Lookin to get a Puppy Husky

Iancar29

Hey

Im lookin to get a husky and just wonderin does anyone know wer i should look and some price ranges.

Havent had a dog since... so ye if theres any cons about havin a husky i d be interested to hearin them so im prepared.

ISDW

Okay, cons of having a husky, hmmmm, where shall I start?:D

They must have a secure garden, with fencing at least 6 foot high, as they are escape artists, if they can't go over, they will go under. Electric collars don't work with them.

They can never be exercised off the lead, as they will run. You may get away with it while you have a young pup, but once they hit 9/10 months, they will be gone. Countless huskies get shot or knocked down every year for this reason.

They chew, oh boy do they chew, well know for their destruction. They also love to dig, so any hope of having a decent, well kept garden - forget it.

Shedding, they blow their coats twice a year, and there is a lot of fur to come off.

They are a lovely breed, great with people, including children, have no loyalty though, will be friends with everybody and anybody. Don't tend to bark that much, but do love to howl every now and then. Shouldn't really live with cats unless they have been brought up with a specific cat, even then, should never be left unsupervised with them. Unfortunately it is not uncommon for a siberian to kill a cat that it has lived with its whole life.

I love them, they are my breed, but they are fairly hard work. They really need their exercise if you don't want a bored, destructive dog on your hands. However, they also love their comfort, and particularly love comfortable human beds or sofas.

rhapsody!

When I wanted to get a Dalmatian, I went onto www.donedeal.ie
Just search for Husky puppies and you're bound to come up with some adverts.

ISDW

rhapsody! wrote: »

When I wanted to get a Dalmatian, I went onto www.donedeal.ie
Just search for Husky puppies and you're bound to come up with some adverts.

Please be very, very careful. Due to films like Snow Dogs, Eight Below, huskies became very popular and so are a hugely puppy farmed dog. There are a lot of puppies out there, but not a great deal of them are bred responsibly. Get in touch with the IKC and ask for the siberian husky club, they will put you in touch with responsible breeders. Their puppies will be dearer than a lot of the BYB and puppy farmers, but their parents will have been health checked etc. Siberians can suffer from hip dysplasia and eye problems, so both parents need to have a hip score of less than 10 and a clear eye score.

I'd say for a good puppy from an excellent breeder, you'd be looking at between €800-€900. I don't know that for sure, I've not bought a puppy in Ireland, but that is what I would expect.

If you see puppies being advertised for a lot less than that, I would steer clear, you tend to get what you pay for.

I heard about the chewing also but have been very lucky with my guy. Not a chewer at all. He will only chew his bones or toys.

Shedding ! Wohha nothing could have prepared me for this .Mine started his first shed 2 weeks ago . I was not prepared for the amount of hair coming off him. I heard people talking about this and thought that they were just playing it up. After one brush he had hair to cover 3 dogs . Its even coming off in clumps .

Hellrazer

Excellent post ISDW.May aswell be describing the Sam we had.The garden was like a mine field with all the holes in it.He could never be let off the lead since he used to just run wild.
As for chewing--ours chewed through a partition wall in the house--right through it from one room into another,a drill,wallet etc etc.The fur is another story though--hours a day just to keep it under control and worse if your dog like ours was a house dog and sheds all year round.The howl brought more complaints from the neighbours than anything else.
Our was great with the cat though--they used to sleep together in the cats basket---funny as anything a large samoyed snuggled into a tiny basket made for a cat,usually with the cat asleep on its back.

ISDW wrote: »

Okay, cons of having a husky, hmmmm, where shall I start?:D

They must have a secure garden, with fencing at least 6 foot high, as they are escape artists, if they can't go over, they will go under. Electric collars don't work with them.

They can never be exercised off the lead, as they will run. You may get away with it while you have a young pup, but once they hit 9/10 months, they will be gone. Countless huskies get shot or knocked down every year for this reason.

They chew, oh boy do they chew, well know for their destruction. They also love to dig, so any hope of having a decent, well kept garden - forget it.

Shedding, they blow their coats twice a year, and there is a lot of fur to come off.

They are a lovely breed, great with people, including children, have no loyalty though, will be friends with everybody and anybody. Don't tend to bark that much, but do love to howl every now and then. Shouldn't really live with cats unless they have been brought up with a specific cat, even then, should never be left unsupervised with them. Unfortunately it is not uncommon for a siberian to kill a cat that it has lived with its whole life.

I love them, they are my breed, but they are fairly hard work. They really need their exercise if you don't want a bored, destructive dog on your hands. However, they also love their comfort, and particularly love comfortable human beds or sofas.

Rew

We recently got a Samoyed. Great dog lots of love to give (to everybody!) masses of energy, we walk her twice a day and im sure she would go a third time happily!

I can 2nd the off the lead stuff. She got out the other day and sprinted off up the road with me trying in vein to catch her. I have seen other Sammys that are fine though.

Very intelligent and easily bored. She's picked up the traing quickly but at the same time only does it when she wants to. She hasn't don't any mad chewing with us but has in the past. She like to take our shoes and drop them in the garden though.

li-evo7

Personally I think huskys are great dogs to have!We have two of them and we have them in a big stables with lots of children around and they all love them. We have one female and one male.The female is actually currently in pup with her first litter if you are interested? I will try post pics of the two dogs later on. Unfortunately only the male is IKC registered as the female was a rescue dog.The vet has assured us though that she is definitely a pedigree husky.They need a lot of exercise. With regards to a previous post...electric collars do work with them.Both of our huskys wear them and they never attempt to cross the boundaries with them on.They love company and both of them tend to attach more to one person.They dont bark much just a howl here and there. As pups they are destructive but most pups are!!I think they are a great dog to have and you will get lots of enjoyment out of them.:D

ISDW

li-evo7 wrote: »

Personally I think huskys are great dogs to have!We have two of them and we have them in a big stables with lots of children around and they all love them. We have one female and one male.The female is actually currently in pup with her first litter if you are interested? I will try post pics of the two dogs later on. Unfortunately only the male is IKC registered as the female was a rescue dog.The vet has assured us though that she is definitely a pedigree husky.They need a lot of exercise. With regards to a previous post...electric collars do work with them.Both of our huskys wear them and they never attempt to cross the boundaries with them on.They love company and both of them tend to attach more to one person.They dont bark much just a howl here and there. As pups they are destructive but most pups are!!I think they are a great dog to have and you will get lots of enjoyment out of them.:D

Can I please ask why you have bred the bitch if she doesn't have any papers? Did you have both of them health checked? I mean hip scored and eyes tested?

I am absolutely astounded that any rescue would rehome an unspayed bitch and allow you to breed her. God bless vets that know everything hey (not a snipe at vets, just most aren't breed experts). If she was a pedigree, she should have been microchipped as a pup, unless she came from an unregistered Dam herself.

I'm sorry, this is coming across as attacking you, but I have to deal on a daily basis with all of those unwanted, badly bred huskies that people get and then dump.

li-evo7

ISDW wrote: »

Can I please ask why you have bred the bitch if she doesn't have any papers? Did you have both of them health checked? I mean hip scored and eyes tested?

I am absolutely astounded that any rescue would rehome an unspayed bitch and allow you to breed her. God bless vets that know everything hey (not a snipe at vets, just most aren't breed experts). If she was a pedigree, she should have been microchipped as a pup, unless she came from an unregistered Dam herself.

I'm sorry, this is coming across as attacking you, but I have to deal on a daily basis with all of those unwanted, badly bred huskies that people get and then dump.

We did not get her from a rescue centre. She was found straying by a friend when she was less than a year old and we fostered her. We put up signs everywhere and contacted all pounds and no one claimed her so she is now ours and we have had her microchipped.And yes they are both health checked! We would not be breeding from them otherwise!!She is clearly not badly bred either.The two of them especially the dog are some of the nicest examples of the breed I have seen. I am not nieve and I also show rottweilers with my boyfriend so I do have an idea of what I am talking about!

ISDW

li-evo7 wrote: »

We did not get her from a rescue centre. She was found straying by a friend when she was less than a year old and we fostered her. We put up signs everywhere and contacted all pounds and no one claimed her so she is now ours and we have had her microchipped.And yes they are both health checked! We would not be breeding from them otherwise!!She is clearly not badly bred either.The two of them especially the dog are some of the nicest examples of the breed I have seen. I am not nieve and I also show rottweilers with my boyfriend so I do have an idea of what I am talking about!

But if you show dogs, then surely you would know not to breed unregistered dogs? And if you know what you are doing, why would you need a vet to tell you that she is a pb husky?

Can I ask, as I'm interested in how the breed is going in Ireland, what their hip scores were?

You don't say how old she is, but just FYI you don't legally own a stray until one year and one day after you have them.

li-evo7

ISDW wrote: »

But if you show dogs, then surely you would know not to breed unregistered dogs? And if you know what you are doing, why would you need a vet to tell you that she is a pb husky?

Can I ask, as I'm interested in how the breed is going in Ireland, what their hip scores were?

You don't say how old she is, but just FYI you don't legally own a stray until one year and one day after you have them.

Oh dear I see I have a keyboard warrior on my hands!!

FYI we have had her for about 18months now.

Also it is not against the law to breed unregistered dogs! Generally I wouldnt do it but this is the only litter she will be having and because we took her to the vet as soon as she was found he fully examined her and he told us she is obviously pure breed and couldnt understand why no one had claimed her.

Obviously I am not an expert on huskys although you obviously think you know it all. If you are interested in giving out to people who breed their dogs then start your own thread instead of hijacking this one which is purely to give information on huskys.

They have very good hip scores but unfortunately as I dont appreciated your patronising tone I wont bother disclosing them to you. I have nothing to prove to you.Anyone who will want to buy a pup from this litter will receive all the necessary information.These two huskys are so nice that when we have them out people have enquired about them and have already booked pups from us!

ISDW

li-evo7 wrote: »

Oh dear I see I have a keyboard warrior on my hands!!

FYI we have had her for about 18months now.

Also it is not against the law to breed unregistered dogs! Generally I wouldnt do it but this is the only litter she will be having and because we took her to the vet as soon as she was found he fully examined her and he told us she is obviously pure breed and couldnt understand why no one had claimed her.

Obviously I am not an expert on huskys although you obviously think you know it all. If you are interested in giving out to people who breed their dogs then start your own thread instead of hijacking this one which is purely to give information on huskys.

They have very good hip scores but unfortunately as I dont appreciated your patronising tone I wont bother disclosing them to you. I have nothing to prove to you.Anyone who will want to buy a pup from this litter will receive all the necessary information.These two huskys are so nice that when we have them out people have enquired about them and have already booked pups from us!

No, you don't have a keyboard warrior, what you have is someone who runs a rescue dealing with siberian huskies and alaskan malamutes, cleaning up the mess that BYBs and puppy farmers leave behind. A warrior maybe, but trust me, not just a keyboard one, someone who puts their money where their mouth is, and walks the walk, rather than talking the talk.

Patronising? hmmm, you need to get out more if you think this is a patronising tone. I don't know, as I've never had a dog hip scored in Ireland, but I thought they had to be IKC registered to be scored.

Don't like to burst your bubble, but all huskies have people enquiring about them, they always draw people's interest. That is why there is such a large market for puppies, because once they get past the cute puppy stage they tend to get dumped in droves. The vet couldn't believe nobody was looking for her? I have pb sibes and mals here all the time that people have obviously paid a lot of money for and them dumped. Keep an eye on the pounds, you'll see how many purebred dogs turn up in them.

Yes, you're right, this thread is about someone looking to buy a husky, and if you read the OP, you'll see that they ask for the cons on huskies, which I have tried to lay out for them. Maybe you would like to start your own new thread, advertising your puppies. As far as I know, you're not allowed to advertise puppies for sale on here, which is what you appear to be doing. I apologise to the moderators if I appear to be backseat moderating, that is not my intention, merely answering a post.

Thats great that you've had her long enough to be the legal owner, I was just giving you some information. I am fascinated by your attitude though, generally you wouldn't breed her, so why do it? I would not give out to anybody who breeds their dogs responsibly - however, I don't think that is what you are doing.

She is such a lucky dog that you found her and took her in and got her in pup - she really landed on her paws with such a caring new owner.

See - sarcastic, rather than patronising, much more fun.

Ave Sodalis

ISDW wrote: »

But if you show dogs, then surely you would know not to breed unregistered dogs?

Can I ask why not? The OP didn't not state any interest in showing the dogs,nor having the dog for anything more than a pet ( I will admit that this is an assumption, but if the OP wanted it for more than a pet, they would be obviously experienced with the breed and would know where to find one)

Therefor whether the dogs or registered or not is unimportant. The parents can be seen so the temperament of the pups can be easier determined, which is far more important.

ISDW

sup_dude wrote: »

Can I ask why not? The OP didn't not state any interest in showing the dogs,nor having the dog for anything more than a pet ( I will admit that this is an assumption, but if the OP wanted it for more than a pet, they would be obviously experienced with the breed and would know where to find one)

Therefor whether the dogs or registered or not is unimportant. The parents can be seen so the temperament of the pups can be easier determined, which is far more important.

I'm not into showing, have never shown a dog in my life, apart from fun dog shows. However, responsible, what I would call good breeders, only breed to improve that breed. They don't breed to make a profit, they breed because they want a dog themselves, and obviously most litters have more than 1 puppy in them. These people would either be breeding to show or work a dog.

I totally agree, temperament is very important, but so is health checking, and as I say, I don't think that you can have an unregistered dog hip scored. I don't know that for sure, I could well be wrong. However, I know that there are very few eye clinics for sibes held in this country, so it would be very, very unusual for an unregistered sibe to be eye checked.

Unfortunately, just registering a dog doesn't mean that breeder is responsible, and a good breeder, we can all see how many puppy farmers out there breed and register and then sell the dogs for more money simply because they are registered.

I just think, and it is just my opinion, that most breeds are overbred and the only safeguard there is of any kind at all, is IKC registration. It is not perfect by any means, I have a lot of problems with how the IKC is run and how little they do IMO for dog welfare in this country. Even an IKC registered dog is not guaranteed to be a PB, as there are no checks on the sire and dams, or the puppies. Which is why I recommended the OP go through the breed club, rather than just pick a breeder advertising puppies.

Ave Sodalis

I swear I'm not trying to contradict you, but just in my experiences, dogs that are too well-bred, tend to have more health problems than mutts. We currently have an outstandingly bred, superbly tempered, fine example of breed, chocolate lab, who has very bad problems with the nerves on his back and legs, preventing him to be bred further. But we had several cross-bred dogs before that and they had nothin wrong with them.

Just something to look out for OP. Be careful of defects like that as they tend to be more hassle than good. I now think, as with horses, it is best to bring someone who knows a good bit about dogs along with you as they, or you (two pairs of eyes is better than one) can spot problems.

ISDW

sup_dude wrote: »

I swear I'm not trying to contradict you, but just in my experiences, dogs that are too well-bred, tend to have more health problems than mutts. We currently have an outstandingly bred, superbly tempered, fine example of breed, chocolate lab, who has very bad problems with the nerves on his back and legs, preventing him to be bred further. But we had several cross-bred dogs before that and they had nothin wrong with them.

Just something to look out for OP. Be careful of defects like that as they tend to be more hassle than good. I now think, as with horses, it is best to bring someone who knows a good bit about dogs along with you as they, or you (two pairs of eyes is better than one) can spot problems.

I always had crosses, until I got my first siberian:D At the moment I have 5 siberians, and 4 cross breeds, nothing wrong at all with crosses. I love working my dogs, and the best sled dogs in the world are Alaskan Huskies, which are crossbreeds. But, if you get a registered dog, you know their lines, their ancestry. If you breed two unregistered dogs, how do you know that they're not very closely linked genetically? There is, and has been a lot of discussion on here about shrinking the gene pool in some breeds, I think most of us agree that there is a lot wrong with breeding certain breeds now (CKC, GSDs from show lines etc) So, if you want to breed healthy dogs, surely you need to expand the gene pool, rather than shrink it. But, if you don't know the dog's heritage, you can't be sure thats what you're doing.

Theres no guarantee, without papers (and unfortunately, even with papers from certain breeders) that the parents aren't very closely related, thereby passing on certain genetic problems.

In the spirit of us being nice to each other, I don't want to contradict you either:D but I wonder how well bred your lab is. Are any of his problems hereditary? Did the owners of the parents do the health tests that they should have done before breeding?

Anyway, sorry OP, we have hijacked your thread, but its all healthy debate, trying to help you get a happy, healthy, well adjusted husky puppy.

Ave Sodalis

ISDW wrote: »

In the spirit of us being nice to each other, I don't want to contradict you either:D but I wonder how well bred your lab is. Are any of his problems hereditary? Did the owners of the parents do the health tests that they should have done before breeding?

He is only lab as far back as I can see anyway on the papers.

Nop, his condition developed after about a year and the vet said it was highly uncommon and only seen it in one other dog in his years of veterinary so the heath check may of been done but it would make no difference. We were merely advised not to bred but told not to show. (pity because even though I am not much into showing, he is such a good looking dog, he would be very good at it).

Ok, well, I'll leave this thread. Good luck OP, with the dog.