I picked up a siberian husky/bulldog mix... And it looks like she will be a big dog. I do agree that you need to be on top of things. She is very stubborn ... And yes they are an escape artist so be careful.

I love mine because she has this blue mean eyes. When she stares at you it looks like she's staring down deep inside your soul.

 

^ Little know fact: In Louisiana, husbands still "own" their wives.

 

Yes they are, I had a husky that keep getting out of the yard no matter what I did, until I actually saw him biting the bottom of the gate and pulling it open...they are also very high strung and will need good running space. Please do not get one only to keep it penned up.

 

While they are beautiful dogs, they don't like heat at all. They are miserable, and damn near shut down in the heat. With you living in Cali, I might reconsider.

Furthermore, huskies are the closest breed of dog behaviorwise to wolves. As a result, like others said (including the owner above) they are unpredictable and will kill small things, which unfortunately, sometimes, include children. As much as I love them, and think they are absolutely gorgeous, I would be weary of owning a husky around kids.

While there might be a 5% chance of them actually attacking someone, if I had a child, or had some in my area, I would reconsider....that's a pretty high percentage.

 

High energy dog...not a dog for city living,years ago a family friend brought his 9 year old huskies out to my parents 4 acres to play with our 4 yr. old border collie....damn did those thing have energy,they kept up with our dog all day.

Our collie was know to nip my little sister growing up, because dogs like huskies and collies will ascertain a pecking order when they first come into a home,and children especially younger always get pushed below the dog.

 

I've had a Siberian Husky for 17 years now. Never been an escape artist, never tried to climb or dig and has always been the sweetest dog there is. High energy dog? No, less so than the pound puppy I got (who is now 12).

As with all breeds you can get many different dispositions.

They are intelligent, but there is one tiny little flaw. Many of them have an incontinence problem. They leak. Check that out as there is no cure. My dog has that problem and with their fur it means many many baths or else she will stink.

She knows when she stinks and will go sleep in the shower.

She LOVES the heat, well up to a point, and would stay outside all summer if we'd let her. She also loves the extreme cold. Go figure.

 

i had a husky when i was kid and he was a great dog. but like others said above he was also an escape artist and would run and run and run...then run some more. they need a lot of space and. he also never bit anyone. that all comes down to the owner and not being able to control the dog or socializing it properly. i would also add that they are not a good dog for a novice dog owner, they are highly intelligent and stubborn and need a lot of mental stimulation.

with all that being said, i just had a malamute that owned for almost 9 yrs before he passed. again not really a dog for a novice owner but he was much less high strung. malamutes are (in their proper size) about 80-85 pounds, a little bigger than a husky and have a much more mellow tempermant. they also are the closest relative to the wolf, which makes them extremely intelligent and stubborn as well. but with without the hyperness of the husky its a little easier to manage. all they care about are being around people and don't really care to be around other dogs. you must show them where they are in the family hiearchy, and they will test that often. he was a little difficult to train as he had the commands down in about 3 repetitions but after that he gave me the "you do it" look and would walk away to go lay in the shade or sit next an air vent, definitely not like the german shepherd i have now. he was great around kids and family and his size and look kept unwanted peolpe from coming up to my door. another thing to consider with either a husky or malamute is the shedding...in the warmer months its constant. when they are blowing their coats in the spring expect to vacuum almost everyday.

i would suggest that you do some research on the AKC website and see what breed fits your lifestyle and what you want from the dog, i.e. guard, lap dog, good with kids, etc. with the economy the way it is there are a ton of every breed out there being given up that need homes. check the forum sites for the dog you decide on as they have a bunch of rescues posted for almost every state.

 

oh, a plus with malamutes (and i think huskys) is that they clean themselves like a cat does...so they don't stink like most other breeds.

 

Oh yeah, a Husky's not a great guard dog, that is unless the burglars are afraid of being licked to death.

 

malamutes are the same way...but the size and the going crazy i want to lick you to death bark is enough to keep most people away.