Hi everyone, I have a couple questions about breeders and getting a second fur baby.

So the story for Cora is that I told my dad that I was planning on getting a dog in the near future , he took that into his own hands and said he would like to get me this dog as a gift so to speak. As time went on a friend of ours who breeds cats (Hairless cats) resident dog became pregnant, she is a white German shepherd mixed with a white husky, the male/father was a copper purebred husky and boom puppies, I got Cora a 8 weeks. Now on  to the real questions, I would like for Cora to have a friend, this time I will be going with a breeder, when is a good time to add a second dog to the mix? 1 year? 2 years? 5 years? Secondly I have looked at breeders in my area (Toronto/anywhere roughly in Ontario Canada) and they do not have much about planned litters is it normal for breeders not to advertise that they have litters maybe in a year from now? I have read so many articles on the pros and cons of getting dogs the same sex different sexes I was wondering what all of you think? Lastly the elephant in the room, how much should I expect to pay for said dog? I mean money is not really an issue for a dog that is hip and eye certified but I was wondering a ball park.

A well bred dog from health tested lines can run you from $700-1200. (Might be different ranges in Canada.) A lot of breeders don't have tons of litters. Most may only have 1 every few years, sometimes more depending on what they are trying to accomplish with their breeding program and how many dogs they have.

The age you want to add a second depends on you and your dog. There is no "good age" so to say.

Snowmist Siberians might be a good place to start. They are active in conformation and I think it's where our KellyB got their girl Tika from.

http://www.snowmistkennels.com/

Zoe-I am not trying to be rude but since you are still new figured I will point you in the direction of the search bar. The questions you have have been discussed many times over in this forum and those old threads can be very valuable.

I will respond to a couple of your questions.
When is a good time? That is really completely your preference. Generally the suggestion would be to wait until you are at place where you feel your dog is consistently trained so that adding a puppy is less stressful. But many people get puppies while their current dogs are still puppies and they do fine.

Ethical breeders that are breeding to further the breed will not broadcast their litter plans to the world. They are likely thinking at least a year ahead about what pairing they would like though. That is why it is important for you to get in contact with a breeder, find our their goals, breeding program, etc...

Huskies do not generally have same-sex aggression tendencies like some breeds, but it is possible. I think it's up to you to determine what your dog is comfortable with by judging interactions with other dogs already. I have two boys. They are crazy, typical boys that play all the time. But I wouldn't say there are issues.

Price varies widely by region. From my experience, I expect to pay about $800-$1000 for a limited registration dog from a reputable breeder, but that can vary.

I have and always have had, 2 , but Ashleigh and Sara pretty much covered it. I've had varying ages when the second was acquired, I've had the same sex pairing, and even the prices they mention, it's all sound information

Thank you all for the advice! I think I will end up going with a breeder I found in Michigan because they meet all the criteria and after further research I have found that all of the reputable breeders in my area are upwards of 2,000 dollars and I'm not really sure if my young adult self can swing that

CoraTheHusky wrote:

I'm not really sure if my young adult self can swing that

PREACH! Can I get an Amen(ah)!

I'm looking for number two too and it is a struggle! "Oh look, this one's cu... nope nope nope..."

Can I ask what breeder in MI? I'm from MI and got my most recent pup from MI. There is such a wealth of good breeders there!

I know you and Tyler are young, (as in not a lot of extra cash) but have either of you thought of a rescue? You can really get pures and you wouldn't have to fuss so much about the puppydom issues. Just a suggestion.

Zoe, is the $2000 in Canadian money? Wow that is a lot of cash to ask for a pup. How much is the breeder in Michigan asking and if you don't mind me asking who is the breeder???????

haha Sara got there before me.....

It's so hard Tyler! , Sara it's called zorba kennels but after even more research I have learned thah they do not have any polices on taking the dog back if you can not care for it which seems a bit like a red flag?, maybe you could tell me which breeder you used for your most recent puppy Renee I am also considering rescue, I think it would be nice to skip puppy hood it's fun for a while but I defiantly see the advantage to an adult dog plus you are saving one from a shelter which is nice., and yes 2,000 Canadian and that's closer to the bottom end some of them are more like 3,000 it's a little insane. The breeder is asking 800, but the more I look at the site and reviews I get a little worried that maybe they aren't the kennel for me.

Zoe, I did look at one of their dogs just a moment ago, and there is almost direct line inbreeding so, I would pass on them. Karnovanda is a great breeder, and Sara's is from them, as well as many people on the forum.

I've never heard of Zorba. Also, they are not on the Siberian Husky Club of America's registered breeder list http://www.shca.org/shcahp4f.htm#MI. This is usually a good starting point when looking for a breeder.

The "big ones" in Michigan are Bralin, Highlander, and Karnovanda. My 7 month old boy in from Karnovanda. There are definitely some excellent smaller kennels as well, which are listed on the above link.

Thank you! Both of you are really helpful, yes I know highlander from Gone to the snow dogs(the YouTube channel) I will check out the three you mentioned! ☺️

Ann Palmer, of Highlander, is fantastic.  She is a very well respected working/show breeder and her dogs are a testimate to her dedication to the breed.  Ann and I evaluated the litter my Gypsy came from together.  Gypsy is from Am GCH/Can CH Highlander Halo's Georgia Peach x CH Highlander's Take It to The Limit.  Sheri Wright, of Bralin, is amazing and an extremely respected breeder judge, working/show breeder, and has been a great mentor to me.  My boy Keegan is out of her lovely BISS GCH Brailin's Jack Be Nimble SD.

Any reputable breeder is going to want to take some time to get to know you, especially since you are relatively new to the breed.  Take this time, start talking to breeders, get to know your girl now, get her trained and socialized.  Figure out what it is you want in a dog and find a breeder who's breeding program goals best suit your wants.  The SHCA's breeder referral page is a great place to start for US breeders.  The Siberian Husky Club of Canada also has a breeder referral page, but their website appears to be down at the moment.

Huskymom you are always so helpful, and yeah exactly I am still getting to know Cora and training her. I think my plans for a second fur baby will be for a year or two from now But I think I will start talking to breeders now and try to feel out who is the breeder for me

Sounds like a very sound plan! Best of luck

I have another little question for you all who have used breeders, is it normal to email/talk to a breeder about wanting a puppy from them 2 years in advanced or should I just start talking to them closer to the time I actually am ready for the second dog for the pack?, as a young adult I'm a little shy of being annoying to these breeders I don't want them to think I'm wasting their time.

Zoe, while almost all my dogs have been rescue, I think I can offer an opinion here. I can't picture any breeder being annoyed at anyone who was showing an honest interest in the breed. You're young enough that here they have the perfect opportunity to help a new owner get in on the ground floor. Assuming you don't bug the bejeesus out of them, I'd tend to think they'd be more complimented than annoyed.

Do not go to Zorba. I will not discuss this over online forum, but just trust me.

Go to Karnovanda, Highlander, Bralin, Qudos....but do not go to Zorba.

CoraTheHusky wrote:

I have another little question for you all who have used breeders, is it normal to email/talk to a breeder about wanting a puppy from them 2 years in advanced or should I just start talking to them closer to the time I actually am ready for the second dog for the pack?, as a young adult I'm a little shy of being annoying to these breeders I don't want them to think I'm wasting their time.  

Totally normal! It was chance that we got Cato from Karnovanda. We were searching and they were the only people with a puppy and we fell in love. Fast forward 3 years later and he's my buddy and loves our son. I talk to sarah, one of the breeders, pretty often.

Teddy's breeder is now a good friend and I waited two years for him. I know his breeder incredibly well.

Getting to know the breeder allows them to trust you.

Agreed it is TOTALLY normal to start up a getting to know you relationship with your potential breeders years in advance. The ones who will make you feel like you are wasting their time, walk away from...they aren't in it for the right reasons.

My first Siberians came from breeders who were only after our money, after we got the dog home they stopped taking our calls and answering our emails. We were left with no breeder support. When we were actually ready for a quality dog from a reputable breeder I had talked to Linda for years prior to discussing a puppy. When that didn't work out (puppy evaluation based decision) I ended up being referred to Keegan's breeder, who had the lineage and structure I was looking for. He took us based mostly on who was referring us so that was a little different. Once we finished Keegan I thought I'd be ready for another in a year to two years, so I started chatting with Ann. At that point Keegan's breeder had a litter out of one of Ann's males and offered us first pick as he was so pleased with what we have been able to do with Keegan so that made the decision a lot easier.

Hey everyone I'm back after doing some research and getting recommendation from fellow Canadians I have picked two Canadian kennel and two Michigan kennels to start relationships with.

The first is http://www.snowmistkennels.com/index.html The great thing about this kennel was that Kim emailed me back right away asked me some questions then sent me the full pet questionnaire. We emailed back and forth and have started a nice relationship, what I what from you guys is to tell me if anything jumps out at you as bad about any of these Kennels.

The second http://colinbrownlee.com/ I just emailed him, all I want to know is if again anything jumps out at you.

The third http://www.highlandersiberians.com/ I sent them an email a few days ago but I am aware that they are at a larger scale so it may take a while for them to reply.

The fourth http://www.karnovandakennels.com/ I just shot them an email

The three I know of are all good: Snowmist, Highlander, and Karnovanda. I have only recently heard of UnicornHill as they had one of their dogs in a local show here but I don't know anything about them.

Thanks Ashleigh!

Obviously bias opinion here, as I have 2 Highlander descendants and Ann is a good friend, they are highly recommended in my book. Karnovamda a close second. Not a fan of snowmist dogs, but that is a structural preference on my part. Colin's dogs I believe are heavily snowmist influenced.

Colin is a very good handler.