Huskies And Small Furry Animals

[Mr Squirrel]

Hi again.

 

Following from my post in intro's, i would like to ask about Sibes and small furry animals. I will try to give you all a good idea of our circumstances without droning on too much.

 

My partner and i have been considering a new Dog to join our family for some time. I am 40, my partner 38 and our daughter 9. My partner and i have had dogs in our homes all our lives until 2006 when our last dog, a Staffie cross died of effectively, old age. Between us, we have had a variety of breeds including Labs, German Shepherds, Collies and the Staffie and now, after some consideration, a Sibe is high on our list of choices but despite our research, still have some questions.

 

Of course, the Sibe is a beautiful animal, intelligent and family friendly but we dont want the positives to outweigh any negatives and end up with an animal that is not going to fit within our lifestyles and end up an unhappy dog.

Having performed much research, we are aware that the Sibe is an active dog that needs good exercise and companionship.. No problem there as there is usually always somebody at home at most times and can be taken on a good 30 minute walk at least twice, possibly more times a day (Not that that will tire out a Sibe!) We have a spacious home and also a large garden that is secure to a point but again, what IS secure to a Sibe? Plenty of play and affection awaits our choice of dog (whatever breed it is) and having never having 'got rid' of an animal yet in our lives, we intend this to be a forever home for our chosen pet... which leads me onto the main question...

 

We have 2 Rabbits!  2 Rabbits that we got from rescue 4 years ago. They live outside in a large spacious Hutch that i built myself with a large run underneath that they can access 24/7 but like any animal that we home, we give them as much 'freedom' as their welfare allows. This means that whenever possible, we let the Bunnies loose on the garden to play and graze and when the weather is warm enough, the door is open and they can come and go from the house as they please. Our home has been our Bunnies home for 4 years and we have no intention of pushing them aside for a new pet.

 

Obviously, no guarantees can be made as animals are animals and those instincts will never be removed but in our quest to find a suitable family dog, most adverts for dogs usually state "Good with other animals" yet when you enquire, usually you find that the other animal tends to be another dog or maybe at a push... a cat.

 

Most Dogs have an instinct to chase and kill small furry animals but in many breeds, this can be 'trained out' (at least with other family pets) at an early age.  So now the question......

 

In your experiences, If introduced at puppyhood, can Sibes be trained to live in harmony with small fluffy wabbits?  or would it be a recipie for disaster?

 

Your opinions are gratefully received.

 

 

[Frenchie]

First of all, well done for being so serious in your research for the right dog in your family.

Unfortunately, huskies do have a Really high prey drive (Which is one of the big reasons why they cannot be let off lead), this prey drive starts to kick in when they get in their teenage years, so as a pup the husky may seem quite passive, that prey drive can kick in at any time, and although in some its not as strong, many huskies will go for the kill when they see a prey.

In my honest opinion, if you did get a husky the rabbits could never ever be let out around the dog, and even when in their hutch, should Always be supervised, huskies are clever and they do know how to get what they want, I don't think it'd be long before the husky got to the rabbits. What I'm also affraid of is the stress level for the rabbits, if they see the dog staring at them going crazy, they could get very stressed, which is not fair on them to live in fear.

I did have a hamster when I got Mishka and underestimated her prey drive, the first night she came home I woke up to a noise, she'd managed to open up the cage, luckily Pikachu got away and I found him, but after that we had to keep him in a room which Mishka never had access to.

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[lynnmw1208]

I don't know if I would trust the dog 100% with a rabbit even if the dog was raised as a pup with it. Now I have 2 cats that my dog grew up with as a puppy and he is absolutely great with them and is even buddies with the one. Now saying that, the cats don't run from him like they are in danger. I would think that a rabbit would have the instinct to run and that could trigger a prey response. I'm not saying that it's not possible to own a husky, but I would never let the rabbits out in the same room as the dog and even have them in a secure room. 

[Mr Squirrel]

Thanks for your replies and opinions. Keep 'em coming! 

 

Of course, our Rabbits welfare is as much important as the Dogs welfare. So far, your replies are starting to confirm the reservations i have about the Husky. The various difficulties with the Sibe as they grow including the 'teenage stubborness'.. wasnt really an issue (I know stubborness - i had a German Shepherd! ) But any Dog that gets a home here Must be trustworthy to a degree with the Bunnies.

The stress levels suffered by the Rabbits would be minimal... They live outside and are visited reguarly by Cats and Foxes. The Foxes only come at night and the Bunnies dont bother because they know they are safe in their hutch and the Cats... Well, the Cats used to chase the Bunnies until one day the Buck got fed up and started chasing the Cats back off the garden. Now the Cats are wary of the Rabbits.

 

However, a Husky is rather different to a moggie! and if they cannot be trusted with the other family pets, i may have to put a Husky on the back burner until such time when our Bunnies are sadly no longer with us.

[BingBlaze n Skyla]

I was lucky I had gerbils when we got blaze n any interest he showed in them bings would bark n tell him off but even as a puppy I think he'd have got them if he could , I think if when u let them out u keep the husky inside n never leave them together it could work but u have to always be prepared for the worse I think just to be safe

[Elyse]

Personally, I would not risk it - their prey drive is too strong. Mine has killed many small animals, including rabbits and opossums (which are kinda vicious...).

If I were you, I would wait until the rabbits are no longer with you, or just get another breed of dog. You can always get a husky later on, too, when the rabbits eventually pass away...but then you'd have 2 dogs to deal with. I don't know your financial situation and etc enough to know if 2 dogs would be suitable.

 

[mydiamond]

first of all, two thumbs up for doing research :up:

 

now I believe you already have a lot of opinions regarding your rabbits, so I'd like to answer your first question: what IS secure to a husky? 

 

I believe you already know this, but I'll just say it again anyways: huskies are smart. Sometimes too smart for their own good. Worse yet they're very determined and when they want something they'd do anything to get it. Most husky rescues require homes to have an at least 6 foot (1.8 meters) tall fence as an adoption requirement. However, I've heard of huskies that can easily jump over a 6 foot fence using some objects that he can use as a footing. So I'd say a secure fence is a tall one, at least 6 foot, with no solid object near it that a dog can use as a footing. I also think it should be a wooden fence. Why? Well, anyone can climb over a chain link fence. 

 

But fence alone isn't enough since some huskies are born natural escape artists. If they can't jump over, they'd dig under! I don't have to deal with this since my fence has only solid concrete under it, but in case that's not an option you can bury a wire and put a long plastic pipe on it. That way when the dog is digging, he won't be getting anywhere because his paws would just be rotating the pipe. This is a solution I read here somewhere in the forum so I'm sure it'll turn up if you search it and you better do, because English isn't my first language and honestly I struggle trying to describe what I meant with the pipe thing  might get something wrong there so yeah better check again. Last but not least, make sure everyone knows that your husky escapes. Make sure guests--especially the regular ones--know that they HAVE to keep the gate closed and securely latched. As I said, huskies are smart. They will soon learn that a closed gate doesn't always mean a properly-latched gate. Diamond's latest escape started one afternoon when he pushed the gate open and let himself out for an adventure... on the middle of a busy road!!  :wacko:

 

Now about the rabbits. I do believe keeping both a husky and a rabbit is a risky gamble, but you did mention about the rabbits being kept in a secure hutch where even foxes can't get to them. With that fact in hand I can say having a husky is manageable, but I won't say you can trust your husky around the rabbits. I think to make this work the rabbits and the husky should use the yard in turns. When it's time for the husky to play outside, keep rabbits in hutch (obviously) and call husky away any time he shows interest in rabbits' hutch. You can also walk husky past the hutch with leash on and if he shows interest, give out correction. I can't promise it'll teach him to stay away but at least he'd know you're against him going after the rabbits. When rabbits are using the yard, keep husky entertained inside the house so that he won't look outside and go crazy. It's easier said than done, but right now these are my best suggestions. I also suggest you to get a puppy instead of an older dog. I know you can never train out instincts, but if you make a dog obey a rule since he was a little puppy he'd less likely to break it as an adult. Except at the teenage stage. Teenage stage is hell. 

 

Good luck! xxx

[Mr Squirrel]

Thanks again for your replies and advice, it has been greatly appreciated.

 

After much careful consideration, we have decided against a Husky for the time being. Despite the many good points that these wonderful animals have to offer, we concluded that a Husky would not be right for our family at this time with the subject of the Bunnies welfare being a significant factor in our decision and also the fact that to re-fence our garden to be 100% Husky escape proof would cost us nearly £3000!

 

Instead, we have 'played safe' and chosen a beautiful white, long haired, puppy German Shepherd bitch... A breed that i am fully aware of having previously owned a black and tan one for 14 years. The GSD's dont really have that strong prey drive and in fact, can be quite mothering to small furry family pets. Here is a pic...

 

 

Once again.. Thank you all for your time and advice responding to our questions and your warm welcome to your forum. Hopefully, one day i may be back on your board if our situation allows us to bring a Husky into our family. Until then, take care of your beautiful Huskies and take care of yourselves.

 

Neil. X

[Stormy]

Aww gorgeous dog! Feel free to stick around just because you don't have a husky does not mean you aren't welcome atall! I have a half husky half German shepherd although she definitely has a very strong prey drive

[Andy]

Awwww the pup is too cute.

 

Here's what £3000 worth of fencing looks like.

(well part of it )

 

 

and. . . . 

We have a White German Shepherd named Echo.

This is what they look like "all grow'd up"

 

 

 

you couldn't ask for a more faithful, protective companion.