So I joined this forum because I'm considering getting a husky and I wanna find out as much as I can before getting one. I was considering a malamute at first but malamutes are all so expensive. I personally would be willing to pay that but my fiance made a good point, he said "Do you realize you'd be paying over 1000 for the puppy PLUS all the expensive stuff you get your dog." So I thought that was a good point. I own a border collie. She is a ball of energy and I'm not going to lie, she is definitely a challenge like most people say they would be. But I love her and spoil her anyway. She gets a varied diet of the best foods I can get. A mix of dry food, canned food, and raw. I take her for her daily walks/runs on top of being a full time dog groomer. My fiance and I work different schedules and while it sucks for us but it works in Ellies favor, (On the days I can't run her he runs her) Oh we also live in an apartment. Some of your mouths probably dropped owning a border collie in an apartment, but I have found that it's not the time in the apartment that counts, it's the time you put into your dog when you're out of the apartment. (we are also moving out of the apartment in about a year) So my question is, for anyone who is familiar with both border collies and huskies, if I can handle a border collie, can I handle a husky? I hear border collies are the highest energy dog you can get, but I also hear some people say huskies are right up there with them. And I was also wondering how trainable huskies are. I know they are stubborn and I have worked with stubborn dogs before. (I owned an akita in the past) but if you put the time in with them can they become well rounded dogs who are trained well? Oh and out of curiosity, in your experience, do they like water? We live in Virginia and go to the beach a lot, my border collie likes swimming and I think it would be cool if she had a friend to swim with. Sorry for the long paragraph!

Okay I have a Australian shepherd girl and a Siberian husky boy so I would say this is a similar experience. I do not live in an apartment though, I know it is not exactly what you asked for but....
My girl is at the large end of the standard rather than a petite dainty one. The aussie and border are similar even if their working style is difference. ( I do not have a "working" aussie and with you in an apartment you I assume do not have a "working" BC.)

Now to regards with a husky, (everything below is "in general" because within each breed there are many variations of style. )
Their energy levels compliment each other.
They have different personalities as in general aussie try to "Please" there owners and I think borders are the same way. Loyal, good recall, trusted loose, which some huskies are but in general are not.
We have several apartment husky owners in the husky world. They just tend to exercise their pup differently maybe more often but not always. My sibe wants to be outside all the time. That could actually be because of environment (fence) and him being able too. So no jaw drop here.

If you can handle the energy of the BC that is with the physical and the mental exercise you should be able to handle the husky. The husky is intelligent as far as the training but more stubborn. He does a trick or something trained to do for his pleasure for his treat or I think just because. The herding dog is going to do it to complete a task or to please you or for reward.  Some say the BC is intense when it gets into doing a task, this is the same for some sledding dogs they zone into the sledding/biking/run. If you put the time in they are trained well. YES

Water that is a dog specific question my aussie hates water even kiddy pool, my husky loves water most of the time, others love, hate, handle wading, love rain hate rain love to swim no swim.....it is all up to the dog or the experiences and environment.

In regards to my specific husky and aussie. My Baylin the aussie is 6.5 yo and Bourbon the sibe is 2.25 yo. We got him for a playmate for her. She had and older sister a aussie and husky mix who would not play as much with her anymore. But the two hit it off and are the best of play pals so it worked out great. Now my aussie is skittish which is a hyper awareness thing I do not think it is a BC quirk even though I have heard it is a Aussie quirk. Based on that when she goes to the dog parks she does not act the same there as at home but at home they are playing chasing devils. She will catch the ball he will chase her while we play catch. Then she wants in not because she is tired but because she prefers inside after periods. He will stay outside because it is what he does with cool weather.
The both bikejore with walky dog. He pulls my dryland mushing on bike sometimes bikes scares her.
I hope this helps.

Energy levels of huskies are more like the Border, but you will need the repetitive consistency in training more like you needed with the Akita. You have to stay on top of their training and do it often. Think of training them like training a brooding teenager that just doesn't see the point in learning algebra when they will never use it.

As for getting a puppy. If you go through a breeder it will be worth the extra expense to get from a quality breeder. You can check this sticky on what to look for in breeders.
How to find a reputable breeder
Don't be married to the idea of getting one for valentines day. A lot of bad breeders prey on people at the holidays. A good breeder breeds when the time is right and not necessarily so people can give their dogs as gifts. Don't overlook adopting either. Many of these puppies that get given as gifts end up in shelters or rehomed after the holidays because people didn't think beyond the holiday excitement to the fact that these animals are forever and not just Christmas morning deals.

Welcome to the forum!

TwisterII wrote:

Energy levels of huskies are more like the Border, but you will need the repetitive consistency in training more like you needed with the Akita. You have to stay on top of their training and do it often. Think of training them like training a brooding teenager that just doesn't see the point in learning algebra when they will never use it.

As for getting a puppy. If you go through a breeder it will be worth the extra expense to get from a quality breeder. You can check this sticky on what to look for in breeders.
How to find a reputable breeder
Don't be married to the idea of getting one for valentines day. A lot of bad breeders prey on people at the holidays. A good breeder breeds when the time is right and not necessarily so people can give their dogs as gifts. Don't overlook adopting either. Many of these puppies that get given as gifts end up in shelters or rehomed after the holidays because people didn't think beyond the holiday excitement to the fact that these animals are forever and not just Christmas morning deals.

Welcome to the forum!

Thanks for the info! I'm not exactly looking to get a puppy on Valentines day, it's more like around Valentines day. I guess I should reword it to the month of february.

HuskyLear wrote:

Okay I have a Australian shepherd girl and a Siberian husky boy so I would say this is a similar experience. I do not live in an apartment though, I know it is not exactly what you asked for but....
My girl is at the large end of the standard rather than a petite dainty one. The aussie and border are similar even if their working style is difference. ( I do not have a "working" aussie and with you in an apartment you I assume do not have a "working" BC.)

Now to regards with a husky, (everything below is "in general" because within each breed there are many variations of style. )
Their energy levels compliment each other.
They have different personalities as in general aussie try to "Please" there owners and I think borders are the same way. Loyal, good recall, trusted loose, which some huskies are but in general are not.
We have several apartment husky owners in the husky world. They just tend to exercise their pup differently maybe more often but not always. My sibe wants to be outside all the time. That could actually be because of environment (fence) and him being able too. So no jaw drop here.

If you can handle the energy of the BC that is with the physical and the mental exercise you should be able to handle the husky. The husky is intelligent as far as the training but more stubborn. He does a trick or something trained to do for his pleasure for his treat or I think just because. The herding dog is going to do it to complete a task or to please you or for reward.  Some say the BC is intense when it gets into doing a task, this is the same for some sledding dogs they zone into the sledding/biking/run. If you put the time in they are trained well. YES

Water that is a dog specific question my aussie hates water even kiddy pool,  my husky loves water most of the time, others love, hate, handle wading, love rain hate rain love to swim no swim.....it is all up to the dog or the experiences and environment.

In regards to my specific husky and aussie. My Baylin the aussie is 6.5 yo and Bourbon the sibe is 2.25 yo. We got him for a playmate for her. She had and older sister a aussie and husky mix who would not play as much with her anymore. But the two hit it off and are the best of play pals so it worked out great. Now my aussie is skittish which is a hyper awareness thing I do not think it is a BC quirk even though I have heard it is a Aussie quirk. Based on that when she goes to the dog parks she does not act the same there as at home but at home they are playing chasing devils. She will catch the ball he will chase her while we play catch. Then she wants in not because she is tired but because she prefers inside after periods. He will stay outside because it is what he does with cool weather.
The both bikejore with walky dog. He pulls my dryland mushing on bike  sometimes bikes scares her.
I hope this helps.

Perfect! Exactly the information I was looking for! My border collie is skittish too, I think it is a herding dog thing. My border collie is also super protective if a person acts a bit "off around me" Have you ever had any experience with huskies sensing that sort of thing about certain people? Another question. I do go biking a lot with my dog. I wanna get a bike attachment. Do you think a husky would do okay with this? Or do you think she'd feel the need to pull my bike instead of running beside it?

Bike Attachment: I have the walky dog. I like that I can have Ami beside me and an extra leash for security. Ami is not exactly thrilled with it yet...I was stupid the first time and left him and the bike to get my gloves that were 5 ft away...dog followed me, bike followed dog, big crash, now dog looks at me as if to say "you are trying to kill me, I know you are..." Ami, I am soooo sorry

I don't personally have a Border Collie but I do train with about 30 of them lol so I'm just going to throw in my 2 cents worth

Borders have a totally different drive and style when it comes to training. Teach a Border to do something, ask them to do it and they will over and over again just because you asked. Teach a Husky to do something and ask it to do it more than twice, they're bored of that and what you want means very little.

Huskies seem to be a little more bombproof than Borders, they are not as naturally flighty or tightly wound and generally will take to new people, dogs and scenario's with more ease.

My Husky has and without a doubt would again defend me if he felt it was necessary. I would not count on all of them to be like that to be honest.

I have a bike attachment and Orion does fine with it I also have a set up for bike joring where I let him pull when we are in a scenario that allows it. He seems perfectly content with either as long as he is getting to really run he is happy.

One thing I have noted between the two breeds is a huge difference in play style. My boy is a typical husky in play - he body checks, scruff grabs, uses his feet and teeth alot - he is very physical. For every Border that he has come up against and tried to play with this has been far too much. The Borders I know are much slighter creatures than he is with much softer styles, they are not interested in the battle play that Orion prefers they really just want a ball to be thrown or run after each other in a polite game of chase.
Orion is also a lot more muscular with heavier bone in comparison to his Border buddies, if one did decide to take him on in a game of rough and tumble he could seriously hurt them, their structure is simply not as strong as his.

Like I said this is simply my 2 cents

Please take my views of Borders with a grain of salt - I am in another country, in a rural area - every second dog here has at least some Border Collie in it and the vast majority of those which are pure Border are working lines. I have come across a few non working lines and they would have to be the softest nature sweethearts I have ever met. Orion on the other hand is from American Husky lines so he may be a little closer to what you could end up with.

Good luck with your decision and good on you for doing your homework first!

GeorginaMay wrote:

I don't personally have a Border Collie but I do train with about 30 of them lol so I'm just going to throw in my 2 cents worth

Borders have a totally different drive and style when it comes to training. Teach a Border to do something, ask them to do it and they will over and over again just because you asked. Teach a Husky to do something and ask it to do it more than twice, they're bored of that and what you want means very little.

Huskies seem to be a little more bombproof than Borders, they are not as naturally flighty or tightly wound and generally will take to new people, dogs and scenario's with more ease.

My Husky has and without a doubt would again defend me if he felt it was necessary. I would not count on all of them to be like that to be honest.

I have a bike attachment and Orion does fine with it I also have a set up for bike joring where I let him pull when we are in a scenario that allows it. He seems perfectly content with either as long as he is getting to really run he is happy.

One thing I have noted between the two breeds is a huge difference in play style. My boy is a typical husky in play - he body checks, scruff grabs, uses his feet and teeth alot - he is very physical. For every Border that he has come up against and tried to play with this has been far too much. The Borders I know are much slighter creatures than he is with much softer styles, they are not interested in the battle play that Orion prefers they really just want a ball to be thrown or run after each other in a polite game of chase.
Orion is also a lot more muscular with heavier bone in comparison to his Border buddies, if one did decide to take him on in a game of rough and tumble he could seriously hurt them, their structure is simply not as strong as his.

Like I said this is simply my 2 cents

Please take my views of Borders with a grain of salt - I am in another country, in a rural area - every second dog here has at least some Border Collie in it and the vast majority of those which are pure Border are working lines. I have come across a few non working lines and they would have to be the softest nature sweethearts I have ever met. Orion on the other hand is from American Husky lines so he may be a little closer to what you could end up with.

Good luck with your decision and good on you for doing your homework first!

Onto you saying your husky is more bomb proof- Thats exactly what I want. I want my border collie being around a dog that doesnt get quite as skittish and flighty. She has some fear issues. (they are improving with training) Which is another reason I was considering a husky because I read how good natured they are, plus, I see it first hand because I groom them a lot. It's A LOT of work training a fearful border collie. And I'm SO glad to hear your husky protects you. I have heard many times that huskies simply wont protect you (I'm sure it also depends on the dog) But it's good to hear huskies are capable of it.
I know what you mean by a huskies play style VS border collie. I have seen it first hand. My border collie met a husky for the first time and the husky jumped on her within seconds. (Again she's fearful) So she felt threatened. The good thing about her is that once she gets used to a dog, she kinda knows how to handle them. She rough housed with a ridge back a different way than she did my moms yorkie poo. So if I start out with a young puppy, I know she will be fine.

Also, I've been looking into breeders. Is 900 a good price for a husky? or is that expensive?

Play: My aussie never played like a husky until I got a husky. When we are at home they wrestle and and play hard. The husky does body checks and neck scruff taken downs. When the husky was a puppy the aussie allowed the husky to "take her down" in play. To this day they wrestle and do take downs almost like what my husky does to other dogs at the dog park, his is a rough handler and does lots of body check and neck scruff even if his is not dominate (call him grumbley and neutral). Now my aussie does not do husky play at the park at a meet or playdate. Based on this I would say that the fearful of husky play would be adapted between the two of them as your BC would probably teach the husky their acceptable limits.
Husky Sense:Lots of huskys have a keen sense of reading their owner which equates to protection. keep in mind a lot of huskys will help the robber come rob you and not protect the house though.
Bike Attachment: the way I trained or introduced Bourbon to bikes scooters pulling etc was getting a simple mesh type harness of the walky dog attachment using the "commands" to teach him. Then I introduce a pulling harness and the pulling working concept to him. So he know that his one harness is walks, park, hikes, excursions, etc. and that the mesh is biking, and the x-back is working/pulling. I think that should help you if the walks are in one type of equipment and the biking is in another.  Primarily it will be up to the specific dog.
Breeder money: I am really no help there sorry. I believe we have some posts about breeders though.

Welcome to the forum, Brooke! I see you have gotten some very helpful input. I just wanted to add that $900 is pretty average for a well-bred Siberian. Be sure you get health check documents, including CERF and OFA testing, and that you are going to a reputable breeder. They should only be breeding Siberians that are an excellent representative of the breed in an effort to improve the breed. These can be difficult to find, so if you are wanting one early next year, now is the time to start talking to breeders. I am wishing you all the best in your quest and look forward to getting to know you better!

Thank you all very much! Everyone here has given me great advice! I will be sure to keep everyone posted on how it goes. And if I have anymore questions! Hopefully by the time early next year comes, my profile picture will be of my border collie AND my new husky puppy.