Ok so first off i want to apologise for my lack of punctuation i just was never taught in it school i was a difficult kid to teach and the teachers eventually just said "close enough" and gave up ok so i used to have the most beautiful Husky who i pretty sure was actually a Tamaskan (Rare in AUS so vet may have mistook her as they said she was a husky cross) but she was taken off me i'll keep this short in sweet

i found Mishka roaming around at about 4-5 months old spent hours getting her to trust me then called the lost dogs home

lost dogs home said i'll need to hold onto her for the week end and she went from this scared abused thing to learning how doors work and coming in the house and into the bedroom to sleep on me

lost dogs took her but i got a call soon after saying she was freaking out they feel she was neglected by the previous owners and i was the only person she trusted and if i wanted to foster her until the owners were found or if they weren't found adopter i said yes

i didn't hear from them for 18 months during this time she had become my baby she even had a job at my work (infantry) catching rabbits once when i took her to work the CO noticed she had an affinity for ahem... *disposing* of rabbits and that became her doggo job i'd take her into work let her roam around the Army base/disused airfield and like clockwork around knock off time she would ether stroll into the Hanger as we were being dismissed or she would be waiting around the car to go home she even had her own little doggy multicam flak jacket so personnel didn't mistake her for being a stray

she was a good dog almost as if she knew she was wearing a uniform i once got told she was seen walking on the left of footpaths crossing at pedestrian crossings and staying off grass where a soldier wouldn't be allowed even if it meant she had to walk 100 meters around a field

but i found out two things she was scared of leads which was a blessing because she was very controllable even being able to walk beside me in the city off a lead for fear of wearing one and she was scared of small kids no one ever knew why even vets or puppy training

any way 18 months later the lost dogs show up at my door saying they had found the owners and by law i had to give her up i let her go after a 2 hour shouting match and some tears being shed even trying to bring up that she was technically part of the Army i even childishly locked the door but opened it after threats of police being called (my section commander even drove 20 min to join in on the shouting she was our mascot) but i had to i'm still very very bitter over this for two reasons

the following year a law was introduced stating if a stray dog is with the adopter for longer than the former owners its theirs
the owners had her put down shortly after taking her back... because they had a small kid she bit after it kept tugging at her tail...

this angers me even today because not only did the "owners" not ask if i wanted her back but they sent me a text blaming me for her behaviour








so yeah that's still very raw despite being years ago ANY WAY so i'll be leaving the military soon due to some mental health concerns and a gunshot wound not healing fully i'm not happy about it but agree that if i don't leave i'll become whats called a lifer (some one who only knows the Army and can't function outside it and usually results in suicide) and that i'll lose significant knee function by age 30 but i mean 7 years aint bad

so i need to do counselling and do a course on how to be a civilian basically and then be put into a reservist unit back in my home city so i'm kind of weened off the Army slowly but one suggestion that stuck out like a sore thumb was "get a therapy dog" (not a service dog just any dog for therapeutic reasons)

part of moving back home is that i'll be moving into my Grandparents (only family i have aside from sister) guest house basically until they pass at which point i'll get their property this is seen as ideal cause its kinda away from everything if i need to be alone for a while and i'll be intending to go to university which will make finances easier as most of my "rent" as agreed to be me just paying for my own stuff and cleaning the house for them

my main issue is that they're ok with me getting a Husky but they want it kept in my area if possible the guest house is basically a separate walled mini property right at the back its 25 square meters and the courtyard is 16 square meters i don't know if that's enough space for a Husky/Tamaskan

my Grandparents don't mind her being in the backyard when i'm home but i'm assuming with university i'll be out a lot and they're a bit too old to be dealing with large dogs i'm particularly scared of Zoomies because they might not think that's normal and scare them my sister lives in the main house and has assured me that when ever she's home she'll hang out with the dog but i don't trust her that she knows how much exercise they need

i'm thinking of replacing one of the doors with one that opens both ways and had ropes on it and closes on it's own so that when i'm not home the dog can go in and out as much as it likes particularly in the hotter months and have the aircon on automatic

the other thing is that the backyard has a half Olympic sized swimming pool that's been empty for 15 years but its not fenced off because the local council said its empty so doesn't need it i'm worried that if the agreement changes and the dog can go in the main backyard she might fall in and hurt herself

the mainback yard is 126 square meters so that's plenty of space but i'm worried about the empty pool

As far as escaping she wont escape the fences are about 2 and a half meters tall and have concrete around the base the dog would also have to get through a total of 4 gates if in the courtyard or 3 gates if in the main backyard she really wont be able to get out

Exercise wise the property is beachfront (like 20 meters from frontdoor to sand) and i'd take her on two walks a day if possible and my 10km runs unless she wasn't able to keep up then work out something else

and finally do you think with 18 months owning Mishka who may have been a Tamaskan that i'm "experienced" enough to get a new husky? the only two dogs i'm looking at is a Husky or a Tamaskan i'm leaning towards a Tamaskan for better recall ability plus i think if going outdoors i'd trust them to stay close as Tamaskans have a natural instinct to stay near the pack even if they find something interesting in the opposite direction

any way cheers for reading keen to hear any advice

I think you need to ask yourself what the purpose of the dog is. If it's to be near you and comfort you, you may have better luck with a Tamaskan as many huskies are pretty aloof and don't feel that need to be with their people all the time at heel. That being said huskies can train in as well as a Tamaskan but the recall portion is much harder. I would not suggest having a goal of taking a husky off leash anywhere outside a secure fence. So it would be running with you on leash, it would be walking on leash. Are you thinking puppy, or a rescue that you can start with right away doing activities? A puppy might have trouble around an unfenced pool at first. Fear of falling in, even empty, depending on how deep the pool is. Older dogs I wouldn't worry about as much since they tend to be more aware. Most of us here work normal 8 hour jobs and our dogs are inside crated the whole time and do just fine so the dog being at home while you are going in for classes shouldn't be an issue unless you get a young puppy, then they do need to go out more often than an adult. I would get to know the dog well before I would put in a doggy door and give it that much free range to go in and out and drag things in and out of the house potentially while you are away.

i can't really answer if i want it with me all the time i want a dog that's just there Mishka really didn't have a lot of Husky like qualities she was definitely aloof but she was aloof near me like if i was at home i had to be in view but she did her own thing

as for puppy or rescue definitely puppy even if the laws have changed i'm not even remotely going to risk owners showing up out of thin air demanding it back ive made a reservation for a Tamaskan that's not binding because there's a 2 year waiting list i think there's only a handful in aus and there's only two registered breeders

Husky pups i can just pick up from a breeder within months pretty much there's a lot around

as for taking the puppy with me the university i'm trying to enrol in does have a puppy daycare that trains and scocialises but i don't know if that period is for really bonding with your puppy ive not had a dog since puppyhood ever i grew up with a Doberman but that was bought when i was born

as for creating i really don't like that idea i know its semi necessary but i don't like the idea and i'm not calling people who do it a bad person as i said above when i had Mishka she came to work with me ive never really had to deal with keeping her contained and if i had to go somewhere that i couldn't bring her i just left her at home the only damage i would find is chewed up water bottles which was her Favorite toy

Since you want a puppy definitely check out some of our posts on how to find a reputable breeder. You mentioned wanting to run with your dog. Puppies we suggest holding off running with until they are a year old to protect growing joints. You will also really want to make sure you are getting from a reputable breeder who OFA and CERF tests. Huskies are a breed prone to hip dysplasia and it's genetic. If the breeder you go with doesn't do the proper testing at the proper age you run the risk of getting a puppy who will develop HD and your running days will be numbered if not completely over depending on the grade of HD. I have two dogs with it. Right now I can run about a mile with them but they are supplemented to help with pain and inflammation. Some day before they are very old we will have to stop the little bit of running that we do though.

Husky puppies can destroy a house in the blink of an eye depending on the dog. Some are definitely better than others. If not crating then I would puppy proof one room where no wires or furniture or other items can be made toys of and confine to that one area in the least. I keep mine in the living room and everything is always picked up and wires are hidden where they can't get them.

Daycare can be a great thing but I probably wouldn't take it every day. Maybe a couple times a week. The socialization is very important but they can pick up some bad habits at daycare so all things in balance. Bonding is done mostly through training and play and feeding. I don't think you will have any trouble bonding in your own time.

While GreenZone has only mentioned it in passing, I believe they're from Australia (AUS) so we might want to consider that when posting suggestions. Er, those suggestion that are aside from normal breed specific - things like food, breeders, etc.

aljones wrote:

While GreenZone has only mentioned it in passing, I believe they're from Australia (AUS) so we might want to consider that when posting suggestions.  Er, those suggestion that are aside from normal breed specific - things like food, breeders, etc.

its fine i'm used to everyone on the internet assuming America is the world i know what to look for in a breeder Australia's got more strict rules about dogs any way because we have a very fragile echo system so when you buy from a breeder you get the pup around 1-2 months old and during this time the puppy's been given all clear from vets DNA tests neutered if old enough unless you specifically ask them not to what else... temperament tests sometimes even blank microchiped already trained a little etc etc

any way i know what i'm doing i actually got into a fight with a mate the other day cause he got his dog just from a farmer who didn't want the puppies for $600 and then was calling me an idiot for paying $5k from an actual breeder and the peace of mind having medical history meeting parents etc etc


as for the crating thing again i can't quote you TwisterII the dog would not have free reign of the house i can't explain the plan set up or have any pictures but basically near the door into the walled off courtyard the dog would have a dog fence around the door on the inside so if the dog went inside they had to stay in that little fenced off area

the only thing that annoyed me about Mishka and being left alone is going straight for my bed she used to roll around in it cause it was a queen sized with 1000 thread pillows sheets and dooner she was obsessed with the material

Knowing relatively where you are definitely helps. I didn't know Australia was stricter on their breeding. Around here it's a free for all and more often than not you are dealing with a backyard breeder who just stuffed two nice looking dogs together. We desperately need stricter breeding laws.

You seem like you have a decent setup and a decent routine in mind. I think the largest obstacle is just deciding what you really want to do with the dog and which dog fits that vision the best. A person doesn't have to have experience with a husky or even a dog to go out and get a husky and be a great owner of one. The biggest thing is just being open, flexible, and have a lot of time and realistic expectations for one. There's a lot you can do with them ranging from barn hunt, cart pulling, lure coursing, and agility. Going off leash and being exceptionally stubborn are probably their biggest "flaws" for some people. If you have a vision of off leash walks along the beach then you may have a rough road ahead. Some can be off leash with a lot of training, but some just can't. A structurally healthy husky makes a great running and hiking partner though and they are endless entertainment.

TwisterII wrote:

Knowing relatively where you are definitely helps. I didn't know Australia was stricter on their breeding. Around here it's a free for all and more often than not you are dealing with a backyard breeder who just stuffed two nice looking dogs together. We desperately need stricter breeding laws.

You seem like you have a decent setup and a decent routine in mind. I think the largest obstacle is just deciding what you really want to do with the dog and which dog fits that vision the best. A person doesn't have to have experience with a husky or even a dog to go out and get a husky and be a great owner of one. The biggest thing is just being open, flexible, and have a lot of time and realistic expectations for one. There's a lot you can do with them ranging from barn hunt, cart pulling, lure coursing, and agility. Going off leash and being exceptionally stubborn are probably their biggest "flaws" for some people. If you have a vision of off leash walks along the beach then you may have a rough road ahead. Some can be off leash with a lot of training, but some just can't. A structurally healthy husky makes a great running and hiking partner though and they are endless entertainment.

you don't need to buy from a breeder but there's certain laws here that helps to buy from a breeder like your dog needs to be registered and can't be registered if its not micro chipped they also need to be spayed and neutered the only way not to desex the dog is to get special permits to show you're a breeder (this inadvertently cuts down on puppyfarms)    

if your dog isn't registered and you can't be contacted it may be put down this seems harsh but we have packs of wild dogs roaming the outback actually killing farmers and they have been out there so long they're beginning to turn into a wolf like breed (cant find photos but picture sandy/amber timber wolf with black spots)



ok all that being said i don't know yet i wont be getting one the moment i move back home i'll wait until i fall into a routine and make a decision but ive been in contact with the Tamaskan breeder quite a bit they want me to fill out paperwork (its to see if you have experience with husky's and that your yard is suitable) and they have said their next litter is in 18-24 months so its a while off the good news is she quoted the pups at $3200 each which is good cause a n Alsatian can be around 4-5k and husks can go for 5-6k so its good for what the puppy actually is