[Kodasdaddy]

We are adopting a puppy from a rescue. We bring him home in two weeks when he is 8 weeks old. His mom is a Husky mix and his dad we think is a yellow lab. Does anyone have any experience with a husky/lab mix, and what kind of temperament and personality we can expect? I have raised several other dogs but never a husky or lab. We are prepared for a pretty high energy dog. Any other useful tips?

 

[Zoopie]

My advice? Keep a close eye on him to make sure no one steals him. He's adorable!

 

[PatchworkRobot]

WOW he's cute!

When it comes to mixes and personality traits what you can do is put the personality traits of both breeds into a bucket and just pull some things out. Really, it's completely random. YOu can talk to people with the same mix all you want but since it's a mix (and since not much is known about the parent's or their lines) not much can be set in stone. Labs are friendly, usually. Huskies are aloof, usually. Both shed!

I suggest going to the web pages for the Husky Club of America and the Lab Club of America and doing a ton of reading.

Also, post more pictures.

 

[trainingjunkie]

My good friend actually met the mother of your new dog. She is said to be very, very gentle and mellow and laid back. I guess she is just spectacular. These puppies have been raised by a wonderful foster mother and have never set foot in a kennel environment. I think you have gotten a very, very nice puppy with solid upbringing!

Congratulations! It should be great.

It's such a small world!

 

[Kodasdaddy]

We met the Mom only for a minute but she seemed very sweet. We are soo excited to bring him home! We are just trying to get as much info together as possible, and have staretd puppy proofing our place.

 

[trainingjunkie]

I wouldn't worry too much about the breed of the puppy. I would just learn as much as possible about bringing one up! Puppies are whirl-windy DEMONS!

If you are interested, peek at some of Ian Dunbar's puppy stuff. I love this error-free methods of management and positive reinforcement. His stuff is awesome!

I would also check out a puppy class. You will have tons of good classes to chose from in your area.

Take about 2 million pictures! They are only puppies for a few sleepless and stressful minutes! The little pup I just got is now spitting baby teeth. I can't believe how quickly they grow up!

 

[hanksimon]

Traininjunkie said Dunbar: http://www.dogstardaily.com/free-downloads

Both breeds are intelligent. Labs are easy to train. Huskies can be escape artists, they can also talk
If you raised pups, then you know they whine for the first 3 nights (get earplugs), try to ignore him. Good Luck.
Both breeds are nippy, train Bite Inhibition (See the Sticky: The Bite Stops Here).

You can train a Lab to walk off-leash. I don't think that you can trust a husky off-leash ???

 

[Kodasdaddy]

^Thanks. I read both E-books and learned alot.

 

[Niraya]

Traininjunkie said Dunbar: http://www.dogstardaily.com/free-downloads

Both breeds are intelligent. Labs are easy to train. Huskies can be escape artists, they can also talk Just adding on to this: Huskies can be a pain to train (stubborn aren't biddable)
If you raised pups, then you know they whine for the first 3 nights (get earplugs), try to ignore him. Good Luck.
Both breeds are nippy, train Bite Inhibition (See the Sticky: The Bite Stops Here).

You can train a Lab to walk off-leash. I don't think that you can trust a husky off-leash ??? You should never fully trust a Siberian off leash unless you're in fully enclosed area. It is possible - but it will take training from the very beginning and you will never have 100% perfect recall. (that applies for any breed because there will always be that one time you can't call the dog off)

I placed my answers in bold.

 

[trainingjunkie]

The mom is not a true husky. She is husky-type, but a true, TRUE mixed breed! Her temperament is soft and biddable. If I was the OP, I wouldn't worry too much about the "husky specific" behaviors.

To the OP! I am so glad you read the Dunbar stuff! I have watched a bunch of his DVDs and the guy is so funny and his insights are so on point!

 

[ruca]

one thing i can tell you is nipping is going to be an issue. My little one is just now getting over this problem.

 

[Kodasdaddy]

^very cute pointy ears!... We are prepared for a lil snapping alligator

 

[marie&tessa]

how cute!
that pup looks like a younger version of my Tessa, who's a husky / golden mix.
congrats on the new puppy!
I agree that with a mix, it's hard to know which traits the dogs will inherit. My Tessa is not independent (not at all!!) and very easy to train, but she's also an escape artist, loves to destroys things and cannot be trusted around small rodents and birds (luckily she's very good with the cats, but we can't leave her loose near the chickens).

Good luck and keep us posted! (with lots of pictures!)

 

[Kodasdaddy]

Koda came home yesterday! We are so excited to have him here with us. He is the sweetest little guy. He was very well behaved in the car ride. As soon as we got home I took him into the grass and he pee right away. He loves to give kisses and has been doing good sleeping in his kennel but also going into it for fun. We have been feeding him by hand and with his kong toys and he really loves the dehydrated duck breast stuffing into the kong. He slept all night in his kennel with very little wining, and then went potty first thing in the morning. He doesn't seem sore at all after his surgery the other day and his wound is looking clean. We were able to introduce him to 7 strangers yesterday and he was very happy to meet them all and gladly took treats from them, and gave lots of kisses. We got him a harness and he has been doing great walking with it on. Here are some pics I took while he was in his puppy play area.

Nom nom

 

[hanksimon]

Terrific! Great pix, Love them! I expect those ol' vampire teeth to be nipping for some fresh daddy blood in just a few days...Now is a good time to teach Sit and Come. You can start training now.

 

[sscott87]

I love husky pups. Cutest pups ever. And that one takes the cake. Good luck and enjoy! Looks a blast!