 Barked: Wed Jan 9, '13 9:14pm PST |
 | |  | | No they are never dumb questions when it comes to learning like this. In fact I applaud you for asking these questions, I have said it before and I will say it again, far to many people get certain dogs without bothering themselves to learn about the breed and then these dogs end up in shelters or kicked out on the street.
Anyways, I will answer what I can and I am sure other pups will join in also and offer some help.
Exercise- you said you have a nice fenced in yard so that is great for her to run around in throughout the day when you let her out for a pee etc...But that is not enough, you will have to learn what your Husky needs as you get to know her, some simply have more energy then others. I take my Huskies for walks twice a day (morning and evening) for about an hour per walk...sometimes a bit more sometimes a bit less depending on the day. Then as I said they have my yard to run and play in throughout the day, my dogs are indoor dogs but I have them outside often to let them play and run around with them. If Bella is good with other dogs and up to date on her shots it is a good idea to see where the closest off leash fenced dog park is. I take my dogs there every weekend and it is great for socialization not just with other dogs but people to! They run around like crazy for a while and burn a lot of energy, plus it stimulates them mentally.
On your walks BTW it is good to switch up where you walk so that she can get new smells and sites, otherwise she will get bored. Exercise doesn't have top be just outdoors either, do things inside with her, hide treats for her to find around the house, provide lots of chew toys, my huskies prefer stuffed animals, but go through them fast! I am not sure if Bella is trained or not but whether she is or isn't do short happy training sessions every day. It is stimulating and a good bonding time.
A big thing with Huskies BTW is to work on recall. Meaning if she gets off the leash or darts out the door on you a good recall will bring her back but I will tell you Huskies run, all it takes is the right smell and they are gone! If you read anywhere online or do any research anywhere they all plainly say and in capitol letters DO NOT LET YOUR HUSKY OFFLEASH EVER!!!!!! (unless fenced properly) Some people will disagree with this and say their Husky goes off leash and thats fine to each their own but I have heard even the most trusted huskies who have been off leash a long long time get that ONE smell just that ONE day and boom, gone. So sorry to those who do have their Huskies off leash but I will never again risk it, I have had a bad experience myself! Anyways ok,
~Food: Huskies eat far less then your average dog. Also it depends on the food you feed. Dry? Wet? dry and wet? Raw? If the food is good quality they eat even less then because they dont need to fill up on fillers. I feed dry Blue Buffalo myself. Whatever the bag of food says to give....your Husky will eat less, so judge on what your dogs "tells" you, it wont take long to get to know her and her needs. Mika didn't eat for almost 3 days when we got her, we had to start adding some wet food to her dry so that she would eat, but she was only stressed as I am sure Bella is. She will eat give her time and feel free to add wet to her food for a few days to try and help. Mika will only eat once a day, some dogs prefer twice, so again you just need to learn what she needs. If you decide to feed twice a day, just split in half her one serving and give half in morning then half in evening. People have different opinions on leaving the bowl down or putting it up, I leave mine down and Mika whenever she is hungry she will go eat and thats that. But if you choose to pick the bowl back up, I would give her 15 mins or so and if she hasn't ate pick it up then try again later until she eats. Make sure she always has fresh water, Huskies will drink what they need and not overdo it so a big bowl of fresh water always is best. I recommend a harness for walking not just a collar, it is much easier to control and easier on their neck and my dogs seem to pull a lot less with a harness and I have heard that is because when dogs feel tension on their necks their instinct is to pull against that tension.
Grooming: you will need to groom often! They do shed like crazy and about twice a year they have a "blow out" Meaning they lose a lot of their fur so at that time ( you will know when it is) you need to groom every day probably for a half hr maybe long for about a week! You will most likely have dog hair all over your house but you really can keep it under control if you do a good brushing at least once a week, plus it is good for keeping an eye on their skin as they do have sensitive skin, you need to make sure they dont get hot spots.
Well I should end this now, I could go on all day about Huskies, they are such an amazing breed and I am sure Bella will be a wonderful dog for you, she obviously has a good owner who is willing to learn all about her. They say a Husky is not for a novice dog owner but keep doing what your doing and it will work out, I promise just stick to it, train often keep her stimulated and exercised and you have a friend a family member for LIFE!!! I really hope this has helped you!  |  |  | |  |
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Dogs are all different, but your fence would easily keep me in. If Bella isn't overweight free choice food can work well, if your husky starts to get chubby you can change the feeding routine.
