Husky/Labs

Question
Dear Ms Campbell:  We adopted a Husky/Lab from our local animal shelter about a month ago.  They think she is about 2yrs old but may be a little younger. She was a stray with no identification when they picked her up so we do not know much about her background.  She knew common commands such as sit, down, stay etc. so must have been trained on some things. She retreives items and brings them back and loves to play with toys. The problem we are having is she gets excited when she is playing and then starts ignoring the toys and starts trying to pull your shoe laces and wants to play agressive.  She gets so excited she does not listen to commands.
Is this typical of the Husky breed? We have had a mixed chow/lab and a Dobi/Shepard dog before this one (both have passed on)and we had them as puppies but never experienced this type of rough play. She also goes crazy when she is around water...loves to drink from puddles, cups, hoses...anything she can find and gets very excited and this seems to trigger the "let's play rough" mode.  Any insight into some husky traits you may be able to give would be appreciated.
Thanks, K.N.


Answer
Dear Ken,
Yes the traits you describe are very husky. Here are some traits of the breed so you know a little more about your dog.
Welcome to the world of Siberians, you are due for a tough crash course in
dog ownership. I will help you all I can. Huskies are the hardest dogs to
train on this planet, unless you want them to pull sleds that is.
How big should it be when fully grown.
He could reach 23 inches at the shoulder and weigh in at 60 lbs, but
smaller is ok too.
Is it tainable? if so to what extent? and from what age is the best to
begin training?
Beginning training, I start the moment they are born for the best results,
so get going now.
The basics though are,
These guys need huge amounts of excercise, so if you cant walk at least a
couple of miles a day do not get this breed.
They are very hard to train and wont do obedience like a german shepherd
will.
They are very stubborn and persistant.
They love to hunt all small animals even if it happens to be your cat!
They WILL NOT come when called. Do not let these guys go anywhere off
lead.
They are notoriouous escape artists, if they want out nothing keeps them
in! So a secure yard is a must.
They will pull and pull on a leash until your arm is sore.
They love to dig like you wouldnt believe. Fine if you want a lunar
landscape in the back yard though.
They will cover your entire home in dog fur especially in spring time.
If you are still saying I know all that but, I still want one. Well
besides being insane, here are their good points.
They have no doggy smell at all, even when wet.
They are great with people and kids, and as a consequence will not guard
at all.
They are an excellent companion and love to go places with you and do new
things.
They do not bark incessantly they howl, much easier on the ears.
They can be as gentle as they can be rough.
They have very few heriditary ailments.
Once you have had one you will never want to know another breed they will
steal your heart.
I guess this is the basic attributes of the breed.

You can only really trust these guys off lead in a secure yard. I walk
and run my guys up to 5 miles a day. I also sled them too. You could run
your dog off of a bike. If you want to know more on how to do this safely
please ask me and I will send you the info.
Are they good watch-guard dogs? Are they natural enemies to some
animals? if so are cats one of them? as I have 2, which have had the "run"
of the property since they were kittens.

Huskies and cats dont mix. Be very carful and wary. They are natural
hunters and love nothing more than to hunt all animals. They are so human
friendly they will usually help thieves out with the electrical goods. So
they are lousy guard dogs. They love everyone.
What are the cans and don'ts in feeding and foods?
This is a simple question with a very simple answer. Everyone with dogs
will tell you different, but I will tell you what has worked for me and
why.
These dogs thrive on a very simple diet of all raw food. This is a
question I am often asked and I have only one answer to it, though most
people rarely follow my advice. I only feed raw food to my dogs, as
cooking thier food kills all the enzymes that are so vital to a dogs
digestion. In fact I do not give my huskies any commercial dog food at
all. I only give them a few treats occasionally but do not use it as a
food source. I must say my guys thrive on this diet, and are healthier,
and happier then dogs I know of who eat processed food. I give my guys all
raw meat, a diet essentially based on 80% RAW MEATY BONES, all different
kinds, but for growing pups chicken is the best. I give whole eggs,
lactose reduced milk, cheese and cream all whole fat, basically everything
I would eat, including vegetables and fruit, with the exception of
cereals. Beleive it or not, although dog food is full of these cereal
products, dogs cannot digest these at all, and it has no food value to
them in any way, shape or form. Prolonged feeding of cereals to dogs can
even lead to mature onset diabetes which I have seen occur first hand in
dogs, and often does. Huskies are especially sensitive to this occuring in
thier later years. So give a diet of 80% raw meaty bones supplimented with
some of the other things I have suggested, and don't have a vet bill or a
broken heart. This diet is also the only way to prevent your dog from
eventually getting bad breath and losing his teeth as bones clean them.
Dont be fooled by the packets of hard dog biscuits claiming they will
clean your dog's teeth, as they do not. Bones are the only way of doing
this. You should find that your husky in no time will thrive on this diet
and spend long happy hours eating his bones. It worked for me. As an
example of this I had a husky pup 8 weeks of age. I  was worried as my
girl was a growing pup and on the commercial dog food she was virtually
starving as the recomended commercial food went straight through her. I
swapped in desperation to all raw food diet and in a day or two my pup was
a different girl, all he digestive problems solved.

I hope this helps you understand what you are getting into. Good luck and
if you need more info on anything at all I am here.
Faye and Husky Crew.