Siberian husky

[tomy]

Hi

My favourtive dog is a sibearian husky. I was just wondering if they are hard to look after.

[Doberman's]

Husky's are very smart and wonderful dogs! You need the time to put into them. They need lots of exercise and they need to be trained properly. ( just like any dog ).

[Aurora]

Depends what you consider hard really. They are often not reliable offlead so need to be exercised on lead or in an enclosed space, they need vast amounts of exercise, they are heavy shedders (they shed their under coats twice a year), and they often can't be left alone for long periods.

If non of that is a problem for you then yes they are pretty easy to look after.

[DanniN2Sibes]

LOTS and LOTS of exercise! Very destructive if board... tons of hair... (you can kiss black clothes good bye)

They are very smart, but also very stubborn.... If you tell them to sit, they often want a reason as to why they should do it!

Expert escape artists too... BIG diggers...

But beautiful personalities... if you have the time for them and the energy levels, they are definately worth it!

My 2 can stress me out to the max sometimes but I wouldnt have it any other way

Just a link to a video to show what they are like 24/7!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKF0DpJ6tUs

[Yellow Dog]

I don't have sibes, but I know one thing: they need TONS of exercize!!!

Here, This link may help you : http://www.geocities.com/Petsburgh/5150/owningsh.htm

[xcolbi]

Well, last night I had my first ever encounter with a Siberian Husky. Oh boy, they are hyper! Lots of exercise required indeed!

I love them though. They're so friendly and fun! :) I can put up with a hyper dog. ;)

[MoJo]

A Siberian Husky has a lot to offer to a willing owner. They are highly affectionate, love to be around their people, and rarely have a mean bone in their body. They love to play and go for walks or runs, as they have so much energy, you could not even begin to imagine until you have owned one.

Beside their obvious great parts, such as their personality and loyalty to their owners, they also have some issues that new owners are sometimes not aware of, but should be.

Like I , and some people above me stated, they have a lot of energy, but with energy they need something to do, something to occupy their time. They are also highly intelligent, thus making them a bit stubborn during training, but it also adds to their ability to become 'bored'. When bored, they become destructive. They dig holes upon holes, your back yard could look like an 18 hole golf course in a matter of an hour. They will go both over and under any fence you put in front of them. My girl can clear a 6' section of fence like it was merely another step she was taking. Another thing they do when they become destructive and chew, and tear things up. No, not just your usually puppy chewing on random things, but excessive tearing and shredding. My girl ripped down a section of panel board in our porch, lifted the linoleum, rid of our insulation, ate through a window frame, and gnawed an entire edge off of the bottom of our door. By the time she was done, you cold see daylight through out wall- all in all, this cost us nearly $1000 in damage. Why did she do it? Because we were not paying enough attention to her and she had 20 minutes before I could tend to her (Showering!) and 20 min is all it took her.

They also 'blow their coat' twice a year. That means spring and fall they have a massive shedding issue, where it comes off in hand fulls. Do you knit? Well, if not- you may want to start, as you can make a few sweaters for family and friends with how much comes off of a single husky! In between 'blowing their coats' they still shed, just not nearly as much. About an average shedder other than the 2 times a year.

They need toys that are either easily replaceable, or indestructible! :lmaosmiley: because I am sure my Mocha has gone through hundreds of dollars of toys, emptying the stuffing of a brand new toy in a few minutes, and removing the squeaker. The fluffy stuffing them flies everywhere, clings to everything, and yeah- good luck ;) Lol.

Your back yard, how big is it? Fenced? Fully fenced, 6' high minimum? Lets hope so. And if you dont have a back yard- this dog is not for your. They NEED to run off their energy. For mine, she has made our backyard look like a dirt race track for horses rather than a lawn. There is no grass left. She runs the entire length of it at full speed, kicking up clumps of grass until there isn't any more, then it just becomes a big dirt pit for her to roll and dig in.

Huskies also like to be at the highest point in your yard. Think The Lion King with Pride Rock. If there is a point in your yard that is the highest- your dog will be there. It is kinda their way to survey their territory. For our dog, luckily our small deck at the top of the stairs is in the perfect place, but whenever the BBQ is in the way, she tries to find somewhere else. I went on my honeymoon, having family and friends take care of her while we were gone.. when we got back we found that she found a new 'favorite place'. We had a sport car parked in the backyard until we could sell it. Well- its hood was covered in scratches and dog fluff. It was her new favorite place to stand and look over her back yard.

They are NOT guard dogs, or watch dogs, or anything of the sort. A Siberian Husky would much rather stay quiet and allow robbers to go through your entire house and clean you out, just for the possibility of getting some attention afterwards. They greet strangers very nicely, happily, and with much hyper activity. Mine jumps straight vertical, and high enough to look over your head constantly, usually hitting you with her front feet and could almost push you over.

Usually very good with other dogs though, as they are not very dog aggressive. The tend to pull on the leash until you train them otherwise.

BUT.. all of this said- they are still big sucks. They love attention, and are not ALWAYS hyper. Mine, when inside, is calm and cuddley. She has her own couch, and she gets all lazy when she lays on it. Friends and family adore her, not only because a Siberian Husky is gorgeous, but because of her amazing personality. They don't 'bark' they Woo and howl a bit, with a wooo wooo woo type of thing, sounds like they are laughing at you. It is called "Sassing'. When you ask them to sit, they tend to get sassy by tossing their head back, woo wooing and then doing what you asked them. Quite cute if you ask me!

[MoJo]

Ahhh yes, and forgot to mention they need to be brushed quite often, especially during the blowing process. The blowing process takes several days of 'aggressive' shedding too, so if you are like us- you will be sitting in your backyard with your dog, beside a mountain of dog fur for hours on end, trying to get it to just be over and done with! Lol.

But don't let all this fool you- they are a very amazing breed :lmaosmiley:

[sheplovr]

Hello Tomi and a Big http://s86.photobucket.com/albums/k93/sheplovr100/th_blinkwelcome.gif to the Dog Forum. I have never owned this breed, know they love it cold out, more of an outdoor dog I would venture to guess. They are very intelligent, pretty, need tons of exercise. Alot own that breed or mix of it here so they can help you with training, etc. I would guess the are born to pull sleds. Great strength I would say so. The owner they would protect with their life and I do not think they are a nutty dog like some breeds. Do not know what kind of pets they make for house dogs, so you will get many answers that know more than I. Send some photos if you have one or get one ....Please.:D

[DanniN2Sibes]

Just a pic of what they do if they dont get enought exercise...

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff175/danni2885/enclosure.jpg

Also they dont make good guard dogs as they love everyone! Its often said that they will invited robbers in for tea and help them to their car! LOL

[Christine283]

Oh. my. gosh. Danni...

Bet they get TONS of exercise now, huh? ;)

[DanniN2Sibes]

They sure do...

When they did that they had not been walked for about a week due to bad weather...

Thankfully those lounges were in our enclosure out the back and were only used when we had BBQ or something... They havent touched the lounges inside... I think they know that they have to respect everything inside as it is ours, but everything outside is theirs...

Still we werent too happy...

[brunosmom]

OMG...Danni they ate your couch in half!!!!

[KatzNK9]

OMG, Danni ... that's quite a major job done on that sofa. That took some serious effort. Holy cow!

[Gideon's_Girl]

Like most people have already stated Siberian Huskies are really energetic dogs. My sister owned one for the first time, and the did not know what they were getting themselves into. They never exercised the dog anything. 5 months after they had gotten it, it jumped the fence, and they never found it again. One year later they decided they wanted another husky, but this time they did there homework!! When it was old enough my sister woke up every morning and ran it 3 miles. Another 2 after 6:00 pm. The dog which they still have, has never gotten out, and is one of the best, and most calm dogs i have ever seen. They have cut down the exercise, and stuff she is now 9, but she is a great dog. They love there people, they are like big kids. Sadie, is a fabulous dog!! JUST KNOW HUSKYS ARE ALOT OF WORK. But it will pay off if you are willing to do the work!! :D

Hope it helped a little

[schizo]

WOW Danni....:eek:

I can always tell when my girl hasn't gotten enough exercise. She tortures my cat and chews on everything and whines at me a lot. So exercise is a BIG issue!
It's great if you have a TALL fenced yard for them to run in. They LOVE to be outside when it's not too hot! But you will need to supervise them at first, because some, mine included, are diggers! Luckily my back yard is crap anyway so she gets to dig to her hearts content. If you have a digger and you don't want the dog to hurt your flowers or lawn, it is possible to teach them to dig in a certain area. But to do that you need a sandbox or something like that. They are also good at escaping, so proof your yard and make sure they have an identification tag and/or microchipped just in case.
And when they are inside, they can be desructive if bored, so lots of toys and things to chew on is a great idea. I'm not sure if it's true with all Sibes, but my Ani loves to play with other dogs. My roommate and his dog just moved out and she is lonely and HYPER!!!! A doggy playmate is a great way to get some of their energy out.
And as with any dog, obedience training is a great idea. They can be a bit stubborn and get distracted easily, but if you work hard at it training isn't very hard. I think the hardest thing with Ani is loose leash walking, because Huskies were bred to pull and that is what she wants to do! But that is just another thing you need to be consistent with.
They don't have too bad of grooming requirements when they aren't "blowing out" as Mojo mentioned. Ani gets her teeth brushed every night, ears cleaned weekly, nails trimmed when needed (which isn't often because she wears them down well herself) bathed about once a month, and brushed a couple times a week.
I could go on about Ani for pages...these are GREAT dogs if you can handle a pup that needs lots of exercise and things to do. They love people and are BEAUTIFUL dogs. :D

[DanniN2Sibes]

I know what you mean about loving to play Schizo... thats why we got Meika.... they play non stop.... Lots of entertainment...