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Husky, Malamute, GSD, Border collie...questions

Posted : 3/28/2009 9:40:09 PM

These are the breeds we were told were in Kira. Based on the photo of the daddy, I'm more inclined to say rough coated collie and not border collie. He was mixed with malamute and basically looked like a tri color collie on steroids....very long and full coat but a mal-like face. The mom to me, looked like a mix of husky, lab and GSD. She had a yellowish coat and a reddish nose, with VERY shepherd looking ears and a husky looking snout with the "widow's peak" above her eyes.

In a week, I've observed that Kira is laid-back, yet playful. Somewhat vocal, but more barky than howly. She will run and get toys and bring them back a few times, but then she is more interested in chewing or licking it just out of my reach. She's a big kisser and loves to lie against my legs. She also loves to lie right smack behind me when I'm doing dishes or sitting at the table. She's VERY smart and picks up things quickly, and seems to watch Misty's every move and will then imitate her. The interesting thing is, she LOVES to play in her water bowl! She can quickly empty a bowl of water with both paws and then she sleeps in the puddle. Her foster mom said when she let her go in the baby pool, she wa the first puppy in and LOVED it. Is this a Husky characteristic? We are going to get her a pool because she clearly loves splashing around...She doesn't seem like much of a jumper, nor is she a big chewer, although she did make shredded wheat out of my one table leg.

I think she may have different attributes from all her breeds....it should be interesting to see what she's like as an adult. She doesn't seem to have much of the collie family in there as far as I can tell. Not hyper at all, no herding tendencies....just really pleasant, sweet and laid back. Oh, and she is a chow hound 100%. She should be easy to train since she's food motivated.

BlackLabbie

Posted : 3/28/2009 11:34:58 PM

lisa4kids1pup
The interesting thing is, she LOVES to play in her water bowl! She can quickly empty a bowl of water with both paws and then she sleeps in the puddle. Her foster mom said when she let her go in the baby pool, she wa the first puppy in and LOVED it.

lisa4kids1pup
Oh, and she is a chow hound 100%.

Hmmmm....based on those 2 characteristics she sounds like a Lab to me, lol! Stick out tongue

Pwca

Posted : 3/31/2009 6:13:08 PM

The funny thing is that the things you call as 'not collie' many of them DO say collie to me. Some of the pet-bred collies (especially roughs) don't have much herding drive (that is to say, not ANY)- and I know more laid-back easygoing collies than I do 'up' ones. :P And the barkiness and water loving certainly seems collie-like.

brookcove

Posted : 3/31/2009 6:50:54 PM

I thought the same thing. Even Border Collie. The herding characteristics fall away quickly, whether through careless breeding or through cross breeding, or both. People think of breed characteristics as inevitable, like the color blue or yellow and if you mix them you'll get green every time. If you mix Huskies with Border Collies, it's a pig in a poke. The sled dog people have been doing it for generations and will tell you they cull out tons of dogs to get the combination they want (husky physical ability with Border Collie biddability and work ethic).

lisa4kids1pup

Posted : 4/3/2009 11:46:47 PM

uggg the thought of culling just makes me so sad.

Kira definitely has the desire to escape....always sticking her nose out the door. She has the funniest personality though...we're getting a kick out of her. She's gotten a bit more frisky since she feels better, but is still pretty laid back and sweet.

calliecritturs

Posted : 4/4/2009 6:29:58 AM

Remember you're in the honeymoon period! AND she's likely just a bit between teething so don't say she's not a chewer ... yet. Tink wasn't when we got her at 4 1/2 months and trust me ... SHE IS NOW!!! At a year -- she'll chew inappropriately left to her own devices and man, a Nylabone is still THE biggest draw for her EVAH ... and I have never never *ever* had a dog who liked a Nylabone before!

brookcove

Posted : 4/4/2009 4:05:08 PM

Most racing kennels simply "pet out" non starters. Culling these days generally simply means removing from the breeding program. I do know some people who work with livestock working dogs who literally cull but there's little choice - unstable dogs from those programs aren't suitable for pets, either.

If these people really know the breeds they crossed, I'd be worried most about wandering as the pup matures. Between the Border Collie, the GSD, and the Husky, it will be difficult to keep this dog in a fence, and even difficult to motivate such a dog to stay in a fence! Basically if you want to proof your fence against this dog, build it about eight feet tall, then throw a bucket of water against it. Anywhere the water gets through to the other side, your new dog will probably make it, too. Stick out tongue

Jewlieee

Posted : 4/4/2009 5:39:34 PM

I think its too early to really be able to tell what traits your dog is going to get from each breed. Right now most of that is just puppy behavior. The water thing, dakota did that daily. However, a lot of huskies do not like water. You just never know

espencer

Posted : 4/4/2009 10:55:20 PM

My Mal does not like water (thank God because is a pain in the neck to dry him up after a bath).

musherpumpkin

Posted : 4/10/2009 10:29:18 AM

Brookcove, thank you for explaining about the culling thing, I was about to sharpen my pointed stick.. Big Smile . As a competitive musher for over 30 years, I've taken a lot of these "culled" dogs from other mushers- sometimes it simply a matter of time- putting the necessary amount of it into a dog get the results you want- the dog also may work for one person and not another. Also, since most competitive mushers have Alaskan Huskies, the diverse gene pool also produces more variance in the members of any one litter, so getting a pup that doesn't quite fit with the goals of the musher is a higher probability.

As to the OP, I agree with the Shep mal mix for Kira. The first dog looks like an Aussie to me...

Speaking of Aussies, my lead dog, a "cull" no less, is half Alaskan and half Aussie. This is he:

musherpumpkin

Posted : 4/10/2009 10:29:20 AM

Brookcove, thank you for explaining about the culling thing, I was about to sharpen my pointed stick.. Big Smile . As a competitive musher for over 30 years, I've taken a lot of these "culled" dogs from other mushers- sometimes it simply a matter of time- putting the necessary amount of it into a dog get the results you want- the dog also may work for one person and not another. Also, since most competitive mushers have Alaskan Huskies, the diverse gene pool also produces more variance in the members of any one litter, so getting a pup that doesn't quite fit with the goals of the musher is a higher probability.

As to the OP, I also possibly see some Aussie in there as well...

Speaking of Aussies, my lead dog, a "cull" no less, is half Alaskan and half Aussie. This is he:

brookcove

Posted : 4/10/2009 3:47:42 PM

Way cool! I've never seen an Aussie mix Alaskan. Where do you race? I have a friend who is a vet up in Wasilla, AK, and vets during races. My friend doesn't race but one of her dogs is a racer dropout - a BC/greyhound/husky.

musherpumpkin

Posted : 4/13/2009 2:55:06 PM

Sorry about the double post- Embarrassed

We are in northern Wisconsin, and do mid distance racing. We are in the process of retirement, so aren't bringing up any mopre new dogs or pups. All my dogs are over 8 years old now, so we do shorter, less competitive races, mostly for fun. The rest of my dogs are all Akaskans with some Malamute mixed in.