I can’t tell you the number of conversations I’ve had with people trying to talk them out of getting a husky. They see me taking mine on walks and runs every day and assume that I’m a proponent of everyone else getting one as well. I try to explain that the reason they see me with her all the time is that if I DON’T exercise her twice a day, every day, she goes absolutely bonkers and will tear up our house. Huskies are incredibly high energy and need a lot of room to run around in even when they get other forms of exercise. They are also escape artists who will figure out where any and all weak spots in your fences are and will look for ways to get over (or under) the fence if there aren’t any.
The worst part is that so many of these people will admit that they live in apartments with no yard, and don’t particularly like exercise, and will STILL act like I don’t know what I’m talking about. Fortunately, the outrageous cost of the breed probably stops a lot more of them from being abandoned.
So what work do you give a huskie when you’re not living in Winterfell… er Alaska? They are normally sledding dogs, right? So what can they be set to otherwise.
If I recall right, you get the same problems with Border Collies - they are working doggos and like to be useful. But if you don’t live on a farm, what can they do, other than maybe herd children?
Greyhounds show up at the local dog parks now and then. You’d think they’d be zooming around like the Road Runner, but they’re pretty mellow. Good couch potato dogs.
According to acquaintances who have them, their energy level is sort of what you would expect from a sprinter: intense when suitably motivated, lots of relaxing in between. Compare to working breeds which are slower; but consider orbiting livestock for 12 hours a day to be an ontological imperative.
Well, people adopting Malemutes and Huskies because they look like wolves is at least a step up from people adopting wolves and wolf hybrids. That almost always turns out really badly.
When I went looking for rescue shepherds, I specifically looked for a “low to mid energy” dog who would do well at dog parks.*
Ivory and I walked about 2 miles this morning, and we’re about to do another mile or so. She’d be fine with 5 miles a day; the only time I tired her out was on the return leg of an 8 mile suburban hike.
What that work entails will largely vary on what motivates a particular individual dog, some are food motivated so having them work for their food, others need just plain exercise so going on a long run/hike, others need mental stimulation so an agility course might be good. Generally going to a good dog trainer will help put an owner on the right path since they will have a better sense of the dog’s personality. I felt like i answered that with a non-answer It’s pretty much “It varies a lot”.
My family owned a Samoyed, which is in some aspects like a husky (a sled dog of sorts). And he was very energetic as a pup and thankfully that was when me and my brothers were young so we took him on runs, later in life he got arthritis and not being as active took a toll on him because he got pudgy… which made it harder for him to get around because of the joint pain.
Same deal - I want a dog, but I figure it’ll work out better if I wait till I retire and can be around the house more of the time. Some days the need to visit friends with dogs is strong though.
I had a friend in junior high/high school whose family owned a couple of beautiful samoyeds, m/f, Sabre and Babe.
They were huge, high-energy dogs that shed like crazy. It was a match made in heaven, because that family were definitely dog people.
My friend wound up joining the military and once got the opportunity to work on a joint task force in England training dogs to detect explosives and stuff.
Sure, but that’s their website - they want to sell the dogs, so of course they look beautiful. They might well look beautiful in person, too. I don’t doubt it.
That being said, designer dogs often have serious health issues, which many people don’t discover until they already have the dogs.
Personally, I’m a big fan of rescues, because there are so many of them and they need good homes.
Agreed. Just once I’d like to see a US president get a dog from a shelter instead of a breeder. Actually I’m glad Trump didn’t get a dog at all because there’s no question that he’d be a horrible pet owner. Partial credit to GW and Laura Bush for getting a shelter dog after their time in the White House. Full thumbs up to the President of South Korea who adopted a formerly abused dog from a shelter last week.
I’ll give Obama a pass since his daughter has bad allergies, but I like to think a comprehensive search of shelters could have turned up a hypoallergenic rescue, cute though Bo is.
100% agreed on Trump. I don’t want that shit-stain within a 100 feet of a dog, and I’m hoping he won’t be in office long enough for it to matter much.
Pit bulls are amazing dogs, but they should be only be owned by ‘expert level’ dog owners.
The problem stems from a-holes getting/breeding pibbles for the purpose of looking bad-ass (or for fighting) and not training them well or providing them with the attention they need.
I rescued a pibble off the street a couple years ago, got him healthy, and took care of him until we could find him a great forever home. I grew up with dogs as a kid and love them silly, but I’m far from ‘expert level’ when it comes to owning them. I know my limits. (Plus, we have indoor-only cats.)
Obviously I mean breeders who breed pure-breds for profit, mass animal abuse, not some moron who didn’t get their dog fixed (though that’s pretty selfish in it’s own right).
It puts the breeders or rescue agencies in a tough position. They need to screen and educate the prospective owners, but there are limits to what they can predict. When we got our new puppy, the breeder asked for, and checked our references, including our vet.
I think people really underestimate how much attention an active dog needs. Even when told, they sort of see it the way they see a New Year’s resolution. But it is really a 15 year commitment, and sometimes a significant lifestyle change.
It’s pretty much “It varies a lot”.
