The Fiancee is tempted to take this one that has been hanging around a friend's neigborhood for a couple weeks.  The friend has been looking for the owners but w/ no luck.  She thinks the dog is "so cute" and she has never been allergic to Huskies and this one is very friendly and socialized.  She is very responsible.

I will move in w/ here in about six months when we get married.  She has a house w/ a moderately sized fenced back yard and there is a screened in back porch.  She will not have any animals in the house, except maybe to sleep right by the back door at night, but no being all over the house.

But,
I hear that these  dogs are the most high energy sort & they need to go on long walks all the time or they become very unhappy.  

Also, we live in Jax, FL, so what do you have to do about their coat?

How are they w/ Children?

Are they worth a damn as watch dogs?

I am kind of thinking that this is more of an enthusiasts dog that belongs in the country up north or something?  Does anyone who live in town in the south have any comments.

THis dog is so nice, they really don't want to take it to the pound?   Is there anyone around here who is really good about making these dogs happy who lives in the country who might want this dog?

Hyper as all hell... If he/she gets loose for whatever reason don't chase it. Just let it come back when it decides.... trust me.

We moved from Missouri to Florida and brought both our dogs down here before we moved for vacation. She was miserable in the heat so we gave her to some friends when he did move.

Great dogs, tons of energy, need the space to burn it out, protective, and friendly when decently trained. Do the dog a favor and get a turtle.
 

The reason it is hanging around is because it ran away from it's owners.

They run off all the time.

How do I know?

I used to have around 45 Huskies.

If they are not doing their job which is pulling sleds, they are a pain in the ass.

Good luck



GM

My family fostered an adult husky mix for a while.  Don't know what the mix was but it still looked like a husky.  She was a very sweet dog, but much more high strung than other dogs we've had.  She didn't try to play with our other dog, and frequently escaped from the yard even when walked daily.  Invisible fence won't cut it with a dog like that.  They are definitely high-maintenance animals.  The one my fam had would not have made a good watch dog, although it could've been its particular personality.  She seemed to tolerate kids well but did not like loud noises, to include kids yelling.  Our Bernese is a much better family/neighborhood dog. Huskies are a pretty dog but I probably wouldn't get one after our experience.  Admittedly, dogs that have been bounced around probably aren't the best examples of their breed, but the general caveats you've heard about these types are what I saw.

 

What do you mean "get a turtle"


I found Huskie rescuie of FL, http://www.siberrescue.com/,

right there on their home page they are talking about what a hard time they are having finding people to adopt.

I adopted one –– briefly. Gorgeous dog, friendly but high-strung. I was doing him a disservice by keeping him in a suburban home. He needed a lot more room and activity. I took him back to the lady who placed him, she found him a better home.

I see that over 11 percent have a thyroid disorder.

http://www.siberianrescue.com/seneca.htm

some good info here.

I am thinking no.

The dogs are so sweet & loving it breaks you heart for them to go to the pound.  

I hear that they are such bad watch dogs that Husky kennels have to have another breed dog for that purpose.

owned 3 plus 35 pups

I love the breed and hate them. The best dog you'll ever have in your life, and worse nightmare.

If you have the room they're great! do not own two males or two females! They will fight for years to determine who's lead dog.

Do not own 1 huskie, they will be bored and need to destroy something to keep them occupied.

I miss mine like you won't belive. I have a cattle dog right now. He's much smarter. He's not a huskie!

We've owned 3 over the years when we used to have 7 acres of land in the country.  One had a very nasty habit of running 3 miles to our neighbor's sheep farm and attack a sheep or two.  After the 3rd incident and over $1000 to the farmer, we had to give that one away and start over.



The other 2 were great dogs and basically what everyone else has said.  In the Kansas summers though, they shed like no dog I've ever seen shed before.
(which is to obviously be expected)

Very pretty dog, very nice to people. All people. Even the strangers that pull up in your driveway. We had  one when I was a young child that would eat everything; cucumbers, potatoes, my pet rabbit, chickens, other dogs, (very traumatic for a 10 year old that just moved from the city!) pigs, and finally a calf before my city raised father finally shot her. They MUST be on a leash. They are very friendly, and don't smell, but are not loyal at all.

Huskies can be great pets and wonderful companions.  They will require every bit of your patience and self control in the process.  They are pack animals and need a dominant leader to assert themselves.  If one doesn't present themselves as the leader, they will assume they're dominant and they will train you.

They are scary smart and don't respond to regular conditioning like a lab, etc.  You have to teach them to want to do the task.  A simple reward is not enough to motivate a Husky to perform a certain behavior if it doesn't see the point in the behavior in the first place.  They can be bored easily and will become destructive to amuse themselves.  

Twice a year you will vacuum everyday for 2-3 weeks straight as they "blow" their winter coat and summer coat.

A large, fenced yard is a must.  Most do not understand boundaries or simply don't care about them, they will run off.  They need to burn off massive amounts of energy every day and will begin to act up if they don't get their running in.

Also, they were bred for their stamina and work ethic and speed, not for much else.  Be prepared for an animal that vocalizes its happiness, displeasure, etc.  No one in the middle of the tundra cared how much noise their dogs made as long as they performed, so barking and howling behaviors were not selectively bred out of the breed.

That being said, I wouldn't trade my Husky for anything.

Recently gave away a 6 yr old husky that I kept for a couple of years.

Very hyper and stubborn.  Absolutely worthless as a guard dog.

I have a friend girl that had two, a male and a female (Juneau & Tundra) - both have since died of old age.
They love to run, if they don't get enough play time they'll find a way - any way to entertain themselves (if you know what I mean).
I have also never ever seen any dog that could shed as much as they did - unbelievable!!!
Very nice dogs though......

Juneau:

Not a beginner breed, very smart, active dog. I can't make a move without this dog giving me the "What are we doing, where we going" look and following me where ever I go. The first year she was a lot of work to train. But now I don't even need a lead. I was very active back then, so it wasn't a problem. Now though, I don't think I could keep up. She's 10 years old and can run our 3 year old lab into the ground

I know people that have one.

They're hyper and shed a lot.

Get a Labrador.  

The problem is that they are too bright and get bored easily.

Mine ate that just before breakfast,,ate thru a interior door and finished off the matress after lunch, No bull.

They are like the smart kids that are bored and make trouble just to find something to do. Very strong willed and independent. Unlike most dogs that are loyal, huskies aren't dogs that try to please their owners. Unless the owner has something they want. When you don't hold any cards huskies become deaf. Punishment doesn't do anything to them. There is a constant power struggle between alpha and they are very sly about how they ago about it. They change tactics to find some way and weakness to gain the upper hand.

Mine will stay in the yard. But the second I look away they will be gone. High energy... hell yes. These dogs can pull a sled 10 hours a day. You will never wear them out. I walked mine 6 miles on a hike when she was 6 months and she pulled me the whole way. I take mine for 2 walks a day, half an hour in the bakc yard playing with another dog, then some play in the house, and she still bugs the HELL out of me for more. You come home from work. Do all this play and then you want to sit down and rest. They will not leave you the fuck alone. The only way I found to help mine was to get a second dog... a malamute which is 1.5-2x her size. She and that mal go crazy playing. The house rocks and rolls, howls, rowling, holy shit. The mals are high energy too but tend to be a little more mellow and willing to please.

Huskies chew. Mines been very good about that but she chewed everything up until around 12 months. If you piss a husky off they will chew your most prized items. Believe me. They know. I'm a computer guy. Woke up one saturday morning and took a leak. Husky wanted me to play. I said no way and went back to bed. When I woke up she had chewed several network cables in the house. One time she was upset/jealous of the other dog. Keeping to our routine we were about to go outside to potty. She came to the door with me, got my attention, and then made sure I was watching her and looked me in the eyes as she went over to the floor and peed on it. I have seen other examples of this and have matched it to other husky owners.

I love her, and would never get rid of her. But be prepared for a significant change in your lifestyle. If anyone wonders about getting a husky, I will rent mine out.

Nala the husky










Kiara the malamute





Kiara and Nala

wow,
thanks for sharing.  That is a beautiful dog.  

Doesn't care to please owners.  Sounds more like a cat, not that I mind that.  Some dogs fawn too much for me to respect them.  

I remember one time on america's funniest videos I saw some dog that had destroyed a room it was in.  Ate through the drywall, tore up the chair, everything.  

We are thinking about looking after the dog for a few months until a foster or permanat home can be found for it.  Otherwise, it is to the pound

Beautiful dogs!

I've had one.  Nanuq was his name.  He was impossible to control and would love to run.  Loved the hell out of that dog though.  Make sure you have a VERY LARGE yard.  Well fenced as they will get out.  Good luck.

Was thinking about getting a harness & having him pull me around a bike or something as he would need strenuous exercise.  Don't know how you would steer him though

Nope had one it was a mean SOB.


I have had a few pitbulls since they are better dogs !

Get a GSD.

Got a Husky/Australian Shepard mix and the most loyal dog. The energy level is very high though. Live in the country and she loves it.

Used to do that with the family dog while I was a kid...



Of course, this was not a Husky - this was an Irish Setter (another notoriously hyperactive breed)...



So the solution wasn't 'harness', it was 'leash and leather collar'...



That dog could pull a bike FAST... My sister would do the same on roller blades...



The 'solution' to doggie craziness, was to release the leash (generally, 'craziness' meant there was a bird or squirrel to chase)...



Of course, several times, that led to chasing the dog, afterwards....



 

Rudy, my 16 year old Husky has been a fantastic dog. He was tough to train until I understood him. Then it was simple. I trained him to jump from the couch to the love seat. Then to clear the coffee table while jumping from the couch to the seat. I then lined up all the seats (including ones from outdoors) and got him to go from one to the next to the next. He loved it! He became super obedient, as I made it very fun for him. He also became very smart.

They are not naturally obedient dogs, however, they can be very smart when trained. Most are not good watch dogs. Most are good with kids, but as with any dog you need to be careful. There have been cases of "good" Huskies going after kids. They have a strong predatory drive with small animals.

The easiest way to give a Husky a workout is to get a harness and let him pull you on the bicycle. It works wonders and is no work for you. Mine would even pull the golf cart! He loved it.

They will do fine in Jax. But, you must keep it in the AC during the summer.

Wife had them years ago. Pretty dogs. Hard to train.

Get a TALL fence. 6' at least.

Look into a Shiba Inu. Same family, 1/3 the size, and mine has been the best dog I've owned.

Had one a while back. He was scared of everything, didn't listen and pretty much dumb. The shedding was terrible.

On the other hand, my buddy has one that is an alpha male, who is very obedient and a bit on the aggressive side.

Here's Merlin.  He sheds a lot twice a year where you get a blowout of the entire undercoat.  The rest of the time you can brush often to keep it in check.  The one huge plus is that this is the cleanest breed I have ever seen/owned...they do not smell of dog and they rarely need a bath.  I believe we have given Merlin a bath a total of three times in 10 years.  I thought he would slow down by now but he hasn't and is so full of energy people think he's still a young dog.  I try to walk him as much as possible.  In general they need a lot more attention than most dogs.  They are escape artists so if you don't have a good contained yard expect that a husky will get out.  He is loving and affectionate but I wouldn't call a husky a breed that is synonymous with "guard dog".

We have a Husky mix.  Very smart dog.  She was easy to train, but she is very stubborn.  She isn't there to please us.  She will only listen when it is convenent for her.  She is very good with kids, but if she doesn't feel like being around kids she will run away from them.  She is VERY fast.  We have an acre of land that is mixed with woods.  She burns her energy chasing animals, bugs, birds, leaves that move in wind, etc.  She is very loving.  We only have a 4 foot high fence in front.  She hasn't jumped it but she could.  She jumped in the open window of a chevy trailblazer when i was changing brakes.  We have tons of toys and we are always playing tug of war and stuff.  I would get another.  

Hard headed, close to the wild.  Read the Secret Life of Dogs.

My friend has two Husky's and one Akita. His wife has to take the Husky's out a lot, or they get restless and start tearing shit up.





















 

Had to caption this pic:




You dumb fucker ....... you thought these stupid little totes were going to keep me in the kitchen?





That's a fine pooch.

Husky as a guard dog? Get a GSD,Dobi or a Rottie if you want a guard dog.

What is the consensus on the Akita?

The only one I've known was mostly un-interested in people and absolutely lethal to smaller dogs, and very partial to unattended white russians.  She did not like to be called "The Dude", ha-ha.

This.

My 13 year old GSD female is the only animal I saw fight with, and not be eaten by my very carnivorous/cannibalistic husky. She gave the husky a good fight, and was never messed with again. In addition, she never ate the neighbor's livestock, she protected out chickens, barked at strangers, never ran off for days at a time, and showed genuine emotion for the well being of my family.

Best damn breed of dog I have ever dealt with.

Is that an AKC GSD or one from that German GSD organization.  

Can you train them not to eat poisoned meat that someone throws over the fence?  

The one Akita that know is perfect, as far as I'm concerned, but they need lots of socialization as a pup.

 

Our Mags.

Pretty goofy for a Siberian.  The breeder said all her siblings were goofy.

Extremely energetic dog.  We used to run her ~30 miles an hour up to six miles every week or two with little signs of tiring.  They love to run, and if they get loose they will come back only on their terms.  Many many Siberians get hit by cars.

Good companion to our GSD.  Siberains are known to be "breed snobs," disdaining other dogs not a Siberian.  She was good with cats, but had to be taught so by our cat...

Very easily bored.  Bored Siberians like to chew things, like leather car interiors.  

They are NOT guard dogs.  A burgler could steal the blanket she slept on and leave her asleep.

When we used to let her run free, she would hunt.  We thought her running and jumping through the woods was mere frolicking, not hunting.  She found and shredded a ground squirrel in about 15 seconds.  It shocked my wife - our little puppy who loved human contact and snuggling was a killer dog - until a musher filled her in on Siberian traits.

In short, they are very challenging but also can be very rewarding dogs IF you can spend the time with them they need.  Unless you know the breed and have space and time, I suggest another breed of dog.

Couple of things to ask first.  Have you ever owned a dog before?  What kind of work schedules do you and your wife have?  Outdoor hobbies?

In response:
 I have had Siberian Huskies before and my last one I had put down after 9.5 years.  Anyhow...they are very smart, athletic and energetic. They are good family pets and mine were always good with kids.  Huskies are diggers and will dig even more if they get bored.  Huskies can survive any "cold" weather Florida gets without it's winter coat.  They do need room and they do need their exercise as well.  My huskies were very good with people they were familiar with, however very guarded of strangers.  The power and gas guys couldn't go in my backyard when they were back there.  They don't bark a lot, however they tend to howl once in awhile like a wolf.  Mine would half growl and half bark and strangers.  I've had mine in town and out in the sticks...you just have to be a responsible dog owner, regardless of breed.
 If you think you can take it out, walk it, house train it etc..Then you'll have a best friend. If you can't see yourself or your wife to be making the time to take the dog out each day and play with, then let another person handle it