Thinking of Getting a Husky..advice please!

[mirage1287]

Hi everyone,

I'm thinking of getting a husky at the end of the summer, but I wanted to hear the advice from some owners before I move any further in the process. I know that Huskies are a breed that takes a lot of work to raise, and so even though I really would love to raise one, I want to make sure that it's also in the best interests of the dog/that I think everything through very carefully.

A bit of background, I'm currently a grad student living in California. I'm planning to move into a house next year with some friends, so I should have a yard. It'll also be my last year of school next year, so if I was to raise a puppy, next year would be the year I'd have to do it before I likely start working. It wouldn't be my first dog either, I had a lab a few years ago. If I were to get a puppy next year, I'd likely be gone for at least a few hours out of the day because of class, or if I were to work part-time. I'd be living with several friends though, and our schedules would all be different, so it would likely work out that the puppy wouldn't be left alone for very long (if at all). One of my bigger concerns though is what happens when I eventually get a full-time job (which would most likely be around the time of August in 2013). Are any of you working professionals that have huskies? At that point, I'd be willing to take the dog on morning/evening runs, and to try and work it out to come home during lunch breaks even, or to pay for dog daycare, but I don't know if that'll be enough for this particular type of dog. Any thoughts? Thanks so much for any advice.

[mydiamond]

First of all welcome to our husky family and thumbs up for doing your research beforehand Here are some things I'd like to point out

1) Huskies are very different from labs You'll be surprised at how much they differ! Glad to know you had experience with dogs tho.. Maybe try to doggy-sit someone else's husky just for the experience?

2) If you are going to be gone for several hours a day, crate-train your puppy. Crate-training is not cruel, it is an act of protecting your pup (and the furnitures too LOL). If your dog is crate-trained and you have a dog-walker hired, having a full-time job will not be a problem. I forgot who, but there's deffo someone in the forum that works a 12-hour shift per day and still manage to be a husky owner However, make very sure that you're in a holiday when you bring your pup home for the first time. First weeks are crucial, you better stay close to him/her. I'd also recommend going home at lunch breaks (at work, not school LOL) to walk/play with your dog. It'll work out, sounds like you're gonna be a good husky owner

EDIT: every dog greatly varies. Some are calm and laid-back (like my boy heehee) but some others are very hyper and won't be happy to be left alone for lots of hours per day. Invest on a huge amount of chew toys. Kongs are the best. Keep your dog busy with that, and make sure your dog-walker is used to walking high-energy dogs. But you see.... the dog's happiness must come first. If you intend to apply for a highly-demanding job that requires you to move from town to town and work a whole lot of hours per day, then getting a husky won't be the right decision

Edited May 12, 2012 by mydiamond

[sutsibe]

It can be a challenge to have a husky and work full-time (or more), but it can be done... I also would start by crate training a puppy, if you should get one, as well as teaching it to stay alone, even if you have room mates around quite a bit of the time. Come up with rules that you and your room mates will all follow, as if you decide that the pup shouldn't have table scraps or shouldn't be allowed on furniture without being invited, and someone else chooses to ignore it, it can make initial training in particular quite difficult! It's much easier to start out strict, and loosen up on the rules later, than to try to enforce rules after the fact! Once you are working full time, if the pup is around a year of age, it should have a reasonable amount of control of its bowel and bladder - but would still appreciate an opportunity to go out, relieve itself, and move around a bit part way through the day! Walks and extra attention before and after work, as well as training (to exercise the brain as well as the body!) exercises will go a long way toward having a healthy, happy, balanced Siberian. Good luck to you, and kudos for doing your homework ahead of time!