Husky Puppy Girl

Question
OKAY, i have always been intriqued by these gorgeous dogs and have now been living with my boyfriend for a while.  We rarely go out and our longest times away from home are our jobs.  We have been looking to get a dog and we went to look at huskies.  we found a girl, 8 weeks old.  She was very lethargic when we saw her and had just had a bath.  We live in an apartment which is not very small and we will be able to take her places like parks and camping and other such places.  However i am wondering if this is realistic.  Would this be the type of dog that with the proper love, obedience class, and training could be able to act like a labrador which comes when called, likes to play with its owners, and is very friendly and loving?...my mother had labs and goldens when i was growning up and that is what i saw from them, could a husky be that type of companion?  HELP! i dont want to make a wrong decission.   Thank you so much for having this web site.

Answer
Dear Christina,
I am glad you sought out information from others who know about this breed before making a decision. So many people see the beauty of these dogs and just blindly get one thinking little of what it is they have actually got. A Husky and a Golden Retriever are poles apart when it comes to trainability, and the amount of excercise they need. Also I would not recomend having one of these dogs in an apartment. Huskies can be very loving but unlike some of these other breeds they like to also be aloof at times, and taking them to regular obedience class would be a very frustrating experience. They actually need special obedience structured for these spitz breed dogs to do well.
The dumpage rate with this breed is sadly quite high. Every one looks at
these guys and says straight off I want one. Thier good looks do them
little favours I am afraid. Let me tell you a little more about thier traits so hopefully you can understand yes they are pretty, but a serious and heavy commitment not to be taken at face value.
Here goes.......
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.
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. Failure to do so will cause
them to be bored and very destructive. 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. That is what a husky does they were bred to work in hard
environments pulling all day. Off lead work is not for a siberian very few
can be trusted to return to you 100% of the time. One has to accept this.
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 forget having any kind of decent garden.
They will cover your entire home in dog fur especially in spring time.
Here are their good points. Yes they have them!
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. I am with my guys all day so they dont get bored. I take them for long walks and runs and in winter they pull a sled till they are tired. These are working dogs, and as a consequence don't always make the best pets.
I hope this has helped you understand the breed better.
Faye and Husky Crew.