HELP ME!

Question
hi i have a male Maltese X shitzu and he is turning 4 this year. I am considering getting a Siberian husky, to keep him company and such. I have large backyard for the suburbs. Probably 20m length 20 width. I have been researching this for a long time but i cannot find information about how Maltese X shitzus and Siberian huskies get along. i just want to know if they would get along. My dog is friendly and lovable, would this clash with an Siberian huskies personality? please help me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer
Jessica,

I have no experience with Maltese and shitzus, so I'll leave it to your judgement on how you think your dog would get a long with a Siberian.  Your best bet is how the dog has interacted with other dogs in the past, but Siberian huskies are, by their nature, pack animals - they thrive and need social interaction, and that can come from humans and/or canines.  The breed is generally very friendly, non-territorial, and good with other dogs.  Having been bred to live in pack, they attach themselves and identify strongly with their "packmates", although they welcome new members into their pack quite readily and eagerly.  Sibes are an intelligent and outgoing breed, so it sounds like it wouldn't be a problem with your current dog.

My only caution is that Sibes of course are medium sized dogs - females ranging in size from about 35-50 lbs., and males from about 45-60 lbs.  They LOVE to play and have boundless amounts of energy, and they are famous for playing a little rough.  Sometimes, with smaller dogs, that can cause problems.  However, if interactions are supervised, my two Sibes love playing with a 4 lbs. Chihuahua, although when Mika sat on it, the muffled squeak from under butt was a little surprising . . .  (Chihuahua came unscathed).

My suggestion is that if you can get the Sibe as a puppy, that will help  it get used to your dog and how to play with it, and a dog that is the opposite sex of your current dog is also a good idea.  (Opposite sex dogs usually get along better than same sex).

Hope that helps and feel free to write back if you have any questions.