Are you into long distance running, long distance bicycling? Can you spend at least an hour a day running your dog hard...Seriously. Dalmations and Huskies, malamutes all need to run everyday. They can easily cover 30 to 50 miles a day without a thought. You wrote you have never had a dog before. I would like to help you figure this part out. Do you have 2 hours minimum a day to spend on your dog? You will need to walk your dog for 45 minutes each day at least once a day, then a couple of more walks in the afternoon and the evening. Letting a dog out in your backyard to entertain itself isnt going to cut it, the dog you get will start having behavioral problems. This is why you hear about huskies and malamutes digging - they are bored. To start off with if you get a puppy, you wil need to train it, take it out for potty and put time into training. I always tell people if you can spend the same amount time and attention with a three year old child that you can on a dog, then a dog is for you.
Different breeds do different things. Beagles howl, it is a way they communicate with their pack, so if you live in a densely populated place your dog might disturb the neighbors. As a not so active person, I might suggest you check out the American Eskimo if you like dogs from the northern regions. What other type of dog breeds do you like? Whatever you decide, please research your choice as much as possible to learn what requirements a dog breed you are interested in might need. Good luck, and please repost about your decision, I would love to hear what you decide on, especially if you choose a Husky or Malamute and plan on cross country skiing with it :-)

If you are a very athletic person with time to spare then they might be a good choice. Honestly I think they are some of the most beautiful dogs there are but you couldn't give me one. My dislike of them comes from the fact that they are huge escape artists. I have never known one that did not
either dig out or jump over the fence and that drives me crazy. But admittedly those dogs are most likly in homes where they are not exercised nearly enough since they were developed to be long distance runners.

As a novice dog owner I don't think a Siberian would be a good choice for you. They are strong, wilful, can be destructive, and needs lots of exercise. My family had our wonderful husky Max for 9 years. He was an amazing dog, but very demanding. My mother was a stay-at-home mom so she had lots of time for him and when I came home from highschool each day he always knew 30 minutes after I got home it was time for our walk - he had quite the inner clock. We had a lock on the back gate to ensure nobody would let him loose - it wasn't very much fun chasing him down the street the couple of times he escaped. He was very clever - somehow he would always manage to destroy the white pages of the telephone book - 4" thick book - every year - he'd get bored when we would be out and we'd come home to shredded phone book (always amazed me how he got that thing out of the magazine rack without disturbing anything else in it!). He was also very difficult to housetrain, I have not so fond memories of us coming home after visiting family or shopping to find lakes, with islands, in the front entry hall! But I love them and would get another one in a heartbeat if I had the time to devote to it, which I don't right now. I've linked some breed info below. To see the breed info on the Alaskan Malamute just click on "All Breeds" at the top of the webpage to see the listings for other breeds. Malamutes are gorgeous dogs, much bigger than huskies and calmer so may be a better choice but they also needs lots of exercise. My parents currently have an American Eskimo dog and he's a handful, he's 12 and has the energy of a 2 year old! And he barks, alot.

Good luck in your decision.
tess

Here is a link that might be useful: Siberian Husky info

I have a yellow lab. He is a good first time dog. I was talking about getting a black one but my first dog takes all my free time as it is. He is my best friend tho!

Those Huskies are really good escape artists! I home cared for a lady that had two (she really could not spend the time needed for thes dogs as she had CP, and was wheel chair bound) That kanook would be out the door before I could get it closed! He would also jump the chain link fence(that or he was climbing it, she swore she seen him doing that one time) and he dug holes under the fence to escape, and boy would he run! so I would spend 2 hours hunting him down by the devestation he would wreck as he ran, he went through a row of rose bushes like it was nothing! and yes then I had to spend a good portion of the evening pulling thorns and everything else out of his fur before bathing him, NOT in the job description, but that lady had me wrapped around her fingers, and besides, no way was I letting him go like that.
very willful dogs, both of them, they really had good hearts though, the one thing that really bothered me was how hot they would get in the summer, I would turn the water hose on and they would come running to be cooled off, I got her a sprinkler for them and by george, they obviously didn't like it, for they tore it up in a hurry then chewed through the hose, guess the sprinkler just didn't do it for them!

go to yourpurebredpuppy.com
click on reviews
It's a great place to look over the breeds.

Also join a siberian husky mailing list or forum and ask them what they think.

Thank you for doing your homework. This is the first step in being a responsible pet owner.

I ditto the escape artist tales. A friend of mine had 3(!) of them, and they were always on the loose, luckily they never got hit by cars or encountered other peril. Her yard also resembled a mini excavation site. At one point they actually dug a full sized den in the side of a small hill. They are super smart, and the energy never ends with these dogs. Like Mazer said, unless you are super energetic yourself, you might want to reconsider. The only Alaskan Malamute I have ever known lived in Alaska and chased a bear from his owner's yard. Very brave, but gigantic and again, a lot of work!

I have a Malamute mix, love her a lot...
but I'll never, knock on wood, get another one:

she's energetic, she's huge, her voice is a high-pitched "yip" like a wolf (just about pierces my eardrums & when she does it when I'm concentrating on something else, I jump about 2 feet & my heart stops for just a split second), she bounds over furniture in a joyous way, & she has taught my other dog to dig holes under the fence, climb over the fence (yes, they can do this), work the metal links loose to make holes in the fence, &, if all else fails, scratch at the wood pickets until they're in splinters.

She's the friendliest, most happy-go-lucky thing in the world, she has a beautiful smiling face that makes me feel happier just looking at it, but, my gosh, she's a handful!

For a first-time dog owner who likes big dogs, or for myself, I'd look at Labs & Goldens, ideally a Lab/Golden mix because I think a mix is less likely to have the health problems of a purebred:

they're big dogs, they're smart, they tune in to their owner & want to please, & they're not like wolves with ADHD on diet pills!

uh.

at least the ones I've met have not been like that.

They *are* chewers, so you need to to keep plenty of chew toys around if you're at all attached to your furniture, door jambs, clothes, shoes, or bed linens (every quilt in this house has at least one frayed corner), & it takes them about 2 years to grow up, so you'll have a "puppy", albeit maybe a 70 pound one, for a couple of years.

Best luck, & enjoy your new companion!

Thank you, everyone, for your advice! I think that since I've never had a dog before I'll probably get either a lab or a golden retriever. I will go to the website yourpurebredpuppy.com and I'll check out all the dog breeds. After reading your comments, I was thinking of maybe getting a Canaan, a Collie, a Finnish Spitz, a Great Pyrenees, or a Samoyed. Do any of you know anything about those types of dogs? If you do, thank you so much for your help!

I've had a Collie and a Great Pyrenees. The Collie I liked very much and would probably have one again if the opportunity came along. The Pyr I just don't know. I can't really think of anything bad about him but I don't think I would have another one either. When you're looking for a breed take a good look at your lifestyle and what kind of things you like to do. With that info in mind take a look at what the different breeds were developed to do. That will go a long way in deciding if that might be the right dog for you. For example the Huskies earlier are long distance runners so they are going to need a lot of exercise. Same with the herding dogs, they should be able to work all day so theres a lot of energy there. Hounds work at a distance for the most part so they may not be real inclined to take direction well. Chows are super for one person or a family but can be territorial, not good if you have people in and out a lot. Terriers are diggers so if you have a prized garden then maybe not a great idea. but and if it's a very big but if you really have your heart set on a breed and are willing to work at giving the dog what it needs and it may not be easy, then most dogs are pretty adaptable.

Lisa

Start by answering thess questions. This will narrow it down.
Circle all that apply :-)
What are you looking for in a dog?
A huggable companion? Agility champion? Jogging partner? Hiking partner? Guard dog, watch dog, Show dog? Swimming? Lap dog? Other activities?
Preferred Size? XL, L, M, S, XS
Living situation? Farm, Small yard, No yard
Desired traits? REtrieving, Herding, Hunting/pointing, Tracking, Obedience, Guardian None of the above
Willing to go on long waiting lists and pay big bucks for rare breed? (Like canaan dog) Y/N
Excercise requirement? High, Med, Low
Will tolerate yapping? Y/N
Grooming requirement? Extra high (daily), High (monthly), low (very short hair) (There doesn't seem to be anything in the middle LOL)
Life Span? 15
Cuteness factor? High level of cuteness, Xtreme level of cuteness, Not important
Intelligence (ease of training)? I got the patience of a saint, Medium, Oh my God this dog speaks english.
Which of the following statements best describes your thoughts?
-I want a dog that I can housetrain relatively quickly, will mature and learn good house manners quickly and will be a relatively troublefree member of the family.
- I want a dog that has a loveable personality, but will continually challenge me and my management abilities, causing me to learn all the ins and outs.
PErsonality traits that best describe my future dog are: Goofy/clown, snuggler, serious working dog, lap dog, guard dog, gentle and calm w/ children, friendly to everyone, leery of strangers
Food cost: Xhigh, High, Med, Low

There used to be an online breed questionaire that would give you a list of breeds based on your input but I can't find it so my questionaire will have to do for now.

Great Pyranees are another dog with high energy that need something to do. Also need to think about the fact that they eat......a lot.

dobesrule, Thank you for your information! It's really useful, and I'm glad that I have more facts about the different types of dogs.
quirkyquercus, That's a really helpful questionare! Hopefully I can find just the right breed for me! Thank you!
micke, Thank you for your information! I'm a very athletic person, so I think I should get a dog who is very athletic.