Shepherd mix puppy

You have an interesting breed mix in a Shepherd-Husky!

I think a good place to start is to become familiar with each breed individually. Get to know their similarities and their differences.

Here are just some points, I'm sure other Quorans will be able to highlight other points that I haven't...

Both the Shepherd and the Husky have high working drives and are the type of dogs that thrive when they have something to do.

Huskies, although smaller than their Malamute cousins are bred to pull loads through the snow. Like all dogs Huskies need to be kept in a secure area, they love to run and want open spaces and are good escape artists. I know Husky owners who never allow their dog off the leash when going for walks because of this very reason.

Huskies are not big on barking, but they do love to howl like their wolf ancestors. The can be very mischievous and they are highly intelligent. They can be difficult to train sometimes.

Huskies love people and are known to be very friendly. They are loyal and have been know to protect their owner to the death.

German Shepherds were bred for herding and guarding, they have a high work drive which will most likely be displayed as a high ball drive for example if they are companion dogs as opposed to being used as service dogs or for their original purpose.

German Shepherds are also very vocal, they can and do love to bark. I know a few who howl but for the most part it's barking.

German Shepherds are highly intelligent and learn very quickly, they are easy to train but can sometimes be a little stubborn too. They can be aloof sometimes and are wary of strangers until they get to know them.

German Shepherds are also very loyal, they are courageous and like the Husky will protect their owners with their live.

Both breeds shed all year round and they also 'blow' their undercoats twice a year.

There are many more similarities and differences between the two breeds and it'll be interesting to see which traits of which breed is more prevelant in your pups. Although you'll find each pup has its own unique and individual mix of both breed traits.

If your pups are under 8 weeks old, hopefully they are still with their mom and litter mates. If they are older (although I don't believe in taking a pup from its mom before 12 weeks), the general rule is you should care for your puppies in the same way you would if they were any other breed.

Feed them the best food you can afford. Stay away from cheap commercial food. These never contain anything good for your pups. And some foods are basically manufactured in a different factory with almost every batch. The 'manufacturers' tender out the processing to the lowest bidder. And they put any old junk into the food (if you can call if food).

Most people will go for a high end puppy food from a vet. Personally, I have fed a fully raw diet for over 2 years, even to my pups. But you can find high quality grain free kibble which is way, way better than kibble bulked up with grains.

Make sure they get all their shots. Some people are vehemently against vaccinations and I understand why. But if your dog is going to come into contact with lots of other dogs at the dog park and on walks making sure they are vaccinated is important. There are some dangerous diseases that can spread amongst dogs like the Parvo virus and Canine Distemper, you don't want your pups to get these or any preventable contagious diseases.

Get them microchipped. Again, there are people who are against this practice for many reasons which are understandable. But dog trafficking is a huge black market industry and the stealing of dogs is on the rise all over the world. Microchipping makes reuniting owner and dog that much easier.

Socialize them. you should socialize them with other dogs and people and not just with each other. After they've had their shots they can start going for walks and meeting new doggy friends at the dog park. This is a great time to socialize them with both dogs and humans.

Train them. It's super important that you teach your pups what's socially acceptable behavior. They need to learn about everything from where to go 'potty', how to behave when visitors come to your house and how hard is too hard when play biting. And also the basic stuff like sit, stay, down, stand, drop it and very, very importantly the recall command.