Don't worry, a few years ago I wanted a malamute so badly, I did huge amounts of research for weeks, learned all the good and bad aspects of the breed. I know several people with Mals, do you know anything about Hiawatha dogs? I know many people with dogs from there.

Anyway, I don't want to get way off topic, but I wouldn't just get it because he wanted it, I've done the research and it's a breed I've always loved. We would most likely rescue the dog anyway, way too many nice dogs without homes out there.

Please re-read Linda Brittons post.(carefully)
This is not about dogs. People get
married and think they can change their
partners behavior if they try hard enough.
They can't. I applaud your decision not
to have children. Best of Luck,

Husbands (most of them.. mine not included) are replaceable... good dogs are not <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I have some of the same problems with my wife. She has never treated our dogs badly.... But she HAS treated me like dirt when she feels like I'm paying more attention to the dog than I'm paying to her. It seems like your sitiuation is also mtoivated by your husband being jealous of your dogs. My wife also knew of my passion for dogs when we married but I think she thought that she could change me. Sounds like your husband maybe feels the same.
I have found that getting her involved as much as she'll get involved and spending some "NO DOG" time together helps quite a bit.
Hope things work out well for you.

I have a siberian husky and I will tell you they are a lot of work, very very very nice dogs and mine is very trustworthy around strangers I have no trouble with worrying if he will bite anyone, and he rarely barks. But he is very stubborn and will do as he pleases. If he sees an open door he is gone, runs and runs. He will come back for a cookie anyday but that is rare for this breed. They are very hard to train, they just want to do what they feel like doing. There are several siberains at the dog park here and mine is the most mellow of all of them, most of them are very high energy dogs who run and run like they could run forever. There are also several malamutes there, these dogs are extremely large, I think they are as big as bears. I dont' find that the malamutes have the same personality sibes do. What about a happy medium like a bernese mountain dog? I think its a good idea if he has his own dog that he can love then maybe he will learn to share his love with your dogs too. One thing I found was that my brothers GSD gets extremely jealous of the attention the sibe gets....might want to think about that.

Julia

I just don't think he realized how much I care about my dogs. He thinks I treat them TOO well, like people, but that's not really true. A friend of mine has 2 small dogs who sleep on the bed...between her and her husband. My dogs sleep on the floor in the bedroom. My hubby gets lots of lovin, so that's no concern <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> I have noticed a lot of progress since I first brought the dogs here, I think he is just learning. I think most new dog people are either too heavy handed or will let their dogs get away with anything, til they learn. An old trainer of mine who had goldens, her husband was scared to death of dogs. Then she got him to train one himself, and he put all kinds of obedience titles on the dog, plus did most of the breed shows for a long time. I think things will work out okay, I can't expect him to be perfect right away.

As for the dog issue, I think I've concinced him not to get a sibe. I let him read some articles on the internet about them, about how high energy they are, and how well they listen <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> for some reason he also wanted a beagle, but they are even worse. he just liked them cuz they're cute!
I'll figure something out, it'll be a while before we get it anyway. I don't mind a huge, hairy dog...I've got a newfy with me now, wonderful wonderful dog, but she's going to go live with my parents (long story) back in the US.

I think it'll all depend on what kind of dog we find in the shelters at the time...if he sees something he likes, and it's a good breed or mix of breeds, with a good temperament, then that'll be the dog.

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> How do you deal with that?

I'm very protective of my dogs -VERY Protective- I usually will only allow one incident to change, fairly dramatically, how I feel about someone. More than once and it's over. No negotiating. They're just simply not allowed around my dogs anymore for my dogs safety as well as their own. I find it very hard to tolerate that type of ignorance. People who are unlearned in canine behavior should approach the situation with humility and a eagerness to learn in my opinion. Not some heavy-handed, macho exuberance that never works anyway. Dogs are utterly dependant upon us for health, protection and quality of life. To treat them with anything other than respect is hard for me to swallow. I went through a similar situation with my brother-in-law. My sister is a very mild, almost timid sort of person who refused to stand up to her husband about the abuse her dog was suffering. It was a touchy subject being family but someone had to stand up for their dog. Total lack of understanding and what was worse it was being justified because it was "JUST A DOG." I finally talked them into getting the dog into a good home. The only reason they had the dog was just to say they had one - stupid.

I'll wrap up by saying that I hope the very best for your dogs and yourself. But know this: dogs can be a great judge of character (my sisters was) - LISTEN TO YOUR DOGS! Don't allow a bad situation to persist - even out of ignorance. GSD's can be very lovable but they can also be quite formidable when pushed. Don't figure that out the hard way.

Best of luck.

"Heaven goes by favor. If it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in." - Mark Twain