I have just been reading up, as we were hoping to get a husky when we move into our own place, but just read they are on the dangerous dog list and other forums NOT recommending them for children and other reports of high incidences of bites and fatalities. Is this true?
unsure if to stick to samoyeds, we have owned them in the UK, I REALLY wanted a husky, but we have a 4 yr old to consider..
we are pretty experienced having had both a rescue samoyed and one from a pup in the Uk, which are also high energy, hard to train, independant and destructive dogs, with 3 kids with no issues. I am just worried as it came on a list as being dangerous due to fatalities from bites.
we also have 2 cats!

So should I reconsider a husky being in my life with cats and kids...
thanks

I too have a 4 year old son, and can say they will KILL YOU TO DEATH with kisses.

I have never heard my Meeka grown even less howl.


I hope you give Huskies a try, you wont be disappointed.

I wouldn't be concerned about a husky and your 4 year old. All the siberians I've known have been wonderful with children, and I have never heard of a child fatality due to a siberian. The cats however, it is hard to train them to see the cat as 'not prey', but it is possible. I'm sure someone will come along with better advice soon

I wouldn't be concern about a husky and a 4 year old, like what Alex said they can only kill you with kisses. My husky is a rescue with all kinds of emotional baggage but he is absolutely fine with my little brother who have a critical heart problem which makes him a lot weaker than normal kids. My husky seems to know Darren's condition and is always careful around him. He wouldn't even let my mal puppy to 'bully' Darren. He can be so protective of my little bro that he won't let strangers near him.

If you are concern, to be on the safe side, I would recommend you to get a puppy around the age of 8 weeks to start with. If pups grew up with kids, they are usually so attach that it would be hard to separate them. The theory is the same with the cats. I know many huskies on this site grew up with cats and are fine with them.

thanks for the replies, is a male or female more likely to be 'less aggressive' or have alower prey drive with cats, or does that make no difference?

Gender really doesn't make much difference as far as aggressiveness or prey drive.

I have 2 cats in the house, and Ghost is fine with them. She actually plays with one of the cats, but leaves the other alone. We got her at 10 weeks, and trained her from day one that the cats were part of the pack. She was scolded pretty severely for chasing or being rough with them, and it really didn't take long for her to figure it out. I would be wary with older dogs, especially those with unknown pasts, but it's definitely very possible to find a cat friendly rescue. I've worked for one rescue in FL and I'm getting involved with another one here in Maryland, and they both have had many dogs come through that are cat friendly. If you decide to go the breeder route, please read our sticky on how to find a good one, because there are a lot of bad breeders out there.

As far as the 4 year old goes, Huskies are generally very good with small children. Ghost is a dream with little kids, and we don't even have any of our own yet. Socialization is important there as well. Also, make sure your child is taught how to respect and interact with a dog. Any dog can attack given the right circumstances, and having your child understand what to do, and more importantly what NOT to do around a dog will go a long way. Most important, don't ever leave any small child alone with a dog, for both the child's and dog's sake.

Huskies are about the friendliest breed in existence- which is why they make pretty bad guard dogs. The dangerous stigma is because of a few isolated attacks on infants which were of course, fatal. A squealing baby sounds like any other squealing animal, and huskies kill small squealing animals, with few exceptions. As with any dog, an infant should NEVER be left alone with a husky, a sad lesson those parents had to learn, and because of it, huskies have been unfairly targeted by insurance companies and landlords.

Your 4 year old is definitely playmate material, and I would not be concerned. If you get a pup however, please remember that sibes are "mouthy" dogs, and your little 4 year old may get a lot of nips that were delivered in play, but nonetheless hurt, and if they happen to require stitches, would earn your pup a rep as a biter as well. It takes about 4-5 mos for them to outgrow the nipping behavior in my experience.
The faCt that you had samoyed makes you an experienced owner in my book. The personalities are quite similar. There are a lot of lovely young and adult huskies in rescues whose owners didn't understand what the breed was like before they got one. I would personally reccomend you get an adult that already does well with kids, which is most of them! Petfinder.com is a great source where you can search rescues and shelters for specific breeds.

If you research the origins of the breed, the Chukchi people would use Siberians for warmth and as baby-sitters when they left their settling (when they weren't being worked). Huskies are known to be extremely affectionate to all ages (when properly socialized). Anyone that says different are ignorant to the breed and their function.

This was taken from an article from the Siberian Husky Club of America.

Quote :

The Siberian Husky has a delightful temperament, affectionate but not fawning. This gentle and friendly disposition may be a heritage from the past, since the Chukchi people held their dogs in great esteem, housed them in the family shelters, and encouraged their children to play with them. Today, it is charming to observe the special appeal that Siberian Huskies and children have for each other. The Siberian Husky is alert, eager to please, and adaptable. His intelligence has been proven, but his independent spirit may at times challenge your ingenuity. His versatility makes him an agreeable companion to people of all ages and varying interests.

I've noticed over the years being on other forums that are not breed specific, that people are amazed and not very friendly toward you if they know you have a "dangerous" husky. It's only due to ignorance to the breed itself, not understanding the exercise requirements, and to the overall "look" of the breed. Which pisses me off because they are usually the advocates for "save the pits" but act indifferent towards Northern breeds... Kale wouldn't hurt a fly and has always been that way. Any dog can be aggressive and not good with children, it's how they are raised and how you let the dog and child interact. Definitely a breed that will challenge you everyday, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Mschwax wrote:

Huskies are about the friendliest breed in existence- which is why they make pretty bad guard dogs.

SO TRUE!

I know my husky thinks everyone is her best friend. She is very loyal to me, but honestly she could never be considered a guard dog. I even have to keep an eye on her because she loves going for car rides so much that if anyone has their car door open she will jump right in. Obviously if you adopt a rescue dog you will need to assess their personality since the previous owner (or abuser) could have created some tendencies, but if you raise a puppy with kids (and even cats) they are fine. When I visit my parents Shaqua gets along with their cat and small Shiba Inu just fine.