Siberian Husky - HELP Please

I would never let a dog off leash regardless of breed.

^ RR - I think it depends on the individual dog and location

Why take the chance. Its not worth it.

Oh, and I got my first Ridgeback and then got another when she was six months old. So they are 6 months apart and both females. Havent had any problems. One is more dominant than the other. Scout is now 1 and Puma is 1 1/2. I think it actually makes it easier. They play with each other all the time. Now, I dont work or anything so I have lots of spare time and they are not kept in a crate for long periods of time. Just make sure you take them for walks seperatly so they both have their own time with mom.

Windy and Archie have reliable off-lead recalls. They can both hike, bike and ATV with me off-lead and I am able to call them off of deer, horses, other ATV, other dogs and people. They stay close to me, and come when I call. In the right environment (talking way off-road and in the woods/fields), I play off lead with them and they're both well behaved. Set a training goal, work your but off and you'll usually get there.

I have to break in here, since I have raised two pups together twice, and there's a lot of "nonsense" being told about doing this. My cousin read all the negative stuff, but he finally listened to me, and cracked and tried it, and admitted it was the easiest puppy raising he had ever done, by a mile.

The only real negative is expense.

It's MUCH easier than one pup alone! They will keep each other busy, tire each other out, and generally sleep better than a single pup. Molly doesn't sleep much though, but King makes up for it.

The "bonding to each other, and not to you" is also nonsense. The two dogs that were insanely in love with me were both from these pairs of pups. The one I have now, King is asleep at my feet right now, Molly's on the bed in the next room, she's not nearly as close to me as King is. They are close in an odd way, if one shows signs of illness, like throwing up, the other one gets very upset, and worried, but other than that, they are like any two dogs with different personalities, etc.

I have to admit, I disagree with much of what many dog experts say is "fact". I think most of the "crate training" stuff is total BS, a way to keep from having to pay attention to the dog.

I say, GO FOR IT!!

i'm sorry but how does crate training a dog keep you from having to pay attention to it.

Ratboy can i ask what breed your pups were, wat age and were they from the same litter?

Buddy you must have been given some poor crate training advice if you believe that. There is absolutely nothing wrong with crate training if done correctly.

LOL. I'm not sure who taught you about crate training either- but it must have been poor advice.

No. Crate training when done *correctly* gives the dog a safe and comfortable "cave" a little canine retreat. It's also fantastic if you travel with your dogs as much as I do. I don't need an animal running free in the back of my car. (Which aside from being distracting for the driver is dangerous to both dog AND passengers). Nor do I need a dog that howls, barks, whines, or yips because he doesn't enjoy being crated.

Furthermore, I show my dogs. Considering a good part of my life is spent catering TO my dogs, going to events WITH my dogs, I would *hardly* think the crate is a way to ignore them. If anything, I spend more time with my dogs than the average dog owner. At a dog show a crate is a necessity. It's a place for the dog to relax and nap before his or her ring time. Dog shows are bustling, loud, and can be very stressful. It's nice for the dog to be able to chill out amidst all the noise.

Since this discussion is on huskies, a crate is the best probably for them. Huskies love thier "dens". Cider and Snowy never had a house to themselves before. They were kenneled with another dog, with thier "den" being a 5x5' space of the kennel in a shed. When we brought them home, and they figured out they had a house- were they happy! You can tell. If the weather is bad, Snowy wont leave her house. I have to feed her inside it. If they feel stressed (thunderstorm, tractors going by, the lawn mower) thats the first place they head to. Its thier personal space, and they love that. Its thier place to relax and de-stress. Its where they feel safe.

Basically , each situation is different... from the breed , the number of dogs at home and the people in charge. I never crate trained my own dogs.. though got a litters used to crates in case their new owners went that way ....I only had one couple buy 2 from the same litter and it didn't work out well for them. Maybe they let the pups entertain each other too much.... who knows . I do know I bought litter mates as my 3rd Goldens... They were a handful and it took me much longer to be " boss " than my 1st 2 goldens.

Depends on the dog my Siberian can be trsuted off leash but she has had TONS of training. I hate people think that because its a Siberian it can't be trained to stay. It IS hard and with some dogs it won't work. But it IS possible for SOME dogs.

I don't think a Siberian can't be trained to stay (I have CD CGC TDI Siberians). I do, however, see the breed for what it is. If given the chance, ~98% of Siberians will bolt and you'll have one heck of a time getting them back.

I did Siberian rescue privately for years and still get calls here and there to take a dog. I will not place a Siberian in a home without a fenced in yard or kennel run, preferably attached to the house. I also will not place a Siberian in a home with cats - period. There are no acceptions to these rules.

Every once in a while you find a Siberian that can be trusted off-lead, yes. But as a general rule of thumb, they can't - and potential owners need to know that. The realities of them getting one of the 2% that will be reliable is slim.

I know this

Sorry it took so long to answer. I've seen it so many times, rather than spend time with the dog, or just letting it do whatever it wants to, they put the dog in the crate. It's "easier" that way, it doesn't get into "trouble". I spend a lot of time with mine, even though King is asleep most of the time, and Molly is eating, I'm there when they want to be with me. In King's case, that would be almost 24 hours a day. King's favorite place is under my desk, crammed into a tiny little space. The difference between that and the crate are the crate was about 4 times as big, and he can get out from under the desk whenever he wants to.


the ones I have now are littermates, just mutts, Dobe and Lab on Mom's side, dad was probably a Husky, they will be 8 on December 23. They are the 3rd and 4th dogs I have had with the same birthday! They seem to have a lot of Husky traits, a friend has two and they remind me of King and Molly in the way they inteact with each other. That's King as my Avatar in the corner. Molly looks similar, except she's a faded black (grey) and white, and is noticeably larger than King, like all the females in the litter of 13 suviving pups were.

That's your opinion, and I have mine. I don't mind one or both of them in bed with me.

Huh, I have always heard that not crating your dog leads to behavior problems. That is what Orchid's puppy kindegarten teacher told us.

As to the OP- I have a keeshond. They are northern spitz breeds, and like corgis, one of the easier northern spitz breeds to train.

Orchid is a very nice girl, and I love her alot, but she has also been very difficult at times to train and deal with. She is very smart, but if she doesn't feel like doing something (whether it be to "come here!" or "Drop it" or "Leave it!" she won't do it.

Albeit, Keeshonden don't need to run run run like huskies, I can only imagine what it would be like to have two puppies just like Orchid at the same time.

You could dicipline one, while the other was chewing up your kitchen tile...and yes, they will do that! lol.

As for the fur...yikes! Any double coated breed will cover you when they blow coat (that means they loose all of their undercoat, this happens approx once per year).

Oh, and if you want a dog that will defend your house...most northern breeds have cat like temperments when it comes to that. Just thought you would want to know. Orchid doesn't bark at anyone or anything, and people are over at our house frequently, plus, we live in an apt complex.

Good luck on your search! Maybe you should try a retriever, like a lab, or a flat coated, a golden, or a chessie. They are normally easier to deal with then your stubborn northern breeds.

;-)

That's definetly not true! There are other ways to have puppies other then crating, I think it's just easier to crate.

When exactly did the crate thing take off? I never heard of it until maybe the late 70's, at the earliest. King likes to sleep in tight places sometimes, and generally didn't mind crating too much. Molly is a mess if crated and always has been, she's nervous anyway, and when confined starts chewing on herself, and showing all kinds of anxiety.

I still think the whole crate thing is born out of convenience, when there isn't showing, etc, involved.

Crate training is a good thing IMO. my dogs are crate trained, the crate is not used as a cell to lock the dogs up in when they are being naughty, its there so that any of the dogs that want to have a quiet moment they can, its also there so that they get used to it for travelling I have a van that all my dogs go in, for their safety they are crated, also a dog that is not crate trained may get very stressed should the time comes that it needs to stay overnight at a vets, I will guarantee they will place the dog in a crate if the dog is not used to them, this can hinder the dogs recovery as it will stress them out too much, I would re-think your ideas of crates if used correctly they ARE a safe heaven for some dogs.

Also I stand by what I said earlier about having two pups at the same time, it is far more difficult on the whole, unless the owner is prepared to do all required with them.

Mo