They are very smart and need a lot of attention. They do not take well to being ignored and are prone to running away and getting lost. And lastly they are most definitely not suited to a hot climate.

It really all comes down to the owner, and how willing the owner has to making sure that they have the activity levels and area to run in. He took I'wila to the beach daily and let her run and splash in the ocean. He took her in his truck wherever he went. He had a huge yard, yet she was allowed inside with air conditioning (especially when the trade winds weren't blowing.) So while I agree that a dog bred for snow is probably not a good idea in a hot climate, I think the overall care of the dog's environment and activity is more important. Lots of dogs in Hawaii, many have thick fur.

I have always wanted a Husky. I love these dogs, but I know that with my 13 hour day at work, even though I have a large yard, that it wouldn't work well for the dog.

Instead, I inherited my Auntie's 1year old Yorkie. I never liked small dogs, but this dog suits my daily schedule. I deal with his neurotic little dog behavior (that cat, for instance, leaps over him and drives him a little kooky. He lies in wait under the bed to run and chase the cat. I call him Troll Dog now). AnywayI still dream of one day, having a lovely Husky for a companion. Maybe some day. But I live in Napa, and it gets extremely hot here (no ocean beach to run on), and for now, the Yorkie who is an indoor doggie seems to work well for me.

A young Husky might be too much for me, but if there are abandoned Husky's in a shelter when I am next looking for a doggie (my little Yorkie is getting long in the tooth....), it might be a good mix. Especially if I can give a forever home to an elder Husky. Elder dogs need adopting too.

Last edited Mon Apr 22, 2019, 08:30 AM - Edit history (1)

or, more accurately it was my ex-wife's dog. Samoyeds are related to Huskies

Agree on them being very smart. A woman that did dog training professionally used to live up the street from us and she said that samoyeds are very smart, but are usually not very obedient, unlike labs.

He was a great dog and very friendly, but he was really tough to train and never quite got there.

Oh, and we found out the hard way that he had severe separation anxiety - I had a super comfortable sofa & love seat combo and he tore them to shreds when my ex had to go out to work. It's been over 20 years and I've never found a sofa/love seat that was as comfortable. On the plus side, the basement of our house had this horrible orange shag carpeting left over from the 70s and he tore that up another time, and carpet removal can be really tough.

Fortunately for the dog, I've had cups of coffee that lasted longer than my first marriage and after my ex filed for divorce, the dog moved back to her parent's house and they had more time to better care for the dog.

the people who are most likely to need to hear and heed this message are ones how are probably least likely to do so.

His original owners couldn't handle him, so they chained him up outside day and night.

When we got him his teeth were worn from chewing on his chain. A couple of his teeth were so worn they had to be removed.

Huskies are escape artists. They can easily go over most fences and walls, and if that fails, they'll dig under with infinite patience.

Our backyard is cratered. Huskies like to dig.

Huskies howl.

Ours won't do anything he doesn't want to do. Unlike other dogs he's not especially eager to please us. He knows exactly what we're asking, it's just that most of the time he just doesn't care to do it.

He's completely unmotivated by food or treats. It's almost a cat-like indifference.

The amount of hair they shed, especially when they are shedding their winter coats, is astonishing.

Etc.

And when you put in "escape artist husky" in the YouTube search engine, loads of videos come up.