Cincinnati Nesties
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Wolf hybrids?
I've been doing a lot of research and am seriously considering getting a wolf/husky mix. I won't be getting it right away and I'd definitely have a house with a huge yard before any of it happens. I'm just wondering if any of you ladies have any experience with this? I know it's a TON of work I just want to hear experiences and tips on how to raise and care for these animals. I don't want to hear about how wolves aren't pets. That's not what I'm asking here.
Re: Wolf hybrids?
I have no experience with a wolf/husky mix, but I do have experience with a full blooded husky. We have a husky and she is alot of work. She is 3 years old and we've had her since she was 6 weeks. She is high energy and very stubborn. If she doesn't want to do it, she's not going to do it. That said she's a GREAT family pet. I attribute her being a great family pet to the amount of time and energy we've put into her. We go to training every week. Every thursday for the past 2.5 years we go to training. We work for a solid hour, in addition to the hours we spend during the week keeping up with the sits, stays, down, leave its, come, etc. We have to continutely enforce that we are the alpha and she is to obey us. She knows how to take advantage of a situation and she has multiple times.
She has a dog walker that comes Monday-Thursday (I don't work Fridays) who gives her a good solid half hour walk. We also run her around the house when we get home from work (we call these the husky hypers and it includes running stairs). We do not have a fenced in yard, unfortunately.
With all that, she's great. Her and my daughter (9 mths) are just now starting to play together and it's adorable. Even with all the upkeep, Koda is a great dog and I wouldn't have it any other way.
I'm not trying to sway you one way or the other, but please be prepared for what you are getting into (that goes with any breed of dog). My only issue with the wolf/husky hybrid is that well a wolf is an undomesticated animal and I'm not sure how I'd feel about that in my home and around my children. Can I ask why you are looking at the hybrid? What qualities do you like about the hybrid?
Oh and she sheds like a beast, be prepared!
I know you're not asking if you should get a hybrid or not and I know you do not want to hear that they are not good pets. But guess what? Keeping a wild animal as a "pet" is wrong and dangerous beyond all belief. And a hybrid is still a wild animal at heart. Get a dog. Better yet, get a stuffed animal. I seriously question the judgment of anyone who would consider keeping a wild animal or hybrid wild animal as a "pet." Do your future neighbors, future children, animal control, the sanctuary that will end up taking care of your "pet" someday, and even the vet who will ultimately euthanize your unadoptable "pet" a great big favor and just say no.
Now go ahead and tell me that I'm a big meanie b!tch who doesn't know your life. The long-time ladies on this board will tell you that I might be direct and brutally honest but I don't engage in cruel snark for my own warped entertainment.
Have you ever had a dog? I'm seriously and honestly asking. Figure out what you what you want in a pet. Forget a specific breed. Talk to a rescue group, tell them about your life, and let them find a few dogs that might be a good fit. I'm really concerned with your desire to have a wolf-like dog. My second ever dog was a husky type mix. Her name was Princess & she was from the SPCA. I adopted her on impulse a month or so after adopting my male dog Fluffy. She was sweet & loving to people & would cuddle with them all day long. That's probably what kept her alive in that high kill shelter. Soon after I adopted her we started obedience classes. We were kicked out before the class even started because she was so aggressive to the other dogs. The trainer offered to work with me for free. We met every single Saturday for 8 months trying to temper Princess' aggression to other dogs. She was young & that breed needs lots of exercise so I tried walking her. Walks were a disaster. She would lunge at other dogs, squirrels, etc. Once she lunged on her leash & tried to attack the little dogs that belonged to the old lady up the street. The old lady screamed so loud that the Federal Marshall who lived across the street went running out of her house with her weapon drawn. We couldn't play or get exercise in my yard b/c Princess would jump our fence and try to get the other neighborhood pets. The only safe way to let her go to the bathroom was to take her out with a leash and stay right next to her the entire time. After 8 months the trainer told me that she was at a loss and didn't know of anything else we could to do help Princess. The next day I had her put to sleep. My dad came up and went into the exam room with Princess because I didn't have the guts to be with her. That was the first time I ever saw my dad cry. Not even when my sister was born, not even when his mother died. He cried because he held my dog while she died.
I was young and stupid when I adopted Princess on impulse. Now I'm older & wiser and I know I should have done more research before I adopted any dog, let alone a challenging breed. In hindsight and with experience I would have tried even harder to help Princess overcome her small animal aggression. Unfortunately small animal aggression/prey dive is a breed trait of malamutes, huskies, etc. Maybe I could have helped her, maybe not, but at least then I wouldn't feel so guilty that my sweet, cuddly dog is not here, old and gray, curled up in a tight ball next to me. Instead she's in my bottom dresser drawer, sitting in a little card board box from the pet crematorium.
Here's some info on both breeds. Look at these sites, talk to people at the rescues, then decide if you still want a husky or malamute and how they really are NOT domesticated wolves.
http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/northernlights.html
http://www.amrescueohio.com/MalvsHusky.html
http://www.siberrescue.com/huskyed3.html