My wife and I are patiently awaiting our puppy. Been in close contact with the mom and every excited. We're 4 weeks away from getting our little guy.

We've been doing our research and homework. Currently about to finish "Husky for Dummies".

In the process of buying all our supplies. Cages, toys, beds, etc.

Anyone have any advice or suggestions before or right as we get the puppy. As to avoid the "wish someone would have told me this earlier" moments.

This is a pretty neat site. Not sure if other dog breed owners are like this but loving it. Didn't see any posts on first time owners or any cheatsheets - please point any out if they exist.

THIS IS OUR FIRST DOG by the way. Scary and exciting at the same time.

i loved reading huskies for dummies, just the history part was good. i never had a puppy we adopted adults but there are plenty of members fresh with bring home a puppy to help you out!
great job on reading up first and being somewhat ready. when your owned by a husky your never ready!
oh and
WELCOME!

It's a great book - and really geared towards Huskies - not just dogs in general.

haha thank you for the heads up.

Thanks!

We got a lot of good information from that book as well, and it's still been one heck of a learning curve with our now 6.5 month old. We got her at 10 weeks, so we had all the joys of potty training and puppy school, plus all the puppy biting and other puppy stuff. Looking forward to her becoming a teenager...

You will definitely be challenged by your pup every day, but it's totally worth it. You guys will have a great time as your pup grows and learns. Jenn is right too, there are tons of newer folks on here who have puppies, so there will be lots of good information and support for you.

Welcome!

That book is really great. I still go back to the books if I have questions. I got Libby at 5 weeks old(I know really young). Everyone said she would cry for her mom at night and never had that. I only had her in a crate when I went to work. Potty training was key for me. Stick to the rule of take them out 1 hour after food. I think Libby was potty trained within a week or so. I hung a bell on the door and rang it as we went outside and would say go potty for #1 and finish for #2 and would bring her back inside as soon as she was done and reward her. Before I knew it she went over rang the bell and we went outside. Once she had that down we would stay out longer to play. She had to know what was potty time and play time. They are the smartest breed I know of, so they catch on fast. Just be very consistant. and give lots of love.
She was my first dog as well. Best choice I ever made.
WE WANT PICTURES AS SOON AS YOU GET THEM!!!

Have your camera ready, you won't noticed so much but they grow like weeds. Then you can look back and marvel that your little hellion was once so tiny, and of course post the pics here so we can oooh & aaah.

Since you haven't received your pup yet don't let the breeder shove it off on you before 8 weeks of age minimum.

As Christine mentioned, we've also bell trained ours. Works like a charm, and took about 2 weeks for her to catch on. We say "go pee" and "do your business", and she's generally pretty good about going on command these days.

Also, as Len said, don't let the breeder dump the puppy on you before it's 8 weeks old. It really needs the socialization with its litter mates and mom until that point. Our breeder wouldn't let their puppies go until 10 weeks.

Congrats! My advice is expect the worse so you will be pleasantly surprised when it isn't. Training is key to a happy co-existance. Find what you like and what works and stick to it! Consistency is best when training. One thing I found out, not all puppies are the same. My first was so easy to potty train and just train overall....but my second one tested me! All the time! For the first six months I quesiton my sanity in getting a puppy. She is so much better now that she is starting to learn my ways! LOL!! No matter the frustration, they are so worth it! Oh and if you need help, ask! It's great to get everyone's view in case someone thinks of something you haven't. This forum is a great support system. Good luck and post tons of pics!! Make sure you take lots of pics of his/her mask......most husky masks change dramatically as they grow. It's really neat to see!

My advice is to be patient and BREATHE. A lot. LOL Husky puppies can be a serious pain in the butt! But take lots of pictures (even of the not so nice things they do) because you'll want to look back and go "Oh my gosh do you remember when they were THIS small?" or more likely "Oh my gosh do you remember when they did THIS?!"

They're a real trip

I second everybody's advice! I would get ready for some sleepless nights...that's for sure! You might be one of the lucky ones who has a pup that sleeps through the night, but I unfortunately wasn't that lucky! My female (currently 5yrs old) we got when she was 8 weeks and it took about 2 weeks for her to sleep through the night (not too bad). NOW my male (1 yr old now) STILL wakes up at 545am-6am religiously

Watch his every move. If you can't have your full attention on him, crate him. You don't want him eating anything that he shouldn't. Pick up EVERYTHING off of the floor or places that he can reach. Believe me when I say they try to eat EVERYTHING! Other than that, give lots of love and yes, LOTS of pics! You'll regret it if you don't any.

Any name ideas yet?

Wow I was not expecting these many responses - this is great.

The bell idea sounds great wouldn't have thought of that. Will definitely try to use that idea. As far as the 8weeks go the breeder is trying to get ride of them as soon as possible she was talking about waiting until they go to wet food and stop nursing. Which I think we're going to get close to the 8weeks but reading books and other sources you guys included sounds like It really needs to be no less than 8weeks. I will try to talk to my breeder. This is her first litter. She's getting coached by the studs owners.

Will definitely keep up with pictures and share them!

The hardest park for us this far has been the name! Haha we decided on Aspen.

Had a few questions on things to buy. Bought a nice size 48" size cage.
Looking at purchasing the furminator heard and read good things. Do I need other types of brushes? Any recommendations?
Dog beds? Do we need one read some use them as chew toys while other ignore them?
Washing, bathing the dog? What shampoos soaps do I need? How often are you suppose to wash them - read in some places you don't want to wash them too often.
Vets how often should I take him? Shots - when, how often?

I would be sure your puppy stays with it's mother and littermates until at least 8 weeks old. That's really important. Puppies are generally on wet foods at around 4 weeks or so I believe, maybe 5. That's way way too young to leave- I hope you can encourage the breeder to wait until 8 weeks old.

The crate will be too big unless it came with a divider. You only want enough room for them to lay down and turn around. Otherwise they'll just pee on one side and sleep on the other lol

I would personally suggest not getting the furminator. It cuts the fur and it's an expensive tool that isn't really worth the money. We have a slicker brush and a rake- they do the job just fine!

As for beds we have them around the house- not in the crates unless they're adults and I trust them.

Generally you shouldn't bathe them too often as their bodies have natural oils on their coats which are stripped with constant bathing. We use earthbath products- and a few others use them too. I bathe mine about once a month because they get really gross between work and the dog park. But each dog/person is different.

As for vaccinations- is your breeder planning on vaccinating the dogs at all? Here is a great vaccination schedule for limited vaccinations: http://www.itsfortheanimals.com/DODDS-CHG-VACC-PROTOCOLS.HTM

Good luck talking to the breeder, and please emphasize how bad it is to remove puppies prior to 8 weeks. Not sure what Georgia law is either, but here in Florida it's illegal to sell a pet younger than 8 weeks as well.

The 48" cage will be great for him to grow into, just make sure there is a divider in there. If Aspen is given too much room, he will go potty in there. Give him just enough room to stand up and turn around, and that should work well. We haven't needed a Furminator or anything fancy. So far, we've had good luck with just a larger sized wire brush, though we haven't gone through a coat blow yet... We have a bed in Ghost's cage, and the only time we've had an issue with it being chewed was when I had surgery a couple weeks ago and my fiance wasn't giving Ghost enough exercise. She managed to put a small hole and remove some stuffing, but we mended it and haven't had any trouble since.

Make sure you guys give Aspen enough exercise, but don't run him on hard surfaces until he's closer to a year. A little time in the back yard playing and running around a few times a day, plus some mental stimulation will be sufficient for the first couple months, and when you do start walks, a good rule of thumb is 5 minutes for every month of age. You need to be careful not to damage his growing joints by too much impact.

As far as baths, we have only bathed Ghost once, and that was after a trip to the beach. We used an oatmeal based dog shampoo, and had no problems with it. I think most people here don't bathe their dogs super often, but I'm sure others will chime in too. There are probably some threads here on the forum about that, so running a search will probably help a lot.

You'll learn quickly that this forum is an absolute godsend. I think we would have ripped our hair out from frustration if not for the advice we've gotten here.

Here is a thread on bathing:


https://www.itsahuskything.com/t2456-how-often-do-you-bathe-them

Welcome and congrats on your soon to be new addition. You are in for a real treat. You will find that huskies are truly a unique breed which is what makes this forum so helpful.

I never had a puppy that young, Frankie was approximately 7 months when I got him.
I would say take him to the vet pretty soon after you get him for a check up, especially if this is the breeders first litter. They will tell you the frequency of your visits. We went every 6 months for well visits the first year I had him.

I think with the beds, you may have to just try it out. Frankie didn't do well with anything like that in the crate, he destroyed them. We have a bed now that has stayed in tack for a few months now, but Frankie prefers the cool tile floor.

Make sure you have a divider for the crate for when she is real young. You don't want them to have too much space in the crate while potty training.

Sibes do not need to be bathed often. I typically only bathe Frankie when we are going to an event I need him super clean for or when he has a real good roll in the mud. They generally keep themselves real clean and are not very smelly dogs. I use Earth Bath Aloe and Tea Tree oil shampoo. But most important.....do NOT shave a husky.

Furminators are good, but you can find similar brushes alot cheaper. I use three different brushes...furminator, shedding rake, and a regular brush. Frankie is not a big fan of the furminator so I try to only use it when it's coat blowing time.

You will love having a husky, especially since you are doing your research before hand. Please take pictures....we are puppy whores over here
Congrats again

Congrats in advance on your baby! It's always exciting to have a new pup around. Especially when its your first.

Not much to add considering everyone pretty well already covered everything. In case it got missed though, I would try really hard to stick to natural treats and food. I dont know for certain how many others have had the same experiences, but I wish someone would've told me that unless its natural it was going to make my dog very sick. If you get him and he's not adjusting to his food at all - just switch it. Look around the forums Nutrition section and you'll find tons of opinions on what to feed him.

Other than that - enjoy! Be prepared to not sleep for a while, to have a few nights when you wish you hadn't thought this was a good idea, but most of all a lifetime of moments you wouldn't have wanted any other way.

Great advice (as always)! You will find the people here on this forum to be SO helpful and encouraging. There will be days when you will end the day celebrating the fact that you did not give in to frustration and re-home Aspen! Then there are other days where everything will click and you will be glad that you have chosen the most intellegent, most beautiful, most entertaining breed in the world!

I would add (if it has not already been said) that you should go to Walmart and buy a few of those $10-15 baby gates. The smaller the area that he is in, the less likely he will be to mess in it. We were letting Sabaka go into the living room and dining room even though we as a family were hanging out in the great room and the kitchen. We had gated off the upstairs and basement. Sabaka would sneak away and pee in the dining room. Another time he chewed a hole in the living room sofa when he was out of our sight! Little Poo-Poo!! After weeks of "being stupid" we went and bought lots of gates and closed him out of those areas. Potty training went much better after that!

Good luck! I can't wait to see pics!

That's actually great advice from Lisa up there.

Aevyn was -always- baby gated into the area we were. If we were in our bedroom, so was he. Living room, kitchen, etc etc. He was never out of site. He learned really quick what 'off' meant as well - worked wonders.

Of course, a few weeks in I busted my knee and had trouble jumping over the gates. It was at that point we realized that even if the gate wasn't attached to the door (Or even up, for that matter. Cats knocked it down quite often) he still wouldn't go over it. Very funny to watch.

I will speak to the mother and hopefully get them to stay the full 8 weeks.

Good call on the crate it just came in yesterday and I can litterly fit in the cage - and I'm 6'1 I will try to figure out some sort of barrier.

I have a friend who swears by the furminator and she loves it. She doesn't have a husky but said was really helpful. Last thing I want to do is cut up the hair - one of the reasons(amongst others) we choose a husky was because of the way they look and their coat. Want a nice rich thick coat. I keep hearing 'coat blowing time' - is that their yearly shed?

The breeder said she will get them their wormers and first shots - but I also think she mentioned having to give them a 2nd shot if she keeps them to 8 weeks?? Not sure if that's correct. Within the first few weeks I want to find a vet and probably just go and have Aspen checked out.

So past 1 year of age there are no more recommended shots??

5min for every month of age - would not have thought that. Good to know!

Dee - just out of curiosity why wouldn't you shave a Husky? Not that I would or ever see someone doing that.

Went yesterday to start looking at food and will definitely try to get him on natural products. Our breeder said she will be using puppy chow to start them off.

Good call on the gates!

Welcome! Coat blowing is typically twice a year for 2 to 3 weeks, spring and fall. It truly is something Husky and Malamute owners know too well. If your dog is an indoor / outdoor dog the process can take even longer. Mine blow over a period of a month or so.

Oh boy. Yeah my wife and I saw some youtube videos - about gave her a heart attack. But hoping to deal with it without getting to crazy.

here is a link with some reasons why not to shave a husky. you would be surprised how many people actually do shave them thinking that they are helping.

http://www.sibrescue.com/tip-shave.html

Oh wow - would never have thought any of that. Very good to know.

So that also means not even giving them a trim - one of my thoughts was that we would have to get him groomed every so often.

I take Frankie to the groomers a few times a year to get a good brushing and blow out. I am very specific in no trimming. I do allow them to trim the hair in between his paw pads since he tends to slide all over the place with all of the tile. One of the groomers I went to told me she has a husky who she shaves all year long because she can't stand the hair all over the place . I kept my mouth shut and just made it very clear I did not want my husky trimmed or shaved. So you can still go to the groomers, just be clear in what you want done

Oh wow yeah that is definitely good to know. Thank you!