Any Siberian husky owners?

[black_cat]

Most show lines here work as well, I think its probably pet quality and show quality

Ah ok
so BYB quality and show quality, or actual pet quality?

 

[Scrumdidlyump]

Why is there so much variation in how huskies look?


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Pictures from the internet

The bottom one is a cinnamon huskie- Thats what mine was. Some huskies are smaller lead dogs and some huskies are the big muscle sled pullers.

 

[SpotTheCat]

Hmm....mals are the same but all of those cons are basically amplified.

Samoyeds, I think, are more chill with cats and can be better off lead, but are still bad watchdogs and don't look intimidating.

Maybe look into Canadian eskimo dogs, yakutian laikas, and greenland dogs? Those are other mushing breeds but I don't know anything about them. Maybe watch a crufts working group to see all of the sled pulling ones?

Can’t find much information on Canadian eskimos and greenland dogs ,what little I can find say the same thing about cats as mals and huskies do

I need research samoyeds some more

Don’t think I can find any yakutian laikas

 

[SpotTheCat]

Ah ok
so BYB quality and show quality, or actual pet quality?

I meant BYB quality

 

[TJAnonymous]

So far my thoughts on huskies

Pros

• Look intimidating (maybe?)
• Love their personality
• Mushing
• Easy to find one

Cons

• Bad watchdog (My mother would like something that at least barks at strangers, people knocking on the door and things going on near the house)
• Not 100% sure they will get along with cats
• Can’t be let of lead (not the worst but I would like to be able to walk some places with the dog of lead)

I am not sure I want one, but I don’t think any of the other mushing breeds are any better.

On the Cons, my dog barks at literally EVERYTHING. She barks at stray cats, rabbits, the mail man, people jogging, anything. Everything. If someone rings the doorbell, she goes absolutely bonkers. I don't think you have much to worry about here....

After my last post, I remembered that my oldest son (in the Air Force) had a full-blooded Husky puppy for about 6 months. It became too much for his pregnant wife to handle so they gave it away.... But his Husky didn't like cats. I think it was more of a jealousy thing. If the dog saw them petting the cats or the cats attempting to come near him, he got really jealous and tried to bite at the cats. Not rip them apart like a predator would...just be aggressive enough that the cat would run away. That was also a big reason why they gave the pup away. However, I've seen similar behavior in my dog. She is not aggressive or mean with the cats but she does get very jealous if she sees one sitting in my lap. She could be in a dead sleep and if she wakes up and notices a cat in my lap, she will bolt across the room and cannonball me. Well, the cat who is probably gone before she gets within 5 feet so I end up being the target....

 

[NatJ]

Why is there so much variation in how huskies look?

For the actual ones that pull dogsleds (in races or for other reasons), it's because the mushers care how they work, not how they look.

They need to be in a certain size range, healthy, and have fur that keeps them warm enough and sheds snow. The ones for racing tend to be smaller and faster than the ones that pull heavy loads (who are larger and stronger but slower.) At present, I think the racing ones are more common, since people use airplanes and trucks and snowmobiles instead of dog teams to transport actual supplies.

For racing, I've read that it's common to cross in breeds like Pointers and even Greyhounds, and some years back there was a musher running a team of standard Poodles. The poodles did fairly well in races, but had trouble with the snow freezing into their fur, so he started crossing in some huskies to get a more suitable fur type.

 

[SpotTheCat]

On the Cons, my dog barks at literally EVERYTHING. She barks at stray cats, rabbits, the mail man, people jogging, anything. Everything. If someone rings the doorbell, she goes absolutely bonkers. I don't think you have much to worry about here....

After my last post, I remembered that my oldest son (in the Air Force) had a full-blooded Husky puppy for about 6 months. It became too much for his pregnant wife to handle so they gave it away.... But his Husky didn't like cats. I think it was more of a jealousy thing. If the dog saw them petting the cats or the cats attempting to come near him, he got really jealous and tried to bite at the cats. Not rip them apart like a predator would...just be aggressive enough that the cat would run away. That was also a big reason why they gave the pup away. However, I've seen similar behavior in my dog. She is not aggressive or mean with the cats but she does get very jealous if she sees one sitting in my lap. She could be in a dead sleep and if she wakes up and notices a cat in my lap, she will bolt across the room and cannonball me. Well, the cat who is probably gone before she gets within 5 feet so I end up being the target....

Thank you! What I worry about with the cats is a lot of people say that if the cat runs then the dog might go after it, the siberian husky club said that some dogs killed cats they had lived with for years for no obvious reason

 

[SpotTheCat]

For the actual ones that pull dogsleds (in races or for other reasons), it's because the mushers care how they work, not how they look.

They need to be in a certain size range, healthy, and have fur that keeps them warm enough and sheds snow. The ones for racing tend to be smaller and faster than the ones that pull heavy loads (who are larger and stronger but slower.) At present, I think the racing ones are more common, since people use airplanes and trucks and snowmobiles instead of dog teams to transport actual supplies.

For racing, I've read that it's common to cross in breeds like Pointers and even Greyhounds, and some years back there was a musher running a team of standard Poodles. The poodles did fairly well in races, but had trouble with the snow freezing into their fur, so he started crossing in some huskies to get a more suitable fur type.

Interesting, thank you!

 

[SpotTheCat]

With more research I am leaning towards malamutes rather then huskies.

Pros
less independent*
They seem slightly less hyper (maybe?)
More reliable with cats
I like their looks a bit more then huskies
Mushing (carting maybe?)
Intimidating (maybe? I can’t really tell with dogs)

cons
Big (worried since it would be my first puppy as well as first large dog)
Bit worried about dog aggression
Also a bad watchdog
No off leash as well

*I forgot on the husky one that I would like a dog that comes to see what I am doing

 

[black_cat]

With more research I am leaning towards malamutes rather then huskies.

Pros
less independent*
They seem slightly less hyper (maybe?)
More reliable with cats
I like their looks a bit more then huskies
Mushing (carting maybe?)
Intimidating (maybe? I can’t really tell with dogs)

cons
Big (worried since it would be my first puppy as well as first large dog)
Bit worried about dog aggression

I know that same sex aggression can be a big problem with them

Also a bad watchdog
No off leash as well

*I forgot on the husky one that I would like a dog that comes to see what I am doing

@21hens-incharge keeps malamutes, you could probably ak her some questions