Hey guys I have been looking into siberian husky's for a while and am still a while away from getting another dog but want to do a lot of research before then.

From what i have read (the posts on prospective owners) it seems like a load of trouble if im being honest. I own a one and a half yr old beagle boy and everyone thought i was mad for doing that and mentioned similar things around stubborn and hard to handle. For me personally i love it and wouldn't change it for anything and am wondering if a husk would be similar but with different needs obviously?

A little about me and my lifestyle- I live in New Zealand, I'll be 22 when i get the new dog, as i used to play sport professionally i am always highly active. This means hiking every weekend, camping, running, surfing, dirt boarding ( would love if a husky could tow me down the beach on the board)? . I am becoming a physical education teacher so would be at school during the day but have weekends off and lots of holidays.

I would be putting alot of time into training him as i have with my beagle and would be looking at getting a young pup.

Would love to hear any opinions about if a husky would be a good fit into my life? Obviously he would have to be ok with a beagle being around as well.

Would appreciate any help

As always, everyone here loves when people research in advance!

I don't know if I would compare a beagle and a husky at all? All the beagles I've worked with have never reminded me of my husky.. they just don't have the same quirks to deal with at all even really. Also, tiny little beagle = a lot easier to handle when going bonkers than a 50+lb husky with a lot more strength and endurance.

But the only tidbit you're giving about your life is you are active on weekends and busy during the week. The dog would love weekends with you, but the other 5 days they still need adequate attention just like the weekends is something you need to remember. I did 15 credit hours + clinicals the first year I had my husky and he didn't care if I was tired or had work to do, he still needed a nice long walk, training periods, and to be smothered with attention.

These dogs are wonderful but take a lot of effort to mold into how you want them to be, especially the first year + usually. You will definitely need to dedicate a lot of time to training which you mentioned doing, and beagles are fairly good sized dogs so I wouldn't see any issues with a sibe and a beagle, though your beagle may grow to hate the sibe for driving it crazy like mine did to our chihuahuas.

If you can read that prospective owners thread with all the horrible things your husky may potentially do, and STILL want a husky, then it might be for you

Cool thats exactly what i was looking for and yeah he would be getting exercise every day at least an hour of full on running minimum but theres no getting around the fact i will be working from 8am untill 3pm. Thanks for the help

samwb wrote:

Cool thats exactly what i was looking for and yeah he would be getting exercise every day at least an hour of full on running minimum but theres no getting around the fact i will be working from 8am untill 3pm. Thanks for the help

I work from 9-5pm. Leave the house around 830am and am home by 5:15 or 5:30 the latest. I give my two a nice long walk the minute and I get home. Well, long walk in the Miami summer heat = 20min, but that tires them out. Then we play in the yard on and off throughout the evening. They are laying on the couch by 945pm and ready to go to bed. So working from 8am-3pm, exercising him/her for an hour, and all of that activity on the weekends...I think he/she will be a happy pup! Oh, and having your beagle to play with is a total plus!

Like Heather said it's about how you mold them. Once it's used to the routine you'll be fine =) They're not easy, but so worth it!

Hey Sam. NZ has about the same climate as Oregon, where I live.
Before I got my dog run built, I took my husky pup to work with me in his crate.
I would leave him in the crate in my car in the parking lot. It was winter, so I didn't have to worry about him overheating. I would go out every hour or hour and a half to let him out to pee, walk and have some water. Gradually, I lengthened the amount of time until he could go 4-5 hours. By then, he was older and my dog run was finished so I could leave him outside at home.
A friend who had gotten a puppy right before me told me about this method. It was recommended to her by her breeder. She used it successfully and that's why I tried it.

samwb wrote:

he would be getting exercise every day at least an hour of full on running

Yes they love the exercise BUT you have to limit what you do beyond their normal play stuff. Pretty much agreed that 5 minutes per month of age goes here. A 30 minute walk/run/sniffing/peeing on everything, doesn't sound like much but if your 6 months or under that can be exhausting. Plus you want to protect their muscles and bones from over work so they remain healthy in the later years.

Thanks for all the replies everyone, its nice to hear from people that have experience with the breed other than purely reading books. I completely agree with the exercise limit when young as much as i want to go and take them on adventures i have to hold back untill they are older and fully developed (was the first thing i learnt when i got my beagle who is my first dog, luckily we found other ways to play at home that allowed him to just stop and rest when he wanted as opposed to structured exercise). Thank you all very much though after all the stories and information it still am very keen on a husky but i have alot of time left so i can have a good think about it.

...and please, please, PLEASE! Don't EVER shave your husky! (You may already know that, but we have heard and seen WAY too many shaved huskies!)