[fusionrx]

Hi all, first post here.

We are in the process of adding a second dog to our household. Dog 1 is a papillion mix (about 30lbs), male with many alpha traits (although considers me the alpha male in the house). He is about 3.5-4 years old. He plays well with other big dogs (nit so well with small dogs).

Dog 2 we are looking at adopting from Animal Ark (no kill shelter) is a husky shepherd mix about 90lbs and 6 years old. We met him today and the kids and wife really liked him. He is very well trained. Pretty laid back. We will do ado intro tomorrow. He is very omega.

Does anyone have any good sites for this breed. Looking for more info on it. So far it seems they have the best of both worlds of shepherd and husky. How are they for peoplepc with allergies? Dog 1 really doesn't shed. This one would definately shed.

Would love to here others experiences and thoughts. Also fyi, both parents work 8-6 and dog 1 isbfine with that. How would dog 2 do with that? He would also be kept inside during work days as he has historyof escaping yards.

 

[Gally]

Dog 1 is a papillion mix (about 30lbs), male with many alpha traits (although considers me the alpha male in the house).

You may want to read up on pack theory and how the original theories that were based on studies of captive wolves have been disproved.
http://www.diamondsintheruff.com/packtheory.html
http://www.tarynblyth.co.za/articles/pack-theory-fact-or-fiction/

He is very well trained. Pretty laid back. We will do ado intro tomorrow. He is very omega.

The way a dog acts in a shelter setting isn't necessarily how they will act in a home setting. They are usually under stress in the shelter and may be "shut down" because of it. Just keep in mind that he may become very active and confident once he is comfortable in your home.

Does anyone have any good sites for this breed. Looking for more info on it. So far it seems they have the best of both worlds of shepherd and husky. How are they for peoplepc with allergies? Dog 1 really doesn't shed. This one would definately shed.

A husky shepherd mix isn't a breed it a mixed breed or mutt. That's not a bad thing but you can't accurately predict what traits a mixed dog will get from each breed. They won't necessarily have less or more of any traits that each breed possess, each dog will be an individual mix.

You would do better to look at each breed individually and be ready to expect any or all traits from each breed. What you can expect is that in general these are both high energy, working dogs that need lots of exercise and mental stimulation. Huskys are HEAVY shedders so be prepared for that.

Also fyi, both parents work 8-6 and dog 1 isbfine with that. How would dog 2 do with that? He would also be kept inside during work days as he has historyof escaping yards.

Husky's are notorious escape artists. They are also very high energy as I already mentioned. Be prepared to spend 2 to 3 hours exercising him everyday.

Hopefully some husky and shepherd owners will pipe in with some more advice.

 

[fusionrx]

Alpha/Omega is more descriptive than anything else. What we are most looking for is the companionship for Dog 1. He LOVES playing with other big dogs. He doesn't like small dogs (plus all the 'small' neighborhood dogs are mean, mean dogs... One of the neighbors terriers escaped their yard (invisible fence) and charged across the street and another yard into our yard and started picking a fight with our dog who was on lead and chilling out on the grass).

The shedding thing is concerning to us... We don't vacuum as much as we should (my mother vacuumed every other day when we were growing up, but different times, she was a stay at home mom, unlike my wife).

 

[sscott87]

The way a dog acts in a shelter setting isn't necessarily how they will act in a home setting. They are usually under stress in the shelter and may be "shut down" because of it. Just keep in mind that he may become very active and confident once he is comfortable in your home.

A husky shepherd mix isn't a breed it a mixed breed or mutt. That's not a bad thing but you can't accurately predict what traits a mixed dog will get from each breed. They won't necessarily have less or more of any traits that each breed possess, each dog will be an individual mix.

You would do better to look at each breed individually and be ready to expect any or all traits from each breed. What you can expect is that in general these are both high energy, working dogs that need lots of exercise and mental stimulation. Huskys are HEAVY shedders so be prepared for that.

Exactly things I was going to say. I have a Husky mix of some sort (though some people suggest other northern breeds aside from husky, but my research has pretty well confirmed this for me). He's energetic. Very. And that's one of many Husky-like traits I've read up on. And Husky/Shepherd, you won't likely avoid him being a relatively energetic dog and needing a good amount of exercise to truly be satisfied and calm down. I've gotten to wear I'll run 3-4 miles with Jax every other day, and on alternating days he typically gets a good walk at the park and the opportunity to explore. If he doesn't get either? He's a nut in the house and will run laps, chasing the cat, leaping up and over the couch.

Intelligence is somewhat debatable, depends on what you look at. Some sources don't rank Huskies too horribly high, but they aren't lacking in intelligence (after all, they are indeed known to be escape artists), and being that yours is a Shepherd mix, he should be alright. You'll want to find some productive ways to exercise him, train him, meaningful activities to get him "working" a little bit.

But the best thing I can suggest is simply to research a lot into both dogs, as it isn't a breed and yours may pick up any given traits/behaviors from either while being somewhere in-between in other aspects. Every time someone even mentions their thoughts on Jax being a mix of some other particular breed, I research the breed, trying to find out more not only to see if it makes sense but to get a clue as to what traits he may or may not have and how I can use that knowledge to make advantage in what I do for and with him.

 

[fusionrx]

We already do a walk/play session with our one dog, so a second dog added to the mix is not a huge change to our schedule. Run (I don't, bad feet), bike yes, but I'd need to keep him on a leash though... is that safe?

Thought about doing additional training with dogs if the second really is that mellow, maybe therapy work training, who knows... (we still have to get the second dog!).

How big a space should Dog 2 have? Crate? dedicated dog area in a room (ie. kennel but big enough to walk in?).

 

[Niraya]

Everything Gally said was pretty spot on - so I'll speak as an advocate for the Husky part.

The reason "getting a companion FOR the FIRST dog" is an absolutely terrible reason to get SECOND dog. We'll just get that out of the way right now. There are PLENTY of ways for your current dog to get to play with other dogs (i.e. take him/her to a dog park, have scheduled play dates with other dog owners you know).

Huskies shed A LOT. A lot doesn't even begin to cover the amount of shedding a husky alone does. If you own a husky (or x/Husky) you basically must learn that fur is EVERYWHERE - that includes your food. Fur is a condiment in a Husky (husky/x) household. That's just DAILY shedding - that doesn't include the fact that twice a year for about a month that dog will shed out it's ENTIRE coat. We're talking HANDFULS of fur coming off the dog.

You mentioned this dog is already known for escaping - knowing that even under your supervision this dog could escape - not to mention if you leave it outside even for just 10 minutes alone. Huskies are also famous for digging (if you have a prized flower bed or yard I'd advise against). They require LOTS of exercise - this doesn't include just running around the yard - most dogs escape their yards because they're left out there and their owners think that is "exercise" when in reality it is VERY boring for the dog(s) thus leading to them escaping (the outside world beyond the fence is much more exciting than the same things they see everyday in the yard that never change)

 

[fusionrx]

Not alot of dog owners around that we know (see above re: neighborhood dogs). Dogs that are around that our dog plays with, are either a) not out often/owners don't encourage their dogs to play b) owners live in a different city and are visiting neighbors. We've gone back and forth on owning a second dog, but have owned 2 pets at the same time (cats) previously.

Shedding- thats really good info... that would be a big factor.. need to find a good non-shedding dog Kids/wife have some allergies (cats mainly).

Escaping (historically was left in a fenced yard, unsupervised), no more detail than that. He'd be supervised at all times.. (like the other dog).

 

[Niraya]

I hear Poodles are pretty low shedding/non shedding(?).

I can't say on allergies . But even if you can't deal with a mild amount of fur about - a husky mix (and probably shepherd mix also) and any double coated breed(s) is most likely out. My Siberian isn't even blowing her coat yet and she went with us in the car today and after about 15 minutes when I got out I could have passed for a dog. She sheds A LOT lol.

I don't know many medium-large dogs that actually don't shed quite a bit =/ aside from a Standard Poodle - someone more knowledgeable on other breeds might be able to point you in the right direction.

If you have a dog park near you I'd suggest going there and meeting people/dogs! People who go there want their dogs to socialize and play with other dogs and it's a good place to maybe find people who live within a few miles or 20 minutes or so of you that you could schedule play dates with!

 

[fusionrx]

no dog parks around here...

And can't stand poodles... I appreciate the qualities and all, but think they rank up there with the ugly dogs... (personal preference, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" right?).

Allergies are all to cats and cat dander...

My wife has always wanted larger dogs, the Papillion (didn't know it was that when we bought it) which we got at 14weeks old, was thought to be a medium size dog ~40-50lbs, springer spaniel size when grown. Now he'd just cracking the 25-30 lbs range at 4 years of age.

This is Odin.

 

[sscott87]

Biking can be done. They make what amount to an extend arm that sticks out from the side of the bicycle that a short lead attaches to, but of course that takes some getting used to and some work I'd imagine before it's an easy thing.

I didn't even think about the leash/yard/unattended thing. This may not be a great difficulty if he takes after a Shepherd and becomes well trained, but if he's Husky-like, he probably will not do well off-leash. As in, ooops, I'm off?! See ya! They will dart and you will chase.

Crating, I'd say they're about like most dogs. You could leave him in a large enough crate when necessary. Someone, such as Niraya, may be able to give you a bit more accurate input in a pure Husky's behavior unattended, but confined to smaller areas, but I know Jax has gotten obviously bored when confined to the kitchen if I don't make it home at lunch. He now spends more time in his crate than I'd prefer, because he'd get bored and chew and even scratched at the floor to the point that he ripped out the vinyl flooring. Some of this is obviously being young still, but I think a bit of the boredom is also simply being a Husky. Though relatively well-trained and quite well behaved, and hardly destructive other than the incident above, he can't be trusted in the house without me.

As for shedding, he sheds enough as-is. I'd hate to know how badly a pure husky sheds.

 

[Niraya]

I didn't think Papillons were supposed to get that big ! Odin is quite handsome

Personally, I don't much care for the show-cut poodles:

but you don't have to keep them groomed in show-cut.

But look at all of the fun things you could do with a poodle >.>

As for larger dogs - my experience (with other peoples bigger dogs) is that even short haired dogs shed ridiculously - I'd say some even shed as much if not more than my Siberian! They just shed smaller hairs so it's not that noticeable. Me - I have furballs that blow through my house like a desert tumbleweed. lol I've only had long haired, double coated breeds. I love all the fur lol

 

[Gally]

Here's a list of low shedding dog breeds. I'm not sure how accurate it is but it's a good place to start. There are a few larger breeds in there.

http://www.justdogbreeds.com/low-shedding-dog-breeds.html

 

[Niraya]

Biking can be done. They make what amount to an extend arm that sticks out from the side of the bicycle that a short lead attaches to, but of course that takes some getting used to and some work I'd imagine before it's an easy thing.

I didn't even think about the leash/yard/unattended thing. This may not be a great difficulty if he takes after a Shepherd and becomes well trained, but if he's Husky-like, he probably will not do well off-leash. As in, ooops, I'm off?! See ya! They will dart and you will chase.

Crating, I'd say they're about like most dogs. You could leave him in a large enough crate when necessary. Someone, such as Niraya, may be able to give you a bit more accurate input in a pure Husky's behavior unattended, but confined to smaller areas, but I know Jax has gotten obviously bored when confined to the kitchen if I don't make it home at lunch. He now spends more time in his crate than I'd prefer, because he'd get bored and chew and even scratched at the floor to the point that he ripped out the vinyl flooring. Some of this is obviously being young still, but I think a bit of the boredom is also simply being a Husky. Though relatively well-trained and quite well behaved, and hardly destructive other than the incident above, he can't be trusted in the house without me.

As for shedding, he sheds enough as-is. I'd hate to know how badly a pure husky sheds.

[email protected] I never crated Bella. She screamed bloody murder and ripped out four of her front baby teeth in her crate once. She has been left uncrated since she was 10 weeks old but ONLY because I am home with her 24/7. She's been house trained since she was 4-5 months old because of that. I did reintroduce the crate to her around 6-9 months and got her used to being in it.

These are the two worst things she's done. (See how proud she is?) She does get tons of exercise and isn't very often bored - I put this up to adolescence. Though if she was so inclined, or if I didn't give her the proper exercise, She'd very much do this to all of my walls, my furniture, my beds and woodwork probably.

 

[Willowy]

Papillons are toy dogs and are supposed to be 5-10 pounds. I know someone here has a big guy that's around (I think) 18 pounds, but I think your dog being 30 pounds effectively rules out the possibility of him being purebred Papillon. Not that any of that matters, just saying .

Yeah, Huskies and Shepherds shed like crazy. And Labs, don't think that they don't just because they're shorthaired dogs! The ones who don't shed as much are single-coated dogs, and those with curly hair and wire hair hardly shed at all.

 

[fusionrx]

Odin is a mix. With what we don't know but not pure bred Pappillion.... my folks had a sheltie when I grew up and that shed good amount. Made great bedding for bird nests.. Odin ate at the wall as puppy to but not since. Teething more thana anything I think.

 

[Niraya]

A dogs crate should only be as big enough for the dog to stand up, lay down and turn around in. I know for a Siberian they recommend 36" crates. I probably wouldn't leave any dog unattended in a room especially at first. I'd introduce a crate and make it a great, safe and happy place for the dog so that he/she feels really comfortable in it.

 

[sscott87]

These are the two worst things she's done. (See how proud she is?) She does get tons of exercise and isn't very often bored - I put this up to adolescence. Though if she was so inclined, or if I didn't give her the proper exercise, She'd very much do this to all of my walls, my furniture, my beds and woodwork probably.

OMG That picture is awesome. Even before getting to the second picture with her in it I was thinking she's surely proud of that! Fortunately Jax came to me very well crate trained (I think most of his time indoors with his previous owner was spent in his crate, with the majority of his time being out on a leash in the yard). He goes to it quite well and will often be in it even when he doesn't have to be. The crate can be a very good thing, as unfortunately no one is home so constantly and he surely can't be left alone as THAT is when he's tempted to become destructive.

In any case, they're good dogs. I've seen several people post over my short time on here with various husky/shepherd mixes and they're always gorgeous and no one has too much negative to say. Despite the "flaws" of Huskies seemingly being a bit high-maintenance (energetic, needing space/exercise, shedding, escape artists, etc etc), GSDs obviously have some similar drawbacks but are such a popular dog and well-known for their work/training abilities. There are a LOT of good traits between the two and generally, not too many deal-breakers that may pop up, so long as you know you're surely going to get a very active dog.

 

[Niraya]

I call her my little artist.

 

[fusionrx]

Well, Odin got to meet dog 2 (Garth) today at the No Kill shelter (Animal Ark, in Hastings, MN). They politely tolerated each other. Much sniffing, a bit of timidness from Odin (surprising), especially when Garth finally wanted to play. We think the size difference was simply too much and Odin was intimidated by Garth. We also were concerned about the lack of fenced yard and the high exercise needs (2 demanding jobs + 2 young demanding kids) wasn't going to mesh with the exercise needs that Garth required (was put on Treadmill during winter for 1hr to get sufficient exercise).

We felt that Garth was really a great dog, just not a great dog for us and would make another family happy.

We are now looking for a slightly smaller dog ~45lbs, female (which we think would integrate with Odin better), that is good with Kids and dogs(Odin in this case). Other key things we're looking for include not needing fence, not extreme exercise needs, and good nature...

I'm not asking for much am I?

 

[Niraya]

You should probably look at an olderish dog 4-6 years or older. The exercise requirements for many/most dogs that age is significantly less.

Many dogs of any breed if given the opportunity off a leash will run. You have to train a pretty solid recall on a dog for it to be trusted off leash. That being said - I have a Siberian Husky and I do NOT have a fenced in yard. If she is not in a secure enclosed area - she's NEVER off leash. You can make not having a fence work as long as you're willing to put the time in in other ways.