Siberian Husky... what are they like? Questions

hi, we have had two gorgeous siberia huskys at work and i have fallen in love

they are so friendly! they acted completely different to how i thought they would. i got told they were quite aloof with strangers and people they didnt really know. but these two were gorgeous so friendly, loved a good cuddle and a game of fetch.

i would like to know what they are like as pets, warts and all.

is it true that they need as much excercise as people make out? can you own one without having to race them in harness and things?

do they have any health problems? whats there average lifespan? how are they with other dogs, off lead etc?

just wondered really because i like them! and i know a couple of people who own cresteds and huskys!

any information will be read throuroughly and appreciated

bet that doesnt help much eh? ;-)

actually thanks it has! you have just confirmed that they arent as hard as what people make them out to be! to be honest they sound like any other dog... each breed has their problems and pros and cons etc. i like the whole natural idea ive always liked them but have been put off by what people have said, although today are the first two i have met in the fur, on a personal one to one level and they are gorgeous!

how bad are they moulting? i presume they shed near summer to get rid of winter coat?

dont get me wrong,you do have to have a certain 'mindset' to live with sibes,and 'easy' is never a way to describe an ancient working breed,and excerise is one thing,but mental stimulation is quite another ;-)
moulting.....once a year?? if only!!usually twice-ish, when sibes moult its called 'blowing'..you would never think they had that much undercoat!!....its an eeeekkkk!!!! ;-)

Fostered a husky last year (summer)the blowing of the coat is best described as what i imagine tumbleweed to be like lots of fur balls wafting about the house!she would have 2 hours exercise but an hour would do on hot days she loved water and would sit in any she could find and was very good with kids and loving with other people she was a
very dominant to start with though ,but soon learnt and dominance isn't just a husky problem.

hi, we have had two gorgeous siberia huskys at work and i have fallen in love

they are so friendly! they acted completely different to how i thought they would. i got told they were quite aloof with strangers and people they didnt really know. but these two were gorgeous so friendly, loved a good cuddle and a game of fetch.
SOME ADULTS CAN BE ALOOF BUT MOST ARE FRIENDLY, 1 OF OUR YOUNG BITCHES USED TO BE ALOOF BUT GETTING BETTER NOW, MUCH MORE HAPPY TO SEE FOLKS. tHEY LOVE CUDDLES MOST OF THEM, WILL PLAY FETCH A FEW TIMES THEN GET BORED WITH IT (WELL OURS DO ANYWAY )
i would like to know what they are like as pets, warts and all.
HARD WORK BUT GREAT AS PETS IF NOT GETTING BORED , PLENTY OF EXERCISE STIMULATION. COMPANY.
is it true that they need as much excercise as people make out? can you own one without having to race them in harness and things?
THEY CAN BE PETS & NOT RACE BUT GOOD IDEA TO MAYBE RUN THEM IN HARNESS WITH A BIKE SO THEY GET TO HAVE A GOOD RUN REALLY. THEY DO NEED PLENTY OF EXERCISE .

do they have any health problems? whats there average lifespan? how are they with other dogs, off lead etc?
HEALTH PROBLEMS/ TESTS ANSWERED ABOVE BY TUPAC, ALSO CAN GET ZINC DEFICIENCY. I WILL SAY NOT GOOD OFFLEASH AS HAVE A HIGH PREY DRIVE & CAN GO DEAF .I KEEP OURS ON LONG LEADS & WORK THEM THEY DO GO OFF LEADS IN A FENCED IN FIELD IN THE WINTER TOO OR TENNIS COURTS.
just wondered really because i like them! and i know a couple of people who own cresteds and huskys!

any information will be read throuroughly and appreciated
THEY MOULT ALOT , OURS DOI IT ABOUT TWICE A YEAR & IT GOES ON FOR MONTHS.

I had what likely was a Husky for about 6 weeks. He was a quiet, gentle dog, but hated the crate. Could be a breed trait or a lack of early crate experience, or a ''London'' thing. It is a great mistake to assume other members of a breed behave like the limited number you may see.

Huskies can be a challenge in general. They occasionally turn up as dog guides. They certainly have the intelligence for it. The problem is, they may know exactly what you want, but know how to get what they want, without doing it.

Shed? Not long after London went away to dog guide school, I had to pull the stove out. Gone, but not without a trace.

If you are an experienced dog owner, a Husky could be a lot of fun.

I would think it was a lack of crate training from young labman as ours are fine in crates but they slept in one as a pup when we first got them then once settled left the door of crate open & they would sleep in it all night with no troubles. we don't use crates much now really.

errm..what does that mean?:?

and to the highlighted in red bit.....erm..breeds have specific traits..ive been involved in the breed 17-ish years..and no not limited in the numbers i have met... i live with 5 and 2 cross sibes at the mo ;-)

i dont for a minute assume that they are "easy" dogs. the ones at work were blowing their coats, i hoovered the main corridor, and then after about 5 minutes it looked as if i hadnt done anything!!

i just want to learn more about them, im interested in so many different breeds, and want to learn as much as i can about different breeds in general. plus i think they are gorgeous

i think we need some pictures on this thread

What are Huskies like?? A pain in the bum LOL

They are very intelligent and have a mind of there own, with most dogs you ask them to sit and they do because they have been asked. With a husky they weigh up the pros and cons of doing whats asked then decide if they are going to oblige you. they may sit they may not it depends on what in for them.

Kiska is 12 now and just starting to get stiff on her back end otherwise she is still going strong. Here are a few recent piccys:







And one with my Dad (i love this picture)

Lovely pics Razcox, here are my 3 .
Asbo girl ''sisko''



mishka, loves her sleep, lol



kavik, the noisy one
sisko & kavik are the noisy mad ones & mishka is the quiet , laid back one who is almost always snoozin if we let her.


A pic of them doing what they love , our pale sibe mishka will run but dosen't get that excited @ the start or make any noise , she dosen't pull much either but the 2 blk/ whites go crazy to start a run & are so noisy @ times they both pull hard too when running so a variation there in the way some huskies act to run in harness, some really love & need to do it & some like mishka will run but not be that interested in it really & go for the scenery really, lol



And with a bike

great..whens sisko arriving then ;-) ( remember Team Asbo is my lot)

ill post some pics of my lot later if anyone wants to look? ;-)

gorgeous pictures

and yes please.... more picture

lol, Tupac, my sisko stays right here , she keeps the other 2 on their toes , lol.

I think you need to look no further than this thread for proof. I said London hated his crate. Somebody else mentioned they started crates early and theirs did fine. Bloodlines, early socialization, and individual differences make a great difference. I am in contact with several people with a litter mate ot my Lab. Most of them are reporting exceptionally quiet puppies, but not all. I have seen radical differences in littermates, let alone other lines.

Friendly: oh yeah very very! My two LOOOOVE fuss and attention to the point where if a burgler broke in they'd just think great someone else to fuss us and give us treats!
Cuddley depends on the dog my girl is picky and chooses her moments of when she wants a cuddle but my boy would happily sit and cuddle with me forever if I never had to move! (but then hes a rescue and second hand dogs give first class love!)
Excersise: no they dont HAVE to be run in harness but a couple of good walks a day are a must as Tupac said you cant tire a husky out really but walking them, jogging with them, running them with a bike and training with them teaching them anything you like will work well to make sure they sleep!
Off lead excerecise is a no go unless you have an area thats 110% completly secure (they are great escape artists if left to work on it)
They do have high prey drive so smaller dogs and cats other furies have to be introduced carefully and never left with the husky without an escape route if things go wrong.
They can be stuborn but I havnt met one yet that cant be trained if you motivate them properly (usually with food!!) They can have sensative tummies so a good quality food with little or no fillers like wheat and ceral is a must.
Yes they do blow their coats about twice a year and the fur you get out is bin liner filling!
Incredibley funny and loving NEVER boring with the right attention is ultimatly how Id describe huskies!

Great thread. Good to know the inns and outs of different breeds.

A lass posted a thread a while ago asking for info on sibes. I thought MickB summed the little monsters up well

http://www.dogsey.com/showthread.php?t=123494

Guys are looking fab Rose

Kiska is beautiful Razcox

Take good care.

Seoniad.