to hold it while they are in their crate. Of course, young puppies can not control their bladders for long: about one hour for every month of age. Owners of young dogs will have to continue to take the puppy outside frequently."
(wikipedia quote)

8. To expand more on crate training, its not only somewhere they go when they sleep. Throws some toys in there to make it a fun place, and most definitely make it their safe place. Let their crate be their 'area' where no one can disturb them.

9. - Be prepared to take your new pup out a lot, it may take a while to potty train. Puppies need to go out 1 hour for every month of age. Don't be frustrated if it takes a while, just be consistant. Some ideas may be to hang bells on the door for the puppy to ring when it needs to go out, and there are other signs he/she may give. Each is different, some spin in circles, some sit at your foot, some bark or howl. Figure out your pups' signal that means 'I need to go!' Once you do, it'll be so much easier to take them out when need be.

10. - Don't over exercise your pup, 5 minutes for every month of age is the walk limit. Don't over exercise at a young age, otherwise you could potentially harm their muscles which can lead to conditions later in life.

11. - Look into nothing in life is free training. Basically teach them to wait before they get fed, to sit at the door before they go outside, basically for any privilege they have there must be something they must do to access it. (Hopefully someone can expand on this)

12. Health insurance for dogs. Vet bills can be costly, having insurance before any pre-existing conditions pop up will benefit you in the long run if anything were to happen.

13. Be consistent in training! Do not give in! If he/she begs for food, tell him to either lay down in his/her bed, or in his/her crate. If they get one piece of food, then they will hold out for another piece. This also applies back to rule #8, crate training. If they whine in their crate and you let them out, they will be more likely to whine anytime they want out. Do not give in until they are calm and quiet. Remember that you are in charge

9. should be changed to reflect that the "1 hour for every month old" is a VERY general rule of thumb. IMO it's unrealistic to think a 6 month old could hold it for 6 hours when they just might be gaining full control over their bladders or might be less developed in that area and still don't have control.

12. It's ok that you're puppy does not eat every single meal. If he doesn't want to eat right away, it's ok! Offer it again at a later time. As long as the puppy is healthy and at a good weight it should be fine. If he continues to not eat, talk to you're vet.

Mobezilla wrote:

Alright, quite honestly II thought maybe we could make a thread for tons of information for new puppy owners to read instead of repeating the same thing every time someone joins xD Also I thought there was already a thread like this but couldn't find it? Please pitch in and expand on anything you wish because I am not an expert on this!

Even if we have a thread like this, people will be too lazy to look and will make a million new posts, haha.... Just like all the "what to feed my dog" posts when we have a post that's like 11 pages long of food recs. nonetheless, can't hurt to do this and those few who utilize who search option will benefit.

Thank you for this post. I've already found a great deal of information, my girl comes home Friday and I am beyond excited!

Megan - this is terrific. Definitely should be a sticky!

I would only add 1 thing: Even when you are not training your dog - you ARE training him. Everything you do with your dog teaches him somehting, even when you don't mean to be teaching...

I'd suggest one thing to this long list of excellent suggestions; everything here should be taken as guidance. As I think most of us have found there are very few absolutes when it comes to a Husky.
Oh, there are a few that come to mind:

• It's the rare Husky who's 'good' off lead.
  
• Too much early exercise can lead to hip and muscle problems.
  
• Stairs are a no-no for puppy's for the same reason.
  
• Husky's want to be part of the family! and can be destructive when left alone, expect it!
  

Generally, for almost every hard and fast rule there's the Husky who's the exception.

Megan, thanks for this! I agree it should be a sticky - a very bold sticky!!

Heather, have you tried searching on this board for "puppy" (well, I haven't either LOL!) but I'd bet the number of hits would be mind-blowing for a new user!