Hello everyone!

I was brought to this site not because I own a husky, but because I might in the near future. My husband wants to get a husky puppy. I would be the primary caretaker because he is in the military while I am home most of the day. I am excited to add a new family member to our family, but I have no experience with the breed and I'm a little bit weary because of what others have told me. I figured this would be a great place to get some real, reliable information on the breed and make sure it's the best fit for our family before adopting one.

Welcome! Take a look around, lots of questions have already been asked but if you have one that isn't already covered, feel free to ask. We're happy to help.

I was brought into the husky world pretty quickly when I found her as a stray about 6 months ago. My life has forever changed.

I am a single guy living in an apartment and here's what I can tell you about this particular breed.

1. They shed. Probably the most notable of all the life changing events for me.. I vacuumed every few weeks, but now with Hannah, it's almost every weekend if not every few days. Don't mean to scare you here, but it is one thing you'll have to get used to.

2. They demand activity.... I work 5 days out of the week and so I have to crate my year old pup. When she's finally let out, she's really to go. She wants to explore, go around the complex, run.. whatever. I was already active before, but I've slowly gotten her into my routine, jogging with me in the morning and evening.

3. They can be stubborn. I'm not sure if it's just my dogs age, but she can be very picky when it comes to which commands she's willing to listen to. She knows all her basic commands, and yet she'll only do them if she feels it benefits her, or if I change my tone of voice. She cuddles only when she wants. Dog parks? Forgetaboutit.. lol. she's on her own and wants to do her own thing.. shes like a kid and doesn't want dad following her around when her friends are there >.<

4. Won't seem protective. I say 'seem' because even though they're very nonchalant about things, and if a robber came into the house with a steak she'd probably lead him straight to the valuables.. haha. BUT that's not to say they aren't protective. I was in a house with another dog and it was being very loud and obnoxious.. Hannah would not let the other dog come near me. I have a friend with a malamute that has killed a dog that was approaching her mom when they were out walking.. so they can be protective... BUT 99% of the time they are very friendly and will seem like they don't care one way or the other.

There's probably a few more things here but should be good for now, haha.


But all in all I love my dog and am very proud to be a husky owner. There's no other dog in the park that's more recognizable (breed wise).. and you always get some kind of comment about the dog as you pass by. As with any dog, they require a lot of responsibility.

All of this ^^^^^^^

Scott

All true for my 1 year old husky too! If you get a husky puppy, invest in proper training. It was our life saver!

Great advice from a new owner there! thanks Hannah's dad! (whats your name?)

glad you found us and please just look at all the sticky info at the top of each section, those are the most important things, or the most asked things on the forum. just read as many things as you can and use the search button up top to find stuff you might have a question, if you look on the right side to the latest topics that will give you a CLEAR idea of what we all deal with having a daily life living with a husky. where do you live?

LRomero said it well! All the same with me and my girl (she's about 1 and a half). But I'm also going to add:

1) They typically have a VERY high prey-drive! They tend not to do well in a house with cats/birds/other small animals unless they're raised with them, and even then, you may not want to fully trust them alone together. My girl will chase pretty much anything that moves.

2) They typically are VOCAL. Also living in an apartment, sometimes I wonder if I'm going to get a letter one day saying that my neighbors complained about my girl howling and woo-wooing loudly.

As I have slowly experienced, huskies want everything on their terms, haha. With proper training, exercise, and of course love, they are fantastic dogs.

I got Pippa at six months, so I didn't have to deal with the puppy issues, but a rescue can have its own mix of challenges.

They are stubborn, high-energy, intuitive, and too smart for their own good. There have been days when I want to scream and cry. But it's all worth it.

I've been around different dog breeds my entire life, but there's something about Pippa that I can't even explain. I can be having the worst day and one look from her and I can't help but to laugh. I don't know, I'm sure I sound crazy, but they are special dogs. And given enough time and energy, will make anybody very happy I'd imagine.

Thanks for all the responses!

I don't think the activity level will be an issue as I stay at home and am a very active person myself. I'm not a huge fan of stubborn dogs, I'm used to having ones that listen the first time, but I'm sure that I could get over it. The shedding will probably annoy me at first, but I clean on a daily basis now so it probably won't affect me all that much. As for the prey drive, I don't have any other animals so that wouldn't be an issue in house. How are they will children? We don't have any right now, but could possibly in a year or two.

I don't remember who asked, but we live it Connecticut. We're a military family though so we won't be there permanently.

They are great with children if you make the effort to introduce them and socialise them well. Ours see little kids all the time and our 10 month old neice literally climbs all over them and steals treats right out from under their noses. Neither have any issues with kids. We made the move to introduce Tika when we first got her to our friends baby to ensure that she was familiar and be comfortable. Ripley came to us loving kids and will cross the street to play with one. I have no fear for when we start a family that ours will be great with a baby.

Take the time to read through this sticky

Sticky: So You're Thinking of Getting a Husky?

It is a sticky of lists of the things we have all had to deal with and gives some great insight into the breed and how they behave.

That said, I was raised with other dogs and never considered myself a "dog" person. But I love my husky and (even though I still don't care for other dogs) consider myself a convert now!

I absolutely agree that proper introduction and socialization should be applied regarding children. Having said that, my boy never had children in his life and he absolutely ADORES them! It just happens to be in his particular nature. He is very gentle when kids pet him.