Newby...Nervous!

[InEdensBliss]

I ya'll. I'm getting an 8 week old siberian husky on jan 25th. I've been reading all these horror stories about how hard it is to keep them in a fence. I'm getting so nervous now...will I be able to teach him to stay in the back yard since I'm getting him as a puppy? I'll keep him in the house until he's at least 4 months old and slowly work w/ him on the backyard and disipline, but I've also got two kids, I can't watch him all the time. I hear nothing but positive things on their demeaner, but horrible stories about their fence jumping abilities. I had a jack russell and eventually just had to sell him b/c he kept getting out, he'd always come back home, but it was too stressfull, I also hear siberians wander off and are hard to catch if accidentlly let go. I couldn't sleep worrying about it last night. HELP!!!:eek::eek::eek:

[siberianhusky101]

Yes your siberian will run away, its what they are bred to do. Your research on the breed should have told you everything you needed to know. not to mention your breeder should have made sure you were prepared for a dog before even selling a puppy to you. you cannot train a siberian not to go outside of the fence line, they are a very free spirited dog. unlike your jack russell, a siberian will not come back , they have no built in homing device. they also learn to climb fences very quickly. im sorry but my suggestion to you is to inform your breeder that you're not able to care for a siberian (if they are any kind of respectable breeder they will understand) and will not be able purchase the puppy. look for a breed that was not bred to run or hunt. An Akita might be a good choice, they are very good with children (will even protect them, but wont try to herd them like some breeds) however they are wary of strangers and may not warm up to every new adult they are introduced to.
here is a list of some other breeds you might look into

Soft-coated Wheaten terrier
Standard Schnauzer
Shiba Inus

[InEdensBliss]

Thanks siberian101 for all your usefull advice. I've wanted a siberian for as long as I can remember, but i've been so stressed about getting the puppy...so, I asked for my deposit back, got on craigslist and found a 3 year old female that was rescued and needs a home. i also found a half priced huge kennel to keep her in while we're away. She also loves car rides which was a major thing for me b/c I love taking my pups with me and the rugrats when we go out...so...meant to be!! we get her tomorrow and i can't wait!

[siberianhusky101]

congrats on your rescue, but still watch out for holes she may be trying to dig under her fence. you might try digging about 1 foot down in her kennel area (at least around the edges) and putting some chain link fencing down. this will make sure she doesn't dig her way out and into the world.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://siberianhuskyvic.org.au/breed/overview/Nest.jpg&imgrefurl=http://siberianhuskyvic.org.au/breed/overview/digging.html&h=250&w=404&sz=34&hl=en&start=36&um=1&tbnid=MWh0-G_EEpo5zM:&tbnh=77&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsiberian%2Bhusky%2Bholes%26start%3D21 %26ndsp%3D21%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa% 3DN
http://www.northwapiti.com/images/CamilaCrater.jpg

[siberianhusky101]

also watch out for people throwing cookies or any kind of treats to her. there have been a lot of recent cases where people who don't like their neighbors dogs will throw poisoned food to them.
http://dustydoodles.blogspot.com/2007/10/peepols-are-stupid.html

[blueboys]

hi and a very big warm welcome to you:)