What is the best environment for Siberian Husky and German Shepherd Dog Mixes? Here is advice from the ThriftyFun community.
We live in the desert and had Siberian Husky & Black Lab mix. He was always so hot. He'd dig in the dirt to try to get cool. While he hated water, when he'd get really, really hot, he'd go stand in his huge water bucket we had, not lie down, but just stand in it. His digging in the soil was what ended his life as he contracted "Valley Fever", a respiratory disease. We had to put him down, almost 5 years ago, now. While he was a lot of joy to us, I'd not get that breed of dog again, while living here in the desert, I would if we lived in a cooler climate.
By badwater
Huskies are very high energy dogs so if you're not a jogger or plan to do agility, anything to keep them constantly busy, I'd go with a different dog. Shepherds are very intelligent and need brain stimulation too. If you're laid back go with a Golden Retriever mix. They are very happy just hanging around. Of course that's depending on what they're mixed with. You can tell their disposition by interacting with them. And a shelter is full of great dogs just waiting for you!
By Vicki
Hello, we own the same breed of dog and I agree that they need lots of play time and are very smart.
By Leaky
As far as the best environment goes, I would have to say that you definitely need a fairly large, fenced in yard at the very least. We have an acre lot fenced in and Jackson seems to love it. He is able to really get up a lot of speed as he runs laps when he is playing with us. Also, Jackson loves to dig, but it's been a year now and he doesn't seem interested in digging to get out of the fence.
I have a 6 month old Husky/Shepard mix and she is 50 lbs. She is very energetic and lovable, she needs lot of attention stimulation and running room:) Plus she is a wonderful dog for my 2 year old son and she is very loving and protective of him (07/13/2005)
By kim
I rescued a dog that I am told is German Shepherd and Husky. I typed German Shepherd/Husky mix into the search bar and was happily surprised that such a site existed. My dog is guessed to be 2 yrs old and she ways 65 pounds. Her coat is fluffy and very soft and her personality is sweet and playful. She is also a bit wild and hyper.
We live in the valley, too. Everything we have read has told us not to shave long haired breeds in the summer, so we haven't. She has a doggie door and comes in whenever she wants and always has fresh water available. Valley fever is a threat here to pets and humans, but it can be successfully treated with anti-fungal medication. I am sorry to hear about the dog above who got ill.
By Kim
I live in the Kansas City area. I've had dogs all my life of various mixes. Our last dog, Lucy, who we lost to stomach cancer, was absolutely the most loving, intelligent, and loyal dog we have ever owned. She was a German Shepherd/Husky mix. She was overweight at about 65 to 70 lbs. Size can vary and depends on many, many factors, the first being gender of course.
Our veterinarian told us when we bought Lucy that this mix is extremely intelligent and he was right. They can just about learn anything very quickly. I'd almost bet you could teach one to drive a car!
By KCKID
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I just wanted to post a pic of our beauty we rescued from our local humaine society. Her name is Jewel and she is a holy terror, but we love her to bits!
My buddy got me a connection to one of these beautiful dogs, and I've been in love ever since. My pup Izzie is about 5 months now. She was the runt of the litter but she already weighs about 40 lbs. I agree with everyone else - these dogs need plenty of space to run and play, but they are one of the most intelligent dogs ever. At 5 months, Izz already knows sit, stay, lay down, and shake.
I wanted to post my beautiful doggy too! We just rescued him and we love him, he is a big soft cuddly baby. His name is Simba
This is our big boy Rex. He was abandoned in a cardboard box at two months of age so he came with some issues. With no mother to teach him his manners he thought he could do what ever he wanted like mouthing and counter surfing. It's been a challenging year but he's coming along. He has separation anxiety as well and I could write a book about all the stuff he's eaten. My yard looks like a golf course there's so many holes dug. He needs a ton of exercise.
He is very smart though and learns things quickly (when he wants to) and responds very well to hand commands. I would love to see him on an acreage where he would have room to run. I don't think he'd have as many issues if he could get rid of some of his energy. I know it's selfish to keep him in town but I can't part with him. He's big and he's bad but we love him.
This is my little boy, Dakota. I rescued him when he was about 1 1/2. He's 3 now and pretty much the best dog ever, though I may be biased. He loves to cuddle and, even after his 3+ daily walks, he runs around the house like a crazy dog.
I have to ask, how to you get them to stop chewing everything? Brownie has been a terror since we got her in December. She eats through cords like crazy. We have tried everything. She just today ate through my daughter's cell phone cord AGAIN. We are afraid that she is going to hurt herself doing this.
Brownie is &frac; Siberian husky from her daddy and her mom is German Shepard & American Bulldog. Not only are we having problems with her eating everything from paper to bras to electrical cords to my 9 year old Pomeranian, but the house training is going very badly too. We can take her out for an hour and play with her, giver her treats when she is good outside and praise her like crazy for being good. As soon as we come inside she goes into the kitchen and potties or poos on the floor!
Please help. My husband is at the end of his patience and says either she gets trained or she goes & my 16 year old daughter will not like that.
Read somewhere on here that someone feeds there puppy grapes. Don't! Grapes are bad for doggies.
My boyfriend & i adopted a Husky/German Shepherd mix from a friend of a friend when he was about a year old. I was told from my friend that his old owners were very neglectful, left him outside all the time (in Florida) & just generally didn't care all that much about him. We didn't know if he had had any shots or if he'd even ever been to the vet, so as soon as we got him back home we took him in, only to unfortunately find out that he has heartworms. He is currently going through treatment which isn't easy for him or cheap for us, but he is part of the family now & we'd do anything for him. :)
We named him Murphy & he has become the most amazing pet either of us have ever had. Every day when we are getting ready for work or to go wherever, he starts talking and we can tell he has a little bit of separation anxiety, but we think that he'll get better with age. I was very pleasantly surprised to find that he isn't at all scared or skiddish; he is so affectionate and loves everyone! He always wants to snuggle & will press himself up against my boyfriend & I in the bed all the time.
Being only a year-ish old, he has learned so much & is so well behaved. He doesn't jump on people (just my boyfriend & I), he can sit, lay down, shake, he doesn't beg, etc. He likes to chew up old toilet paper rolls & clothes tags, but other than that he doesn't chew anything. Currently, he can't get any exercise or play time because of his heartworm treatment, but before he started on his treatment, we used to walk/run him at least 3 times a day & he was still always crazy hyper. We live in south Florida so its super hot in the summers, so one of murphy's favorite activities is playing in the pool. He loves to swim and looks so adorable doing it.
Murphy is hands down the best dog i've ever had. He is so affectionate and loving, and we can tell that he is very protective of both of us. Hes so sweet, so adorable, and so perfect; I'm so happy my boyfriend & I took a chance on a neglected puppy. We don't have any children (yet) but I think that he would be very good with kids since you could do anything to him & he would just lick you all over your face. I suggest to anyone who has the chance to own a Husky / German Shepherd mix to do so, because they will add so much happiness to your life. :)
This adorable guy is Dexter. We got him last Christmas after much pleading from my girlfriend. We found him on craigslist and he came from a great home, mother and father were a pure bred red-haired siberian husky and german shepherd respectively. Raising him during the first few months was an absolute nightmare. He chewed everything from chords to shoes. As adorable as he was, we ended up having to put him in his kennel almost every night when we went to sleep. He also had terrible separation anxiety, so bad in fact that we had to have him put on medication. After a few months and the purchase of a giant kennel (he grew so fast!) he calmed down from misbehaving. After a year old, he is only 66lbs and barely eats (it's the husky in him, not worms or anything) and my girlfriend and I are hoping he gets much larger. Just a few days ago we put away his kennel and we can trust him to stay out of it when we leave the house. He is the best thing that has ever happened to us and I wouldn't trade him for anything in the world.
I have a 1 yr old male Husky/German shepherd mix. I know both parents of my boy Oscar. Dad was 110lbs German Shepherd. I want to breed him so I can have a son of his. Please let me know if you're interested. He is 85lbs @ 1yr. Big boy and smart and a lover! Please e-mail me @ dollfinn63 AT yahoo.com. I am in Orlando.
I just had to mention that I saw on this that someone feeds their dog grapes and recommends it as a treat. Do NOT do this! Grapes/raisins are toxic to dogs and cause severe illness if enough is ingested, including renal failure. I have no idea why so many people think it's ok but it is not. See for yourself: www.snopes.com/
@ mhmmmkatysrad. Your puppy resembles mine! Here's a picture of him with his German shepherd/husky mix Dad 'Samson'. His Dame was also a German shepherd/husky mix yet they looked so different. Say hi to 'Wolfie' :-) To back up what everyone else has said, he's mega intelligent and has already learned more than 6 tricks at age 11 weeks. He goes in moods, sighing if he doesn't get your undivided attention, and wakes me up in the morning by placing his head under mine, flipping me up and then lying on the pillows haha. Amazing dog
I had been traveled to another town by the underground, the train and the bus to buy Renji for 100$. His mother is the Shepherd from the military kennel, and his father is the blue eyed black-and-white Siberian Husky. Renji don't like to bark, likes to play with the ball, to jump over the barriers, to swim and likes snow. He's socialized with other dogs and all transport, he likes children and all people very much (so he can't protect me at all) and is very obedient, always walks off leash (where it's allowed) and never run away like purebred Huskies. Now he's 2.5 years old.
We have a 13 week old German Shepherd Siberian Husky, Dasha. According to our trainer, she's a pup with an attitude! We have to take different approaches to training with her as she finds all of the usual training methods humorous and almost laughs at us as we try to correct her bad behavior.
She's learning to respect us, though, and knows many commands already! She loves to test people that watch her for us. She'll do things with them she never does with us! And if she gets away with it, even once - she'll do it over and over and over. She's too smart for her own good.
We take her on at least 3 walks a day, she already fetches her ball, and she loves going out to pet stores. She wants to jump into everyone's lap and say "Hi!." She's a lot of work, but we love her to death and are willing to put the time and effort into her to make her into a wonderful dog. We live in Colorado, so we're hoping she'll enjoy camping and hiking up 14,000 foot mountains with me and my husband!
Hi, This is Jake :)
I am living in Spain (from the UK) and I rescued this big guy a couple of months ago! He's now 9 months but this picture was taken about a month ago! He's huge and keeps growing FAST! I was told at the pound, he was a German Shepperd mix. I came across some German Shepperd/husky cross pics and couldn't help but notice some of them looked like his long lost brother or sister. What do you guys think?
Stacie
Northern breed Dogs should never live in sub-tropical climates.
Oliver was 12 years old and suffered a stroke 2 years ago. As know and prone to developing hip problems in shepherds Oliver too suffered hip problems yesterday he wandered off our 29 acres I presume die in peace as some dogs are inclined to do. He did not partake of a final meal. He just said his goodbyes and left us. I wept like a baby and still am. I miss him immensely. I'll not replace him, as he was more than a companion but rather a very loyal and trusted friend. Goodbye my friend, my Oliver.
Okay the person who said not for the desert, doesn't know what they are talking about, their poor ability to take care of their dog properly has nothing to do with either of the breeds in question. First of all German Shepherds are fabulous working dogs that thrive in hot weather when properly taken care of, as evidenced by the extensive use of this breed by the military, and further, Siberian Huskies, because of their double coat, actually do quite well if you take care of them. The digging behavior described is common to Huskies and they do in almost any environment. The most important thing to remember is this is a mix of two highly intelligent breeds, cunning, and with problem solving abilities. A puppy of this kind will require a lot of stimulation. Daily walks, lots of toys, and frequent socialization, starting at a young age.
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