My Neighbor is looking at getting a Husky and has asked me to find out if their good with kids and do they make good family pets,
i no nothing about the breed myself and am today looking up some stuff on net for her,
but i wanted to get advice from people who know about the breed first hand,
neighbor has 2 kids 11 and 13 years old they have medium sized garden and they did have a staff terrier many years ago,
both adults in the house work but differant times so someone is always home,

i dont want to put her off but i myself have a large breed dog plus 2 others and  it can be hard work and takes alot of my time looking after them plus my 2 cats, so im not really the right person to ask for advice when it comes to which dog someone should get if any,
please help thanks xx

Could you advise your neighbour to contact one of the breed clubs and have a good talk to the secretary. They may be able to suggest a local owner to visit.

good idea thanks i will look them up

Better still im going to show her this link when she finishs work lol
http://www.siberianhuskyclub.com/huskydamage

tho i must say my bully looks like shes been involved in some of these shots lol

Don't know alot about this breed but i would think they need quiet alot of exercise and mental stimulation else they get bored but then alot of young dogs will destroy things in the house if they get chance.
When i got my boxers 9 years ago they ate all the knobs off the kitchen units, cooker, washing machine etc they destroyed a book case, stair banisters door and skirting boards and much much more. thought it would never end but after a few months they just stopped chewing things and the one boxer i have left it the softest a calmest boxer i've ever met. i could trust him with anything,person or dog.
hope you get some good advice from someone on the site about this breed.
Nearly forgot we have one at my training classes and he's abit of a handful but least their trying to train him.     

I chap i know has S Huskys well known judge and had them for years.
At ringcraft last night he was chatting to a girl who was thinking of getting one , so here is the info that he told her.

They are a lovely breed but not for the fainthearted, quite hard to train , total escape artists, can't let them off the lead, quite a wild dog at heart , not aggresive but loves to run and travel miles if loose, so a well penned garden or kennel.
8 ft high fences as they can jump a 6ft fence from the sit position.
Then he went on to say that it depends what you want one for , pet , working or showing but either one make sure that the breeder has had all health tests done and see all the results.
He said visit as many breeders as possible and meet the dogs , go to the training days and shows, basically really do research before you jump into buying one, as lots of sibes end up in rescue due to people thinking that they are just a normal family dog, that will sit and stay on command.
She has taken his advice and i ringing him to find out more about the working side of things.

Peanuts

We have 11 Sibes (plus a couple of rescue fosters at the moment) and can confirm that they are a wonderful breed and make wonderful pets - just as long as you are aware of and capable of dealing with their little idiosynchrasies. They have an extremely high prey drive, so they tend to regard small animals - cats, rabbits, squirrels etc etc as lunch. The prey drive also means that once they have developed past puppyhood and are full of self-confidence, they are extremely untrustworthy off lead. They might have perfect recall as long as it suits them, but on the one occasion where it really matters, they will be willfully deaf. They can climb over, dig under or simply eat their way past most fences (8ft wire-reinforced fences are the best bet). As a pack animal, they need firm leadership, which, if not provided by the owner will be assumed by the dog - and then you have problems. They are brilliant with children - I don't know a breed which is better.
Your neighbour should do as much research as possible about the breed before deciding on having one. This should include visiting people in her area that have huskies, so she can see first hand what they are like in reality. If she then decides to go ahead with a Sibe, she needs to decide whether she wants a puppy, or whether she might offer a home to a rescue dog.
If she wants a puppy, then a whole new area of problems arise. There are hundreds of people breeding Siberian Huskies in the UK - the vast majority of whom are puppy farmers, backyard breeders and/or naive/greedy "pet" breeders all of whom are only in it for the money. This is the advice we usually give to people looking for a puppy:

Buying a Husky Puppy

If, after having researched the breed thoroughly, you decide you would like to purchase a Siberian Husky puppy from a breeder, you will need to be extremely careful as there are many more bad breeders out there than good ones.
There are hundreds of Siberian Husky breeders in the UK. Like most breeds the quality of dogs & breeders varies widely. A small proportion of breeders in the UK are reputable and responsible but most, unfortunately, are not. To the inexperienced it is often very difficult to tell the difference. These are some of the indicators you can use to check breeders out:

1. Are the dogs being bred Kennel Club registered and are the pups KC registered?  KC registration is not a 100% guarantee, but it is a strong indication that the pedigree of your dog is accurate and honest. If sire, dam or the pups are not KC registered beat a hasty retreat at that point.

2. Do they work and/or show their dogs? If not, why are they breeding? Most breeders breed litters to improve their stock for the show ring or the trail. If they are doing neither you have to assume that their main motivation is cash! - not the best reason for breeding dogs.

3. How easy do they make it to buy a puppy? If you don't get the (friendly) third degree about your knowledge of the breed, the security of your garden & house etc. it is unlikely that they are a responsible breeder. Will they let you see the mum and dad and all their other dogs? You can learn a lot from the condition and temperament of the adult dogs in a breeder's kennel. On many occasions the breeder will have gone 'outside' for a mating so they won't actually own the stud dog, but they should be able to show you pictures, pedigree and health certification.

4. Have the appropriate health tests for the breed been carried out on the parents? Although as a breed, the Siberian Husky is very healthy, all responsible breeders will screen their dogs for hereditary defects. In particular, they should be checked for hip and eye defects. Ask if the parents of the puppies are tested and ask to see the results.

5. Will they expect you to sign a contract of sale in which you undertake to return the dog direct to the breeder if for any reason you cannot keep it and in which you acknowledge that the dog has breeding/export restrictions on its KC papers and cannot be bred from without agreement from the breeder? All responsible breeders will insist on this.

If you cannot tick all these boxes with a breeder--walk away, breathe a sigh of relief and look elsewhere. It may take you some time, but it will be worth it in the long run. All husky puppies are beautiful, so don't be tempted to buy the first one you see.

Many breeders, both good and bad have websites. Check out this site - it will help your neighbour sort out the good from the bad breeders from what they say (or don't say) on their websites: http://www.kaylenbergsiberians.com/BreedersOnline.htm

If, on the other hand they want to offer a home to an unwanted Siberian Husky, there are three reputable breed rescue organisations in the UK:

Siberian Husky Welfare Association (UK) - http://www.shwauk.org.uk
Siberian Husky Club of Great Britain Welfare  -  http://www.siberianhuskyclub.com
Scottish Siberian Husky Club Welfare - http://www.scottishshc.org.uk

Hope this helps

Mick

What an excellent post Mick!

thats a terrific post. i've a friend who mentioned his dad might be considering a husky so i shall pass that on.

Thanks for taking the time  MickB to put that together its fab the women next doors coming over at 7 will let her see wot you put i found a great site on Huskys today to, i think a husky may be to much hard work but then im already a worn out owner of 3 dogs all keeping me on my toes :-), next dog i'll get will be a nice statue on my window sill lol 

Unless the persons intention is also to run their dog in harness then a husky as a pet is not the best option for purely a companion, I wouldn't recomend any of the sled dogs for companion only. 

They are very social and those I know are excellent with children, but they a e very high energy and do not do well left alone, and of course providing enough excersise when you don't let them off lead is something to consider.

There are easier/calmer breeds in the Spitz type, none of the Sled dog types are the best option unless the person cannot see past them.

Get them to look at other breeds that have other functions than freighting.

There is my own breed, the Norwegian Elkhound (but I am biased) who for me have been ideal family dogs, just right enough energy levels (laid back in house, but go for miles on walks, but don't climb the walls if you can't do five mile hike).

Norwegian Buhunds have an easy care coat as does the Elkhound, only really needing daily combing during periods of moult.

I would also say that the Samoyed makes a great family dog (though lots of grooming) as does the Keeshond.  Similar coat also on the Laphund breeds with the Finnish one having a more outgoing temperament.

Finnish Spitz are nice but can be very noisy.  Most spitz can be vocal to varying degrees, but this is down to training to control, and mine aren't a problem and I have five in an urban situation, do have to bear neighbours in mind.

If they like low to ground dogs with easy care coat then a Swedish Vallhund is a nice dog.

Any spitz breed will shed, probably similar to a Golden retriever.

I agree with you to an extent, although I also know hundreds of people who just have one sibe which they keep as a pet quite happily. The crucial issue isn't exercise as such, but activity (not necessarily the same thing). A bored husky can be an extremely destructive husky. A lonely husky can be both extremely destructive and extremely noisy.
Separation anxiety and the noise and destructiveness resulting from it is one of the major reasons why huskies come into welfare. On the other hand, if you have a happy and active dog, you will be absolutely amazed at the amount of time this "high energy" dog spends fast asleep. In many ways, a husky is like a child - the most important gift you can give to it is your time - if you just want a dog to sit quietly and do what it is told, don't under any circumstances get a husky. We often say to people, getting a husky isn't acquiring a "pet", it is making a "lifestyle choice" which will radically alter the way you live your life (much like having a child).

Mick

Hi Chelzeagirl!

I absolutely echo the excellent post's provided by Mick and Brainless :)
  But want to highlight exactly why I would not advise your friend to take on a Siberian Husky at this point in time:-

With the recent Disney type films such as 'Snowdogs' "Snow Buddies', "Eight Below' etc... there has been much more demand for the 'pet' Siberian. A prospective owner may do a little research or a lot (most mainly do not nearly enough!) and a little research will reveal The Siberian is not a guard dog!! But a friend to everyone! Perfect for the family dog they think..........

~Sooooo... Why is it that at this time there is a massive abundance of Siberians in Rescues across the country and   being advertised in 'Free Ad' type places and various 'E' internet dog selling sites?????????

~ Also the majority of these dogs are at the 'teenage years' all being over 12-17 months!! (and reading the adverts all of them are being passed on because 'owners circumstances have changed'..... reallly?? thats an awful lot of unfortunate people who lives have totally changed to be not able to keep the puppy they thought they'd have for life only a year ago????... do you smell a rat? because I do!)

~ Look at the 'Missing/Lost Dogs' section of this forum - (and remember this is just one section of examples of what is happening around the country, so if time look at the 'Dog Lost' website) On this site alone you will see that practically every month there is a  Siberian Husky reported missing/lost!
Our breed club states The Sibe must not be let off lead unless in an 'escape proof' environment! but sadly there are still many people who think it will never happen to them! The facts bear this out! :( (Sibes are the Houdini of the dog world!)

~ More worryingly: as the pet market has surged so has the emergence of many BYB and puppy farm breeders :( I am seeing Sibes that are shy and fearful in temprement ... this is not a Siberian husky!! :( they are the most forward going "whats around the next corner" breed I know! There are very many badly bred dogs flooding the E sites etc now and with a bad temprement bring a whole host of upset for an unsuspecting owner and their family.
I would urge your friend to consider the glaring evidence here that many people taking on a Siberian Husky puppy as a pet do so totally unprepared for what the future commitment of living with and caring for a Sibe entails.
Common regrets of owners who pass on their once much wanted pup now wanting to re-home teenage Sibe are:

~ We want a dog we can let off in the local park to play with others and fetch sticks. (we found having him/her on lead all the time restrictive, as most local places are not fenced well enough, even though we knew it was the case we can't let this breed off lead, we didn't realise the impact, or have the correct environment)
~ We purchased our dog in the summer months where we had time and daylight to accomodate walks, now winter sets in with darker nights, we're busy collecting/sorting out the kids and the dog walks are going by the wayside.
~ Because walks are waning our Teenage Sibe is becoming stroppy/difficult to handle/ pulls me and the kids over/destroys the house/annoys the neighbours with howling!! etc etc....

Ok.. I've wittered on long enough!! ;) You can see where I'm going with this....

If however your friend takes the time to visit Sibe owners/breeders, accepts that he/she must be dedicated, have the right environment: very secure garden etc etc and commitment, accepts the con's as much as the pro's then a Siberian Husky is the best dog in the world anyone could ever have the honour of owning!! :) but they are not for everyone ;)

Best of luck!

(edited to add: Sorry took me so long to type! I was posting under Barbara.. but Mick has come in and said it much more succinctly!! ;))

Couldn't have put it better.

I fostered a young Elkhound bitch (turned out to be a sibe cross) and was amazed at the difference that part of her heritage made to her overall character.

She was very easy to have around for me with my tribe, but her new owner had separation anxiety issues with her once she had bonded with him, as for energy levels, she probably rested as much as mine did, but when she was on the go, boy was she on the go.  I thought mine were fairly active, but they mooch, this lass was on a mission, and from those I know with Huskies she was much more typical of a Siberian than an Elkhound.

Her new owner has an 11 year old West Siberian Laika who are much more like the Elkhound in nature, but after 6 months the lass settled enough to get over the initial issues.  She would not have fitted in with someone looking for a typical Elikhound temperament though.

It really is horses for courses, but most potential owners really don't appreciate just how different breeds can be, and one mans meat is really another mans poison.
.

I have 5 Huskies and would just like to agree with Mick B, Brainless and Huskygal - they are wonderful dogs, but if you don't like fur on your clothes, furniture, food etc. they may not be for you...also, i do think they need a canine companion (though i wouldn't EVER get two together! One will listen when it wants to, two might but only when they feel like it, lol!) Personally, i'd get one and build a strong bond with it, then look at getting another dog (not necessarily another husky) when it's 6 - 12 months old. They are a pack animal and i find they're happier with a 'friend'.

The damage they can do when bored is unbelievable - one of mine ate his way through a wooden door panel, another ate the plaster/skirting boards in my kitchen, yet another one shredded (and i do mean SHREDDED) my leather sofa when he was 9 months old and i left him alone while i had a shower!

For all that, i wouldn't swap 'em for any other breed - but they're definetly not for the fainthearted :)

BIG ((((((Hugs)))))) and thanks to all for your great advice i showed kate last night what had been writen and the web site on HUSKYS  and am happy to say the family have decided to go to Battersea today to find a dog from their (not a Husky tho) ;-)
i do think its alot of work to own one of these dogs as great as thay are i think you really have to be honest with your self and look at how much commitment your prepared to put into caring for one much like any dog really i dont think the family wanted to make it  hard on themselfs so have opted to go for something else, hope it works out for them will post to let you know what the get when i find out, thanks again for all the great advice,