Siberian Huskies.
My dog is a mix of Sibe and Lab but he is predominately Sibe in temperment, metabolism, and some physiology.
For at least 1,000 years, these dogs were bred to pull hard and run fast in the coldest conditions on the planet and survive on very little food in a simple diet that consisted of fish or seal and rice, sometimes, reindeer meat. Their life was in harness and they were never bred for obedience or guarding. They were bred for workability and temperment. They often slept with the children to provide warmth and protection.
They can pull several times their own weight for a considerable length of time. It is not uncommon for a 14 dog team to pull a couple of hundred pounds at 20 mph for 40 miles or so. Double-coated, shed enough fur to make another dog. You will have fur everywhere. Learn to love it. They are driven to small prey and more than once in a race, a team has veered off into the woods to chase a rabbit scent. Unharnessed and unloaded, they can run upto 40 mph with a double suspension gait. And their greatest desire is to run. Since they were never bred for recall and velcro-ness, you never walk them off leash. Ever. I was once following a loose Sibe. He wasn't even breathing hard, just an easy trot. And I was near 20 mph.
They are independent and have to have a reason to do something if it doesn't involve the joy of running. So, you have to train with positive motivation. Otherwise, with a heavy hand or punishment, they can either call your bluff or shut down. They have memory. Once, after DW was playing with Shadow's friend, Duke, Shadow came up behind DW and peed on her leg before anyone knew what was happening.
With one or two, you can free-feed. But if you have a dog of another breed, you may have to feed separately. Shadow only eats about a cup of food at a time. The metabolism has developed to get the maximum benefit out of a little bit of food from a very simple diet. The simpler the diet, the better. They must be heavily socialized with children and small pets early on.
Also, Huskies love to hug. That is, they rear up and want to hug, which is how they greet each other. But a 20 mph flying tackle of 60+ lbs can knock over most people. So, train them not to do that. Also, if you can't run them or walk them for long, expect some zoomies in the backyard.
Huskies howl, quite often like wolves. As for exercise, they can soak up any exercise you care to give but they can maintain with a few walks and play and training during an average week.
If you plan to have them pull long distance, expect to increase the protein/fat ratio. In competition, it is not uncommon for a 50 to 60 lb dog to burn 2400 calories a day, about the same as a bud/S cadet during Hell Week. Also, socialize them early and often with vets, having feet handled.
Have a secure place to keep them. Either a bomb-proof yard, the house, or a large kennel. If you look in the dictionary under the word escape artist, there is a pic of a Sibe. Why? To run at an average of 30 mph, of course.
They are very social and do best when they have a mate. While they are human friendly and do not have the aggression issues of other breeds, they can be skittish and aloof around people they don't know. Once they know you, it's time for a Husky hug.
Go ahead and get a dog house and line with something warm and watch them lay down in the snow to cool off or play with a toy. There is no such thing as a day that is too cold. Their breed withstands average winter temps of -70 F.
And many is the person to testify that you can't have just one. Before you know it, your whipping out the credit card to get a sled, cart, skis, something you can be on while the dog pulls you. Your spending all your money and building kennels to handle 5 or 6, then another. Then you start looking at property in Alaska.
Magnificent in beauty, awesome to behold at full speed, they are not for the couch potato or someone who expects an instant fetch companion. The natural version of Sibe fetch is that you throw the ball, they get, and then take off at 30 mph and you are suppose to catch them. BTW, they can reach full speed in2 to 3 bounds.
