Siberian Huskies are beautiful dogs. They look like wolves, and have thick, soft coats, that make them infinitely cuddly. They have piercing eyes, and wonderful masks, that give them a roguish and unique look.
Siberians can make very good family pets. If properly trained, they can be very good with people, children, and other dogs. Indeed, Sibes are commonly known for their friendliness toward people.
Although they may look like fierce wolves, they have the heart of Casanova. All my Huskies want to do, is greet everyone and give them licks.
However, many people have trouble with this breed, and many Sibes get surrendered every year.
Consider these Siberian Husky facts, before going out and getting a puppy. The Siberian Husky is a very special and lovable breed, but they may not be the right breed for everyone.
1. Siberian Huskies Shed a Lot!
Be ready to have dog hair all over the house – floors, carpets, clothing, furniture, everywhere.
If we are allergic to dog hair, or like our home to be very clean, then the Siberian Husky is not for us.
When I was looking for a Sibe, I talked to a few breeders in my area. The first thing they all said was, “Siberians shed a lot”. I mentioned that my other dog, a Shiba Inu, also has a double coat, and also sheds a fair amount. However, they all said, “Siberians shed a lot more”.
And they do! A whole lot more.
Therefore, it is very important to train our Husky puppy to enjoy the grooming experience.
- I start with a soft brush, and lightly comb my dog’s body for a short period of time.
- I do this often, and pair it with food rewards.
- Once my puppy is comfortable with the brushing process, I very slowly extend the length of our grooming session.
- Finally, I repeat the process with a more solid brush, such as the Furminator.
Frequent brushing is a good idea to keep our Husky clean, and clear out loose hair. The more hair on the Furminator, the less hair on the floor.
About twice a year, my Sibes blow their coat. During this time, there will be more fur than ever. To keep things under control, I try to brush every day. Remember to always keep brushing sessions fun, rewarding, and not overly long.
2. Siberian Huskies Make Awful Watch Dogs
Because Huskies look like wolves, many people assume that they are fierce dogs. Some people may even think that they are wolf hybrids.
However, a Sibe is more of a lover and less of a fighter.
When confronted with a stranger, my Husky will usually run up to him, give licks, and beg for food. As a result, Sibes do not make very good watch dogs. They will not only welcome everyone into your house, but will also give them the royal lick treatment.
If we want a dog that is only loyal to us and our family, then the Siberian Husky is not for us.
My Huskies are naturally happy and trusting dogs, who like to be with everyone. That is one of the things that I love most about them.
The Siberian Husky is not a watch dog, although those ignorant of his true nature may be frightened by his appearance. If you want a dog with aggressive guard-dog instincts . . . don’t buy a Siberian.
~~[SHCA]Leave your home in the care of a “guard” Siberian and he will most likely welcome an intruder with open arms, fetch (for the first time in his life) your valuables and show him the best route of escape–after all, Siberians are great escape artists.
~~[Siberian Rescue Site]
Note – This does not mean that Huskies will never be aggressive toward people. A dog’s behavior is determined both by genetics (breeding), as well as by training, socialization, context, and past experiences. A dog may become aggressive as a result of improper training, bad social experiences, insufficient socialization, and more.
For reasons of safety, it is important to ensure that our companion dogs are not people aggressive. Most companion dogs today guard us, by sounding an alert when unknown or strange people come close to our house. These dogs are not people aggressive. They do not bark, lunge, or growl at passers-by during walks. They are not aggressive toward guests and unknown visitors, who may need to work in or around our house. Their job is simply to alert us, when unusual events occur close to home. Anything more would quickly become dangerous and risky.
Highly trained guard dogs, such as those employed by law-enforcement, may be trained to attack or restrain an intruder. However, they are always under the control of their handler, are extremely well managed, and will only attack on-command or when they think their handler is in clear danger (as defined during training). They also do not bark or growl at pedestrians.
3. Siberian Huskies Have High Energy
They are intelligent, athletic, and were bred to pull sleds for extremely long distances, in the freezing cold. Therefore, be prepared to provide a Husky with a lot of mental and physical exercise.
A young Husky needs activity almost all day round. At around one-year old, my Sibe puppy sleeps for perhaps 3-4 hours during the day, and about 10 hours during the night. That leaves about 10 hours during the day where she is on the go.
She drains her energy most by playing with my other dog, a Shiba Inu. However, even my Shiba cannot fully keep up with her.
In addition to the playing, she works for all of her food, has long walks in the park several times a week, has structured dog play sessions, dog obedience training sessions, and still has energy left over to explore and dig in our backyard.
If bored, a Husky can become unhappy. He will likely escape, or use our house and belongings as chew toys. Unless our backyard is extremely secure, he can easily jump over or dig under a fence, in order to find adventure elsewhere.
If we are away at work for most of the day, then the Siberian Husky is probably not for us.
Siberians like having company and activity all day long. It is possible that a Husky can keep himself occupied if we have other dogs, but he may also lead our entire pack into mischief!
Sibes do best when there is frequent human supervision, throughout the day.
Siberians are a gregarious lot and need the company of other dogs or of people at all times.
~~[SHCA]The Husky needs lots of exercise and entertainment. They love to run and play, but must be allowed to do so safely.
~~[Hillside SPCA]
4. Siberian Huskies Are Independent Thinkers
They have a very independent mind and spirit, and will only perform, if we make it worth their while.
If we want an obedient dog that only lives to please us, then the Siberian Husky is not for us.
A Sibe is not a “yes sir, no sir“, kind of dog. To live well with him, we need to be fair, but firm. We need to consistently enforce our house rules, or he will take over the house.
The best way to train a Husky, is through the control of resources. Teach him that the best way to get what he wants, is to first do what we want. I use reward obedience training, and follow the Nothing in Life is Free program. Harsher techniques can make a Siberian distrustful, and ruin the natural free spirit of the breed.
Huskies are independent hunters. Their original breeders, the Chukchi of Northeastern Asia, would let their dogs free during the summer months to hunt for food on their own.
This has two very important consequences for living with a Husky today –
- A Siberian is not to be trusted with cats or other small animals. He can be trained to live with cats, but his instinct is to hunt them;
- A Siberian is not to be trusted off-leash. If he sees a small animal, he will likely bolt after it, and forget about cars, commands, and everything else. By the time he comes to his senses, he may be lost and far from home.
I have gotten a few comments about cats lately, so let me be clear …
Sibes can be trained to live with household cats. However, they usually have high prey drive, and will likely want to hunt and chase small animals, including squirrels, mice, and cats. Just because a Siberian gets along with our house cats, does not mean he will treat other neighborhood cats in the same way.
Huskies are bred to run and pull. This makes them more difficult to leash train than many other breeds. To train a Husky to walk on a leash, we need to have an immense amount of patience. Always be firm and consistent with the no-pulling rule, and reward good behavior.
If we do not have a large backyard, bring our Sibe to an enclosed park or soccer field, so that he can have some nice off-leash time to run, run, run.
5. Siberian Huskies Are Not the Easiest Dogs to Potty Train
Certain dogs, like the Shiba Inu, are naturally clean and absolutely do not like soiling their living space. Because of their natural cleanliness, they are extremely easy to house train.
Sibes do not have that natural sense of cleanliness. In fact, they do not mind playing, and running around in their own waste products. Therefore, we must make it worth their while to potty outside.
Supervise our Husky puppy at all times, until he is fully house trained. Reward him well for pottying outside with high priority dog treats, play, and praise. If we are consistent with our puppy potty training, he will learn quickly, and be happy to go outside after a few weeks.
In addition, as Gigi points out, potty training difficulty is very dependent on what the dog or puppy is used to, in his previous environment. Puppy mill and pet store puppies are caged, most of the time. As a result, they will be harder to house train, because they are accustomed to going in their crates.
Where to Get a Siberian Husky Puppy
If we still want a Husky, then visit the Siberian Husky Club of America for a breeder list. Also consider adopting one from a local Husky rescue.
It really makes a BIG difference to get a puppy from an accredited breeder.
Please do not buy a puppy from online puppy sites or pet stores. Most of their puppies come from backyard breeders or puppy mills. Buying from them, will only help support and continue the dog cruelty of these unscrupulous puppy breeders.
If we are concerned about the initial cost of a puppy, consider that backyard breeders and puppy mills frequently produce unhealthy and unbalanced puppies. They will end up costing us a lot more, in terms of vet bills, dog training bills, and property destruction.
Siberian Huskies Are Wonderful Dogs
I love my Sibes. However, just because I think Huskies are wonderful dogs, does not mean that everyone else will think so as well; nor does it mean that they will fit into someone else’s lifestyle.
Clearly, each dog is an individual and will differ in terms of prey drive, energy level, obedience, and more. However, general breed characteristics and information from reputable sources, will give us a better idea of what to expect.
Often, there is conflicting information on the web. Therefore, one good place to start is with the AKC-recognized national breed club – The Siberian Husky Club of America.
Captivating in their beauty, grace and childlike demeanor, Siberians catch the eye of adults and children alike. They can be wonderful dogs for the well-informed or experienced Husky owner. However, they are NOT the breed for everyone and definitely not for first time dog owners. Too many wind up lost, in shelters, killed on the highway, abandoned or abused because the owner didn’t understand the breed and it’s challenging traits.
~~[Hillside SPCA]
Hi,
I recently adopted a very young Husky pup. She is 12 weeks now. I have a golden retriever who is socializing her. My pup bites at my retriever all day and she puts up with it, but lets her have it from time to time. She bites with us playing too and we are working with her to stop biting at us. I’ve noticed lately though that when I tell her “no’, she bites at the air looking at me as she runs away, really sassy like. Is this something I should discourage? I have no idea how to. Also, should I tell her to stop biting my golden all day? I think my golden is just too laid back. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks!
Hello Crystal,
What has worked best with my Sibe puppy is to teach her that when she bites she gets no attention, but when she is calm and follows commands, she gets rewarded with attention, affection, and treats.
When puppy bites, I non-mark her (No or Ack-ack) so that she knows it is an undesirable behavior. Then I redirect her biting onto a toy. This teaches her that it is ok to bite on toys but not ok to bite on me.
If she bites on the toy, she gets praised and I play a game with her with the toy. If she ignores this and keeps biting on me, I withdraw my attention by folding up my arms, standing up, and turning away from her. Once she is calm, I can give her attention again.
If she jumps on me and bites at my clothes, I calmly say time-out and put her in a boring time-out area.
Here are more of my experiences with puppy biting.
http://shibashake.com/dog/puppy-biting-how-to-stop-puppy-biting
http://shibashake.com/dog/puppy-biting-tips-solutions
In terms of interaction with the older dog, I usually stop puppy from being a pest if my other dogs are not interested in playing. Here are some of the things that I do when introducing puppy to my existing dogs.
Congratulations on your new Husky puppy! Big hugs to puppy and let us know how it goes.
huskies-CUTEST DOG IN THE WORLD!!!!I currently own one…..I recamend a Husky BUT NOTHING ELSE!!!
Hi, I was wondering if you had any tips for my new Siberian Husky. I adopted her about a week ago and introduced her to my already existing 4 year old female Siberian Husky and my 14 year old male Rotti/Shepherd (both spayed/neutered). She is just 10 months old now and has not yet been fixed. I have an appointment to have her spayed in about 8 weeks as she is in heat right now.
The problem I am having is that she is bullying the 4 year old Husky and showing severe food aggression to the other dogs. She is not aggressive to myself or my husband, or any other person for that matter, but whenever there is food around she attacks the other dogs. She has drawn blood on the other Husky. I have read a lot of conflicting information on how to handle this situation and so I was hoping that you may be able to give me some insight.
Thank you very much.
Annaleise
Yeah that seems to be the case with pretty much everything about dog training.
Some people believe that the best thing is to leave the dogs to work it out for themselves but I am not one of those people. I believe that we should be the ones to set the rules, and if there are disagreements, we should step in and resolve them fairly and consistently. That way, our dogs always know what to expect, and they know that they should bring issues to us rather than use their teeth.
Your adopted Sibe is still very new to the pack, so it will take some time to earn her trust and vice versa. In general, you want to manage things so that she doesn’t feel like she has to protect her food. The more she practices aggression around her food, the more it will become a habit.
Some of the things I do with Sephy and Shania –
1. No Stealing
When Sephy and Shania are eating I stay there to supervise. I don’t use regular bowls to feed them, but rather they earn their food by doing obedience commands, and through interactive toys.
However, Shiba Sephy is a bit of a mooch and he will wait until Shania has done all the work in getting the food out and then try to mooch off of her. So I always make sure that he doesn’t come close and bug Shania when she is working on a food toy. Nowadays I just sit next to Shania and Sephy knows he is not supposed to come too close. If he does I shoo him away. By the same token, Shania is also not allowed to steal from Sephy. I give them each their own food things to work on and there is no stealing.
When Shania is done, she usually leaves then Sephy can come over and get the rest of the stuff if he wants.
2. Fair and Consistent
I make sure to be always fair and consistent. Nobody steals, so there is no need for anybody to protect. Each always has their own toys to work on, which I give to them after they do something for me.
3. There is Always More Good Stuff
Both my dogs know that I always hold some of the good stuff in reserve. Therefore rather than bugging each other, they will come over to bug me instead š
I always follow the NILIF (Nothing in Life is Free) program so they must work for all of the food.
4. Absolutely NO Aggression will be Tolerated
I am there to make sure there is no stealing, so there is absolutely no reason for the dogs to show any aggression. Sometimes, one of them will take the food toy and move farther away from the other. That is fine. But if anybody shows any aggression, then I take the toy away and nobody gets it.
5. Interrupt Early
I usually try to notice early signs and interrupt before anything at all happens. If I notice staring or a raised lip, I will interrupt, non-mark, and then I will either ask for space, and/or do some obedience exercises.
These two articles have more information on what has helped with Sephy and Shania –
http://shibashake.com/dog/second-dog-introducing-a-second-dog
http://shibashake.com/dog/stop-food-aggression-stop-resource-guarding
Your adopted Sibe is still very new to the family so I would go slow with her, and initially just carefully manage the environment so that she doesn’t feel the need to have to protect her food or resources. Once there is some trust and more of a bond, then you can slowly train her to accept having other dogs around her in the presence of food.
Let us know how it goes.
its so cute.
awesome dog
hi i used to breed and raise huskies,and wolves. Niether of which have given me any problem yes sometimes you will get one that is hyper or into everything but most of them were layed back and very obidient. I kept them in packs so that helped a lot with the order of things. after my first husky died r.i.p. shookey. i sold all of mine he was with me from the time i was 3yrs old till i turned 14. I just got my first husky in 4 years a solid white female. Little Luna is the same way calm clean and she does fine by herself for a couple of hours. i mess since we brought her home. I think that you need to write on your website that disaplining your husky is better done without popping or anything physical a husky will never forget it females more than males.
thanks
Amity
Hello Amity,
Luna sounds absolutely wonderful. I am thinking of getting another dog but cannot decide between getting another Sibe or a GSD.
“I think that you need to write on your website that disaplining your husky is better done without popping or anything physical a husky will never forget it females more than males.”
That is very true. In general, I would encourage everyone to use reward techniques first with dogs of all breeds. Controlling resources has worked very well in creating discipline and routine with my dogs.
Hugs to Luna! And Shania sends many licks.
My Sibe seems to be a good enough guard dog. He’s watchful and alert if he sees anyone he doesn’t know inside the house. He even barks/howls endlessly. Is this a sign of problematic behavior?
Hi Rizza,
In addition to the vocalizations, how does Tango act towards the people? Does he approach them, run away, try to protect you, or something else?
How does he act with people outside the house?
Shania sometimes vocalizes because she is happy or excited. People sometimes think that she is being aggressive, but not every vocalization is an indication of aggression or stress. Sometimes it is just excitement or happiness.
Shania also likes howling/singing. Get a squeaky toy going and she will start singing. Sometimes I even sing with her and that will also get my Shiba Inu to join in. š
Hmm… if the “stranger” is inside the house, Tango would bark and stay back at first, but then he would get closer and sort of touch his nose or mouth to the person’s hand or leg then back away again. He’d repeat it a few times until I reprimand him, but he’d still keep on barking. Deafening (o_o). So sometimes I’d have to keep him with me in my room while my dad or someone else entertains the guest.
There’s this one visitor in particular, when Tango barks at her she’d try to calm him down herself by saying “No, Tango” in a calm and soothing voice, but it seems like it makes him want to bark more. And I noticed if she has her hand on my arm or back he’d jump on her and “bite” her arm. It’s not really biting, just um, touching his open mouth to the arm? Haha, sorry I don’t know how to say it.
If he sees a visitor outside in the yard he would bark and sniff a bit but leave the person alone after a few minutes. There was even one time he played with a kid he saw for the first time.
For the first 2 situations I don’t think he was excited to see the visitors. He seemed like he was in “guard dog mode” but having read in many articles about Sibes being poor guard dogs, it got me thinking maybe there was something wrong, or if he’s an exception to the norm. Hm.
“Shania also likes howling/singing. Get a squeaky toy going and she will start singing. Sometimes I even sing with her and that will also get my Shiba Inu to join in. :)”
Yeah! I noticed Tango would imitate the sounds we make. We were so amused and suprised. Just made us want to hug and cuddle him more.
Ack! Sorry for such a long post!
Hi Rizza,
Sounds like Tango may be a bit unsure of people. One thing you can try is to help him associate people with positive things – e.g. yummy food.
1. No talk, no touch, no eye-contact – This is important, especially the eye-contact part. In dog language, eye-contact can be seen as a sign of dominance so instruct your guests to just ignore Tango. As you observed with the woman who tried to talk to Tango, sound will often just make the situation worse – not better. Ignoring is best. Ask guests to fold up their arms.
2. Create positive associations. When he comes near, have them throw a piece of really yummy food on the ground near him. Remember still no talk, no touch, and no eye-contact. Just keep repeating this so that Tango will learn that people in the house means yummy food. After a bit, time the throwing of the food so that you only throw when he is quiet.
3. Once Tango is calm and not barking, then the guests can give him affection. But affection should stop as soon as he starts to bark again. Also note that dogs may see petting from above as threatening. In general, you want to approach from below the dog’s head and scratch his chest.
4. Also no jumping. When Tango jumps, ask your guest to turn away from him – not move away, just turn away. As soon as he sits, you should mark him for good behavior (Yes), and praise and treat him.
Let me know how it goes š If nothing works, you can also try a time-out but I would only do that as a last resort.
Wow, thanks so much! I do give guests food and let them give it to Tango. I’ll do the others that you mentioned. I always tell the guests not to try and calm the dog themselves because the dog seemed to get more agitated. Some people just don’t listen, sort of like wanting to prove to others that she’s a friend to all dogs and dogs instantly loves them.
I also tell them about not making eye-contact and not raising their voice, and they’ve worked well.
Thank you so much again! You’re such a dog-saver!
“The Siberian Husky is a very special, and lovable breed, but they may not be the right breed for everyone.”
I just want to add something about this. When my cousin saw I had a Sibe, she was green with envy. She said it’s her dream dog, she’s always wanted one, etc etc. But I told her before she gets one, she has to understand that a Sibe is very energetic and can’t be left inside the house all the time. The dogs she has in her home are the small toy breed, and I’m sure having a Sibe will be very different, not to mention very stressful for her, but most especially for the dog. I don’t want any Sibes being given up because they’re not understood. =(
really I have two sibes and they were very good in the house never an accident. You just need to take them out often whne there puppys and praise for going outside like any dog.
Hi cj. You are absolutely right, if you take them out often and are consistent with the rewards and praise, they learn pretty quickly. I hope I didn’t come across as too negative. Relative to some other breeds though (e.g. Shiba Inu) , they are more difficult to house train.
When I first read your blog title, I almost thought you were selling your Siberian Husky. Scared me for a moment there! Shania is really pretty. š
By the way, what do you think of American Eskimos? My boyfriend’s friend owned one, but unfortunately it passed away a while ago and I never actually got to play with it. But we did see a few while visiting animal shelters. Their white fur is beautiful!
Linda,
I’ve always loved the look of big, fluffy, white dogs like Samoyeds and Eskimos, but after after experiencing how quickly and thoroughly my Siberian’s white “socks” become mud drenched and caked after being in the yard for a bit, I sympathize with the winces I used to see on the faces of the Sammy owners in the dog park. Be prepared for more of an “off-white” dog most of the time, especially if eskomos are as active as siberians, which I *think* they are š
Hi Linda, How is Mochi? Hope you are having a good holiday season. I haven’t been blogging much because I started playing Diablo again in anticipation of Diablo 3 coming out. Can’t wait! š
I have never owned an American Eskimo but a neighbor of mine has one. She told me that her Eskimo is aloof wrt. people and dogs; and really full of herself. Sound familiar? š
Hi Sebastian – The few American Eskimos I saw at the shelter seemed pretty active. So you are right, I’ll probably end up with an ‘off white’ furred dog. LOL!
Hi Shibashake – Mochi is doing great. She used to be so well-behaved, and I went and blabbed about it to the world, so she felt her reputation as a shiba was threatened.
I got some bitter apple spray to prevent her from chewing furniture and carpet. I give her lots of dog toys to chew on, but boy, she goes through them quickly. She’s a little chewing monster! As for aloof and being full of herself…oh yea, that sounds strangely familiar. š In fact, I think Mochi has selective hearing. She’d only do ‘come here’ when she’ll get something out of the effort of walking 3 steps!
How are your little Prince and Princess doing? I call Mochi the Princess because I feel like everyone in the house are her servants. LOL.
LOL – I call my Shiba “Prince of Darkness”. He can be a crazy chew monster too. He cracked one of his teeth last year chewing on a processed deer antler. Now I am really careful about what I give him. Shania is really good for my “Prince of Darkness” though. She will usually come over and bug him to play with her before he can get himself into trouble. š
Wow – a lot of very thorough information on Siberian Huskies
Thanks healthgoji. I did not do much research before getting my first dog, a Shiba Inu, and it was a very BIG challenge to care for him initially. So for my subsequent dogs I try to find out as much as I can š