Breed Description: The Siberian Husky is a quick and athletic dog with a moderately compact build and a smooth, effortless gait. This intelligent breed is friendly and gentle and usually bonds more deeply with one person in the family. This breed is an independent thinker and can be a bit stubborn at a time. Still, if properly trained the Siberian Husky makes a great companion for the whole family and has a natural affinity for children.Group: Working Group.
Purpose of Breed: Pulling sleds
Country of Origin: Siberia, Russia.
Average Size: Ranges from 20-23 1/2 inches tall and 35 to 60 pounds.
Color(s): Any color from black to pure white. Masks on the face are common.
Coat Type: A double coat consisting of a soft, dense downy undercoat and a dense, smooth and soft outer coat of medium length hair.
Grooming: This breed is an average shedder and requires routine brushing-even more so when it fully sheds its coat (at least once per year). Standard care is required for eyes, ears, pads and nails.
Exercise Needs: Siberian Huskies make good house dogs. A fenced yard and plenty of exercise are crucial for this energetic breed.
Temperament: The Siberian Husky is very friendly and gentle and although he will show affection to his entire family, he is really a one-man dog. Not naturally suspicious of strangers, the Siberian does not make a good watch dog. These dogs have a tendency to dig and an innate need to run and pull. They are not suitable for homes that want to retain perfect landscaping, and they need to be kept either confined or controlled at all times.
Common Ailments: Susceptible to epilepsy, hip dysplasia, obesity and eye problems.
Life Expectancy: Averages 11-13 years.
Trivia: In 1925 in the city of Nome, Alaska, dog teams of Siberian Huskies led heroic "serum runs" during an epidemic outbreak of diphtheria.
More Information: Siberian Husky Club of America, Inc.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
Does anyone here have a great experience with Siberian Huskies? I would really like to know a few personal experiences before I get her and-to tell you the truth!-I really don't know what to expect!
We owned a husky for 14 years, great dog. They don't bark like a regular dog they yip. Make sure you take her for walks. They need lot of walks. They will take off and run like crazy, if they get out by mistake. They are gentle with babies and kids.
We owned several cats and she was fine with them, and the other dog we still have. Bad points... they shed in chunks,2x's a year she shed . she looked like she was moulting like a moose. They need lots of brushing. i hear males only shed once a year, but she was a sweet girl. We always had chunks of fur on the rug. really bad shedding.
We had to put her down because she had arthritis in the hip and was having trouble getting up. A friend of mine had a Samoyed husky and it too had arthritis. I hear they are prone to it. Loves, loves, loves cold cold weather, and loved to run in snow. Thought of hooking up sled to her. She pulled my son on sled many a time. He would walk her with his bike and she would pull him around the block. He was a chunky kid and she pulled him with ease. Good dog miss her. Good luck with your girl.
I have had two female Siberian Huskies and I love them. We live in the country and they will roam if they are loose. One would go a mile away and stay on a man's porch until we drove over to get her. They both had a great temperament. Always be kind to them. Both were very possessive about their food. They don't share.
I would not get them spayed too early. Better to wait after one heat or one batch of pups.
These dogs love to run -- I mean run away! Make sure you have a good fence to keep them penned in! - Tom Kirwan
You know the other name for a husky? Sled dog.
You don't walk them, they pull you. Yes, they need lots of walking and pulling, so if you really can't or won't do that, save yourself the real grief of a neurotic, bad tempered dog.
Try walking the dog with roller skates. For you, not the
dog.
For the shedding, a Dyson vacuum comes highly recommended.
We own two of them and they are the best dogs in the world. They don't do alot of barking, but are very protective in a gentle way. They do love to run, but we have a fenced in yard. One is a diabetic, but she is doing fine, other younger one just had surgery for a torn acl.
A beautiful blue-eyed Siberian huskey showed up on the doorstep at my place of work. She spent the day sleeping in my office and enjoying all the attention my co-workers gave her. After contacting several radio stations and the Humane Society, I took her home, thinking someone would contact me.
Nobody called. I had a 6-ft. stockade fence around my whole back yard and soon learned she was able to dig under it for an almost daily adventure. Everyone who found her either took her home and called me or kept her confined at their place of business (a Jiffy Lube, Ryan's Steakhouse, a car dealership, an all-night grocery store, a car parts store, etc.) until I returned home to claim her once again. I finally gave her to a young man who lived in the country and who jogged daily, thinking the daily jog would satisfy her need to 'run.' A few days later, I received a call from someone in another town saying that they'd found my dog.
We had a husky in the 80's and he was a sweetheart. He had a favorite kitty and they played like to little fools. He was a very gentle dog and we loved him.
Not all Siberians get along with cats. I used to breed them and warn the families about this. I do have a 12 year old though who has never attacked a cat. In fact, when our cats died, she laid by each of them to protect them from my other dogs. They are a great family dog but the majority of them will kill cats.
They are very intelligent animals but are very independent and do tend to be very good escape artists.
Their temperment is very loving and are very good with children from the git go. When giving them food, we always put our hands near the food and took it away often to make sure that they would allow people to be around their food without incident. Treaties were always taken with gentleness.
They are very capable of walking on a leash but because their fur gets so thick you may have to use a choke collar that digs into the neck and give him slight corrections when he tries to lead you. Never let him lead you as they are very strong animals. Always keep a short leash.
I would always recommend a siberian for a family dog.
Thanks everyone - so much! I love my new little Keira! She is so sweet and precious, but she has a slight mean streak but she is as smart as a whip! Last night was my first night with her and all she wanted to do was lay down with me. I thought it was all fine and dandy until she woke me up a little after 11:00 pm...2 am...and some time after 4 am this morn. She either wanted off the couch or she wanted on the couch. She found out how to get off her self but she is so little she can't get up by herself.
But as I was saying about her being so smart; we have four small dogs in the house...toy poodle mix, shitzu, and two pikaneeze, (sorry if none of those are spelled right)...anyway, she would waddle her little self over to the pad, and would go potty where the other dogs had gone. I was so glad that she would do that and not go everywhere and or anywhere besides that. But every time last night and this morn she would go where the others did. I was so relieved. Anyway she is six weeks old right now and also she was the runt of the litter. She was the only one that was the color of the silver that she was. The rest of her siblings were either white and black or just a cream color.
I love her and so does my boyfriend Josh. We are both the ones who will be taking good care of her. Thanks again to everyone that answered my little ordeal up there. It is all great advice. When I get my camera uploaded completely on to my computer I will post her picture! Thanks again and I hope you all have a great life with your Siberian as well!
I have a 1 year old Siberian Husky named Shiloh. She was my sister in laws dog then my sister in law moved and couldn't take Shiloh with her so me and my husband gladly took her. Funny thing is, I said I don't want a dog that sheds a lot. Well, now I vacuum everyday and the vacuum is full of hair when I'm done. But, I would not trade her for anything. She is my baby. We do not have kids yet so she is basically our daughter. She loves her walks and just sitting out on our back deck staring into the woods, waiting for a bunny or some kind of animal to come into our yard. She loves anything that moves, animals, bugs, leaves. She will chase leaves on a windy day and it's so cute to watch.
She does have a major digging problem that we plan on fixing with a shock collar. We have tried everything else and nothing works. She is so spoiled. She gets 3-4 walks a day and whenever she wants to play she will howl "talk" to us until we play. She is very smart and knows what we are saying but just sometimes doesn't want to listen. They say Huskys will only do something if they see a point to it. We have to put a leash on her when she goes in the backyard cause she wont come in and when we try to go bring her in she thinks its a game and runs (she is fast). So the leash gives us something to grab her by. I love her so much. She is my best friend. Huskies have a mind of their own so be prepared to be up for a challenge when trying to train them. They are smart but need to see a point to doing some hint. They shed a lot, definitely need lots of exercise and they are not dogs that just lay around so if your planning on getting one you cant be a couch potato. Huskies love being active and being part of the family. I heard a saying and its so true. "You don't own a husky you share your life with them." Its so true. They "talk" (wine, howl) when they want something and they are the friendliest most lovable dogs ever, except since they get so hot cause of all the fur when they get over a year old they do not like to cuddle cause they just get to hot. I will never own anything but a Siberian Husky.
If your thinking of getting a husky just remember they need lots of exercise and attention, they love to run so never ever walk them off a leash cause they will take off no matter how ell they are trained, they can jump high so you need at least a 5 foot fence, they love to dig and they have a very independent way of thinking but they are the greatest dogs in my mind,
I have a Husky. Her name is Klondike. She has been a very willfull dog from day one. I took her to obedience school. After several weeks the trainer gave up. She likes to please us but only to an extent and she is very smart. I tell her every day that she's lucky we love her because she is such a handful. She is also quite neurotic about food. This may be because she was an abandond pup, who knows, but for the first 3 or 4 years of her life she would take mouthfulls of kibble and put it in various corners of the house. My greatest advise would be that you're sure that your ready for the commitment. Oh yeah, and buy areally good vacuum cleaner!
My Husky is 5 months old so he is still in an awkward growing stage. His ears and snout are fully developed like an adult dog, but the rest of him is still growing. He has all Husky features such as pointy ears, blue almond-shaped eyes, big bushy tail, little husky-like paws, and he runs very fast and is light on his feet.
He has a Husky mask pattern on his face, but the pattern on his body is blotched with black and white? I am very confused. I thought maybe he was just a piebald Husky, but lots of people are saying he's mixed? I'm not sure.
Does it really matter if he is purebred or not? He's your fur baby and he's gorgeous. I hope that you love and respect one another for many years to come.
A purebred husky can be piebald. This doesn't prove that he is or isn't purebred. It is a possibility. You still shouldn't breed him if you don't know his genetic history.
Kind of reminds me of a german Shepherd or sheep dog mixed with husky
I got my Siberian Husky about a month ago and he is doing really well for us. I got him for my bday and his name is Dexter, of course.
I'm really wanting to know if he is 3 months old. Does anyone possibly know if so please tell me?
Your puppy needs to be vaccinated and when you take him to the vet, he can tell you his age. They can look at his teeth to see how old he is or use the dog's weight and size to determine his age.
Check out these photos.
Qadira is a 15 month old Siberian Husky. We got her from a breeder in Tennessee and had her sent down to Florida when she was just a few weeks old!
Zoey is a 1 year old Siberian Husky. I adopted her 2 months ago. She loves playing in the snow, going to the dog park, going for walks, and sleeping.
This is Oreo, aka Cookie Monster, a 4 year old Siberian Husky. She's a rescue that was found running the streets at approximately 6 months old
Back in 2011, I acquired him from a man who was going to put him in a shelter. He was moving and couldn't take him along. Shasta's name was Kingsley at the time, and he was 9 months old. When I found out, I asked "If you're just going to put him in a shelter, can I have him?" And the rest is history '
Monroe is1 1/2 years old and a Siberian Husky. My daughter found a dog that was in need of a home. We brought Monroe into our family over a year ago. She enjoys retrieving toys and bringing them to us.
Frankie is a 2 year old Husky. 2 years ago our Frankie arrived by plane from Iowa to his new home in New York state. He likes to do anything and everything. . .
I got Echo as a Valentine's Day gift for my husband in 2016. A friend of mine had a litter of puppies that needed homes so I surprised him with going and picking her out.
We got him from of a friend on April 1st. He loves to go out to play and run. He loves to be very sneaky, he thinks he is, but we catch him. He is a very active, smart dog.
I got my puppy from a shelter when he was 2 months old on February 17 2019. My dog loves to play in water. Moonlight know how to blow bubbles under water on command and he loves belly rubs.
Keira is 6 1/2 weeks old and is a Miniature Siberian Husky. I got her as an early Christmas gift in late November.
I got both dogs at a pet shop at the same time in 2013. They are from totally different dog parents. They love to go for long dog walks every single day. Love to destroy dog toys and also the yard by digging massive numbers of dog holes.
