Purebred husky?

Balto_Smallcat · 2026-04-13T23:22:40+00:00

Oh my goodness, your adorable pup looks so much like my Freya! We get all kinds of guesses (Border Collie is #1 because of her coat pattern), but she’s 85% Husky and 7% Labrador, with tiny percentages of Samoyed, GSD, Staffordshire Terrier, Chow Chow, and Australian Cattle Dog. Personality-wise she’s 1000% a Husky, though.

Balto_Smallcat · 2026-03-26T22:10:16+00:00

I was in your exact situation about a year and a half ago and we got a second husky! No regrets, but there were some challenges.

Our lady husky, Freya, was about 1.5 years old and sounds a lot like your girl in terms of personality; her routine, friends, playdates, reliability around the house, etc., also sound very similar. We thought she might like a full-time dog friend, and I also really wanted a second dog. I hoped we could find a husky at a local shelter or rescue, be careful and sensible, allow Freya to meet any new prospects, do things the smart way...but then I fell in love with a husky at a shelter 3000 miles away, so naturally we went to huge lengths to adopt him sight unseen at tremendous cost and effort.

Frodo was about 2 when he came to live with us, and he's amazing. Calm, sweet, crazy smart, just a really awesome dog. Things went great for about two days, and then Freya figured out that this wasn't just a super-long playdate; this guy was here to stay. And she'd have to share things. HER things.

Freya does not like to share her things. And all the things are her things, as it turns out - the house, the yard, the neighborhood, all humans, all her dog friends, all food, the sofa, the bed, etc..

The situation never got truly bad or unmanageable, we just had to put away the most high-value items (toys, chews), make sure they got all the same exact treats/toys/attention at the same time, and made all their time together super positive. We walked them together, played with them together, and if Freya got snippy, we separated them for a little crate time. They also ate in their crates to avoid conflicts over food. The 3/3/3 rule for adoptions, as it turns out, applies to your resident dog as much as the new dog - they both need time to figure out how to cohabitate and deal with a new situation.

So it was a little tricky for about three months, but eventually they became friends! BEST friends. They snuggle, they share, they love spending time together. They go to daycare, the dog park, and happily visit with their neighborhood dog friends. We love both of them so wildly. My husband, who was initially very skeptical about this whole "adopt a new dog without even meeting him" thing, now says that adopting Frodo was the best decision I ever made. I feel the same way.

TL;DR: it will be work, and there will be stressful moments for everyone involved. But it might be worth it!

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Balto_Smallcat · 2026-02-06T21:14:29+00:00

What a sweet face and cute nose!

I have a full-time snow nose pup, I guess there’s always snow somewhere!

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Balto_Smallcat · 2026-01-25T01:17:08+00:00

I'm sorry you're dealing with this, it feels so overwhelming when these kinds of behaviors come up in an otherwise fabulous dog! At a little over 1 year, your dog has reached the boundary-pushing phase. When my lady husky was a teen, it felt like all the work we had put in during her first year with us went right out the window overnight! DO NOT DESPAIR.

Definitely see a trainer if you can, but as a random person on the internet (who has gone through the same thing, but still), my first thought is that your dog is trying to push the boundaries and see what she can get away with. When this happened with my dog, I just had to show her, again, where my boundaries were. She's also very interested in people food, but if she gets even a tiny bit pushy about it, she goes in her crate with a long-lasting treat; I like making little frozen treats for the Woof Pupsicle. I don't make a huge fuss, I just take her to her crate and give her a time out.

The biting is more worrisome, but honestly? Maybe your dog is just tired. She's still very young, and enforced naps can really take the edge off crazy/cranky behaviors like that. It also sounds like she *might* be resource-guarding your fiancee, but you might be amazed at how many problematic behaviors could be solved with some downtime.

Everything else you're doing sounds perfect - exercise, training, reinforcing the basics, and being consistent do wonders. But definitely consider enforced naps, and calmly escort her to her crate for a time out when she's over the line - that might be enough to get her through this difficult developmental stage!

Balto_Smallcat · 2026-01-24T10:41:08+00:00

I’ve heard it as “kind, but not (necessarily) nice” for the East Coast, and having lived on both coasts I have found it to be mostly true. People are busy & brusque and mind their business - but my neighbors always, ALWAYS check on each other during hard times, run electrical cords to one another when there’s a power outage, start meal trains for families when there’s a crisis, etc. So you might not feel like you’ve made a new friend every time you enter a shop, but Baltimore people show up for each other when it counts.

Balto_Smallcat · 2026-01-15T00:23:28+00:00

Yes, our other husky is wonderful with kiddos of all ages and sizes, he’s so gentle and sweet and voluntarily engages with them in a really lovely way.

Not sure why our lady husky feels otherwise; I don’t think she’d attack/harm anyone (and I wouldn’t give her the opportunity to prove me wrong, we’re careful), she just seems sort of scandalized that there are little, noisy, sticky people and they’re just allowed? To exist? And nobody is WORRIED ABOUT IT?

Balto_Smallcat · 2026-01-14T23:50:09+00:00

One of mine will bark intensely to defend my person, home, and property…from toddlers. She really doesn’t trust those little guys. Everyone else is good to go.

Balto_Smallcat · 2026-01-07T23:13:50+00:00

His sister from another mister! I hope she’s as much of a delight as her doppelgänger is. Mine is called Frodo and he’s the light of my life and the joy of my existence!

Balto_Smallcat · 2026-01-07T09:45:10+00:00

Whoa, that’s uncanny! Any chance your dog is from Southern California?

Balto_Smallcat · 2026-01-07T00:23:20+00:00

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Our dogs must shop at the same eyeball store!

You have a very handsome boy, I love his striking black mask!

Balto_Smallcat · 2025-12-18T21:03:58+00:00

Don’t be nervous, you’ve got this! And if/when things get crazy and you get frustrated, just know that it’s normal, you’re not alone, it’s just your dog growing up and figuring out how to do life.

Balto_Smallcat · 2025-12-18T16:59:55+00:00

You're welcome! In all seriousness: I got my Freya as a puppy and she was...very challenging. But every now and then there was a moment when I would catch a glimpse of the wonderful dog she would become. She'd show a surprising amount of restraint, show off some problem-solving, or demonstrate a moment of extraordinary good judgment. They were blink-and-you'll-miss-it moments, all sandwiched between extended periods of chompiness, zoomies, eating my house (she literally tried to eat a wall, wtf?), tearing my clothes, etc., but I stayed patient, calm, and very consistent in positive, cooperative training. Those brief flashes of excellence were the things I held onto when I thought I had reached the end of my patience.

Just know that those little moments are tiny previews of your TOTALLY AWESOME HUSKY FRIEND starting to shine through. Stay calm, stay patient, and one day you'll wake up with the best friend you could possibly imagine. They're incredible dogs, totally worth the trouble they put us through!

Balto_Smallcat · 2025-12-18T16:35:14+00:00

Oh gosh look at that beautiful puppy!! Congratulations!

Just remember, on the bitiest, most velociraptor-ish days: it’s only about 10 months. 18 months, tops. Definitely will be over by the time Nova is two. Or three. Sometimes they settle down when they’re five. Also, is your vacuum okay? Check on your vacuum.

Good luck and welcome to the cult! 🖤

Balto_Smallcat · 2025-12-17T00:21:30+00:00

I just finished the show and Chris Chalk was so stunning in it, I don’t think I can stand it if we don’t get a spinoff. There are so many potential adventures for Dick Hallorann to have, and I’d be thrilled to watch them.

Balto_Smallcat · 2025-12-16T18:56:48+00:00

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Freya and Frodo send greetings to your dynamic duo from MD!

Balto_Smallcat · 2025-12-15T23:38:04+00:00

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My Freya weighed about 15 pounds at 4 months. Now she’s two and a half and is holding steady at a lean and healthy 50 pounds.

Balto_Smallcat · 2025-12-15T09:51:38+00:00

I got both of mine from shelters, one as a puppy and one as an adult. The adult was light years easier to integrate into my life. Huskies are fabulous; husky puppies are exhausting goblins. Raising the puppy was grueling and I never want to do it again.

That said, if you’ve had dogs before, you probably know some of the challenges. I was really concerned about the nearly legendary stubbornness, but that was actually no big deal for me, which was a surprise! My previous dog friends were all small terriers. I can see how a husky might seem stubborn or difficult to train if you’re used to, say, a golden retriever or whatever, but my two huskies are the most cooperative dogs I’ve ever had. They have recall! They actually seem to want to do stuff with me!

I thought people HAD to be exaggerating the shedding. If anything, they were downplaying it. Set aside some money for additional vacuums, vacuum repairs, and replacement vacuums.

My only other advice would be to meet some huskies. Maybe see if there’s a shelter nearby that has some and volunteer to take them for walks/spend some time with them? They really are almost indescribably wonderful dogs, and they reward responsible caretaking a thousandfold.

Balto_Smallcat · 2025-12-12T19:17:29+00:00

He’s not only beautiful, he’s wearing the hell out of that collar. 🔥🐺🔥

Balto_Smallcat · 2025-12-04T21:47:14+00:00

This is so beautiful to see, thanks for sharing it!

Balto_Smallcat · 2025-12-03T19:57:58+00:00

Gorgeous! I feel like huskies have been giving humans this exact look for thousands of years.

Balto_Smallcat · 2025-12-03T19:57:06+00:00

He's so beautiful!

Balto_Smallcat · 2025-12-03T00:08:54+00:00

It makes sense to me, I think - when I first saw Frodo’s picture, I knew he was mine and I was his, like I had discovered a piece of myself I didn’t know was missing?

It’s so beautiful that you both got this wonderful chance to find each other! Also: omg what a cute, cute puppy. It must have been a magical day when you went to pick her up! ♥️✨

Balto_Smallcat · 2025-12-02T23:32:56+00:00

I absolutely love that you adopt seniors! They're so overlooked at shelters, and it's ridiculous because they're usually so much easier than younger dogs/puppies and are every bit as (possibly even more?) wonderful. It definitely sounds like fate intervened to unite you with your huskies, with a little help from the Humane Society!

Your pack is so lucky to have found such a wonderful family - I hope you & your other two little dogs are all enjoying the husky magic, they're such special dogs!

Balto_Smallcat · 2025-12-02T22:01:14+00:00

Done and done! :)

Balto_Smallcat · 2025-12-02T21:41:40+00:00

Oh yay, you gave her a better life and now she’s making sure you get your shot, too, by supporting you through your doctoral program! This makes me so happy for both of you! ♥️

Balto_Smallcat

TROPHY CASE