Hi all Wanted to get some advise for a friend of mine who has been given, I think , the wrong advice. Not sure if this is the correct bit of the site to ask but ..... My friend is a cat person but would love to get a dog, so first time doggy owner, she is a bit nervous around my mad staffie but a lot better than she was. Someone has suggested that the best dog to get for a first dog is a huskey!!!!! I was a little shocked !!! I think they would be high maintenance, need alot of exercise, quite dominant dogs, eat alot, moult alot. Sorry for any huskey owners I may be upsetting, but being a staffie owner I had to learn the hard way and rescued one before I had my lovely Stella and it all went horribly wrong and was not prepared to own a staffie at the time of getting the rescue. Anyone getting a dog for the first time, I think should, as we did take lots of time to investigate the breed they are wanting to get and find out everything they can about it. My friend's husband is highly allergic to anything and takes lots of medication for this. The cats they have he is ok with as I think he has become immune to them, but when they come to our house for dinner, he has to dose himself up and it can get really bad. Any advise would be gratefully received. I have said to her to look at something like the dogs bred that don't moult like labroadoodle, cock-a-poo or schnauzer cross wtih poodle etc. She was thinking about a jack russell, but again you need to know about the breed, same as staffies, obviously I would say get one but she needs to get some advice.
Definately don't think a Husky is a great first-time dog! From what I hear, they can be stubborn, recall can be hit and miss, they're physically big dogs so difficult to restrain if they are troublesome..I think she could find much easier dogs. I believe Huskies can be prone to being high prey drive dogs too, which may not be a good idea with her cats! I think the first thing she needs to do is establish what breeds her husband can be around due to his allergy. The problem is allergies is that they vary. The most common cause of pet allergies is the dander (dried saliva) on the pet's fur. However, some people react differently to different coats - I have a friend who's allergic to lots of animals but she's actually fine with German Shepherds, she managed to fuss over my GSD fine, even sleep on the sofa down in the living room without it affecting her allergies. So your friend's husband needs to meet different breeds and see which ones set off his allergies. Non-/low-moulting doesn't necessarily mean non-allergenic, not for everyone anyway. A decent breeder or rescue would be happy to have them visit the dogs for this purpose. Secondly they need to decide both what they want from a dog, and what they can offer. A few questions to ask themselves would be things like - size of the dog, preferences because of house size, physical strength, cost of food & equipment (big dogs generally cost more!) - activity levels, do they want a couch potato or a dog to go on daily hikes? Can they offer an hour a day of exercise, 2 hours, 4 hours? Do they want a dog that will need a "job", such as agility? - intelligence/drive, again, are they prepared to "work" a dog to provide mental stimulation, as well as physical. Working line dogs end up in rescue but they're probably not dogs for first-time owners unless they're serious about providing it with an outlet for its working drive - be that agility, tracking, obedience, or whatever "job" it thrives on. If it's a smart dog, are they willing to channel that intelligence with clicker training, obedience classes, etc? - limitations, a dog doesn't always turn out to be everything you thought it would be. Would they be disappointed if they adopted a dog and had all these plans for agility, and the dog didn't take to it? Would they be bitter if they were very active and it turned out the dog had health issues preventing it from coming along on their hikes? Would they be able to manage if they adopted a dog that had a high prey drive and/or little to no recall? Would they be willing to do the "unsociable hours" walking shifts should the dog end up being dog reactive/aggressive? There's nothing wrong with saying they don't want a dog-aggressive dog, they don't want a dog with known health issues, or whatever - it's better to be honest now than to struggle months down the line with a dog they can't handle I think if they approach a rescue with a thought out, honest description of what they want, what they hope to get from a dog and their limitations, a decent rescue will match them with the right dog, regardless of breed. Alternatively, a decent breeder shouldn't rehome a pup to a home they didn't think could cope. I will say this thogh - puppies are hard work, and that's coming from someone who grew up with dogs. For a first-time dog, I personally would recommend a rescue dog from a foster home who's been well-assessed in a home environment, it will make their experience a lot more pleasant!
You are right - your friend would probably struggle with a Husky. However, please also tell her that poodle crosses may well moult - half of them will have the coat of the non-poodle parent. Rather than a cross, they would be better visiting a breeder of dogs that don`t moult (schnauzers, airedales, bichons etc - google non-shedding dogs) and seeing if the husband has a reaction to the dogs.
About the only thing about the husky which might be right for your friend is the coat. Many people who are allergic to dog hair find that, despite the shedding, they are not allergic to huskies. A young woman who was highly allergic to almost any kind of dog, spent a whole day hugging ours at a fundraising event with no ill effects. Normally, even being within a yard of a dog brought her out in hives, runny nose, swollen, streaming eyes etc - but with the huskies - nothing! Everything else about the husky is completely wrong for your friend however - especially the cats. Huskies have a very strong prey drive and cat killing is very common amongst them. We're not too far from Berkshire - if you want more info, or if your friend would like to meet some huskies before deciding, pm me and we'll arrange something. Mick
