Need advice on adopting a husky for the first time and bringing him into a home with one dog already

[mdeus8]

Hello All!

Let me start off by saying, I have never owned a Siberian Husky before. I've owned dogs all my life but only labs, spaniels, mixes, and my current dog who is a hound mix (we think maybe Plott hound mixed with grey hound or Great Dane). Recently, a friend of a friend who owned 3 Huskies had to transfer to another state for their job. For whatever reason, they can only bring 2 of the 3 dogs (seemed unusual to me).

Some background on the Husky: he is about 15 months old, hasn't been neutered, was purchased from a breeder in Florida when he was a puppy, and his name is Axel. He is a beautiful dog and is very friendly.

My girlfriend and I were asked if we would be interesting in adopting the dog and we are trying to decide if we are a good fit for the Husky or not. I've been doing a ton of research regarding Huskies and the only thing I've learned is that, no matter how much you think you know about them, they always require way more commitment than you are expecting. I am OK with this part. I understand they require a ton of exercise. I currently walk my dog now 45-60 mins per day.

My main concern is that both my girlfriend and I work all day, and the husky would be required to be home without any humans from around 830 AM to 530-600 PM during the week. Our current dog has adjusted to our schedule and does fine with free roam of the house all day while we are gone (he mostly just sleeps the whole time). The husky is supposedly crate trained already, and we would look to continue this. I'm worried that this is too long for the husky to be alone, and will it lead to negative behavior due to his loneliness. Has anyone had a similar circumstance where they could share their experience? Does anyone have one dog crated and the other roam free during the day?

We have already introduced our dog to the husky and they got along well, minus some dominance while feeding them. I'm not so much worried that we will have an issue adjusting to the husky as much as I am worried about us being the right home for him. We don't want to react emotionally and adopt a dog that is not a good fit for our work schedule when he would be much happier in a home that can give him the attention he requires. But if we do not take him in, then he will end up being taken to a shelter and hopefully will find his forever home while in their care. 

I'm new to this forum so I apologize if I left out any information or submitted this in the wrong topic.

See the attached photo of the handsome boy!

[wolfpup]

Oh my   -  what a handsome boy   - wished I lived in New Jersey .........   and had not just adopted another husky.     I cannot answer your question about whether he will fit into your family   -  it depends on the husky  and your other dog as well as loads of other circumstances.      Is it possible for you to take him for a few weeks before they move?    Will he have access to outside whilst you are at work?    Do you have SECURE  6ft+ fencing?    Will you be able to take them out for at least half an hour before work and an hour after work?

A bored husky can be destructive - as I found out to my cost    -  my first one ate an arm off my settee and another arm of an armchair   -  but he was younger  -  around 11/12months old I think.  He is 3 years 8 months now and I have just adopted another husky  of 3 years 4 months.    Huskies do best with another dog around  -   but my two are still trying to get used to each other  -  luckily we are at home all day.     

Whilst you have to protect your furniture and property .................. do you really think it is fair to keep him crated for 9 hours a day whilst you are at work?    Is your other dog also crated whilst you are at work?

Others, far more experienced than I with huskies, will no doubt be able to advise you more   -  these are just my thoughts.

 

[mdeus8]

Unfortunately, the owner of the dog is moving this weekend (absurd to me that they didn't find a home for this good boy yet). After discussing it further, we decided we would take the new dog in and do our best to make our schedules work with his needs. He got along pretty well with our current dog when we introduced them and even when we brought him into our home with our current dog. We are considering doggy day care a few days a week for him so he won't be stuck in the crate for long hours every day.

Our back yard has a short fence, only 4 ft. I would never assume that is safe for either dog. I've always walked my current dog whenever he needed to go outside, always once in the morning, once when I get home, and once before bed (sometimes more). Making more time for walks shouldn't be a problem and its a sacrifice we're willing to make. We have a nice park nearby that I let him off leash sometimes, but from what I've read, you should never let a husky off leash. 

The ULTIMATE goal would be to allow the husky to have free roam of the house along with our current dog while we are at work. We are thinking of setting up a camera and leaving him alone for short periods of time and monitoring his actions. Over time we would increase these time periods that we are gone and see how he handles it. If it doesn't work out and he becomes destructive, than we will find another solution.

Thanks for your input! I'm sure we are in for a rude awakening.....

[Luna-tic]

I honestly don’t think you’re going to find this easy. We adopted a 6 year old husky who was taken away from another husky. She is quiet, fairly obedient but the separation had its effects. We didn’t leave her for long periods but on return she’d been in every room in the house as she can open the handles, she pooped upstairs quite often and peed too. This went on for some weeks, she was never scolded and had access to the garden, she was always up at the window when we came home, the window covered in dog snot and hair. It took several months for her to adjust, she had her own crate but was simply upset at being left in a strange environment. Welcomes were always Ott. She even chewed out the cat flap until it was big enough for her to get back in when we had left her in the garden lol. It took several months for her to overcome this behaviour and now we can leave her for several hours, again with the dog flap she has access to a secure garden but she is still very welcoming when we come home.

I would suggest that if funds allow you employ either a dog walker who can walk him 2/3 times a week to break up the monotony of being home alone or a pet sitter who is willing to come round at least once a day to give him some play time or just company.

I’d never had a husky either and within 48 hours of bringing her home I thought I’d made a big mistake and even contacted a rescue! Now I wouldn’t part with her, she’s the sweetest dog, has a huge number of fans from her visits to the local nature reserve and the pub lol.


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