Siberian Husky - where?

Vince32

Greetings, I am a first time poster

I have been looking for A Siberian Husky pup to buy or adopt, I live In Dublin Ireland, and most if not all of the adverts I have viewed, are either scams or out of country, perhaps if I am left with no alternative I will travel to obtain the animal, but for now.. if I may, I would like to ask a few questions about breeders.

1. Is there any way (beside random web hits) to find reputable Siberian Breeders in Ireland. -Perhaps a site I'm unaware of -

2. When I do decide on the animal I want, I will most certainly want to collect it from its kennel // home, as to inspect its living conditions and environment. Besides the obvious squalor that would indicate a bad / unhealthy home, What other signs of mistreatment are there to be aware of? or to the other, what might look like mistreatment but be considered normal, to an inexperienced person. ( I do not want an unstable animal )

3. I am fully aware of the active lifestyle a Husky will need, and the average life span of one, I want this breed of animal for those same reasons, but any tips or precautions would be welcome,
for example I live near a Public Park, which is quite large and has alot of ducks, swans and other fowl would it ever be safe to unleash the beast? I know by nature they are social and caring creatures, but I would hate to be responsible for any harm to another animal, person or god forbid - a child -

4. Veterinary concerns, aside from the standard shots and boosters, is there anything that may cause the animal harm that I may not be aware of, food, toys, harnesses, training activities etc.
I am fully committed to being a responsible and caring owner, but I still have concerns, and would appreciate any further help owners and breeders could lend toward the happiness and well being of the dog.

5. Training, Training the animal won't be very difficult I'm sure, but if there any tips, or lessons for me as an owner that I must know, I would be grateful to hear them.

I hope I'm not asking too much, but it would sooth my conscience greatly to know I have takin every available step to assure both me and my new companion will enjoy each other greatly and safely.

Thanks for comments.

portgirl123

[QUOTE

3. I am fully aware of the active lifestyle a Husky will need, and the average life span of one, I want this breed of animal for those same reasons, but any tips or precautions would be welcome,
for example I live near a Public Park, which is quite large and has alot of ducks, swans and other fowl would it ever be safe to unleash the beast? I know by nature they are social and caring creatures, but I would hate to be responsible for any harm to another animal, person or god forbid - a child -

.[/QUOTE]
dont know much about this breed but one thing i do know is their not a breed that can be let of the leash. apperently they have no recall and they have a very high prey drive.
so i imagine a park as you describe is a def no

Chris_Heilong

there is a good chance a duck or two would be killed and you dog may be so excited to be free he may never come back as he runs into the sunset. A lot of people dont realise Spitz breed dogs are not you average dog and have different needs. you could try Irish Sled Dog welfare if you are thinking of adopting. Do a bit more research as I am sure there will be questions if you are going down the adoption route.

Irishchick

Is there any way (beside random web hits) to find reputable Siberian Breeders in Ireland. -Perhaps a site I'm unaware of -

You can contact the IKC to find a registered husky breeder. However it is unlikely you'll get one so close to Christmas so be prepared for a wait.

What other signs of mistreatment are there to be aware of? or to the other, what might look like mistreatment but be considered normal, to an inexperienced person. ( I do not want an unstable animal )

Make sure the pup is bright and alert and interested in interacting with you. Ask for vaccination certs and the name and address of the vet the breeder used to have the pups checked over ( if they refuse this run away, fast)

would it ever be safe to unleash the beast?

No its not usually a good thing to do with huskies. They have a very high prey drive and its likely that it wouldn't come back.

4. Veterinary concerns, aside from the standard shots and boosters, is there anything that may cause the animal harm that I may not be aware of, food, toys, harnesses, training activities etc.
I am fully committed to being a responsible and caring owner, but I still have concerns, and would appreciate any further help owners and breeders could lend toward the happiness and well being of the dog

.

The majority of huskies that I see have skin and digestive problems. It can take a while to find a food that suits them. I have seen allot with terrible dermatitis that is hard to control. Thats all I can think of right now other than usually things that can befall any dog.

Vince32

Thanks for all the great replies, I am grateful to each of you.

IKC - I should of thought of that myself, tyvm for the heads up, I'm no where near ready to have a dog in my home yet, atm I'm just doing some research and trying to dog-proof my house and its soon to be living area. I think around feb/march I'll be ready, so im in no hurry to adopt before xmas.

Very concerned about the skin diseases, How are they treated, and how painful is it for the animal? and how visible are the symptoms, would I notice it immediately?

You mentioned that they have no recall, does this mean they won't come to a heel command? (if distracted) if so, that is good to know, and ty again.

Cherry Blossom

I wouldn't bother with the IKC, I found it took me months to get them to answer the phone and when they did they were zero help!

Try here:

http://allirelandsiberianhuskyclub.webs.com/

There are also a number of 'working' sled dog clubs around the country that may be able to help you also. Spring is the main time of year that litters are bred (better for the dogs) so decent breeders generally have pups from late February onwards.

Sibes should be hip scored before they are bred so look for advice on how to spot 'good' hip score. If there is a more than a small difference in the scores for left and right this could also cause joint problems also. As regards exercise etc. it's not a great idea to do too much too soon with any breed of dog while the bones and joints are still growing so don't go mad cycling or working the dog until its around a year and half and them build this up slowly if it's something you want to do.

There's lots of advice here on what to look for/avoid etc. when looking for a dog. Another good resource for Sibes is Tails 'n' Trails - lots of information there.

Good luck with your mission

theparish

Just to give my 2 cents.I don't own a huskie but I have noticed the growing numbers of them in the last few years where I walk my dogs.I have yet to see one that is not on a leash.They are a beautiful dog but it is a bit sad that they are on the leash.

chris139ryan

welcome along and best of luck with the dog search.
As for the skin problem i say its greatly down to diet. Stay away from dog food which have maize as the carbohydrate source, instead go for ones with brown rice. Foods containing maize gave my bull terrier very very dry skin so i switched him to an all natural food and his skin is now perfect.

heard orijen food is very good for huskey's, you could always supplement your huskey with foods that are high in vitamin B2 and B6. I no if a human is deficient in these vitamins cause dermatitis so it might be the same for canines. Foods such as meat and chicken has good level of B6 and orange and dark green veg for B2.

Id say a few of the huskey owners on here could help you out even more as regarding their diet and medical problems

jinka

Best of luck with getting the husky. They are fantastic dogs-I have 2 but you really need to research the breed again. One of the first things they say is to keep them under your control on a lead when outside. They love running off to hunt, but you will also still get comments off ignorant people about "letting that wolf loose". In fairness though most people seem to know they are huskys now.
Great dogs and hope you get sorted.

marley123

I wouldnt see that as being Responsible. Huskeys don't have good recall at all, that is why they shouldn't be off leash in un-enclosed areas.

theparish wrote: »

Just to give my 2 cents.I don't own a huskie but I have noticed the growing numbers of them in the last few years where I walk my dogs.I have yet to see one that is not on a leash.They are a beautiful dog but it is a bit sad that they are on the leash.

Vince32

All great answers to my questions, thank you all so much for taking the time to post, it really means alot.

A shame about not being able unleash the dog, but safety first. I didn't realise they were natural hunters, although after reading some more on them it would be a surprise if they weren't.

Also tyvm for the info on the maize loaded produce, if I had done anything to hurt the animal or make it uncomfortable I'd find it hard to forgive myself.

I would appreciate any other info, how and why they would become aggressive in a public place, from what I've read they are generally passive and social animals, greeting strangers with interest and curiosity.

andreac

What do you mean by reserve? Uusually when you talk to breeders they will have a list of prospective buyers so you could be down the list depending on how many people they already have wanting pups, including themselves.

So say you enquire and you are looking for a female, there might already be one or 2 wanting a female so you might have 3rd choice, so you would be hoping she has more than 2 so you will be able to have a choice.

Is that what you mean? Or do you mean giving a deposit?

andreac

Did you just delete that bit about reserving a pup?

Irishchick

Vince32 wrote: »

One last question, if I may, How necessary would it be to "reserve" a pup from a new litter?

It really depends on the demand for the pups. If you find a breeder he or she may already have a waiting list.

In the mean time you could ring around some rescue's and ask them to ring you if any come available for re homing.

As for the diet Im sorry that I cant give you more advice. I've only seen a handful of huskies in the practise this year so I don't have a wide enough experience. Its something I will; be looking into though as they are becoming a popular breed.

I'm sure someone on the sled dog club would have more than enough experience to guide you in selecting a food. Also ask the breeder what type of food they use.

Vince32

Sorry, but I deleted that question, and thought it better to ask the breeders myself, those questions, but as you asked, both questions seem to merit interest.

Would I need to reserve a "male" and would I need to pay a deposit at the time of inquiry?

andreac

Vince32 wrote: »

Sorry, but I deleted that question, and thought it better to ask the breeders myself, those questions, but as you asked, both questions seem to merit interest.

Would I need to reserve a "male" and would I need to pay a deposit at the time of inquiry?

Well you would need to tell the breeder what you are interested in so they can keep you in mind. See the above comment i made about how many pups she has and how many of each sex and depending how far down the line of enquiry you are too.

Not all breeders ask for a deposit but some will once you have gone to see the pups and are def interested in taking one.

Vince32

Thats great andreac, I'm just emailing The All Ireland Siberian Husky Club now to see if they can put me in touch with a breeder, either in N.Ireland or RoI, I'll post with any replies I get so you guys can monitor my progress, and offer advice if needs be.

Thanks again for the info, your a * <-- lil star

Cherry Blossom

OP strong hunting instinct/prey drive does not equal aggression, it's what the breed instinctively does, its deeply programmed into them. I've always looked on Sibes as being more primitive than most breeds, their roots are deeply ingrained in them.

In saying that though there is a line of huskies that have aggression issues, these dogs shouldn't be bred from but it still happens, that's where finding a good reputable source comes in. They can also be extremely noisy so your personal circumstances are important here, if left on it's own all day to howl at it's misfortune a husky can do irreparable damage to your relationship with your neighbours.

boxerly

There are alot of sibes in the pounds lately .I minded one last year....NEVER EVER EVER AGAIN :)Seriously I mean that hehehe.Beautiful dogs but this dog was mad!!!howled all day and night and in between.Ate an armchair,broke lights and cornered me .You could actually see how smart he was in his eyes,it was scary.Not a breed to be taken on by someone without doing ALOT of research,Only my opinion of course:) xxx

Chris_Heilong

Hope this dose not put you off too much but they can be noisy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amcTLHbtY5U

Cherry Blossom

Chris_Heilong wrote: »

Hope this dose not put you off too much but they can be noisy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amcTLHbtY5U

That's just a brief conversation about what's on telly tonight

Vince32

rofl, thanks for that vid... I don't think my dog would ever be that lonely or miserable, This dog needs to get outside for 2-3 hours a day, and be allowed to run -on-leash, until they become exhausted.

my plan would be to run / cycle with him, and together we would keep each other fit and healthy, honestly I'm not a huge fan of rain and snow, but I'm willing and able to do this.

I've seen some YT vids on bringing a sibe to heel, and obidence training, but each dog is different so we'll figure each other out. I've read some alpha techniques too, I'm not worried, in fact I'm more and more excited about this, more than I thought I would be lol.

IK09

hey,

just got a husky pup, shes 13weeks, i have her 4weeks now, and shes a HANDFUL! but shes great. She came from a litter of 8, and i think she was the only bitch. Last i heard from the breeder he still had 4 left. All male. I can pm you his number if you'd like. The pups are in Galway. Theyre beautiful.

I understand that your enthusiastic about having a husky, and that you know how much work they are.....but clear your schedule for about 2 or 3months. The mistake i made was JUST thinking that the are energetic, somewhat wild, and very active. Add that to the hyperactivity of a puppy! But they also need to be trained. I did the same as you and watch about 100hours of YT clips. One thing to remember, is that the clips you are watching are off fully trained dogs. You will have a puppy who hasnt got an iota whats going on when you call his name. Not like in the youtube clips where they instantly respond. This can take you a few days, just to get them to react to their own name! Its frustrating. So frustrating at times, that i just have to go inside and chill so i dont get angry at the pup.

get LOTS of chewable materials.

If you need any help when you get one just pm me. Im no expert by any means, but im sure you can learn from so of my mistakes.:pac:

Vince32

yes please forward me his name and number, or send him this link and ask him to contact me, ty

IK09

pm sent

Vince32

received, thanks again, I'll call first thing tomorrow.

cheers

Celly Smunt

Vince32 wrote: »

3. I am fully aware of the active lifestyle a Husky will need, and the average life span of one, I want this breed of animal for those same reasons, but any tips or precautions would be welcome,
for example I live near a Public Park, which is quite large and has alot of ducks, swans and other fowl would it ever be safe to unleash the beast? I know by nature they are social and caring creatures, but I would hate to be responsible for any harm to another animal, person or god forbid - a child -

Perhaps a border collie would be better suited?

IK09

hope this works, heres my little one

Vince32

She's perfect

Yep, If I can be the proud owner of a dog like that, it would make my year.

I've looked at many breeds, and thinking about the kind of companion I want, and I have to say the sibe suits me the most, I can't wait to bring mine home

Vince32

Great news

TY Iko9 , Galway Mike, was more than happy to let me take home "midnite's" sister, her name is "thunder", he asked alot of questions, at first I thought he wasn't goiing to let take her, but we talking about sleding, and harnesses his eyes lit up and we chatted for ages. I can't wait to get her strong enough to kite me on a bike, should be alot of fun

Here's a pic, its a little blurry, but she won't sit still lol.

Thunder

I've been trying to do a little obidence training, but she is not interested in me or the treat lol, then when I get up to leave the room she won't leave me side which is the wierdest thing.

I'm going to see a specialist on sat / sun so hopefully she can give some pointers on holding "Thunder's" attention.

Thanks for everything XoXoXo

PS: I'll try to get a better snap up later on, thats all I have atm, but you can see the family marking on the head, it kind of looks like a white sword.

Wibbs

Vince32 wrote: »

I've been trying to do a little obidence training, but she is not interested in me or the treat lol,

I've had that with strong willed working/"northern breed" dogs, but most of all when they're very young. They get better. No really, I swear Though with each new one you forget that for some reason. Well I did They seem to take time to learn "human" more than the more "pet" dog breeds. Ok now this was/is just my experience and doubtless better advice will come along but I found that hand signals worked more for me at first.

then when I get up to leave the room she won't leave me side which is the wierdest thing.

Had exactly the same with mine. Very pack/family/owner focused(delete depending on your viewpoint ). That changes too as they get more confidence in themselves. And you when they learn you're always coming back kinda thing. My advice on this score anyway is it's easy to be there for them a little too much. Not giving them small amounts of alone time because they start crying. Try and avoid that.

PS: I'll try to get a better snap up later on, thats all I have atm, but you can see the family marking on the head, it kind of looks like a white sword.

Lovely looking doggie Congrats.