Any Husky owners?

TAH

TAH

Joined
Jul 3, 2001
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We are considering a Husky for a family pet. We have two children - 11 & 7.

1) In general, how is a Husky's disposition with children?

2) How do they act around strangers? Overly protective? Friendly?

3) How much do they shed?

4) Do they bark excessively?

5) Anything else we should know?

Thanks! :thumbup:
 
My family had a husky from when I was about 8 to 22. Brother was 6 at the time and my sister was a newborn.

Awesome dog. Truly fantastic dog.

He was great with us kids and the same with any and all friends and family. Never had any kind of people problem with him. Was friendly to strangers too.

Shedding was not a problem, and this is in Tucson where we had 110 degree summers. But he was more of an outside dog so it wasn't as noticeable anyways. If he's going to be in the house all the time I believe with regular brushings during a couple times a year it'll be fine.

Ours didn't bark, he howled, and it was the coolest thing ever.

Anything else... hmmm... He was a fighter. Javelina, baby deer, coyotes, the neighbor's chow, he fought em all and usually won.

Note, this is my experience with one husky, YMMV.
 
TAH said:
We are considering a Husky for a family pet. We have two children - 11 & 7.

1) In general, how is a Husky's disposition with children?

2) How do they act around strangers? Overly protective? Friendly?

3) How much do they shed?

4) Do they bark excessively?

5) Anything else we should know?

Thanks! :thumbup:
Click to expand...

Okay I have had 2 full blooded and a couple mixes-
#1 they are very affectionate around my grandkids,Dixie loves kids-
#2 Huskys love everybody,even the thief breaking into your house:D
#3 One time a year but a hell of a lot of fur,enough to make another dog:)
#4 They don't bark and the one I had before tryed to talk to you,wonderful howls,but not a lot-
#5--Very loving,beautiful dogs although kind of aloof,but looking into those eyes gets you plus they are pron to dig and will gladly kill a cat or any small creature that gets in your yard and last but not least,don't let off leash--but other than that great dogs:D--Regards Butch-did I mention stubborn:)
 
Haven't own any, but have "known" one and heard a lot about them (althgough any direct experience will be more relevant)

"Man's best friend" statement can be applied for real to these dogs I think; Behavior was somewhat similar to that of a Labrador but more a little more "wild" (not in the dangerous sense; searching for my words, I'm a french speaker).

In any cases, these dogs LOVE to work, as long as they are compensated by their master (shear love and respect will do, it doesn't have to be T-Bone ;)) Actually, they *need* to work and play in order to be happy.

Just be sure not to buy a Husky and let him in a cage (even the biggest cage will be too small), or leave him alone 90% of the time.

About weather I *heard* they do not stand hot weather too much, so you might want to verify that point as I'm not in position to say anything really accurate.

Just my 2¢, I'm sure other people will be able to inform you more

O.
 
I pretty much agree with everything said so far. I'd like to underline that digging, escaping, and stubborn tendencies in case you missed them.
 
Just food for thought......If you own a home, double check with your homeowners insurance about owning a husky. Some insurers will charge a premium, or worse, refuse a claim for certain breeds they deem as "high risk". The Siberian Husky is, unfortunately on some insurers lists of risky dogs.
 
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Butchesforge + 1, with the caveat that they can and do bark, however, they tend to bark more around other dog breeds. With other huskys they don't bark as often.

No clue as to why they might be on a risky dog list, In world war 2 the military tried to use them as winter guard dogs and the experiment was unsuccessful because they were too friendly and tended to play more than attack. They were used as ambulance dogs though.

The seasonal blowout of their coat should be taken seriously, it will clog vacuums.
 
Just remember they are a working dog and thus need to be exercised regularly. If not they will find ways to amuse themselves which rarely coincide with what humans think amusing.

In my observation the comments about not letting them off leash unless in an enclosed area are most important to heed.
 
Not much to add to whats been posted above but I have a few.

We're on are forth Husky. We have raised two from pups and adopted two from rescue organizations.

You and the dog will benefit greatly from early obedience training and this is something you'll want to keep up with.

Fenced yards are best but a cable tie out works, either way frequent walks are necessary.

Fur, get used to fur. I was eating on the Island of Kauai and had Husky hair in my coffee, we did not bring the dog.

You will need to change your furnace filters more frequently then the average person and the best vacuum we found to keep the fur down is a Dyson pet hair model. Not cheap but worth it's weight in gold, IMO.

Brushes and hair rakes are nice but a, "Shed n Blade" works the best. Our third Husky, Kodiak was a retired sled dog that lived outside year round in Northern Wisconsin the first 6 or so years of his life. This dog lost his coat twice a year and you could fill Hefty bags with hair spring and fall. Our other 3 lost it twice a year as well but not nearly as bad as Kodiak.

All of ours have been great with other dogs except Kodiak, he just didn't do dogs well at all. It took us months to acclimate Kodiak and Radar, "my bird dog" to one another before we could take them off leash in the house. Once they figured it out though they were the best of buds.
Kodiak, "RIP" and Radar
dogs.jpg


Your insurance may go up because Husky are travelers as DaveH mentioned and I'll quote "I'd like to underline that digging, escaping, and stubborn tendencies in case you missed them." Is one of the reason insurance companies frown on them. The other is since they are a beautiful breed and a working dog their has been cases of over breeding that can make some pretty crazy dogs. So if your getting a pup meet the parents of the dog, both of them.

Lastly noise, of the four we've had two that made no noise at all, one only when kenneled or wanting to chase deer or playing with turtles. This was a sound that put tingles up and down the spine. Lastly our newest and only one thats been female is a clown and makes a lot of low pitch growls and high pitch howls, she also has something that you may consider to be a bark, kinda.
Here she is: Siku
DSC00282.jpg


Little more, "adding" then I thought.:)

Hope it helps
Helle
 
Why would an insurance company care if your dog roamed away?
I've only heard of them not insuring homeowners with breeds of dogs that are aggressive. They wouldn't be liable for damage a homeowners dog caused off the property would they?
 
jill jackson said:
Why would an insurance company care if your dog roamed away?
I've only heard of them not insuring homeowners with breeds of dogs that are aggressive. They wouldn't be liable for damage a homeowners dog caused off the property would they?
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Out of curiousity, I'd like to know the answer to this question myself.

Thanks for all of your replies. Your comments have been very helpful. Unfortunately, the heavy shedding might be a deal breaker for our set up.

Helle, those are some beautiful dogs! :thumbup:
 
jill jackson said:
Why would an insurance company care if your dog roamed away?
I've only heard of them not insuring homeowners with breeds of dogs that are aggressive. They wouldn't be liable for damage a homeowners dog caused off the property would they?
Click to expand...

Sorry, I should of been clearer.

The breed can be aggressive and they like to roam.

As to the second part I don't know.

I do know not all insurance companies care, ares does.

TAH said:
Out of curiousity, I'd like to know the answer to this question myself.

Thanks for all of your replies. Your comments have been very helpful. Unfortunately, the heavy shedding might be a deal breaker for our set up.

Helle, those are some beautiful dogs! :thumbup:
Click to expand...

Thank you.

I'll share a little lesson learned with you.

Our second Husky, "Cooper" was a beautiful dog that my wife purchased while in a bad state of mind from the loss of our first from cancer. She did no checking on the breeder, just found one out of the paper and went and got it, didn't even tell me.
At 8 weeks he would growl at you if you walked by his food dish, if he had something and you tried to take it, it got ugly. After a ton of training things seemed to be fine. No signs of aggression, just a happy boy. Then at two years old he bit me out of the blue. I wanted to put him down and my wife talked me out of it. Two weeks later she had 9 puncture wounds and around 12 stitches in her hand. Cooper had some paper in his mouth and when Lisa went to pet him she got bit.
With our first baby on the way Cooper was put to rest.
I found it odd that the vet didn't want to do it. I was told I should give him up for adoption. After a long talk he agreed and it was done.
As much as I knew it was the right thing to do it still hurt when they gave me the jerks collar and leash back. tough day.

Don't let the shedding discourage you from getting one. If the dog is raised as a house dog from a pup and brushed out a few times a week you'll be fine.
This will also help your kids bond with the dog.;)

Just remember do your research before you go out and get one and meet both parents if your getting a pup.

Have a good one and good luck.
Helle
 
I've read they can be feral and the working ones are harder to handle than the ones that have been bred for pets for generations.

A friend of mine reads water meters and had one bite him severely under his arm, while performing his duties.

I was walking my dogs in a small town once and a husky in a yard ran up and tried to get over the fence. He was moving his head rapidly glazing back and forth at my dogs and gave the impression he'd start some trouble if he got out. I just went on and left him behind. But he was a large dog and appeared fast moving.
 
jill jackson said:
I've read they can be feral and the working ones are harder to handle than the ones that have been bred for pets for generations.

A friend of mine reads water meters and had one bite him severely under his arm, while performing his duties.

I was walking my dogs in a small town once and a husky in a yard ran up and tried to get over the fence. He was moving his head rapidly glazing back and forth at my dogs and gave the impression he'd start some trouble if he got out. I just went on and left him behind. But he was a large dog and appeared fast moving.
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I hope your friend came out of it OK.

You did the right thing. Ignore and walk on bye.

A working Husky takes a special touch no doubt about it. Kodiak was great with people but other dogs made every hair on him stick straight up as if a switch was flipped plus he had so much torque that it could be a challenge to keep him in check.

The problem with people is they see a beautiful dog like a Husky and think how cute I want it. Then they do little if any training get frustrated and start beating the dog. The end result is not good for either the owner or the dog.

Have a good day
Helle
 
Helle said:
The problem with people is they see a beautiful dog like a Husky and think how cute I want it. Then they do little if any training get frustrated and start beating the dog. The end result is not good for either the owner or the dog.
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This is one of the most basic truths about deciding upon a dog using looks only.:(

With all the resources available on the internet any potential dog owner can easily find out the characteristics and traits of a breed. Then it would be hoped an informed choice was made rather than a spur of the moment or heart tug decision that leads to a (perhaps too short) life of disappointment both the dog and its human carers.
 
b.c.molin said:
With all the resources available on the internet any potential dog owner can easily find out the characteristics and traits of a breed. Then it would be hoped an informed choice was made rather than a spur of the moment or heart tug decision that leads to a (perhaps too short) life of disappointment both the dog and its human carers.
Click to expand...

I agree. The exact reason I wanted to ask my fellow knife knuts. I can always count on you all to give good sound advice. :) :thumbup:
 
he was a helluva a dog, named Nick. Loyal, strong, and has been said, stubborn, loved to escape and run livestock at a farm up the road from our subdivision, We had to find another home for him after a few choice altercations with the farmer. Funny story though we had Nick chained outside his dog house in our back yard, no ordinary doghouse my oldman went overboard on this it was big enough that my brother and i and a neighbor kid could comfortably sit in the thing:eek: Anyway we all leave to go to the store and come back a few hours later and theres Nick and the doghouse at the end of the driveway:D:eek: (The doghouse was huge and i remember it took a few guys to move it) Awesome:thumbup: Fond memories of him...
Good Luck
ivan
 
Showing my age here, I remember the Hillman Husky and I learnt to drive in a Hillman Minx.

Hillman was taken over by Chrysler in the mid 1960's and it now looks to be heading towards the same fate as Hillman.
 
The way the dog will behave really depends on the owner. I know someone that owned at least four or five huskies over a few decades and he showed me a video of his last dog. The husky was out of control and acting neurotic. Now I'm sure the dog's fine, but the owner told me that he found the behavior of his dog funny. That's the fault behind the dog's behavior. The dog just didn't know how to act and started this behavior because of lack of leadership. Leadership is peace of mind for a dog and they'll get frustrated if they get none.

You can get any dog to be social and friendly toward strangers if its owner shows leadership. Kids must also be leaders so the dog knows his place and won't play rough or bite them. Should be easy if everyone takes the matter seriously. Disposition to bark is probably dependent on the breed, but also a whole lot on leadership. As the owner of the dog you should be able to order him to stop. A barker is a good thing because it can warn you of a danger, but excessive barking should not be tolerated.
 
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