badly controlled huskies.

I didn’t know that grandtante. Seems like a good idea to me.

Having said that I’ve been shocked at the unruly and unmanageable dogs I see at dog training classes. Yes, some do improve (after the owners have been trained) but often they don’t turn up again after the first couple of classes.

Generally (but not always ) it’s owners who’ve bought breeds that are just too big for them to handle. Or rescue dogs. They DO take a lot of retraining and socialisation, but generally their owners stick with it.

In Australia they have some good regulations regarding dog owners. The local council run dog registration, all dogs have to be registered full price is about £35 but there are reduction for training certificate, neutering certificate, etc., you get a plastic disc which must be attached to the collar, dogs without get impounded. If a dog gets out the dog catcher will take it to the kennel and to get your dog back you pay a fee for dog catcher and kennel plus a fine several hundred dollars. You can only have 2 dogs and have to apply to the council if you want a 3, they decide if the will issue you an additional registration. If there is a dog that has been reported for aggressive behaviour the council put a sign on your house warning dangerous dog. Dog breeders have to live on a rural block usually about 2 acres and be registered as breeders.

All of these regulations are good, but you are most heavily restricted on where you can take dogs, you can’t go into national parks, pubs or hotels as they are called, public transport, holiday accommodation places and if you do find them prices very high or they are real dives.
My dogs can accompany me to loads more places now we are in the U.K. and they have been on a bus and a boat, pub lunches etc are just a few of the experiences we couldn’t have done together when we lived in Australia.

Unfortunately, you get good and bad owners where ever you live.

I meet so many dog owners who have rescued dogs from a Eastern Europe. Unfortunately I think they are perpetuating the problem. There are agencies over here supplying the dogs. Most are street dogs , so not socialized. There are so many dogs in this country needing homes. I don’t get it!

I live near the Danish - German border, so I have come to realise that the law in Germany requires dog owners to go to dog-training classes in order to be allowed to keep a dog.

I am considering lobbying for a similar law here, perhaps some of you ladies should start doing so in the UK?

The admittedly few Germans I have discussed it with say it does prevent people taking on dogs they are not prepared to look after and train properly. Certainly the dogs I meet on that side of the border are all very well trained and never allowed to approach strangers unless the person makes it very clear they like dogs.

Oh this makes me SO ANGRY. The poor dogs are completely unsuited to the lives humans impose on them.
Bloody Game Of Thrones.
As for breeding flat-faced breeds so they can’t breathe “because they look cute”.
- I wonder how people would feel if some more powerful species forced people with congenital deformities to have babies together because they found their deformed bodies amusing?

It's such a shame that breeds like this are condemned to a lifestyle totally unsuitable for their needs. I don't know what the answer is, breeders ensuring suitable placements ?
Then of course internet sales preclude this.
Why do people not consider the animal and just go for the latest trend or a dog which looks attractive as Huskies really do.

I hope I conveyed my complete agreement with you Absent in my last sentence.

I was just making a general point about the needs of certain other dog breeds stimulated by your accurate observations about huskies.

OldMeg Border collies, for example, but with enough time to run around – and, possibly round up every other dog in the park – they will be okay. Huskies are not the same; they are strength and endurance dogs and it is almost impossible to give them the life they need.

The same goes for most ‘working breeds’ generally, unless owners are prepared to take them for long runs in rural surroundings.

But dogs like huskies in particular are certainly not suited to urban life styles.

Huskies are not pets. They are lovely, loyal, hard-working dogs but have no place in towns and cities.

I did some work with animals briefly in Australia a long time ago. There are four different species of echidnas, sorry off topic!

Jane10, malamuts are increasingly used by the police. They’re big, powerful and intelligent. Akitas are, from what I’ve seen and read, often used as fighting Dogs. These big powerful breeds are not ideal pets.
OldMeg, i accept your point about owners rather than harnesses being relevant. I’ve seen so many today though, hurtling down the narrow pavements here, owners could do with skates or sledges to keep up.
I use those figure of eight gen .... (avoiding advertising) within big foster Dogs who don’t know how to lead walk. I also use one on my own big dog when on lead around deer or sheep. Her recall and obedience are grand but her high prey urge hasn’t entirely left her, despite the kennel club gold certificate over her bed ??
Thanks for the info on proposed restrictions on breeding. The £1000 figure is low enough to snare “hobby breeders”. Will there be enough resources to enforce it though.

Intrigued by your name FourthEchidna! I thought they were Australian animals.

Hi, living in the US here. We only ban pit bulls, mastiffs and bull terriers. We don't really have a problem with huskies and I'm so sad to hear you have one there. They're not as popular here in most places since they're cold weather dogs. In cold states where people have them, they usually have huge American yards to keep them active so they have a good reputation and you seldom see them given up to shelters.

There's all sorts of husky type dogs of course. Not sure where Malamuts and Akitas fit in.

As you say,Jane they're beautiful at a distance.
There's also a family on this estate who seem to be breeding dogs in a cage. During the hot weather they had them outside(in the cage). No longer puppies. It seems so cruel.
I wonder if they'll enforce the new law? We had a policeman speaking at our retires group yesterday and he never mentioned it, though I did ask him whether the Police had any powers, he said only for banned breads.
I believe huskies are on the dangerous dogs list in the USA.

I know it's not the same thing but when we bought our cat (Baz the Maine Coon) we had to have several visits to him as a kitten, saw his mum (and her friend who was helping with the kittens!) and all his litter mates. He was very obviously reared in a home environment not a pen. We were rigorously questioned regarding how we organised life for a kitten etc. It was very thorough. To hear of buying poor little overbred puppies over the internet from Eastern Europe is awful.
Huskies are beautiful dogs. Especially at a distance!

Iam my dogs walks nicely on a loose lead attached to their (expensive) harness. The young one has passed his Bronze KC Award but the older one is still unpredictable and can bolt at sudden loud noises. They are rescue dogs and I’ve only had the older one a couple of months.

I always use harnesses with any dogs I foster. While I take your point about dogs being under control that is less to do with the collar/harness debate and more to do with training the owners! ?

“Anyone breeding puppies after 1st October 2018 should be aware that if you make a profit of over £1000 the council can count you as a business & you will need a breeding licence. You will also have to register with HMRC. Any money made from selling of a litter also counts as undeclared income with the benefits agencies .
This also applies to anyone breeding three or more litters per year, or breeding dogs for financial gain .
You will need a licence number to advertise the selling of your litter on websites in future”

This is at least a step in the right direction.

I’ll see if I can find the piece I read on FB today and post it Iam

I was listening to a piece on Radio Newcastle recently Fennel and apparently Huskies and Greyhounds are very fashionable dogs to have at the moment and often people haven’t got a clue how to look after them properly . They mentioned the strong resemblance of a Husky and a Wolf . My sister crosses the road with her little dog to avoid any that she sees as they are quite aggressive. Not sure what can be done though?

Dog breeding! What’s the new law OldMeg? Ive read about attempts to prevent puppy farms in the UK. I’m puzzled as to how it’s so easy to smuggle in litters from Eastern Europe. These badly bred, poor diet, total lack of socialisation five and six week olds are sold on via the Internet. They’re often “the last in the litter”, “sorry you can’t see the pups mother because she’s visiting a relative who had a stroke.....”. We need the general public to be much more well informed before they buy whatever dog tops this years popularity poll. Sorry folks - it makes me so cross. We are away at the sea side. The number of Dogs pulling their owners along is astounding. Usually the dogs aren’t on a collar and lead, they’re wearing an expensive harness “we don’t want him to hurt his neck pulling”. Train your dog then, teach it how to walk nicely on a loose lead at your side. It takes time and consistency but it isn’t beyond the wit of anyone who wants a well behaved pet

I think it’s all been said already by other posters.

There is a new law coming out late this year about dog breeding. Perhaps this will help in future, but too late for dogs who are currently bred and sold to owners who haven’t a clue.

That makes me so angry!!

There was a young man with a husky living near me before we moved. When he first had the dog it was taken out regularly . This dwindled rapidly. By the time the dog was full grown and strong it was his mum who took it out very occasionally. It dragged her down the road to much cursing and swearing. The rest of the time it howled eerily in their back garden. Sad for such a beautiful animal.