Hi, my name is April, and I have a male husky, who is 1 year and 6 months. His name is Bandit. I am relatively new to owning a husky as in the past I've only owned mixes, and there has been a lot of things I've done wrong, and a lot that I need to work on still.

Anyhow, I live in a small town with no dog parks or daycares. I spend a lot of time playing with Bandit in our huge yard, but I've noticed how badly he wants to play with other dogs, and it makes me sad that I have no options for him to socialize. Currently, we own another dog. She is a 10 year old Cocker Spaniel and is too old and too small to deal with Bandit. Consequently, they have to be kept separated because she will nip at him when he tries to play with her, and then he gets mad and a fight starts.

In the past we had two other dogs a old husky mix and a terrier, both of them have recently passed away, and Bandit also got into a fight with them, but I noticed each time that he was trying to play at first and didn't get aggressive until the older dogs bit  him first. However, I am still scared of  how he might react with other dogs now. When he was younger, my friend had a young pup around his age and they played and got along great, but she has moved away.

So, I guess I was curious what others with more experience with huskies thought about Bandit's potential to get along with a puppy by this point, and given his history with my older dogs. I would have to do all training myself to introduce the two dogs since we also do not have a dog trainer in my town. The only thing we have is two vets. The closest dog park, trainer, and daycare are 3 hours out of town and I could not commit to a drive that far very often.

I wanted to know if others introduced a second husky into their homes, and what that was like.

1. Should I consider another breed? (Right now, I have the potential to bring home a male husky puppy, and would have to look for a different breed, or female later)

2. Do two male huskies get along? (Bandit is fixed)

3. Does having a second husky help get the energy out? (I know that its not a substitution for the walks and the time I spend with him, but I never seem to be able to tire him enough)

4. Should I consider an older dog?

Thank you for any comments ahead of time.

Two huskies can keep each other entertained for hours. And worn out.

When my boy was 18 months old, my son got a husky mix 4 month old pup. They are fast friends 4 years later. My son brings Archer over 2-3 times a week and the boys (both neutered) have a grand old time.

My best advice? Seek out a husky rescue with several dogs available and let your boy pick out his own pal in a meet and greet.

HI April! Welcome to the forum! Bandit looks like an awesome dog. I was going to give you my thoughts on each of your questions one by one but I think it's better to just give you my own experiences trying to touch on your questions as I do it, and you can draw your own perspective into it based on your own personal relationship with Bandit.

First I just want to say that Bandit's behavior with your older dogs shouldn't necessarily resurface should you get a puppy. Older dogs tend to not want puppies too close to them. Older dogs are a bit more protective of themselves given their age and all the things that go along with it, like arthritis, or bad hips, that kind of thing. They don't want to get hurt. Puppies are pretty bouncy and in your face and often that is too close for comfort with a senior dog. An older dog will usually give "warning" nips or growls or things of that nature before lashing out in full on bites, so I'm assuming either Bandit ignored them or the senior dog was just that protective of himself at the time. In either case, that was Bandit's relationship with them and shouldn't impact his behavior should a new puppy be introduced to the family.

I had a 14 year old Malamute when I brought home two Siberian Husky puppies ( 9 weeks old and littermates, brother and sister) with them, they seemed to automatically accept my Malamute as someone to be respected. There was never any challenging or too close for comfort instances between them but I think it had a lot to do with having a same aged playmate already, had it been one puppy and the senior dog, I do believe it could have been different.

One of those Huskies passed away at only 4 1/2 (epileptic seizure) so at 4 1/2 I introduced a new puppy to the remaining Husky. 4 1/2 is not a senior dog so that relationship went very well. My girl went from having her littermate brother as a playmate, to adopting almost a motherly role with the new puppy. She was a tremendous help to me in raising the puppy and they had an incredible bond. Like any *family*, there were spats here and there but nothing serious and their tight bond was never broken, nor any "roles" changing. My girl was "boss".

My current two have a one year age difference between them. And an incredible bond. Between the two of them, they work things out between themselves and adjusted themselves accordingly. As I'm pretty confident Bandit and a new puppy would.

If you would choose another breed, it's a good idea to choose one with the same energy level as a husky, a husky tolerates another Huskies energy whereas a more sedate breed will react more negatively towards Bandit, With the exception of my Malamute, all my pairs have been Huskies. Not to say another breed wouldn't work out well, though.

Two males do in fact get along. My original pairing was a Husky male, and a Malamute male, both were neutered. Both lived a very long, happy life together too.

Having two definitely helps with getting energy out and I believe is even healthier for them, both physically and mentally.

There are pros and cons to bringing home a puppy versus an older dog, and vice versa. I had several opportunities to bring home an older dog instead of a puppy but I always chose the puppy. I had my own thoughts and reasoning for it, just as I'm sure other members who chime in will have their own thoughts and reasoning for doing the opposite or wishing they had. Personally, I've never regretted my decisions. It's a personal decision based on your own criterias, in my mind.

Hope this helps at least a little, if not, just ask anything you need more clarification on.

Thank you both Artic_Wind and amymeme for your responses. I am new to the forums so I am not sure if members prefer being called by usernames or their actual names. I definitely have been considering going to a rescue as amymeme suggested. However, as I said living in such a small town is so difficult with things like that we have a small rescue here, and I've been scanning for any dog who isn't too much older. Sadly, most of the dogs at the rescue are senior dogs, and while I wholeheartedly would give a old dog a home, I am afraid of running into the same problem I am having with Emma between an much older dog and Bandit. So, that's why I've been thinking a puppy.

Artic_Wind your post has helped me a lot. I've been so worried about making a decision, because I have the chance to bring home a male husky puppy, which a friend is offering to me. Right now, the puppy is only 5 weeks, so of course I would have to wait 3 more before bringing him home. I want to do a trial introduction before I make a decision, but I was worried about the puppy getting hurt. I would of course be there to control Bandit, but it's still scary to me. However, I am more willing to try now that I know someone else has had some luck with two huskies. I know many people can't really help me, because it depends on the dogs' personality and such, but hearing others experiences makes me feel a little more confident. I also am happy that you gave me advice about getting another breed with similar energy I didn't even consider that, but it makes sense. I adore huskies, but still live at home with my parents while I am finishing graduate school, so they were thinking of getting a more sedate breed, but now I will have an argument in favor of bringing home another husky baby. They thought it might led to problems with fighting, but now I have info to know better. Thanks so much!

Username or actual name makes no difference to me, I usually use the actual name when I can just cuz it's usually shorter and less to type, LOL.

Ok, so you brought up a couple things that maybe we can help you with to be prepared better.

With all my pairs of Huskies, I kept the puppy somewhat seperated at first, when I couldn't watch them/be in the same room with them. Husky puppies, as you know, are very small. Huskies themselves, especially younger ones, are very playful and I was most concerned with the tiny puppy being inadvertently hurt if I wasn't in the same room with them. I remember when I brought Mishka home, I set her down and Kohdi was so excited! He did this playful little swipe with his paw and tiny lil Mishka got a little airborne, haha. She didn't get hurt, and puppies themselves often seem like they're made out of rubber the way they bounce around and bump things with no injuries, I just wanted to make sure nothing happened that might hinder their bonding/relationship and/or injure the pup. I also kept them seperated at night when it was bedtime for all of us. I don't remember exactly how long I did that though, it wasn't very long, it was a combination of the puppy growing and the two of them playing under supervision and learning boundaries and control that made me more comfortable leaving the puppy out with the older dog.

Second thing is your parents concern over fighting. Unless you are very familiar with the breed and its quirks, playtime between two huskies or a husky and another breed can sound and look like genuine fighting when it's only playing, huskies play "rough" and I'd hate to think your parents would think they were fighting til death when it's only playing. There are probably videos of huskies playing you could watch on YouTube for example that might help you understand what I mean better.

I lean toward adding older dogs. I have 2 huskies and a mutt. 2 are males. 1 is a female. A pup won't be able to play with your current husky for a while really. It will be too small and may get hurt. You could end up with two dogs picking on your senior dog. Or Bandit will pick at the pup the same way he does your old dog. Having a buddy to play with really does help though either way you go about it, whether it's a pup that will eventually be useful as a playmate, or an adult that will immediately be a good playmate. You sometimes have to drive to find the right dog with a rescue. I put nearly 400 miles on to pick my female up from a shelter out of state. So if a rescue dog is an option trying to expand your area will be helpful if you can. When it comes to your older dog, if Bandit won't listen to him then he has to listen to you and you will need to step in and teach him "leave it". Step in before it turns into a fight. Make Bandit take you seriously that your old dog was here first and he can't just pester him against his will. Redirect if he is trying to engage your older dog with toys or training. Teach leave it so if you see him starting for your old dog you can call him off. You will need to teach the new dog the same thing because if Bandit won't respect your old dog, the new dog may learn not to as well. German Shepherds make good alternate breeds. They keep up with their energy but are more level in their personality and trainable so tend to not add stress to a situation. I started with my female and then got my mutt next who has lab and gsd and husky and a host of other things in him. It was nice having his mellow around after having her intensity for a while. I knew if I encountered a critter on a walk that I knew she was going to want to chase and eat that I wouldn't have two dogs trying to chase and eat it. That is another thing to consider. How is walking and traveling with your current dog? What would it be like if you timed it by two?

Look for a rescue further away, there are several organizations that provide free or low cost transport for rescued, adopted pets. Your new Husky could be anywhere in the country and, one of those organizations or, volunteer networks would be able to get him/her to you.

Hi April

Lachlan is almost 15 months, our first dog and first husky and we've had him since 8 weeks. He's really dominant so any dog he plays with has to be ready stand up to him. I've found other dogs in my area to have play dates with and they run and wrestle for hours. Life would be easier in many ways if we had 2 dogs that could play all day and keep each other company but with a family of four, even our Suburban wouldn't hold another dog when we pack up for trips. So if you can swing another dog, it should be a husky or husky mix and you should make sure they get along first. Good luck!