Sarah Jones answers:
I have seen ones in pet shops of dubious quality for $2000.00 down to free in some shelters.
Don’t get me wrong, the Siberian Husky is a great breed of dog, and I wouldn’t have anything else, BUT ask yourself, why do you want a Husky? Because of a couple of movies maybe? It doesn’t sound as if you have done enough homework on the breed. These are NOT “starter” dogs by any stretch of the imagination. They REQUIRE a very experienced owner!
Huskies are a special breed that most definitely is not for everyone. Yes, they are beautiful. Everybody loves them until they get one and find out how much work they really are. Then they wind up in a shelter or worse due to no fault of their own.
They have many good points as well as bad.
Some of the good points:
1. They love all people of all ages.
2. They love company.
3. They are extremely intelligent.
4. They are easygoing and forgiving.
5. They are clean with little or no “doggy” smell. Some people who are allergic to other breeds can live with Huskies.
6. They are generally quiet. They rarely bark except in playing, but will “talk”
or howl like their wolf ancestors for no reason.
7. They don’t require a lot of food. (get good fuel mileage)
8. They are honest. Their body language and voice can be taken at face value
9. They are not fussy eaters and will eat pretty much anything that doesn’t eat them first. But they do require a proper diet. (see # 6 below)
10. They usually get along with other well adjusted canines but they will take up a challenge if offered.
Some of the bad points:
1. They love people …. Any people. This is sometimes seen as a lack of loyalty.
2. I do not believe that there is a type of dog that could be friendlier than a Husky. A Husky may alert you by his actions (running to a door or window etc) but he is not a watchdog by any stretch if the imagination. On the contrary, he will invite the bad guy in and show him where the good stuff is. And then help carry it out! It’s in the breeding and I doubt that you can train them otherwise. Even if you abuse them (we have several that were very abused) they do not become mean … They will just shy away from you. It’s possible that they may (or may not) defend you against an attacker (more likely with an animal attacker). He very well may be a deterrent to someone looking to do bad stuff …. A “hungry wolf looking” dog looking back at them through the window ….
3. They have a STRONG desire to run. This was bred into them over many hundreds of generations. It cannot be trained out of them in a few months of obedience classes. They MUST be kept in a secure area. And taken out in open areas on a leash. They are escape artists like a hairy Houdini. They have been known to jump or climb over 6 foot fences. If they can’t go over it they will go under it.
4. They are extremely intelligent and mischievous. You have to be smarter than they are to stay ahead of them. Don’t laugh. It’s true, they are smarter than
most people.
5. They are too independent and strong willed to make it through obedience training. (see # 4 above). They will know and understand the command but if they don’t see the point in carrying it out they won’t.
6. They are very keen and efficient hunter / killers.
7. They must be kept occupied. A BORED HUSKY IS A DESTRUCTIVE HUSKY! (see # 10 on below)
8. They shed. A LOT! Year round. Then twice a year or more they will “blow” their coats. This takes shedding to a whole new level.
9. They dig …. A LOT! You could rent your yard to NASA to train astronauts on.
10. They play ROUGH! Very rough. And they sometimes can draw blood. But it is still play.
11. They need company, either human or canine and will be miserable without it. Though they can survive outdoors they really need to be inside with their “pack”……. YOU!
12. They can live 12 to 14 years. Maybe longer. This is not a bad thing. But can YOU live with a 2 year old that long? That’s what it’s like with a Husky in your life.
Again DO YOUR HOMEWORK! Know what you are getting yourself into. If you can’t handle the challenge unfortunately it will be the Husky that pays the price.
If you do decide that you can handle the challenge, go through a rescue group. DON’T go to a pet shop or a back yard breeder.
25 years of being owned by Siberian Huskies. I currently have 14 (16 come this weekend) Huskies most of whom were rescued by us from people who didn’t know what they were getting into
