Husky/Lab mix

[lilsis261279]

Hi my name is Julie and am looking for some insight on these types of dog. Yesterday my Husband bought a dog for me, it is a husky/lab mix but more husky, due to the fact that I am alone alot and he thinks it will be good company for me and my children. I have had dogs before but mostly small breeds such as poodles and a small spaniel like lady in lady and the tramp. I have had no experience whatsoever in training a dog because my dogs that I have had have always come from my local SPCA so they were already all mature in age. I am looking for any good advice before I receive this new puppy in order to properly train him. He was born June 1, 2010 so the lady said he should be ready to go by July 27, 2010 at the earliest. This new addition to our family will mostly be a house dog (meaning he will be going outside for play and regular "duties" but will be sleeping inside because I find it cruel to leave an animal outside at night. I wonder what is best for his "nighttime habit of sleep" should I let him sleep with us or one of the kids or should I make him sleep on a cushion/pillow on the ground? And any and all information to completely train a puppy without having to use any force (physical) at all
Thank you
Julie

[Rgeurts]

What a precious little thing
I have Malamutes, which are similar to Husky as far as behavior. One thing with a northern breed is they're bred for work and extremely high energy. They chew on everything (as do labs). Huskies are wonderful dogs but require alot of attention and continuous training. They may seem stubborn, but they're just a very independent breed, very aloof. They are not good off leash as they have a mind of their own and are very strong willed. They have a high prey drive (not as bad as a Malamute, but it's there) so you will definitely want to socialize them at a very young age with other dogs and small children. We take ours to day care 3 days a week.

As for sleep, the best thing to do is get a crate, put him/her in the crate at bedtime. Make sure it is a small area. Don't put food or water in the crate (you can get a special treat or toy so they know when it's bedtime, they get something special and do not relate the crate as a bad thing). If you use a large wire kennel, make sure to get one with a divider so you can expand it as the puppy grows. As soon as you take the puppy out, take it directly outside to do it's business. The crate serves 2 purposes 1) provides a safe, comfortable area for your puppy 2) helps with potty training. Be prepared to get up several times a night to take him/her out. Puppies are usually good for about 2 hours at a time.

I would say the most important thing is to leave the puppy with the mother until it is at least 8 weeks old, preferably 10+ weeks. ALot of breeders want to have the puppies gone by 6 weeks. Insist they keep it until at least 8 weeks, otherwise, you can have severe behavioral disorders such as bite inhibition etc. The puppy learns alot from the mother and siblings during that crucial period.

There are other members who have alot of experience with Huskies and there's alot of knowledge here in general.

Good luck with your new baby!!

[lilsis261279]

Thank you very much for the info Rgeurts. As for the exercise, the new puppy will get a lot of it due to us being a very active family and he will also socialize withe children because I have 3 of my own (aged10/5/4) but the only down side is that I do not know anyone else that has a dog or dogs that my new baby will be able to play with due to the fact that I am somewhat new to the area but I will do my best to ensure that he gets friends that are 4 legged
Thank you
Julie

[DoubleRR]

Remember--anything you allow the cute little pup to do will be something the large adult dog will continue to do. So, if you want a 60 lb plus dog to sit on the furniture, and your lap...if you allow it too much freedom, you will have trouble taking it away. Clicker training works wonderfully to train pups from as early as 10 wks to do basic obedience.

Use NILF training with feeding and going through doorways. [Nothing in life is free]. Such as sit and wait until I say to get up and eat your dinner. This is a simple straightforward way to establish ground rules.

Always better to restrict the movements in the house until the dog is fully housetrained--and even then, some rooms should be off limits at least some of the time, always. Tethering the pup to you or the furniture you are sitting on keeps him under control--with a chew toy--in between trips outside or play times, and when you are distracted he will not be able to pee in the corner.

The crate is a must in my house--all pups learn from day one that is where they sleep and that is where they go with a great chew toy when you leave them home alone indoors.

He is very cute!

[Mirela]

Originally Posted by lilsis261279

Thank you very much for the info Rgeurts. As for the exercise, the new puppy will get a lot of it due to us being a very active family and he will also socialize withe children because I have 3 of my own (aged10/5/4) but the only down side is that I do not know anyone else that has a dog or dogs that my new baby will be able to play with due to the fact that I am somewhat new to the area but I will do my best to ensure that he gets friends that are 4 legged
Thank you
Julie

Oh, he's a cutie, all right

Be a bit cautious exercising the puppy for the first couple of months - large breeds' joints tend to mature later that those of smaller breeds and you want to avoid overexerting the puppy.
Ideally puppy will have a grassy area to run and play with your family and other, trusty, dogs and will be allowed to stop and rest when feeling tired. Take your clues from him at the beginning. I would avoid long walks on the street/sidewalk or at least limit them to about 10 minutes at a time. Also, don't let him jump too much - the Frisbee should wait until probably 6-7 months.

Oh, and don't worry about being new to your area - after we got out puppy we found out with great surprise how many of our neighbors have friendly dogs :-)

[Rgeurts]

Originally Posted by Mirela

Oh, he's a cutie, all right

Be a bit cautious exercising the puppy for the first couple of months - large breeds' joints tend to mature later that those of smaller breeds and you want to avoid overexerting the puppy.
Ideally puppy will have a grassy area to run and play with your family and other, trusty, dogs and will be allowed to stop and rest when feeling tired. Take your clues from him at the beginning. I would avoid long walks on the street/sidewalk or at least limit them to about 10 minutes at a time. Also, don't let him jump too much - the Frisbee should wait until probably 6-7 months.

Our puppy goes to daycare 2-3 days a week then walks on a treadmill at home the days he's not in daycare. Other than that he plays in the yard when we're with him. It's not when they are very young puppies that you really need to be as concerned and I guess I should have made myself a little more clear . When they hit around 5-6 months, that's when you need to make sure they are getting plenty of exercise. They are extremely intelligent and will become bored easily. At that age they can be very destructive if they do not have the proper amount of exercise.


Alot of people who take on a Malamute or Husky do not realize the energy level, independence and constant training and care they require and the poor thing ends up in the pound, a rescue or just plain dumped. They are definitely not a breed for everyone. Please make sure you do alot of research before taking one on

[mona_b]

Awwwwwwwww what a cutie.

My niece has 2 Husky/Labs. They too are more Husky. They are going on 2.

At this age, I would not feed grain free. I would wait till s/he is a year old.

And I totally agree about the exercise. Don't over do it. If you do, you are asking for trouble in the long run. The joints start to get stronger at about 14 months. So no hard running, jumping and sharp turning till then. Mental stimulation is just as good as physical stimulation. Mental stimulation means the pup has to think. So this could be teaching commands.

Puppies will chew. Mostly cause they are teething. So have a chewy toy. A kong filled with a treat(may be frozen) will help. If chewing happens, then redirect the pup to something that can be chewed, like a toy.

Originally Posted by Rgeurts

They are not good off leash

Sorry but I have to disagree. My sister has 2 Sibes(third passed away). She is on a farm and they have free run. They have 110% recall. They are 13. And I have personally been around the Sibes from the show Due South. These dogs were off leash while filming. Also look at the movies 8 below and Snow dogs(I know the breeder whos Sibe played Yodel). Everything boils down to training. And this starts from the day that pup comes home.

And with me, all my dogs have been trained with distractions. This means outside with kids,people,cats running around, birds, cars you name it.

Another thing. Have a vet appt book the week pup comes home. You want to make sure pup is healthy. I'm sure the owners will tell you they are healthy, but nothing wrong with having your vet check pup out,

[cassiek]

Originally Posted by lilsis261279

Hi my name is Julie and am looking for some insight on these types of dog. Yesterday my Husband bought a dog for me, it is a husky/lab mix but more husky, due to the fact that I am alone alot and he thinks it will be good company for me and my children. I have had dogs before but mostly small breeds such as poodles and a small spaniel like lady in lady and the tramp. I have had no experience whatsoever in training a dog because my dogs that I have had have always come from my local SPCA so they were already all mature in age. I am looking for any good advice before I receive this new puppy in order to properly train him. He was born June 1, 2010 so the lady said he should be ready to go by July 27, 2010 at the earliest. This new addition to our family will mostly be a house dog (meaning he will be going outside for play and regular "duties" but will be sleeping inside because I find it cruel to leave an animal outside at night. I wonder what is best for his "nighttime habit of sleep" should I let him sleep with us or one of the kids or should I make him sleep on a cushion/pillow on the ground? And any and all information to completely train a puppy without having to use any force (physical) at all
Thank you
Julie

Hi Julie -

1st congrats on your new pup, you must be so excited!

I would strongly recommend in enrolling in a puppy obedience classes. They may require the pup to be a certain age, but I would strongly suggest you look into this. Not only will the trainer help work with you on basic commands (sit, stay etc.) but the pup also will have a chance to get socialized in the obedience class.

As for training around home (i.e. house training), you would be best to train him using positive reinforcement (whether that is treats, a toy, praise etc). Instead of punishing bad behaviour, continue to reward good behaviour. This may involve going over the top (your neighbours may think you are nuts ). I am currently house training an older pup, and I jump up and down and praise him over the top everytime he does his business outside.

As for where to let him sleep at night, I would start crate training as soon as you get him home, and I would crate him at night at least until he is house trained. You may have to move his crate into your bedroom with you. While I am not against dogs sleeping on the bed with their owners, I think given his breed while he is small and may not take up much room now, when he is full grown there may be no room for you on the bed! And it's much easier to start him off right now, rather than trying to break him of the habit later.

I have 2 large dogs and they sleep on their beds on the floor of my room (although they are known to sneak up sometimes ).

Good luck and keep us posted! (Oh, and more pictures are certainly welcomed when you have them!)

[lilsis261279]

Thank you cassiek for your reply. Getting professionnal help from a dog obedience class is not in my budget to be honest so I will end up doing it by myself (as well with my hubby and kids help, lol) but crate training is definately a good idea due to the fact i dont feel like stepping in nice little surprises in the morning (hehehe) I dont have the puppy just yet due to the fact he was born on June 1, 2010 so he wont be ready for us until July 27th or later but I am very anxious to have him. Ooohhh ... and no worries I will be posting lots and lots of pictures of my new puppy ... Sorry still havent decided on a name yet
thank you
Julie

[serenamlambe]

Hi lilsis!

What a sweet little pup you have. I'm training my second puppers at the moment, so I know what you'll be going through! They can be quite the handful, though it's totally worth it.

I have to second what cassiek says about going to an obedience class. Especially because you mentioned that you don't have too many friends with pups for him to socialize with, this would be great way to get him out there & meeting other dogs. I know the classes can be a little pricey, but I just enrolled in an 8 week class at PetSmart in Ottawa for only around $100. It's a good investment. I did the training myself with my first puppy and I have to admit that going to the class has been so helpful with the second - even though I did have a bit of experience and read a lot about training. If you can manage to save up to go, it's worth it. That's what I did, since I'm a student and not really rolling in cash! Hahaha. (Also - the PetSmart classes do positive reinforcement. So although they may not be the best trainers out there, they can definitely teach the basics of this method).

I won't go into the benefits of crate training and the like because it seems everyone has it covered. This forum has just so much information and, if you want to learn, you definitely will!

One thing you're going to have to look into is what kind of food you're going to choose. I'm sure lots of people on here can advise you - but I've heard that the Kirkland food is a really good low cost brand that you can get at CostCo. Much better than the grocery store foods.

Anyways, good luck with your pup! Welcome to the forum & we'd love to see more pictures!

[lilsis261279]

Hi serenamlambe
I thought the classes were much more then $100 (lol) at that price I think it is well worth it my new challenge will only be to find an english one in my area or I too will have to go to Ottawa. As for puppy food we are looking into either Orijen or Kirkland. Will be asking a vets advice as too which will be better for my new puppy. And pics will follow as soon as I get them .. It is a promise
regards
Julie

[serenamlambe]

Good luck finding a class. The PetSmart one is really reasonably priced. I was surprised myself. While the trainers may not be the best in the area, I have found the program pretty good for the basics, thus far. As I'm sure you know, just take everything with a grain of salt! You'll know what's best for your dog once you get to know him and his personality.

As for foods, I'm of the impression that vets don't know the most about canine nutrition. In fact, I have received some pretty bad advice on food from my vet. Eek. By all means, ask your vet, but if you have futher questions, I can almost guarentee you that there is someone on this forum who can help!

[Rgeurts]

Originally Posted by lilsis261279

As for puppy food we are looking into either Orijen or Kirkland. Will be asking a vets advice as too which will be better for my new puppy.
Julie

Orijen I would be careful of. I know alot of people recommend it, but it's extremely high in protein, expecially for a large breed puppy. We tried both of ours on it and had to remove them for diarrhea and extremely bad gas. Also, the high protein can form crystals in the kidneys. I don't really know anything about Kirkland, but I know Wellness is a very good food and they have several different varieties, all human grade and about the same cost as Orijen. Wellness is made by a company that has been making dog treats/food since 1927. If you're really stuck on the Orijen, try Acana. It's made by the same company but instead of the 40% crude protein (which again, extremely high) it has 33%, which is still high, but better than 40%. This is just my personal opinion.

As for the vet, I completely agree with serenamlambe. Our vets (3 different ones) all pushed Medi-cal. We did have our older dog on the gastro version until we smartened up and did some research. Not only is it full of grains and fillers, but was also a part of the big pet food recall. It states right on their website that the vitamins and some select ingredients are imported from China

We checked Wellness and could find nothing but positive reviews and all ingredients are from the U.S.