Hello my name is Ian. My wife and I are looking into getting a husky or two, but first we want to make sure that we know everything there is to know about them. We live in northern Maine so I know its a good location for one of these dogs but I need to know things like how to trane them and who to buy them from, also how much they cost, what to expect from the dogs, health issues grooming ideas and basically how to give them the most happy life that I can give them. any help and info would be very much appreciated. Thanks

Welcome! You've come to the right place. You name it, you'll find it here. The lay out is fairly simple, follow the overall groups/sub-forums and under each group will be individual topics. While most topics are on individual basis (as in: my dog isn't lovey dovey to me), as more people chime in you'll come to realize most things people post about are shared by others. The stickies at the top of each group/sub-forum are you best friends. 75-80% of everything you'll want to know you'll find there. Other than those the search to the left is a really good tool. Sometimes it can be tricky though. For example, say you want information on your first vet visit, just typing in "vet" might not get you what you want you might have to try "first". Etc. Hope this helps!

What is a sticky? I've been searching the forum and haven't found anything I'm looking for

Welcome to the forum. I'm pretty new here myself and also in Maine. Where in Maine are you at? This forum has lots of great information. I love using the search button!

A sticky is the topics at the top of the individual forum pages. Go to the main page and click on one of the forums. That will take you to a page that lists threads. The top ones are stickies and will always be located on the top there. Hope that helps!

Hey another Mainer!! Obviously you have husky right? Where did you get them? I am looking for a broader for when I get my husky(s) not sure where the best breader is and I don't want some cross bread. I'm gonna try to get the dog or dogs in about a year or two.

Here's a good place to start looking for breeders: http://www.shca.org/shcahp4f.htm You can e-mail the breeders in your state and near by states and if they don't have any available, they can porbably tell you of other breeders in the area who do have dogs available.

Awesome thanks so much! I'll check that out asap. One other quick question, I hear husky can be very vocal when left alone, is that not as bad when you have two of them to keep each other company?

Any dog can be noisy when left alone. It just depends on their training. My girls are both crate trained and do fine when left alone (even when they are separated). Siku was our first and she was perfectly fine alone before we got our second.

Take this with a grain of salt because I have ZERO experience in this, but I'd stick with one dog and not just jump straight into two. In the long run it is ideal to give them a friend, but trying to raise two pups at the same time for the first time could be horrible. I'm not saying you can't do it, but I know tons of people, myself included, have had their hands VERY full with just one Sibe pup. They aren't like other dogs, they're stubborn. I'm pretty sure I would have ripped out all my hair twice over if I had to deal with another Vegeta right now. I love the little bugger to death but boy are they handfuls.

OK, OK guys this is good! This is why I'm here. Really thank you for the advice on one vs two huskys that is very helpful info. Something I didn't think of. As far as keeping them relatively quiet? How can I train my husky pup to be quiet when I'm at work or something, I mean most of the time someone will be with them but when thats not possible...how do I train them? Training is big with me I just need to know how.... please people I need to learn!! you guys are great so far! What else can you give me?!!?

Ian, if you're looking for a quiet, well behaved husky that you can train to be quiet when you're gone, you may want to look into an older husky that you can run and wear out in the morning before you go to work. That's really the best way to "train" them to be quiet, because they'll sleep it off while you're gone. As well, crate training has worked really well to keep our huskies calm while we're gone. After months, they learned to just hang out while we're gone, that we'll be back and we can now leave them out in our house (with anything tempting put away).

If you do decide to go the puppy route, definitely make sure you get one from a reputable breeder - this thread is great : https://www.itsahuskything.com/t1042-how-to-find-a-reputable-breeder

Good luck, they're definitely a ton of fun!

Yeah, keep in mind that you can't train away a dog's need for exercise. That is the one thing they need from you the most, and Huskies need a substantial amount. A bored, under exercised Husky will literally eat through your house and leave you. It's just what they do. If you are gonna have any attempt to control their behavior and have a say in their state of mind, you need to start with exercise.

It's quite a conundrum with Huskies: they are known for being independent, aloof, stubborn, escaping from confinement, running away from you, pulling you down the street, liking strangers more than you, and being destructive and loud.

Controlling this type of animal's state of mind is no easy task. When we want them for companions and pets and have to limit their freedom and autonomy, we have quite a hill to climb. Their very nature, on paper, doesn't seem to be very conducive to life as a pet.

Productively draining their energy is probably the most critical aspect of owning a Husky.

Cheers.

Right I've been reading a lot about how they need execive exercise and energy burning activities. It seems( as you said) that constant daily exercises will help keep them calm. And also consistency and leadership. I'm almost done reading Cesar's way and its tought me a lot about that. I live on a large peace of land (165 acres) and plan to use that to my advantage. I just want to get down to the nitty gritty of the breed! I will definitely be getting a puppy also, I feel like I can have a stronger bond with him if I raise him from puppy. Anyway this is great guys please just keep it coming! Help me make my husky a very happy husky.

Also Sam, thanks for that link. That's a great help too:)

Welcome! I'm from NH so we're neighbors! My husky is actually never vocal (I was kind of disappointed), so it's not a sure thing for them to be vocal. Also I take mine up to the White Mountains for hiking and she will be hyper in the car up, we'll hike, she will sleep on the drive home and be hyper again when we get home. Just to give a perspective on energy. One thing you need to be careful of is the salt they use on the roads, I have a special wax to put on her paws because it can really do a number on them.

I go to an awesome trainer, she charges about $125 for an 8 week class. I have done a total of 3 classes with Luna and feel like she definitely needs more but Huskies are smart and typically pick up on things pretty easy. Shedding is well, shedding. They blow their coat and it's like a fur avalanche, they shed the rest of the year continuously (just like we lose hair) so be prepared to vacuum a lot! Like others have said, picking a good breeder is essential, it will save you heartache later on in life if the dog is from a BYB (Backyard Breeder) and has genetic health problems. If you find a breeder and don't think they are legit, move on seriously, there are other breeders out there! Of course if they have a website, be sure to post it on here and everyone will help determine if it's a good place to go!

I hope you find the Husky you're looking for. Good luck in your search!

Well you are off to the right start with research and arming yourself with knowledge. Cesar's Way is great. Saying you like Cesar Millan around here can be akin to saying you're a dog abuser out to get Huskies, but his ideas will undoubtedly instill in you confidence, a productive energy, and appreciation for dog psychology vs. human psychology. As you know you won't learn how to train a dog through him, but you can use his ideas to work well with any dog, Huskies included.

They are known for a strong pack mentality and walking all over people trying to train them who they perceive as weak and unconvincing. I'm fighting with my partner
to overcome this now with our puppy.

Best of luck to you.

There are aspects of Cesar Millan's methods that can work to your advantage, but don't buy into the whole "alpha of the pack" mentality too much. It is important though, like he says, to be a leader and to remain calm when training.

A puppy might be easier in the sense that you know exactly what their past consists of, but there's a lot to be said for rescuing as well. You can definitely bond with a rescue as much as you can with a puppy.
I'd definitely suggest looking at husky rescues in your area. You can bypass the whole housetraining/bitting everything and everyone phases.

There are certainly reasons for wanting a puppy, but don't write-off a rescue for fear of not bonding with them.

Well said Katie. The debate between Alpha Dominance theories and Positive Reinforcement theories is about WHY dogs do what they do, not about whether or not they should do what they do.

So if you don't want a dog to jump up on you or bolt through a door (seems across the board they shouldn't do this), you need to get them to not do it. Whether or not they learn not to because of how they perceive dominance and submission or positive reinforcement is irrelevant. Our dogs need to respect us, alpha or not and treats or not.

Millan can help you foster respect from your dog. Simple as that, regardless of whether or not his dominance theory is true.

Yea I mean I'm not gonna be Mr bossy with my dog all the time but I know that husky especially are pack animals and will need a good firm leader, so that I will be just with a more play full attitude, I love huskys a whole bunch lol never had one myself but something about them just demands that I have one, I realize that it will be an up hill battle training him and all, but I think thats what I look forward to most, and it in no way has changed my mind about getting one of these awesome dogs.