Hi all

I've been reading this site daily with much interest. I absolutely adore Huskys (and Mals) and cannot get them off my mind. I have never owned a dog before and to be honest I am not interested in owning any dog except a Husky (or Mal), I can't explain it, it's not that i'm mad on dogs..just Huskys! I am aware they are often not recommended for first time owners but I firmly believe I have researched enough to understand the breed, and their challenges.

However, I work full time 5 days a week, my wife works 3 days (of which 1 of them is my day off) so we have 2 days where the husky would be alone. I have read a lot of posts on various sites suggesting that Huskys need someone at home at all times pretty much. However whilst I agree with that I can't believe that all Husky owners are rich enough to ensure only one of the adults goes to work? Surely there must be some who work full time or quite a few hours? Is it possible for me to own a happy husky with our work commitments? I would spend much of my spare time with the dog and would give it as much excercise as possible (something I need to do more of myself).

Also I've read a lot of the posts which show all the negatives of husky ownerships (i.e hair, digging, chewing etc) however on some of the scrapbook pages I notice some people do seem to still have nicely kept gardens and clean and presentable houses inside. Is some of this scaremongery or is it fact that the couch is likely to get eaten at some stage etc?

Any advice is very welcome

Thanks in advance

Mark

All Huskies, like all people are not exactly alike. Some dig, some don't. Most shed to some degree, some more then others. No I do not think all husky owners are rich enough to have one person that stays at home.

What I do believe is that when you have a puppy of any breed you can't expect that puppy to "hold it" for 8 hours when so young. It takes time, and believe me this time can vary greatly for a puppy to learn bladder control. My 6 month old is still not totally able to hold it for as long as I think he should. It will be very difficult for you to housebreak this puppy if he/she will be left alone that long. Now maybe you can arrange for someone to come by several times a day to take puppy out. This is not a "husky thing" its a every puppy thing. Its a lot to expect a tiny puppy to be in a crate for 8 or more hours a day.

I work, but only part time, 5 hours a day 4 days a week mostly, husband is full time. But I am lucky in that I have 3 adult boys who all still live at home, and we all have different work/school schedules. The most my dogs (I also have a 13 month old lab) are alone is about 3 hours. So it works well for us.

To be honest, and of course this is MY experience, I haven't found that Balon (6 month old husky) is any different to raise then any other puppy I have had. He can be stubborn, but so can my lab lol. Balon is a wonderfully affectionate boy, he loves everyone. He is a blast to play with, and he and the lab wear each other out, its great lol.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

Hi,

Im quite new to the forum and new to owning a husky puppy!

Is there anyone that would be able to pop round to your house? e.g. at feeding time? Or even better is there anyone else in family with a dog?

Ive only had my puppy about 3 weeks and in this time there has been a couple of days where no one has been in all day, on these occasions my mum has come over for a couple of hours to feed and play with her and also my friend who has a slightly older puppy (husky) has dropped hers off whilst they go to work. Im fortunate in that the layout of my house (and various dogflaps and babygates) mean that the dog / dogs have the back garden and kitchen to themselves if alone (her crate is in the kitchen) so there is hardly anything she could destroy.

Most importantly I find that the mental stimulation is just as important as the exercise. My puppy has a kong filled with various things, loads of boredom balls with treats in, an interactive game and also a sandpit to dig in, in the garden.

I cant comment on the crate situation as mine only goes in there overnight.

Only thing is potty training may take longer. My puppy is now almost fully house trained when im in the house (take her out every 30 mins) and when im not in she goes outside or on her puppy pad in the kitchen.

A couple of my friends who work all day have dog walkers or dog sitters who start at like £6 who come and feed them, walk them and play with them, just to break the day up so that they arent alone all day.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Perhaps you could try fostering a Husky? That way you get to experience them hands and help out a dog at the same time.

Not all Huskies are alike. I do work from home, so I couldn't tell you what it's like leaving my dog's alone several times a week. Although, when I do leave to run errands or pleasure without my Huskies, I do Husky proof my house and always looking for new ways improve (they are constantly figuring out ways around my tactics). My couch did get eaten, but it was my fault for not making sure they were properly tired before I left. That too plays a big part in a Husky not being destructive! A tired Husky is what you want! You need to walk him, play with him, take him places (dog park, family outings, hiking, etc).

I've never owned an adult Husky (mine are both still under one year) only puppies/teenager. I hear the teenage years are the worst and after that, it usually get's better. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that is true! Mine are hell on wheels if not tired. With that being said, exercise is still the main focus!

You need to train you're Husky too! If you don't want him in certain room's, start as early as you bring him home that this is NOT a room you go in! Don't let any bad habit's start, correct them right away. If you don't want him on the couch, don't let him get on there! He starts jumping on the counter, correct it or you will have a counter surfer on you're hands.

Crate Crate Crate!! The crate is you're best friend! If you don't want you're house a mess while you're gone, crate you're dog! It's not mean! Think of it as an insurance policy, it's going to save you're house and keep you're dog out of trouble! The crate is a good thing. Warning though, it takes time getting use to it, so buy earplugs.

If you're gone for long period's and feel guilty for leaving them crated for so long, hire a dog walker! Or, you could take you're dog to doggy daycare. It's a great way for them to meet and play with other dog's and socialize with different people. Plus, you're pup will hopefully be good and tired by the time he comes home.

Feeding a good quality diet is important too in insuring you have a happy healthy dog. There's several thread's here that talk about good quality nutrition. Everyone has their own opinion on what's good for their pet, so you will have to figure out which work's best for you and you're dog.

Have you considered getting a young rescue say maybe 8months old to a year? There seems to be alot on shelters and rescues..

As for a puppy I can not help you.. My two are my first huskies we got one at 9 months old and the other was about 2 years old she was a rescue from a shelter.

Mark, I noticed you mentioned you'd give your potential husky as much exercise as possible. How much time in exercise and training are you and your wife REALISTICALLY prepared to give the dog on a daily basis? In addition to all the extra time that you will be spending on training and walking your husky every day, how much time will you also have to devote to brushing your sibe and vacuuming the house of husky fur?

Every dog is different but in general, a tired husky is a happy husky. I.e. a very well exercised and well stimulated and well trained husky is generally going to equate to a well behaved husky. There is no guarantee that you won't end up with destruction and mayhem even with all those factors checked off, again it depends on the dog. If you go the breeder route, they can help you pick a pup that will most likely best fit your lifestyle. I think in general that show lines have a tendency to be more laid back and more lenient in their exercise requirements than the working lines...something to consider.

Plenty of people work full time and leave their huskies at home. I personally could not leave my dogs home alone forcing them to hold it it for 8+ hours a day...again that's just me personally. I am a stay at home mom so I am home with my pets all day, every day. But back when I did work full time I always came home on my lunch break to take my dog out for a walk midday so that he got some exercise and wouldn't have to go more than 4-5 hours without a potty break. I would not have gotten a dog period (husky or otherwise) if I did not have the ability to let them out during the day, but again that's just me and I don't think anything less of people who do not have that ability.

I have a well kept house and garden but that doesn't mean life has been destruction free. My sibe has still eaten shoes, damaged the couch, put a hole in the seat in the car, destroyed multiple dog beds, dug up the grass and dug in my mulched garden beds. You correct the bad behavior, fix or replace the damage and move on.

Even though I now have the ability to stay home (I did not with our first husky), I have found that as Sabaka nears 2 years old, he just wants to lie around most of the day anyway. I think all dogs easily conform to their owners' schedules and he has become more nocturnal. Yesterday I was bribing him with carrots to get him out of his crate at 9:30 in the morning. Often after pottying, he will sneak back upstairs and get back in his crate or go to sleep on the deck.

The "FUN" begins at our house around 5:00pm and does not stop until midnight or 1:00am! I think that is because all the other occupants of this house are more fun and exciting than I am!

Our first dog was a husky and even though we would have benefited greatly from a forum such as this, we survived with very few major mistakes! We did eventually buy books about huskies and a crate - the two most important things, in my opinion - then things got much easier! I got her during my final semester of college and we went through her puppy years with me holding part-time jobs, so either my roommate or I was there to take her out to potty, feed her and give her a little human interaction at various times during the day. Eventually, she went 8-8.5hours 5 days a week in her crate while my hubby and I worked. I think the hardest part for you to get through will be the puppy years. You will have to find ways to either come home a couple times or have a dog walker come take him out. You will, however, need to commit to limited evening activities on days that you have both worked and much, much, MUCH playing and walking and other exercise every evening after work.

All huskies are different. Some are definitely more laid-back than others. Some are diggers and some are not. Our first one rarely, if ever, dug. Just yesterday as I was pulling some weeds out of the flower beds I was thinking how Sabaka has been digging so much less. Then last night he went into that same flower bed and dug the hugest hole ever!! I would not have a dog that does not eventually become a pleasant member of our family. That's why we begin working on inside manners and behavior immediately. Huskies are the smartest dogs ever, so they get it. Just like kids, you can have brats and you can have properly behaved ones. Most of that is not the fault of the kid but rather the parent. Because of their intelligence, huskies often figure out how to "work the system" and try to get away with naughty behavior. To me, that's just a part of their quirky personality that I enjoy trying to stay on top of. With consistent training, huskies are enjoyable housemates (they don't easily get smelly, they are very graceful around furniture, they quickly learn limits). The hair issue will always be there. Even the tidiest of housekeepers must resign to tufts of hair in the corners and wafting through the air and on your black clothes and in your casseroles.... This one thing needs to become a non-issue in your mind before you commit to a husky!

I've never had any other dogs but huskies and probably never will! Join our crazy community!!

Wow! Thanks for all the quick replies. I do have retired family members in the same village so maybe they could help to let the puppy out for toilet breaks if we do go ahead in the future.

The reason a rescue dog is out of the equation is because we have 3 cats, therefore we would need the puppy to grow up with them and not view them as food! Otherwise rescue would of most definately have been considered.

Lots of thinking to do, some of the huskys (and owners) on this site are amazing and I would love to be a part of that.

Thanks again for your thoughts.

Mark

Both myself and my husband work full time. We have 3 dogs and one is a husky. We got the husky at the beginning of the summer when the kids were on summer break. This helped with the potty training. She is nearly potty trained and she can now hold it overnight. I expect that she will be able to hold it from when we leave from the house until 2:30 when my high-schooler gets home.

I would strongly encourage crate training to help. When young, the pup will have accidents in the crate, but they will subside as she gets older. You can watch her whenever you are home.

We have not had issues with her destroying anything in the house yet except her eating three of my son's socks and then puking them back up in her crate at night- again utilize the the crate!!!! Do it at night and when not home to watch the pup. It will keep you sane and protect your home.

Digging - my pup does dig! A trick that I learned from a friend and it seems to be working. If the pup digs in an inappropriate spot, pooper scoop the yard and put the poop in the hole that she dug. Re-cover the hole. When she digs there again, she will get a nasty surprise and will stop digging there. As I am doing this in most of the yard, she has seemed to lessen her digging. The yard is becoming a no-dig zone. Though we went to the park the other day and she immediately started digging in the dirt!

Hair - Look for a sleek coated Husky (mal) they will shed less than a long hair one.

Good luck - they are fun!

markquinton wrote:

The reason a rescue dog is out of the equation is because we have 3 cats, therefore we would need the puppy to grow up with them and not view them as food! Otherwise rescue would of most definately have been considered.

First off, welcome! And massive kudos for doing your research and really putting the effort in to making sure this is the right thing for you and your family. I think the other folks have covered the rest of the issues pretty well, but I'll chime in on the cat thing. Don't automatically discount rescue as an option. I did, for the exact same reason (I have 2 cats), and wound up going to a less than desirable breeder. So far we've been exceptionally lucky with temperament and health, but knowing now what I do I would never go back to that breeder. I now work for a rescue here in Florida, and we actually get cat friendly Huskies on a fairly regular basis. Find your local rescue and talk to them, and express your concern for the cats. If they're worth anything, they'll work with you and find a great dog who won't decide your cats look like dinner

Just wanted to toss that out so you know it's still an option. And no matter what you decide to do, we'll be here to help you keep your sanity

I don't think the question is whether or not a husky will fit into your lifestyle but whether or not you are willing to fit a Husky into your lifestyle.

If you and your wife are willing to do what is necessary to make your new husky happy no matter what then you can get a husky.

Plenty of us leave our huskys at home while we work and we all have different ways of handling it. Some have family help, some hire a dog walker, some use doggy day care, some have flexible schedules that allow trips home during the day, etc. The point is we all figured out a way to make it work and so can you.

As for having a nice home/yard while owning a husky, YES IT IS POSSIBLE. However, it does take some work and damage may happen. But I think Valerie said it best when she said "You correct the bad behavior, fix or replace the damage and move on."

Don't let the negative things you hear keep you from getting a husky. These things are out there to keep people from getting in over their heads and are usually worst case senario. You may have to deal with some of these things as a husky owner but probably not all of them. For example, Saphire is a digger but not a chewer. So I end up with holes in my yard but no torn up furniture, while others have the opposite experience.

All that said, believe me when I say that most of us have dealt with damage and difficulty but we wouldn't give up our huskys for the world. Keep in mind there wouldn't be so many husky owners and huskys wouldn't be so popular if the bad outweighed the good.

I think that for the most part the things that you hear about huskies are as Dena said, worst case scenario. Your puppy could have none of these characters, they could have a few or they could have all of them. It is just preparing you for the worst so that you know what you are getting yourself into. I personally think that if you and your wife are willing to take the 5 days that you do have free with the puppy to exercise, train and stimulate it then your situation is not impossible. I do have to agree with the rest of the members who have posted when they say that you should have someone come to let your pup out to pee, eat etc. during the day; in a best case scenario if you could do this yourself it would be even better! If you can manage to do this the two days you are home then I believe you have taken the time and effort to research and understand the breed and you would be a good candidate for taking in a puppy! Everyone on this forum is a great help and can answer most of the questions you have in some way or another.

I'll keep it short as you have gotten lots of great advice.

I have 4 huskies alone 8 hours 5 days a week with a dog door to a very secure yard. Things get destroyed sometimes but that is usually when I haven't devoted enough time to their exercise.

It depends as much how cats feel about a dog as much as it does the other way around. Some rescues "cat test" their dogs, you won't find that out with a breeder your just rolling the dice when they grow. Even with dogs and cats being raised together from pups doesn't guarantee there won't be issues. The only full proof way is to keep them separated when unattended.

One final thing I would say is about adaptation. While dogs can and do adapt over time humans are for more able to adapt to the dog than the other way around. Don't get any dog if you are not willing to treat them as a child and adapt to their needs for their lifespan. Doing anything less is not fair to you or the dog.

What state are you in, Mark? Our rescues regularly get in huskies that are cat friendly! It's only a percentage, but when you get your application approved they can maybe give you first dibs.

All huskies are different and that's why rescue dogs are great - you already know what you're getting. With Husky #1, we specifically sought out a husky 3 or 4 years old, calm, well mannered and not loud - we didn't want our house destroyed and also didn't want to annoy the neighbors. He's PERFECT, and came to us better trained than most of the dogs I see! He was perfectly fine hanging out in the yard with a doggie door inside. We did watch him for the first few months to ensure he didn't have any destructive tendencies. We also walked him before leaving for work and them after work. We also did daily training to teach him what was expected of him.

What you don't want in your case is what we have in Husky #2. Escape artist, high energy, naughty husky that was 1 1/2 years old (younger than we planned) and scared of half the household products like brooms, washing machine, etc. We had to take her to day care because she couldn't be trusted home alone with her brother. We now have her crate trained and she can also be left alone with him for up to 5 hours - but it took a painful year to get to that point.

The point of this is that you CAN adopt the husky to fit your lifestyle, but you need to take your time, be specific with your needs to the rescue and resist those cute puppy faces. We also ended up adopting a large boy when we were looking for a smaller female (which we assumed would be easier to take places, etc) - so not having specific physical traits in mind helps. Mals are generally more laid back after puppyhood (2 years), so that's another option for you.

Fostering or volunteering with a rescue is great way to find out if husky (or mal) parenthood is for you - you help out a great cause and get to "test drive" the husky lifestyle!

Good luck and welcome!

My advice is don't get husky unless you plan on incorporating them into most of your activities. If you like to go out to eat, bars, movies...all the places that dont allow dogs for the majority of your time off, then no you shouldnt get one. They are pack animals and love to be with their humans. If you work full time and then go out without them on top of that, then in my opinion, makes for a lonely, destructive husky. You can see by alot of our posts that the big majority of us plan fun activities on our time off that include our dogs. They make great outdoor activity dogs and there is so much you can do with them. I have two and work full-time so I spend 99%of my time-off with them. I'm not saying that you can never go out without your dog. But don't do it when they have already been home all day, then turn around and leave again on a consistent basis. I do it in very small doses. I have no problems turning down a night out if it puts my dogs home alone for too long. My friends and family know that and have no choice but to accept it.

Also, I have a rescue that is good with cats, so it is possible, you just might have to wait to find the right one. Rescues are great if you want to find out their personality first, like Sam mentions. A puppy is a roll with the dice.

SabakaMom wrote:

Even though I now have the ability to stay home (I did not with our first husky), I have found that as Sabaka nears 2 years old, he just wants to lie around most of the day anyway. I think all dogs easily conform to their owners' schedules and he has become more nocturnal. Yesterday I was bribing him with carrots to get him out of his crate at 9:30 in the morning. Often after pottying, he will sneak back upstairs and get back in his crate or go to sleep on the deck.

The "FUN" begins at our house around 5:00pm and does not stop until midnight or 1:00am! I think that is because all the other occupants of this house are more fun and exciting than I am!

Mine stay crated for 8 hour/ 5 days a week, but the days that I'm able to work from home they pretty much sleep until the time that I would get home anyways. In the mornings they just lay around and watch us get ready before heading to their crates when we tell them that we're leaving. Now, when we get home it's full on madness! They get their 2 mile run or walk, eat dinner, and are at it until 10pm-ish. I also take them to the dog park once a week and attend husky meet ups once or twice a month. They also get pool time in the yard during the summer and bike rides when it cools down.

They've loved and very spoiled so I know they're happy

26nikita wrote:

My advice is don't get husky unless you plan on incorporating them into most of your activities. If you like to go out to eat, bars, movies...all the places that dont allow dogs for the majority of your time off, then no you shouldnt get one. They are pack animals and love to be with their humans. If you work full time and then go out without them on top of that, then in my opinion, makes for a lonely, destructive husky. You can see by alot of our posts that the big majority of us plan fun activities on our time off that include our dogs. They make great outdoor activity dogs and there is so much you can do with them. I have two and work full-time so I spend 99%of my time-off with them. I'm not saying that you can never go out without your dog. But don't do it when they have already been home all day, then turn around and leave again on a consistent basis. I do it in very small doses. I have no problems turning down a night out if it puts my dogs home alone for too long. My friends and family know that and have no choice but to accept it.

We posted at the same time Mindy, but I totally agree with this! This is one of the major things that changed in our lives. Before on Fridays we would go to happy hour. Now we have happy hour at home. If we actually go out to happy hour. I try to work from home that day or leave early to spend time with them. Most of the time we're home with them on the weekends! I wouldn't have it any other way though

I agree with what Mindy and Melissa both said about planning things with the dogs to keep them active and include them in alot of your activities.

We very rarely leave our dogs crated at home my Husband works from home and I come and go for our small business. Most days I am able to take the dogs with me to the business. When we are not able to spend most days with our dogs we schedule doggie day camp for them if possible otherwise the end up crated.

As for cats I really think my two would be good around cats. My vet has adoptable animals all the time the cats are up front. Well to make a long story short Kerian was kissing one of the cats the other day of course the cat is very dog friendly and she was making friends.

Some of the time the cats they have are not dog friendly but she still tries to get to them and play with them.

I did not get either of my dogs as puppies so I have no idea if they were raise around cats but they both seem to only want to play with cats when they see them. Several times the cats we run into are not dog friendly.

on another note are your cats dog friendly.???

Everyone has given you great advice on your questions so all im going to say is welcome

I have a cat friendly rescue I got at the age of 1. Sheis fantastic with the cats! In fact, she is better than the puppy I have who was raised with them. I just make sure the cats always have an escape route and all is well. Don't rule out rescue...it is very possible to get a cat friendly husky.

mheath0429 wrote:

Don't rule out rescue...it is very possible to get a cat friendly husky.

Agreed! Our adoptee we rescued at 2 yrs of age is indoor cat friendly.

On another note, I don't feel you should always have someone with your dog 24/7. Emergencies happen and your dog needs to be comfortable home alone without freaking out. You do not want a dog with separation anxiety. There are positive ways to teach your dog to be home alone. Same goes for crating. Mine do not need to be crated anymore but I make sure they stay comfortable with a crate. You just never know when you will need to leave them alone and/or crated. It's best to set them up for success in emergency cases.

A big thanks to everyone who replied.

I'm from the UK but have found this website very useful and very active so I thought I'd ask your opinions.

I really apprieciate the feedback. Just got some decisions to make, i'll let you know what I end up doing.

Thanks all!

26nikita wrote:

My advice is don't get husky unless you plan on incorporating them into most of your activities. If you like to go out to eat, bars, movies...all the places that dont allow dogs for the majority of your time off, then no you shouldnt get one. They are pack animals and love to be with their humans. If you work full time and then go out without them on top of that, then in my opinion, makes for a lonely, destructive husky. You can see by alot of our posts that the big majority of us plan fun activities on our time off that include our dogs. They make great outdoor activity dogs and there is so much you can do with them. I have two and work full-time so I spend 99%of my time-off with them. I'm not saying that you can never go out without your dog. But don't do it when they have already been home all day, then turn around and leave again on a consistent basis. I do it in very small doses. I have no problems turning down a night out if it puts my dogs home alone for too long. My friends and family know that and have no choice but to accept it.

Also, I have a rescue that is good with cats, so it is possible, you just might have to wait to find the right one. Rescues are great if you want to find out their personality first, like Sam mentions. A puppy is a roll with the dice.

Your post is exactly how I feel! Some people just don’t understand it! I work all day, and my dogs are in the crate from 7am until noon, and again from 1pm until 5pm. It is not fair for them for me to come home, let them out for an hour or two, then put them back in the crate for the evening while I go out.
When I am not at work they are out of the crate or with me probably 90% of the time. The only exceptions are when I have to go grocery shopping or have errands that I have to run. I do go out to dinner maybe 3 or 4 times a month, but by no means a party animal.

Many times I have turned down invitations to go out with friends because my dogs would be in the crate for too long. Some people think it is ridiculous because “it’s just a dog”, and they don’t understand, but that is their problem. Frankly I would rather spend time with them than with some other people that I know!

Nikko was my first dog, and I also work 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. My dogs are crated from 7am until noon, and from 1 until 4. If you get a puppy you won’t be able to leave them in the crate more than a few hours at a time. Yukon is only 10 weeks old and he can actually last 5 hours, but not much more than that. If you are gone all day long, hopefully you can come home for lunch, or have someone let them out for you. Once they are about 7 or 8 months old they should be able to last an 8 hour day without having to go potty.

Also, as long as you exercise them and give them plenty of toys with mental stimulation they should not be destructive. Mine chewed holes in the carpet and would dig in the mulch, but I can only blame myself, he was probably just bored. I am just now at the point where I can trust Nikko to be unsupervised for short amounts of time outside of his crate.

I am also a clean freak, and it is a challenge to keep it clean! I have black furniture and I have to dust every day just to keep it manageable, and vacuum about 3 times a week to keep it presentable.