Need your help if you have experience

[Frankie]

Being here by myself, and my 15 year old son, I want a bigger dog. Out in the middle of no where and if nothing else will make me feel better.

I know the Siberian Husky is not a "watch dog" but also know their looks alone can scare some people off. I do have a small dog inside that always lets me know if someone is outside, but he is small and not so scarey looking. At least he gives me a warning.

As much as I have looked, can not find info on how the husky would do with the horses.

Do you have experience and can you let me know?

This dog I am looking at, is 6 months old, full blooded, has not been fixed, but will be and is a male.

Would appreciate any input.

thanks

 

[Charley]

We had a large malamute, much like a husky, in a stall and run near our horses. He was a good dog, was in our house most of the time and put in the run for exersize.

My husband was bringing him back in the house just after mare had foaled. My husband grabbed him as he went to attack the foal. My husband was bitten badly by the dog but he did not get the foal. We contacted a malamute rescue but they would not take him as he had bitten. We eventually found him a home away from other animals. I would never want another one.

 

[Charlene]

i had two sibes years ago. they were my sled team.

siberians are not for everyone. they are extremely independent dogs and they were born to run. they are NOT dependable off-leash, EVER. i'm not sure where you live but if you live where summer temps and humidity are high, sibes are miserable if left outside. they can and do (did for me, at least) make wonderful house dogs but then there is the issue of shedding. they blow their coats twice a year and if you don't keep up on their grooming, you will find what appears to be another entire DOG living behind your couch.

as for sibes and horses, i never let ANY dog go in with my horses unless i am right there to supervise and even then, it's too much of a bother to try to work with a horse and keep my eye on the dogs at the same time. sibes are not aggressive toward horses, mine were actually pretty blase about them, didn't care one way or the other.

my sibes went everywhere with me, in the cab of my truck. you are right, they can be very intimidating looking but are really very gentle dogs. i once came out of walmart to find a guy reaching his hand into the partly open window to pet my dogs. i said to him "you must know sibes". LOL! he said he had one and knew mine would welcome a scratch behind the ear. other people would take one look at them and say "i bet you never have to lock your truck!"

siberians are not the easiest dogs in the world to train and can be very frustrating. unless you are prepared for some trying times with this pup, i would discourage you and suggest looking at other breeds. of course, they are almost irresistible when they are puppies!

 

[Charlene]

not to hijack your thread, carolyn, but here are a few pics.

my red female (juneau) and black male (flag) at 6 weeks old.

my female on the left, male on the right. there is actually a third dog behind my male.

my male...

my female...

something else you should consider...siberians are not normally cat-friendly and if you want bunnies in your yard, forget it! they are very good hunters.

 

[Marty]

I had an Alaskan Malamute, does that count?

His name was Spike and he was a great dog. Health wise, never any troubles. He never got displasia or anything related to big dog problems. He was a mess to groom, I mean it was a real mess, totaly flea bag, so he was kept on my mom's screened in porch. He was definately an independant dog, didn't listen to much, arragant and defiant at times, but very loyal to my mom and me, very protective. Around the horses he was aloof, could care less. He lived to be 17 years old.

 

[anoki]

Malamutes I think have an entirely different temperament than Sibes.....

Sibes with horses, I'd say no. And like Charlene, they are NOT dependable OFF LEASH. I have a very good friend who breeds them, and has bred them for YEARS (used to run sled but got injured and can't anymore). She told me if I sibe starts running, NEVER LET GO OF THE LEASH!

They are beautiful dogs!! My friend has a gorgeous pup that will be shown soon, but I know it is not a breed for me.

~kathryn

 

[Magic]

I had a Siberian Husky, gorgeous dog and just loved him, BUT-- he once chased my big horse when the horse was a gelding and ran him right through a fence.

The dog acted like he would have LOVED to chase down my miniature foals too, but I never let him anywhere near them. He also routinely killed any of the neighbor's chickens, ducks, etc, that were stupid enough to wander into his yard. He was pretty good with the cats but he grew up with them, but still liked to chase them. As much as I love Siberian Huskys, I'd say NO to them with horses, they can just enjoy chasing too much.

My Great Dane on the other hand, is also very intimidating, and yet is really good with the horses, even the newborn foals. I of course never leave her with the horses unattended, but she has spent sometimes many hours a day with them when I am out too, and she treats them like they are her babies.

Also, a Livestock Guardian Dog of some kind would be a good choice-- they come in a large size but also make good house dogs too, from what I hear. You can get adults from rescues.

 

[Frankie]

Charlene, Gorgeous animals!!!!!!

Thanks for all the input, it really has me thinking. I do now have doubts, and for me, a doubt has always been a no when it comes to any animal.

Thanks again

 

[SunQuest]

Hi Carolyn,

I have Sibes. I just love the breed. But, as the other posts have said, they are totally different personality wise from Mals.

Sibes with horses can work, but the key is that the Sibe is not alone and unsupervised with the horses and when I have a young foal, the sibe is either tied up or locked in the crate. I have my fences set up so that I can keep the sibes out of the fences, especially when the minis are foals. I let them introduce themselves through the fence and that is it. What I have found is that if you take the time to teach the dog that being with horses is not ok, then eventually they will learn not to go into the pastures. Of course with big horses, that is not as much of an issue.

But, if you are working a horse on a lunge line, watch out. They think that the running horse is fun to chase.

The biggest thing to remember is that Sibes were left to hunt and fend for themselves 100 years ago. This instinct is a trait of theirs and is just as strong as running is. Doesn't make them bad dogs, and out of the 7 purebreds that we have owned, I would say that only one can not be trusted to not want to be aggressive with people. But, out of the 7, ALL would hunt anything smaller than themselves.

Please do take notice of that and NEVER EVER trust them with your foals. If you still want a Sibe, find a good reputable breeder in your area and learn all the traits they have. As Charlene said, they are not for everyone.

 

[lilmiraclesfarm]

I know you wanted a siberian, but as for a guard dog, something to look scary have you considered maybe a doberman? If trained they can be great with horses. I watched one gentleman ride his horse in his ring and his red dobie just followed along side. As well, I know some people who had 2 dobies both adults and moved onto the property of a horse farm. The dogs never onced touched those horses, they were actually more afraid than anything.

They are great dogs, and quite friendly. I hope you find something you like. I wish I had trained my own dobie to be around horses, but he's not and gets too crazy at the farm, running through my electric fence like a moose. lol But he would never hurt any of them, just acts to wild when he's there.

 

[The Simple Life Farm]

I have 2 Great Pyrs, they are large in size, and live 24/7 with the horses. They are very protective of their "family" (human or horse). I would not recommend them to be in the house, as they have a very thick coat!!!!!!!!

 

[Watcheye]

My mom LOVES Siberian Huskeys. She used to have one named Fonzie. Yes after the Fonze. He was a one person dog and was very good to my mom. He was not too cool with other people. He HUNTED all of the time. He was good with the full sized horses and went out with mom when she went riding. She would often have to chase him though as he ran off. When I was a baby, he pulled me in a sled. I have few memories of it still amazingly enough. She now has what we believe to be a Siberian Huskey X Malamute (Dawson) as he is a bit large to just be the first breed. He also enjoys hunting and though arrogant and thick headed often, he is much friendlier with people than I can ever recall Fonzie being. He did kill two of my guinea pigs though

and we watch him very carefully around the horses. Then there is my 1/2 huskey 1/2 German Sheppard Luca. He is awesome. He comes to the barn all of the time and is quite good. Oh and they are vocal. They make some hellarious noises