LittleBean Posted June 17, 2012 Report Share Posted June 17, 2012 Hi there, I am new to the forum and I've stumbled on here on researching about the breed (By the way, if anyone has any accurate sites with information about huskies, it'd be nice to send the links this way). I currently have a chihuahua puppy, but am deliberately adding an older husky to the house so we can get active every day and ESPECIALLY winter. We have -30 winters here, with blankets of snow, and it just so happens to be my favorite season. Regardless of the cold, I spend quite a bit of time out doors in cold weather. Whether I'm doing some grocery shopping, enjoying the snow, running around, snowboarding, etc. I was wondering if there is anything particularly bad that sticks out to buying an older dog? I am only doing this because I won't need to house break and crate train him. I have the time for a dog, but I might not have time to sit at home and do all the puppy stuff all over again after my chihuahua (which I am still in the process of). Now I understand the intelligence that comes with a husky. But I believe anything is possible if you truly put your heart to it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mazz Posted June 18, 2012 Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 Welcome. A couple of points. Bringing an older husky into s home with a small dog, may not be a good idea. Huskies have a high prey drive and a small dog, especially a pup, may appear as lunch. Not saying it won't work, but you need to be aware. Snowboarding with a Husky would almost have to be do.e without a lead. Number 1 rule - don't let you Husky off lead. They often times run off. Don't let this deter, just be aware an keep researching. Sent from my HTC with forumrunner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elyse Posted June 18, 2012 Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 You mean adopting an older dog? I adopted an older dog, so I have experience with this stuff... Pros: Don't have to exercise for as long, as they don't have the stamina as a younger dog. (sometimes, depends on the age and the personality of the dog) Dog already 'comes' pre-house-trained, and usually with some basic commands. You're saving the life of an older dog, as most older dogs don't get adopted from shelters because everyone wants the younger ones. Older dogs are 'usually' more laid back and not as rambuncious (in the case of mine, anyway!) and are more 'set' in their ways. Cons: You don't know what you're getting health wise, and if he's pre-disposed to any genetic illnesses or diseases due to poor breeding. You don't know how well he's been trained, how well socialized, or treated/taken care of with his past owner(s). If he's been physically beaten or not. Vet bills are more expensive more quickly as, the older they are, the more health problems they usually have or will get. And, the big one, they are not with you for as long... EDIT: By the way, whereabouts in Canada are you from? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleBean Posted June 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 Haha no, I don't mean taking the dog snowboarding I understand about the small dog part, but I won't let them play together from the start. See how it goes first, of course! Yeah, I do understand. But this one husky I am interested in, is currently 2 1/2 years old, and she comes with papers! So maybe there's some sort of lead as to the health issues later on. But health issues won't stop me from keeping the dog if it happens though! I'm from Alberta, how about you? Most people are from B.C or Ontario so I am usually alone location wise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elyse Posted June 18, 2012 Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 Haha no, I don't mean taking the dog snowboarding I understand about the small dog part, but I won't let them play together from the start. See how it goes first, of course! Yeah, I do understand. But this one husky I am interested in, is currently 2 1/2 years old, and she comes with papers! So maybe there's some sort of lead as to the health issues later on. But health issues won't stop me from keeping the dog if it happens though! I'm from Alberta, how about you? Most people are from B.C or Ontario so I am usually alone location wise I'm in Ontario. When you said older dog, I thought you meant 4 or 5 (I adopted Suka when he was 5 years old). Are you thinking of getting one from a humane society? Make sure to do LOTS of research on the breed, feel free to ask any questions here and we'll be happy to answer them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleBean Posted June 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 (edited) My dad is actually in Ontario. I lived in Toronto before so I head East pretty often Oh man I have tons of questions, but I don't even know where to start. You can only google so much ,and google what only comes to mind. I know it sounds stupid but when I got my chihuahua, she actually gave me quite a surprise. Probably my fault for not doing the breed research (hence why I am here not making that mistake twice)! Things are always a lot different when you're experiencing it. I've loved dogs as young as I knew what dogs were, but my mom is deathly terrified of dogs and my dad didn't really think I would take care of it. So I had to wait till I was out and about and moved out on my own for all this to happen. When I first saw puppies in person, I actually cried haha ^^" Well, the person I contacted has 3 huskies, and one of them is 5 years old. I don't mind with any year really. As long as it's a few years. I am buying it from an owner off kijiji because I can't get through the complications of adopting and huskies usually go fast! I've tried Edited June 18, 2012 by LittleBean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elyse Posted June 18, 2012 Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 I'm from St. Catharines, which is pretty close to Toronto. Okay, let me tell you a few things the breed is known for. - They shed mountains. And that's probably an understatement, because they shed a LOT!! - They have a high prey drive, so it is unwise to have another pet (small dogs might be okay) in the house. - They have to be kept on a leash all the time because, being so stubborn, most have poor recall and will only come back when they decide when they want to. - They are intelligent, but that intelligence can be annoying and a hindrance at times. (ie: They wait until your gone from the room before stealing your food off the counter...) - They were bred to pull and they were bred to run, thus they pull a LOT while on walks and they need a lot of exercise every day to keep them happy and non-destructive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mydiamond Posted June 18, 2012 Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 Haha no, I don't mean taking the dog snowboarding I understand about the small dog part, but I won't let them play together from the start. See how it goes first, of course! Yeah, I do understand. But this one husky I am interested in, is currently 2 1/2 years old, and she comes with papers! So maybe there's some sort of lead as to the health issues later on. But health issues won't stop me from keeping the dog if it happens though! I'm from Alberta, how about you? Most people are from B.C or Ontario so I am usually alone location wise unless the owner tells you she's having a health issue, age alone doesn't necessarily leads to health issues. A member here adopted her dog when he's 10 years old and he lived a happy life until he passed away 5 years later. Age does not = health issues Aaaanyways here are some pros and cons PROS: *) just like what you said. House-training? Done. Crate-training? Done. However change in surroundings would make her nervous and stressed a tiny bit, might affect her training but after some adjusting time she'll be alright *) with a puppy, you bring home a dog for what he is GOING to be. With an adult, you bring home a dog for what he IS. That way you can pick the best dog that suits your living situations I highly recommend dogs with a "good with cats" tag even if it might be rare.. The thing is: you have a chihuahua. They don't always get along that well =\ even if the husky's just playing he might accidentally injure your chi. *) adult dogs are calmer and have gone through the rather annoying teething stage CONS: *) adult dogs, at the age of 2+ years, learns slower (slightly) than puppies. *) they MIGHT come with behavioral issues that you've to sort out *) they have passed their cute puppy stage and you don't have any pics of it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleBean Posted June 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 I'm from St. Catharines, which is pretty close to Toronto. Okay, let me tell you a few things the breed is known for. - They shed mountains. And that's probably an understatement, because they shed a LOT!! - They have a high prey drive, so it is unwise to have another pet (small dogs might be okay) in the house. - They have to be kept on a leash all the time because, being so stubborn, most have poor recall and will only come back when they decide when they want to. - They are intelligent, but that intelligence can be annoying and a hindrance at times. (ie: They wait until your gone from the room before stealing your food off the counter...) - They were bred to pull and they were bred to run, thus they pull a LOT while on walks and they need a lot of exercise every day to keep them happy and non-destructive. I've read about the "alpha" stuff. Some people say it's there, some don't. It's preferences. I don't know what to believe. But if it's true, doesn't that mean that it's not the best thing to have the husky pull you on a walk? I'm a very tiny person. I'm only 5ft weighing only 80 some pounds. I don't want to go flying haha! unless the owner tells you she's having a health issue, age alone doesn't necessarily leads to health issues. A member here adopted her dog when he's 10 years old and he lived a happy life until he passed away 5 years later. Age does not = health issues Aaaanyways here are some pros and cons PROS: *) just like what you said. House-training? Done. Crate-training? Done. However change in surroundings would make her nervous and stressed a tiny bit, might affect her training but after some adjusting time she'll be alright *) with a puppy, you bring home a dog for what he is GOING to be. With an adult, you bring home a dog for what he IS. That way you can pick the best dog that suits your living situations I highly recommend dogs with a "good with cats" tag even if it might be rare.. The thing is: you have a chihuahua. They don't always get along that well =\ even if the husky's just playing he might accidentally injure your chi. *) adult dogs are calmer and have gone through the rather annoying teething stage CONS: *) adult dogs, at the age of 2+ years, learns slower (slightly) than puppies. *) they MIGHT come with behavioral issues that you've to sort out *) they have passed their cute puppy stage and you don't have any pics of it Aha that's ok! I'll take a picture of them as an elegant and majestic adult Do you know what sort of behavioural issues? Are there some common ones? Would some consistent training/guidance help eliminate that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ICE & SHADOW Posted June 18, 2012 Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 I've read about the "alpha" stuff. Some people say it's there, some don't. It's preferences. I don't know what to believe. But if it's true, doesn't that mean that it's not the best thing to have the husky pull you on a walk? I'm a very tiny person. I'm only 5ft weighing only 80 some pounds. I don't want to go flying haha! Both of mine walk ahead of me. The key is to conrtol them on the walk, lead them where you want to go, not where they want to go. My wife has a hard time understanding this...lol Aha that's ok! I'll take a picture of them as an elegant and majestic adult Do you know what sort of behavioural issues? Are there some common ones? Would some consistent training/guidance help eliminate that? Depends if they had any old habits or how they where raised. One Husky that I rescued was not dog friendly, and wanted to fight with my other one, I had to find an adoptee that had no other pets. Would some consistent training/guidance help eliminate that? yes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Removed #5 Posted June 18, 2012 Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 Too bad that you can't take a trip south of the border, we seem to have more adoptable Husky's than we know what to do with!! One member here has an older dog up for adoption to a good home. He's literally an older dog (like 6 years) but as an afterthought, he's not good with small dogs ... Look on petfinder.com and you'll find hundreds of Husky's praying for a home!! But again, they're "down south" ... depending on the price you're looking at paying, a few phone calls and a trip into the US could end up saving a dog and saving you some money. All of my dogs for years have been rescues and once we've gotten past the "everything's new" stage, we;ve gotten along fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synphny Posted June 18, 2012 Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 Aha that's ok! I'll take a picture of them as an elegant and majestic adult Do you know what sort of behavioural issues? Are there some common ones? Would some consistent training/guidance help eliminate that? As a husky volunteer and a rescue of 2 huskies some of more common behavior issues I have seen is merely poor dog socialization, jumping on people, counter surfing, the occasional fear of people due to physical punishment. All of these issues can be resolved with a lot of patience and consistent training. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleBean Posted June 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 Too bad that you can't take a trip south of the border, we seem to have more adoptable Husky's than we know what to do with!! One member here has an older dog up for adoption to a good home. He's literally an older dog (like 6 years) but as an afterthought, he's not good with small dogs ... Look on petfinder.com and you'll find hundreds of Husky's praying for a home!! But again, they're "down south" ... depending on the price you're looking at paying, a few phone calls and a trip into the US could end up saving a dog and saving you some money. All of my dogs for years have been rescues and once we've gotten past the "everything's new" stage, we;ve gotten along fine. I wish traveling is an option for me. Within the past few years, my life changed drastically. I went from "doing fine with just transit" to "I need a car so bad" so I'm working on my license and buying an old car. Can't travel until then I know where I am is a little disadvantaged in terms of being able to find any good breeders/adoptable source. Heck the SPCA is so far out that no bus pass anywhere near there. As a husky volunteer and a rescue of 2 huskies some of more common behavior issues I have seen is merely poor dog socialization, jumping on people, counter surfing, the occasional fear of people due to physical punishment. All of these issues can be resolved with a lot of patience and consistent training. That's good. If that happens I don't mind spending a little time with it to get it right. But the people I'm looking to get it off of, has raised the three huskies together and seemed to have taught them real well! But of course, I will never know the ends of what goes on in their household. Thanks for the insight! I will keep those in mind, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elyse Posted June 18, 2012 Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 I used to worry about the 'Alpha' stuff too, and him walking out in front, but I find that as long as you control the walk (like where you go, how often you let him mark, etc, etc) than you're okay. But I have a pretty dominant boy, so it would probably be fine to walk most dogs out in front. Remember, they are sled dogs and they instinctively want to be out in front. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mydiamond Posted June 18, 2012 Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 dominance theory's good at some parts, and "bad" at some other parts. Not that it's really bad though it's just unhelpful. Walking in front of the dog does not necessarily mean the dog would submit more to you. As long as the dog doesn't pull, I won't bother where is he walking. Hell, there are times when Diamond (my husky) is walking about a meter in front of me but since he doesn't pull one bit I let him be. The most common behavioral issue in rescue dog is shyness or fear towards an object/person due to lack of socialization. Should you encounter such behavioral problem, don't hesitate to have a look around on some of our threads here there're a helpful bunch of 'articles' here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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