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]
Joe says
My husky and my English poodle don’t get along and most nights my English poodle barks all night at my husky wheat do I do??
shibashake says
Hello Joe,
When I first got Sibe puppy Lara, one of my other dogs (Shiba Inu) did not really accept her initially. To help them get along, I did a lot of group obedience training sessions, did not let puppy steal or bother my Shiba (especially when he was sleeping), supervised all play sessions, and defined clear rules of interaction between my existing dogs and puppy. Here is more on what I did-
http://shibashake.com/dog/second-dog-introducing-a-second-dog
After about 10 days my Shiba accepted puppy into his circle of trust, and they have been getting along quite well ever since. I continue to enforce interaction rules as well as supervise play and food sessions.
EdwardJacob says
hi,
i have an 11 month old husky that i love to death and just yesterday he escaped our backyard and bit a little girl. it wasn’t severe and he left like a half inch scratch on her forehead. i was very upset he did this, any suggestions on how i should attend to this matter? I don’t believe he’s aggressive because he’s never hurt us but ever since he was little and i would take him to the dog park he just wouldn’t get along with other dogs and vise versa. he’s never gotten into any trouble and it upsets me that he may now be perceived as an aggressive dog.
any help would be greatly appreciated!
shibashake says
Yeah, Huskies are full of energy and love to dig and play. I think the key is to prevent dog escapes as that can lead to accidents. I have a secure 6 foot fence around my backyard, and have recently put concrete blocks all around my fence line to prevent my Sibes from digging out while chasing after mice and gophers. Blocking the bottom of the fence also helps to keep out snakes.
As for getting along with other dogs, there are many factors that go into that including trust, familiarity, tolerance level, etc. In general, I am not a big fan of enclosed dog parks. I prefer to do smaller supervised play sessions with friendly dogs.
http://shibashake.com/dog/enclosed-dog-parks-good-or-bad
As for perception by others, here is my story …
http://shibashake.com/dog/embarrassed-by-my-dog
Jay says
very nice post. ill try to do this to my new husky. My Husky is around 4 months, i hope she can still pick up my training.
Nichole says
I hated the husky breed. I never want one. Growing up I always hsd dogs so to me it was obvious once I was married to get more. 2 months befoe my wedding we got a Havanese named him Harley he is now 10 momths old.then in march I got my husband to agree to get another dog he wanted a husky and I wanted a pit. We went to our local poumd to look at dogs and there was actually a husky so we got her out and playedwith her and he fell in love. I didnt want her but he convimced me he researched huskys yet when we brought her home I found out he researched husky movies like eight below. Boy did I get mad I found out about there prey drive and freaked. But she her name is Blizzard was in a fog for 3 days from being spayed nce she cane out of it she fell in love with Harley never a single fight Blizzard is 1 year old. I guess you can say im luvky and shewas house broken. I have a 7 year old autistic nephew who used to be scared of dogs helives with us. Blizzard loves to pull but once my autistic nephew has the leash she is calm as can be and walks next to him he pulls her skin and she licks hos hands. I am totally in love with her and I have a new lease on huskies she loves being in her crate for hours on end. Ony problem is I locked her in for a hour when I left and she chewed a tiny hole and squesed her body threw she got so cut up so now I put her outside on a long teater,when I leace she enjoys it. To me Blizzard is the perfect dog for us and I couldnt be happier God truely blessed me and my huband wuth her and eventually I will own another husky dog thanks to all the goodshe brng to my fanily. My husband and our two dogs are a happy fsmily together and I couldnt be blessed with anything greater than what god gave me my amazing dogs and husband.
Kristen says
I have a 5 year old female husky. For some reason she keeps peeing in her kennel and she will lay down in it every time. She is getting plenty of exercise and I have even cut down her water intake. Can someone plz give me some tips on what to do to get her to stop. She is only in the kennel at night. During the day the door is left open so she can go in freely as she pleases through out the day. It’s even where she goes to take her nap. I’m sure that she knows it’s a safe place for her but I can’t figure out the bladder control issue.
shibashake says
Sudden loss of bladder control is likely the result of some physical issue such as urinary tract infection. I would take her to the vet for a check-up.
corrina says
hello i have a husky she is 11mths old , loves everyone and all dogs wants to play with them all , loves to get cats grrr i have to leave her on lead because i lost her at the beach she ran off into the sandhills for 3 hours i could not find her now when we go to beach she just wants to go into the hills would love to let her off lead but dont want to lose her .
Mixed Breed says
Thank you for the great information, tips and techniques. I have a Lab/Husky mix, and while he resembles a Labrador in appearance, his characteristics are more of a Husky. I have found your descriptions to be right on target! We rescued him a year ago and are still learning but this article will truly help. Our boy looks like a Lab, but has one blue eye and the famous double coat so he is truly beautiful but very busy. 65 pounds of love!
shibashake says
That sounds absolutely adorable. Do you have pictures online? Would love to have a look.
LOL! Yeah sounds like a Sibe!
Hugs to your wonderful boy! Btw. does he do Fetch?
Jose says
I just got a Husky few days ago, he is 2 y/o but he doesnt wanna eat. I feeding him Pedigree, i mixed the dry one with can food(meat) but he doesnt wanna eat….i dont know whats wrong with him
shibashake says
Hello Jose,
When there is loss of appetite, I usually take my dogs to the vet. It is not possible for a dog to tell is exactly what is wrong, therefore it is safer to let a vet check him out and see if there are any physical issues.
In terms of food, my Sibes really do well on high protein kibble. Some high protein kibble brands include Innova EVO, Orijen, and Blue Wilderness. Here is more on what to look out for while choosing kibble-
http://shibashake.com/dog/feeding-your-dog-a-healthy-diet#dry_food
Anonymous says
You might have to invest in a higher quality dog food. We feed only dry (O R I J E N) and after trials this works the best. It is expensive but you will feed way less than you are used too as its concentrated and no fillers and grains. If you want to spend a little less try Blue Buffalo
Guillermo says
Hello, my name is Guillermo, I’m 21 years old and I’m in college. I live in Mexico city in an apartment but i go jogging everyday for about an hour in the woods at 5:00 am. I’m willing to adopt a siberian husky and i’ve been reading a lot about them, thats how I found your site.
The reason I’m writing this its because I’d love to have a siberian husky, but I don’t know if its right for me to get one, since I dont have much space, but I could exercise the dog twice a day and the weekends I’ll take the dog to Cuernavaca, Morelos, thats where my mom lives and she has a big yard/garden. I also run on saturdays and sundays. I could go hiking on weekends also.
I saw a video of a husky pulling its master in a bike, so I could also try to do that to get the dog tired.
I’d play with the dog every day and try my best at being its master,
My class schedule is from 7:00 am to 1:00pm and 4:00pm to 8:00 pm from monday through friday, I have laboratory classes every 15 days so I’d have more time depending on the week.
I’m asking your help,if you could tell me if I’m the right person to have this dog or not, and if theres any book I could get or any other activities to be a better owner please let me know.
My class schedule is from 7:00 am to 1:00pm and 4:00pm to 8:00 pm from monday through friday, I have laboratory classes every 15 days so I’d have more time depending on the week.
Thank you.
shibashake says
Hello Guillermo,
Sounds like you have a very action packed schedule. 😀
Each person is different is terms of what dog is ‘right’, so what I can do here is talk a bit about my Siberian Huskies and how they spend their day. I currently have two Siberian Huskies – Shania (over 4 years old) and Lara (over 1 year old). They are very energetic especially in the first few years.
Lara wakes up at around 5:30 am, she goes outside to play, dig, etc., then at around 7 am she comes back in and plays with my other two dogs. After breakfast, I have a play session with her while my Shiba Inu is out on a walk. Then when they get home, there is another play session.
After that, there is nap-time until about noon when I take her out on her walk. We are out for about 1.5-2 hours. When we get back, there is frozen Kong time and another nap. In the evening (around 5pm), they get active again so there is another vigorous play session. Then we brush teeth, and do dinner.
After that, the dogs hang-out or play until bedtime, which is around 8:30 pm.
Shania is older, so she is less hyper now and takes more naps. I also walk her for about 2 huors or more. She likes staying outside in the shade and watching cats and people.
Both Lara and Shania enjoy being outside, unless it is too hot. They do not do very well on really hot days and sleep a lot more. During summer, I make sure to keep things very cool for them.
Unlike the Sibes, my Shiba Inu is more of an indoor dog. He prefers to stay inside most of the time. He is energetic but much less so than the Sibes.
Dogs are a lot of work, and can place a lot of constraints on our social life. It is more difficult to go out late for dinner, or attend parties because we must return and feed or spend time with the dogs. There are many rewards as well from having a dog, but I did not get one until much later after college. However, as I said before, each person is different. 😀
Hope this helps. Good luck with college and send us some pictures if you decide to get a dog.
Sasha says
i have had a siberian husky for almost two years now she is the best dog i have ever know her name is Sasha white and gray with a touch of black and crystal blue eyes . she is so loving loves to cuddle and absolutely loves all cats and dogs and even really small kids she treats them like her babies its soo adorable ! i will nvr own any other kind of dog shes just wonderful ! i got her from a breed for half price because she has an underbite when i held her i didnt care i fell in love with her !