Husky dogs

[ballpython2]

a friend of mine breeds huskies is 600 a good price for one?....

I live in a 2 bedroom apartment alone so i have the room for it and i love to exercise and walk so I know it will have a lot of energy.

and i have the money to take care of it...

anything else i need to know that is breed specific?

after I write this i will be researchin more on the breed before i buy one..but all help is good help..

 

[RoachGirlRen]

Depends, is your friend just some backyard breeder, or are the dogs quality AKC specimens with papers going back at least four generations, all ancestors free of genetic disease, and parents tested for common large-breed problems such as hip dysplasia? If yes, then 600 is a pretty good price. If your friend just has some random pet store husky and bred it with another one, I'd suggest seeking out a legitimate breeder to avoid potential health and temperament problems. (No, it isn't about snobbery or fancy show dogs - purebreds, unless very well bred, have a fairly high potential for genetic disease).

Huskies are high energy, vocal, and have an immense prey drive. They really aren't apartment dogs; most prefer to spend the majority of their time outdoors and they are extremely independant. Their physical activity and behavioral enrichment needs go well beyond walks. I personally think one would destroy an apartment out of boredom pretty quickly. They can be difficult to train but do enjoy having a task, especially a task involving pulling. You need to be firm, dominant, and consistent in training or they can be very troublesome dogs to keep. Most prefer another canine companion as they are a highly "pack oriented" breed, and I would strongly suggest it if you work long hours since a bored husky is a destructive husky. I really don't think it is an ideal choice for an apartment since as I said, they enjoy being outdoors, love to run, are quite loud, and can be destructive. But, I suppose if you are very committed to spending a TON of time with this dog outdoors and train it extremely well, you might be able to pull it off.
Quick question though, what other pets do you have? Huskies have one helluva prey drive and are well known for going after cats and other small animals while the owner is away. I know a number of husky owners who have well trained dogs but still know better than to leave them alone with cats or even caged rodents/small mammals. We get them in at the shelter a LOT, usually due to poor training, destructive behavior, or "it killed kitty."

 

[ballpython2]

Depends, is your friend just some backyard breeder, or are the dogs quality AKC specimens with papers going back at least four generations, all ancestors free of genetic disease, and parents tested for common large-breed problems such as hip dysplasia? If yes, then 600 is a pretty good price. If your friend just has some random pet store husky and bred it with another one, I'd suggest seeking out a legitimate breeder to avoid potential health and temperament problems. (No, it isn't about snobbery or fancy show dogs - purebreds, unless very well bred, have a fairly high potential for genetic disease).

Huskies are high energy, vocal, and have an immense prey drive. They really aren't apartment dogs; most prefer to spend the majority of their time outdoors and they are extremely independant. Their physical activity and behavioral enrichment needs go well beyond walks. I personally think one would destroy an apartment out of boredom pretty quickly. They can be difficult to train but do enjoy having a task, especially a task involving pulling. You need to be firm, dominant, and consistent in training or they can be very troublesome dogs to keep. Most prefer another canine companion as they are a highly "pack oriented" breed, and I would strongly suggest it if you work long hours since a bored husky is a destructive husky. I really don't think it is an ideal choice for an apartment since as I said, they enjoy being outdoors, love to run, are quite loud, and can be destructive. But, I suppose if you are very committed to spending a TON of time with this dog outdoors and train it extremely well, you might be able to pull it off.
Quick question though, what other pets do you have? Huskies have one helluva prey drive and are well known for going after cats and other small animals while the owner is away. I know a number of husky owners who have well trained dogs but still know better than to leave them alone with cats or even caged rodents/small mammals. We get them in at the shelter a LOT, usually due to poor training, destructive behavior, or "it killed kitty."

Thanks for all this it helped a lot. and honestly yes it just a woman and her wife who have had the parents of the huskies they are sellin (they have 6 left) since babies and the parents have be raised around kids all their life. so the temperment is well. and as for small animals all i have are tarantulas. and even though people dont really go by what they say. She also works at petco if that helps any.

 

[pitbulllady]

I used to breed Siberian Huskies before I got into APBT's and Catahoulas. I can't think of a worse breed to keep in an apartment, to be perfectly honest. Like Roachgirl said, this is an EXTREME high-energy breed, and without an outlet for that energy, like say, running at full-speed for 15 miles each day, there WILL be trouble! They are very vocal dogs, prone to howling and yapping for hours on end, they have the most intense prey drive of any breed of dog I've ever encountered, and that includes purebred wolves, Carolina Dogs and New Guinea Singing Dogs(Dingoes)-I was never, and I mean never-able to train or socialize a Husky not to kill other animals. I'm sure that if one of mine had seen a tarantula take a few steps in its enclosure, there would have been nothing short of Divine Intervention-or a 12-guage-to stop it from ripping into that enclosure and eating the spider, urticating hairs or no urticating hairs! I've never even met a cat with the prey drive of a Husky, and this includes bobcats! They are nothing short of Obsessive-Compulsive when it comes to hunting, running, and digging. Honestly, I can't help but laugh and groan at the same time when I read or hear someone tell another person who is considering getting a wolf or wolf-dog to get a Husky instead; I would rather deal with a dozen full-grown Timber wolves in the house than one typical Siberian Husky, and I've had both! I've heard folks at AKC dog shows refer to Siberians as "canine crack-heads", and having been around enough of them, I can see where they get that comparison!

And then there's the hair-ALL Arctic or double-coated breeds "blow coat"("shed" doesn't quite come close to describing what they do))twice a year, and the volume of hair that can come from one dog in a short period of time is astonishing, to say the least. You can brush and brush until you're blue in the face, and when you're finally convinced that you've gotten all the hair, at least until the next seasonal coat change, lo and behold, the dog will, by the very next day, be covered in unsightly "tags" of loose undercoat, to the extent that you'll swear the dog grew that hair overnight just to annoy you! I had an Akita that lived indoors once, and in spite of my efforts, her blown undercoat hair actually burned up the motor in my central air conditioning, since I couldn't change filters often enough to prevent them from clogging with hair! I've heard someone else describe this phenomenon as a "hair hurricane", and that's a pretty accurate description!

A Husky is a great dog for someone who lives out in the country, has a large amount of fenced-in property(with at least six-foot high fencing; they can jump a four-foot fence like nobody's business), and lives a very active outdoor lifestyle. If you are into wilderness hiking, backpacking, cross-country skiing, and would love to expand into dog-sledding or skijorring, a Husky is a great choice, though if you have other animals, or have a soft spot for cute cuddly wild critters like rabbits, there might be a conflict. Like Catahoulas and Border Collies, they really, and I mean REALLY, need a job to do, otherwise they'll create their own "job", and chances are, you won't like it very much.

pitbulllady

 

[Ted]

in my honest opinion no dog on earth, unless made of gold, could be worth over 50 bucks.
dogs are everywhere, cheap, and easy to get..for free.
the most i would pay is 50 for adoption fees.

my free dogs have always been as good, or even better than dogs that cost money.

dont be a sucker..a husky isnt going to give you anything or love you any more than a mutt.
and mutts are almost always healthier, happier, and longer lived with less problems.


free is better than 600 bucks.

 

[Mushroom Spore]

She also works at petco if that helps any.

It doesn't. Honestly, your friend does sound like a "backyard breeder." If they don't know the genetic history of their animals so as to be certain they aren't breeding dogs that will develop horrible crippling diseases later in life, they quite frankly have NO business breeding dogs at all. That's cruel, greedy, and selfish.

 

[blacktara]

Regarding what Ted said - isnt it kinda true about T's as well?

I mean, you dont need to spend hundreds of bucks on the latest glamorous colorful spidey to learn about their habits, behavior, biology, etc

Maybe the expensive T's give you more love?

 

[RoachGirlRen]

It doesn't. Honestly, your friend does sound like a "backyard breeder." If they don't know the genetic history of their animals so as to be certain they aren't breeding dogs that will develop horrible crippling diseases later in life, they quite frankly have NO business breeding dogs at all. That's cruel, greedy, and selfish.

Agreed 100%. I don't see how working at Petco has to do with the healthy lineage of her dogs, especially since Petco basically lives and breathes on a philosophy of selling poorly bred mass produced animals for profit.

And pitbull lady is 100% right in everything she said. I totally forgot about the HAIR factor, my gawd. And yeah, they would really happily eat your T's. They'd happily eat your anything that moves, plus anything that looks like it might move, smells like it used to move, etc. I used to take Lara, a husky, out for walks in the shelter at the winter and she would stand like a statue on the snow, then suddenly pound through it with her muzzle and come up with a mouse. It was insane; I've seen wolves less competant at hunting.

IMO, you'd be much better off adopting a smaller (not a little yappy thing, just something a little more suitible for an apartment), less intense dog. There are tons of dogs in shelters that you can adopt allready spayed, neutered, and vaccinated. And if you go to a good shelter and get a young adult dog, they'll allready have tested it's temperament and seen it do a vet, plus they can give you background, so you aren't as likely to have unpleasant surprises as it grows up as you would with a puppy. But, if you REALLY want a puppy, shelters are full of them too.

 

[ballpython2]

Regarding what Ted said - isnt it kinda true about T's as well?

I mean, you dont need to spend hundreds of bucks on the latest glamorous colorful spidey to learn about their habits, behavior, biology, etc

Maybe the expensive T's give you more love?

Well, I'm glad I read these posts because it souds like if I should any dog a husky shouldnt be one of them lol. So I guess I'll try to for a pit bull or one of them other dogs...I really want one of those that can be found in the movie "next friday"....A lot of people think they are ugly but I think they are really nice looking. short and stalky. What's the breed called? (if anyone even knows what im talkin bout)

 

[RoachGirlRen]

Don't get ANY dog based on looks, or because it was cool in a movie. Get a dog based on if it is compatible with your lifestyle. Pit bulls demand a very dominant, firm owner who can give them direction and purpose. They aren't content being a lazy lapdog, even if they do like their snuggle time; they are again, an active, athletic, intelligent dog - and they're intensely master-focused, so if you're always away from home they are again, not a good choice. Plus, check with your land lord BEFORE even thinking of a pit bull; a lot of housing has restrictions on what breeds you can have, and I've know a ton of good pits who lost their homes or worse because their owner didn't check to see if their apartment or town allows them.
I think you should focus on researching dog breeds for a while, maybe visit your local shelter and interact with some of the dogs, and really consider your lifestyle, schedule, training methods, etc. instead of just thinking of breeds you like the look of.

 

[ballpython2]

Don't get ANY dog based on looks, or because it was cool in a movie. Get a dog based on if it is compatible with your lifestyle. Pit bulls demand a very dominant, firm owner who can give them direction and purpose. They aren't content being a lazy lapdog, even if they do like their snuggle time; they are again, an active, athletic, intelligent dog - and they're intensely master-focused, so if you're always away from home they are again, not a good choice. Plus, check with your land lord BEFORE even thinking of a pit bull; a lot of housing has restrictions on what breeds you can have, and I've know a ton of good pits who lost their homes or worse because their owner didn't check to see if their apartment or town allows them.
I think you should focus on researching dog breeds for a while, maybe visit your local shelter and interact with some of the dogs, and really consider your lifestyle, schedule, training methods, etc. instead of just thinking of breeds you like the look of.

My mother owns the house I live in. and she doesn't care if i have one of these as long as i get the papers done for it and have it registered with the city and properly train it. which means training should start as soon as the dog leaves the stages where it can't focus on the tasks at hand. because I know until all dogs reach a certain age their attention span is really short. but at the same time when you train a dog it shouldn't be all day but every day until they get down and keep in mind the basic commands. and i have done research since I first knew i wanted this type of dog and that was back in middle school sometime. so the looks thing i said is basically after all the stuff I NEED to know and already do know. I guess if something isnt said its not going to be implied. but I fully understand where you are coming from because getting a pit minus the research is a like a lil boy getting into snakes and his very first one is a big python because he didn't do the research on it and is stuck with it. and ends up letting it loose..Like what seems to happen in florida a lot.

 

[pitbulllady]

Don't get ANY dog based on looks, or because it was cool in a movie. Get a dog based on if it is compatible with your lifestyle. Pit bulls demand a very dominant, firm owner who can give them direction and purpose. They aren't content being a lazy lapdog, even if they do like their snuggle time; they are again, an active, athletic, intelligent dog - and they're intensely master-focused, so if you're always away from home they are again, not a good choice. Plus, check with your land lord BEFORE even thinking of a pit bull; a lot of housing has restrictions on what breeds you can have, and I've know a ton of good pits who lost their homes or worse because their owner didn't check to see if their apartment or town allows them.
I think you should focus on researching dog breeds for a while, maybe visit your local shelter and interact with some of the dogs, and really consider your lifestyle, schedule, training methods, etc. instead of just thinking of breeds you like the look of.

Again, great advice. Sure, we all have "looks" in dog breeds that we like, but you have to consider the "total package", because looks are just the tip of the iceberg. ALL breeds have drawbacks, pluses and minuses, so a person has to carefully research and find out which best fits their lifestyle, and which of the minuses they can best cope with. Pit Bull Terriers aren't quite as high energy as Sibes, but they come close. They don't have the hair factor, but make up for it in chewing and separation anxiety issues. Most of the breeds I would personally consider ARE high-energy, but I prefer working or sporting-type dogs. Then again, I don't live in an apartment, with close neighbors, but out in the boonies on six acres of field and forested land. If I DID live in town, either in an apartment or in housing where there was limited space and lots of other people living nearby, I would not be able to keep any of the breeds I've had, period. It would not be fair to either the dogs or my neighbors.

pitbulllady

 

[Ted]

Regarding what Ted said - isnt it kinda true about T's as well?

I mean, you dont need to spend hundreds of bucks on the latest glamorous colorful spidey to learn about their habits, behavior, biology, etc

Maybe the expensive T's give you more love?

indeed!
i cant see paying over 20 bucks for any invert..unless i lived in a part of the world that there were none in the wild.
in texas we have lots of T's, pedes, and everything else...for free

 

[pitbulllady]

indeed!
i cant see paying over 20 bucks for any invert..unless i lived in a part of the world that there were none in the wild.
in texas we have lots of T's, pedes, and everything else...for free

Most of us aren't that fortunate, Ted. Even if someone gives me a T, it would still cost me more than 20.00 to ship it here. I guess that when something is always readily available and free, its value diminishes in the minds of most folks, thus, to someone who sees wild tarantulas on a regular basis, tarantulas have no monetary value. It's the same way with dogs, purebred vs. mutts. To most folks, a random-bred dog that cost little or nothing is also WORTH little or nothing, and those people are, in my experience, far less likely to make an effort to train the dog or properly contain it, or to deal with behavioral issues, which more likely than not, are just part of normal canine behavior being misunderstood by people. For someone who wants a dog for a specific purpose, like a dog for hunting wild boar, for example, the chances of finding it in a mixed-breed dog of unknown parentage are slim. That's why we have purebreds, dogs that specialize in certain tasks, and proper breeding and maintaining healthy gene pools of such dogs requires considerable time, effort and expense on the part of breeders, thus such dogs are more expensive. In my primary breed, Catahoula Leopard Dogs, there are genetic problems that need to be screened for, like hip dysplasia, and doing so is expensive. Raising a litter of pups, which often number over 10 per litter in this breed, to the age where they can be evaluated for working potential and placed with new owners, not to mention advertizing and screening potential owners, is also very expensive and time-consuming. That does not include the ever-present chance of something going wrong, like the mother developing mastitis or pyometra or having to have a C-section, or of pups contracting some infection before they're even old enough to vaccinate, situations which can quickly rack up vet bills in the thousands. If you're not willing to fork out money for emergencies, regardless of whether you breed dogs or just have a pet, DON'T GET A DOG! There is a lot of expense involved with proper breeding of purebred animals, and that expense is filtered down to the buyers, as with any consumer product. Mutts DO get sick, or get hit by cars, etc., and their vet bills can be every bit as high as those of a purebred. There's really no such thing as a "free" dog, after all.

pitbulllady