How are Siberian Huskies as pets?

Question

I live on a large property with plenty of freedom to roam (behind a fence). Are huskies hard to train? Do they like people or need another dog as company?

Answer 1

I have had 4 Sibes as they are affectionately refer to.

Huskies are not the the best FIRST dog. Huskies take training and usually become loyal to one strong(Alpha) member of the family.Huskies are NOT guard dogs but will protect their "family" to the death.

Huskies have a gentle, stubbornness side about them they WANT you to teach and challenge them or they may chew, dig....become a pain in the ***.s.Huskies WILL run at every chance they get so unless you have a 6ft wooden or chain link fence with support at the base, try another breed.

Huskies do NOT do well in apt living!

Huskies will dart out the front and back doors of the house. They are masters at timing, precision and execution of their plans. Huskies almost seem like they plan these events for days.
Huskies are known as the "Houdini's" of the dog world. If there's a way to escape, they will find it.

Ask a few Husky Breeders and owners about how to be a responsible Husky Owner.

Huskies get along well with other dogs but due to their high predator trait they don't like cats, squirrels..... bunnies. They love to chase them and unlike my Golden who knows usually when to stop. Huskies sometimes will kill or maim their chasing buddies. Huskies are really not aggressive except for their chasing little furry critters.Huskies need daily exercise----long walks, ball playing....Huskies shed their coat and when they're groomed frequently the shedding is manageable.

Huskies love being around ppl and don't like solitary confinement. They are very smart, loyal and great dogs but the owner must know the traits of the Husky/Northern Breeds.....

Huskies are one of the few dog breeds NOT suffer from the dreaded "Doggie Smell." Huskies are very clean and are fastidious about their sleeping quarters.The WORST thing a Husky owner can due is to tie the beautiful Sibe out in the backyard. This will only lead to aggressive behavior, digging and even depression----ask a vet. Huskies NEED to roam their fenced in yard.

Huskies WILL love YOU and your family like no other dog can. They love to howl at 3AM just for the sake of howling. They love to curl up into a ball at the foot end of your bed. The love to re landscape your freshly planted flowers and veggies.....Of course they love the snow, mud, rain.............as much as any kid does.

Huskies love to "talk" with their "Woo...Woo" sometimes talking back when you've ask them to do something.

We will be getting another Husky in the very near future. This will be our first rescue Husky.

Good luck with whatever lovable companion you choose!

Feel free to email me for more info...

Answer 2

From what i've seen on siberian huskies, they have little bit of an independent streak. So they won't be following you around all over the place. They might want to play for a while but then go off in their own world after awhile. Like for example at a dog park, a doberman might play with all the other dogs but will come back and check on you once in a while but a husky will just play and play and play and then make a quick glance to see if your around after an hour. edit: Don't take it too harshly whenever the dog is off leash it seems to just want to run away from you.

Answer 3

I have a neighbor who had 2 huskies, former sled dogs from Alaska in fact. I am not sure this is the same breed you are referring to here. They were big, but they were puppies at heart, playful, well mannered and sociable. Great with little kids. Big open space was a must-have (she has 15 fenced acres, half cleared, half woods) as these were more outside than inside dogs, but they behaved well indoors. Training was a so-so issue. Only one bad thing that I am aware of, shedding. Fur everywhere. She was continually grooming the dogs to keep the shedding down to something manageable. We live in the Pacific Northwest on the west side of Puget Sound across from Seattle and we do not get snow where we live, and it really does not get all that warm either, but it seemed like her dogs shed profusely all year-round.

Answer 4

Huskies are wonderful dogs in the right home.
They were bred to pull a sled all day and sleep outside in the snow at night.
So they need a large amount of exercise per day. And a walk once a day is not going to do it. They need to run.
They tend to be escape artists and will go over under or through anything to get out to run. You need to have an active lifestyle to have one.
They shed a pretty fair amount and twice per year they will "blow coat" when they will shed in clumps of hair. You could stuff pillows with all the fur that will come off one. So be prepared to deal with lots of hair.
They are smart and like to have a job to do. They mostly will do well in pack situations with other dogs. They can be aggressive to small animals and some can not tolerate cats but others can it depends on the dog and how to train it.
They are not really any harder to train than other dogs but you need to get them lots of exercise and play time.

Answer 5

They are very smart dogs. They are very energetic, but you have a large place for them to run you should be ok. They do get bored pretty easy to you will have to keep it busy and from what I have seen, they do seem to do better if they have a friend, so I would recommend have a second dog, especially if you don't have large amounts of time to play. I have seen several that trained pretty easy, and a couple that were very stubborn...so as far as trainning, they will take some work, but they are smart and usually train well, but will take some patience. You might not have as hard a time as other, where you dogs will have lots of room to run...this shouldn't be to much of an issure for ya.

Answer 6

Huskys can be great dogs, but some things to remember...
1) They have a tendency to run away. They do what they want, when they want to do it! They do well with invisable fences though, most of the huskys we get at the shelter I work at have radio collars on and the batteries have gone dead!
2) They can have aggression issues. My puppy used to get kind of nasty if you took something away from him. You just have to be prepared to deal with it and nip it in the bud..Hes 8 mo now and hes fine. He just had to learn that I'm the boss!
3) They're VERY smart, not like Labs or Golden Retrievers. They're working dogs and behave best when they have a "job" to occupy their minds, even if its just fetch. My little Husky learned to herd cows on the farm I worked at!
4) Huskys are smart dogs, so you have to stay one step ahead in training and always be consistant. My puppy to sit, stay , and lay down at 12 weeks! It seems kinda early to be asking that from a little puppy, but I could see that he was capable of it! Now hes so much better behaved because those are commands that hes HAD to follow since he was little. It might not take right away adn obviously I didn't beat him for not listening and doing it right away, but I was consistant and it worked...
5) Huskys LOVE PEOPLE and mine is great with my baby daughter, even when she uses him as a step stool to get onto the sofa!

Answer 7

The couple i have had were not hard to train. They were very protective of me and my family. If socialized as they are growing up they are good around people. If raised with another dog then shouldn't be any problem, remember they are used as working dogs. I even had one that would sleep under my son's crib and make his rounds at night checking things out.
They can be a lot of work because of the shedding but otherwise I would own one again.

Answer 8

I had one for 14 years as a young adult. Age 18-32. Very loyal and quiet. Never any problem save a couple of escapes where I guess he went after females. He went everywhere with me even with temps in the 90s.and loved the truck. Good dog. Shedding was horrible but is expected down south. Got along with others but wanted to be alpha.I now have a female cross breed who is much the same.

Answer 9

Its good you have a large yard because they need lots of exercise. They are generally friendly towards other dogs, and they need either a human or dog companion, so if you don't have a lot of time to devote into them, get another dog. They're clever, mischievious, and stubborn and have a history of running away. Some may howl, dig, or chew. They are not the easiest dog to train, and you need a lot of time for these dog's exercise because they need ample exercise DAILY. They're not the easiest, but are definitly a beautiful, intelligent, affectionate breed.

Answer 10

He will love the freedom, but they love to run with abandon. They will run and never come back; so make sure the fence is in good shape and one that he can't jump. They require patience in training as they are strong-willed. They absolutely love being with people. In the far north, they slept inside with their owners (and all the other sled dogs).