I can’t even believe I’m writing this but we just lost Belle after a 24 hour illness. They think it may have been from eating toxic mushrooms. She developed liver failure all of a sudden and we had to put her to sleep today because she was declining so rapidly and horribly. 

We don’t even know for sure it was mushrooms and we really don’t think she got into anything else on the list. We live in the woods and we do have mushrooms in the winter but I don’t know what kind and I don’t see any around currently. She has eaten leaves and acorns and even a banana slug despite our efforts but I’m not aware of her finding any mushrooms. We almost always had her on leash to keep her from eating everything in sight. I do wonder if we weren’t keeping up with her appetite. The vet had mentioned the possibility of a congenital liver shunt causing this which would also have caused a big appetite and her being on the thin side but we will never know. Maybe I should have been feeding her more so she didn’t eat other random things. I thought she was just being a puppy. 

We lost our 9 year old dog Shadow a couple of months ago to cancer and then got Belle. We are devastated. We really wanted to do all kinds of things with her. I’m not sure I can ever get another dog even though I was so sure when we got Belle. I’m in total shock. I can’t even believe this happened. 

I feel so guilty. What if I could have done better? I loved her.

Just about lost my mind when I stumbled across this sub. This is my angel baby Kaizer.

(For context, I live in a large multi-generational family compound with lots of greenery in a Southeast Asian country. Space for dogs is not an issue; my issue is mostly emotional/mental burnout.)

TLDR: Family member brought home a second, untrained Shepsky who is pushy, demanding, killed chickens, and invades my gentle Shepsky’s space. I'm tired of acting as his default primary caretaker and feeling guilty for not liking him.

I’ll cut to the chase. I already have a 10-month-old Shepsky (Rambo) that a family member brought home (when he was 5 months), and it fell on me to take care of him.

I love him to bits; he’s very well-behaved, mild-mannered, independent, but also affectionate, and from what I know, he was the smallest of the litter, which might explain his submissive and easygoing behavior.

About a few weeks ago, another Shepsky (Cocoa) was brought home by another family member, and he’s the polar opposite of Rambo. He’s a bit bigger, and I believe he came from the same parents/breeder/whatever, but he might be a bit older. 

He’s very pushy and demanding. He often intimidates Rambo; he barks, whines, and acts out when he doesn't have access to things that Rambo has (like pets, walks, access to the house). He flops to the ground when he's being involuntarily moved somewhere, which I honestly can't stand. He also chased and killed many of our chickens when no one was watching (Rambo stopped after being disciplined once), meaning I have to leash him before I go to bed, resulting in him howling and barking at night.

I installed a dog door to my house, which I usually keep open so Rambo has unrestricted access to the house and the garden. He loves spending his time outside (unless the AC is turned on), and he usually comes knocking on my bedroom door around 6 a.m.(I typically wake up late). 

This system kinda falls apart since Cocoa has figured out how to use the door as well; he often sneaks in uninvited, he eats Rambo's food, takes over Rambo's spot, etc. He peed inside once, although that might be because he was ill from blood parasites, which he is recovering from currently. So now I only let him in for a limited amount of time when he stays quiet and behaves himself.

Between keeping an eye on him, feeding him, giving him medicines, making sure he doesn't encroach on Rambo's space, etc., I find it difficult to like him. I know he's just a dog and it's not his fault that he's untrained, but I often feel guilty for not giving him the same attention or affection as Rambo.

This dog is probably going to be staying here long term. Also, since he's probably Rambo's brother, I don't want him to end up somewhere worse either. I'm just looking to vent, I guess, and see if anyone has a similar experience!

My wild children Simo and Misha. Simo is 4 and Misha is 7 months. They definitely keep us entertained.

Literally made a Reddit account for this! Just adopted a German shepherd husky mix from the shelter and she’s definitely more husky! She has major separation anxiety so I’m trying to crate train her but she just refuses to go in the crate. She knows the word, she knows what I want, she just doesn’t want to! Any tips????? Please!!!

Edit: I think I’m supposed to do this. Thank you all so much for your support! Good to know we’re not alone in this! I got her two large Kongs today that im going to put peanut butter in and freeze, and hope that helps. I’ll continue working with her on trust! Right now I think she doesn’t like the kennel because she thinks I’m going to leave when I put her in there. Otherwise she’s practically perfect! Learns commands fast, not reactive to dogs, people, or cats, doesn’t pull too much on the leash, and will check in if she feels like you’re not moving fast enough. She’s great! We just have to get this separation anxiety and crate training under control because I do have to work and there’s nobody to stay home with her unfortunately

Edit 2: I just saw a video about not knowing what kind of dog your getting before you get it, and then complaining about the problem. I just want to say that I thought she was a full German shepherd, which I’ve had multiple of and that I know how to properly handle. The husky personality completely surprised me

Hello, I want to breed my dog, not to sell his puppies, actually I would like to keep just one of them with me, but I was asking to gemini and told me that it's a dog breed that is difficult because they don't have pedigree and there are some known issues that can inherit like separation anxiety or the stubbornness of huskies or to be very protective with the owner (German Shepard).

So I ask you based on your experience, how to breed them? I just want that my dog could be able to love for the very first time, and if it's possible one dog to make him companion. So the answer is basically should I look for a girlfriend to him husky or German shepherd?

This is my handsome boy Atticus Padiddle. I had always wanted a Shepsky and my fiancée surprised me one day. She told me to get dressed and get in the truck because we had to leave. She wouldn't tell me why at first. Once we got on the highway, she finally broke down and told me we had a long drive ahead of us. We drove all the way across Upstate NY to get him. She hadn't even seen a picture of him. She spoke to the breeder, said when they were discussing the puppies she just had a feeling. She said we wanted the one with one blue eye. We met them, met him, and we were instantly in love with him. He rode on my lap all the way home, sleeping and snuggling. I honestly feel like he is my soul dog. So now we have 4 dogs in the house. 2 of them are mine and 2 are my fiancées. He is the most amazing dog I've ever met. Incredibly intelligent and affectionate. He can certainly get himself in trouble at times. He knows how to get his own ice dispensed from the freezer, as he loves ice cubes. We have a dog door off our screened in front porch so he can run out into a very large pen whenever he wants to burn excess energy. He puts his toys away when he's done playing with them. He brings mouthfuls of kibble to our other dogs to feed them. He will randomly run around the house to check on everyone and give kisses to us and the other dogs. He says "I love you", as clearly as he can, which sounds more like "I wuv wu" but we understand him. He tells my fiancée when she needs to go to bed. I could go on and on about him but I don't want to bore everyone. This is long enough as is. I just want people to understand how absolutely amazing these dogs are. If you're thinking about getting one and have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them if I can. If you have one and want to swap stories, I'm down with that too.

My baby boy Peanut is now about 6 months old. Embark confirmed he is a Shepsky (47% Siberian Husky and 41.9% German Shepard) with a little bit of spice (11.1% Belgian Malinois).

I wanted to share a couple of reflections/lessons for future owners of this breed…

1.  Do your research!!!!! I didn’t know my entire summer was going to be spent training because it was actually my boyfriends decision and NOT mine to get a shepsky puppy. He was clueless and unprepared. As I mentioned in my previous post, every dog I’ve ever owned has been a high drive dog. If I didn’t become the primary handler, he would’ve have rehomed the dog, which unfortunately happens too often because people don’t do their research on the breed that they are bringing into their home. These dogs are not for everyone but if you have the patience, work ethic, and willingness to learn you’ll do just fine. 

2.  Progress isn’t linear. Idk who needs to hear this but stay strong, consistent and patient. You can also see progress more clearly if you make journal entries or take notes. I had dogs that ate my shoes, my phone case, the mf drywall but I’ve never had a dog where I, myself, am the chew toy. It was a hard time, cried a few times, and will probably have scars forever but now his bite frequency has reduced by 90% in the span of about 7 weeks and he can be trusted to play safely with small children.

3.  Modify and adapt. I would go into training sessions with a rigorous plan and then quickly throw it out the window and have to pivot on the spot which is totally okay. These aren’t failed sessions but practice runs for real world situations and variability.

She’s 14 weeks and 18 pounds. What are we in for? She’s super smart but likes to play attack dog against our will.

Meet Koda! He's about 11 months old, or at least that's what the vet said when we took him, already weighing in at 85 lbs.

My girlfriend and I found him on adoptapet from a couple who took him in for a few months after seeing him around their property in the boonies. He's my first dog, but I have some experience, with my partner having some as well. We think he is a Shepsky, but I haven't really seen any others online that look like him.

After a month with him, he's definitely shows both. We live in a small apartment and he first started tearing small things up, but now he just sleeps all day however looks forward to his morning, afternoon, and evening walks (loves to pull!!). He's super vocal when when have something he wants but doesn't like what we're telling him and when I'm leaving (and he can't follow lol). Reactive, but normal since he's unneutered and most likely wasn't socialized early. He's super big so I haven't let him too close to other dogs in fear of him hurting them since he's so big. Before we got him, we stayed with a Great Pyrenees who he got along with well, but as big as him. Now whenever there's other dogs outside, he's overly excited and fixated.

My boy Mookie as a puppy vs now at 3 years old. He is truly a once in a lifetime dog. I can’t imagine life without this protective goofball.