In the year 2011, we got a Siberian Husky puppy.
She has blue eyes, big ears, and looks a bit like a gray wolf. As a puppy, she was a very energetic little bundle of fur, but she also has a very sweet, and affectionate disposition.
After much deliberation, we decided to name her Lara, after a super-powerful vampire girl from The Dresden Files. This character captures puppy’s personality very well. Puppy can be brave and fierce, especially while rough-housing with my two other dogs, but she can also be sugar and spice when looking for tummy rubs and treats.
Husky Lara is now over 3 years old, so I thought it would be fun to create a picture chronicle of her first 3 months.
Husky Puppy Pictures – 5 Weeks Old
We visited Lara when she was only 5 weeks old. At 5 weeks, the puppies are already play-biting and able to learn simple commands with reward training techniques.
However, they still spend a fair amount of time sleeping, as you can see in the picture below.
Another interesting thing to note is that most of the Husky puppies have floppy ears (see right). Siberian Husky puppies are born with floppy ears, which usually become erect as they mature. The Husky face mask will also lighten as puppy gets older, especially around the eyes.
Lara had a cute pink nose when she was 5 weeks old. In general, Siberian Huskies have darker pigmentation on their nose, in order to protect it from sun-burn.
It is best not to remove a puppy from the litter until she is at least 8 weeks old. Very young puppies learn important lessons from their mother and litter-mates, including how to properly interact with other dogs, as well as how to control the force of their bites. Here is more on the risks of taking a puppy home too early.
Husky Puppy Pictures – 8.5 Weeks Old
When Lara reached 8.5 weeks old, we brought here home. These are the first pictures we took on that day.
She was tiny, but full of vim and curiosity. I started with puppy obedience training right away, and Lara quickly learned the words Sit and Down, on her very first day. She is a very clever puppy!
Note that her ears are now perky, and her pink nose is mostly filled in with dark pigmentation.
Husky Puppy Pictures – 9 Weeks Old
At 9 weeks old, Husky puppy is still very small. However, she is also fierce, and not afraid to mix-it-up with the two larger adult dogs.
At the bottom, I have three pictures that compare the size of puppy with an adult Siberian Husky.
It is a good idea to supervise puppy very closely when she is playing with larger dogs. During a rigorous play session, Lara got accidentally stepped on by Shiba Inu Sephy, and sprained her rear leg. As a result, she had to go through a very unpleasant vet visit, and endure leg pain for several days after that.
We were lucky it wasn’t anything more serious. After this fun experience, I made sure to keep her on-leash while playing outside, and to have many small play-breaks so that nobody gets over-excited.
Husky Puppy Pictures – 10 Weeks Old
At this point, Lara is fitting in well with the other dogs.
In the beginning, Shiba Sephy was somewhat stand-offish towards puppy. However, I did a lot of group obedience training sessions, and introduced puppy to the other dogs in a very positive and rewarding context.
After about 10 days, Sephy accepted puppy into his very exclusive Shiba-circle-of-trust.
Husky Puppy Pictures – 11 to 12 Weeks Old
Now that puppy is 11 weeks old, we are socializing her to a range of new experiences.
The weather is getting warmer so we brought out the little dog pool to see if Lara would enjoy the cool water. She was curious initially, but quickly lost interest. Instead, she prefers to put her head below the water spigot and have a shower!
Note how fast Husky puppy is growing! You can see in the pictures below that she is now almost Shiba-size.
Siberian Husky Puppies
What do you think of Siberian Husky puppies?
I love the look and temperament of Sibes, but as with any other dog breed, they have their own unique challenges.
Siberian Huskies shed a lot, are extremely energetic, and require a lot of exercise. They are independent minded, and can have very high prey drive. This makes it risky for them to go off-leash in an unenclosed area.
Before getting a puppy, definitely do some research on the good and bad of Siberian Huskies.
Anonymous says
I love what you posted. Because when I get bigger I want to get
A husky. Thank you.
Anonymous says
Thank you a lot.
Nala says
I really love husksies my dog is my sister we are twins but my name is Sophie my dog’s name is Nala she is a red Husky. She is very cute. She also has a brown eye and one blue eye. She goes for wheeling with me and camping she likes to be with people. Thank you for reading about me and my Dog.
shibashake says
Thank you for sharing your wonderful story. š
trish says
I also had a husky with a brown and a blue eye. So unique and endearing. Best friend I ever had. Enjoy your baby. You’ll never forget her and you will never have a a better, more loyal. friend
Hariz says
I love this blog it’s very helpful:-) my husky puppy is 2 month’s old ,she is very small…recently I met a 3 months old husky puppy & itz too large nd very well grown. the owner told me my puppy is not Normall size …I’m really worried of my puppy’s growth…please help me to know about this š
shibashake says
If I am worried about my puppy’s development, the first person that I consult is my vet.
Marian Shaghoury says
I enjoyed reading your blog. I found so many common traits with my beautiful chelsea. She’s now a year and a half and perfect in every way. She is not good with small animals, killed her first groundhog who came into our backyard looking to pick a fight with her. We’re still not over that one.
I came home one day and my brother just brought her over from a reputable breeder. I had to research pretty fast how to take care of her, but I fell in love right away that I wanted to make sure she would be a happy girl.
I wish I can rescue all the huskies. I see her and I see all the love she deserves and wish I can give to all animals in need.
shibashake says
Chelsea is beautiful! Her puppy pictures are too adorable. Who is the other good looking Sibe with her? I do so love seeing happy dog pictures. š
Yeah, I know what you mean. It is tough when you see or hear about any dog, really, in a not-so-good environment. I think getting the word out about puppy-mills and the difficulties associated with dog ownership/particular breed ownership, is one way to reduce bad matches and dog surrenders.
Big hugs to Chelsea and friend!
George says
I have a 3 year old Husky and he screams like uncontrollably whenever I leave. Most of the time hes okay if someone is here with him but when I leave him alone he runs from window to window screaming at the neighbors looking for me. What can I do about that? He can’t stand when I leave. I go outside to take out the trash and he opens his vocal chords and lets loose this howl you can hear from 10 miles in every direction.
shibashake says
This sounds like separation anxiety. I help my dog with separation anxiety by slowly desensitizing him to alone time. I start with very short periods of alone time, and slowly build up from there.
Positive experiences will help my dog build confidence and trust. Similarly, panic attacks and reactive events will undermine that confidence, significantly set back retraining, and worsen my dog’s anxiety symptoms. Therefore, during the entire retraining process, I make sure to always set my dog up for success. I only leave her alone during our desensitization sessions, and only for time periods that she can handle successfully. If I need to leave the house, I get someone she trusts to be with her.
ASPCA article on separation anxiety and how to do desensitization.
More on separation anxiety.
lacy may says
cute
howe oldeis it
whare did you get it from
Aurora says
I love your blog. I have been researching for some time anything needed to know about owning a siberian husky or training it, or maintaining it on various websites, however yours is by far my favorite. For months i had been trying to convince my parents to get me my own siberian husky because it is a breed that i have asked for since i was young. We already own two dogs (a wiener dog and a poodle) that love us, listen to us and are a big part of our family, but are not that trained. We love both of them and do our best to fulfil all their needs. Recently i made the positive changes my parents have been waiting for and solved the problems for why i could not have a dog of my own (siberian husky)- even found a form of income giving classes to kids to pay for getting the dog and the new puppy’s needs. I have finally gotten the dog. She is a beautiful 8-week old, grey and white siberian husky that i named Aurora that i feel in love with the second i saw her. I have spent hours reading your site and looking for tips and advice to train her which is one of the things i promised to do. I have had some accidents with potty training which i have cleaned up when it was to late and tried to not stir up frustration with my parents so they dont yell at Aurora and confuse her. It has only been a couple of days but i have already had some trouble with her training because she is really smart and i believe she knows what comand i want her to do when i say the cue word, but usually seems uninterested even with her toys and treats(maybe she doesnt like them-which ones do you recomend??). I have tried keeping her on a leash while i train but she becomes impatient and wines after some time not to mention she bites the leash because this is the first one she puts them on. This is by far my main problem- i cant get her to pay attention to me or listen to when i say cue words.
So far i have kept my calm and havent yelled at her once or raised my voice, but it has been frustrating when she doesnt understand no means she did something she isnt supposed to do.
I have also been having trouble with her name. Her previous owners whistled to get her to come, but i cant whistle even though i have tried. I have been working on excercises to recogize her name and come when i call her, but so far she ignores me. I dont know what to do and i have looked through your website and havent found something for my puppy to recogize her name.
Aurora is a very calm puppy and gets along well with the rest of the family although one of our dogs doesnt quite trust her and sometimes growls at her and is always keeping an eye on her. I know siberian huskies have a lot of energy, are curious, and are very intelligent, usually making them have a mind of thier own, but i also know they are not inpossible to train. I was actually surprised to see Aurora is very calm and is not actually as jumpy as i expected. But i guess that is subsituted by her hidden intelligence.
Do you have any tips for Aurora??Any advice would be of apreciated.
Aurora says
I forgot to mention when I put Aurora on the leash she becomes agitated and want to take it off and it I begin to walk forward she sits down and won’t move. I tried leaving the leash on her without holding it but she doesn’t seem to have much of a problem then and she ignores it.
shibashake says
When I get a new puppy, I first train her to recognize the yes-mark and the no-mark. In this way, I can mark good behaviors and no-mark undesirable behaviors.
More on how I teach my puppy the yes-mark and no-mark.
I also follow the Nothing in Life is Free program with all of my dogs. I use most of their daily food for training, grooming, walks, structured play, etc. Whatever is left over, I put in a safe interactive food toy, so they work for that as well.
For name recognition, I do that in a similar way as training the “Look” command.
In terms of the leash, I slowly desensitize my puppy to it. In the beginning, I don’t hold the lead. I let her move around with it on and get used to it (under close supervision). I may play a game with her, e.g. Find-It, so she has fun while having it on. Then, once she is comfortable with that, I may pick it up (during our Find-It game, when I call her back to me), hold it for a few seconds, and drop it. I slowly build it up from there.
More on how I desensitize my puppy to the leash.
Yeah, training a puppy can be a challenge because most puppies have short attention spans. I try to keep training sessions short, fun, and very very rewarding. I use both hand gestures and verbal, and I try to make training into a fun game. Dogs are actually better with hand gestures than with verbal cues. I also use a lot of frozen Kongs, which my puppy loves and which helps to keep my puppy occupied. We also did puppy socialization classes when my dogs were young, and I read up a lot on dog behavior.
ASPCA article on puppy socialization.
The ASPCA website has some great dog training articles and is a great resource for me and my dogs.
More on where I get dog training information.
Congratulations and big hugs to your new puppy! š
Anonymous says
Use treats. Every time you say her name and she looks at you reward her. Use her nose to help
Abdul says
Hi , I really like your blog , I found it very interesting and helpful blog .
I have never owned a dog before and , I am thinking to own a husky puppy !
Do you advise me to buy 8-week old husky or older ?
shibashake says
Thank you Abdul.
Whether a Husky will fit or not, will depend on your lifestyle, personality, environment, etc. Huskies have high energy, they shed a lot, and are independent in nature. They are also very affectionate, so my Huskies do want/need a fair amount of people time and interaction.
More on Siberian Huskies.
How I trained my Husky puppy.
First 10 days with my Husky puppy.
Angela says
Hello. I just want to say I love your blog and your wonderful advise and tips on huskies! I have a 6 mth. old male puppy (Echo) and while he is a good boy, he’s also very stubborn, lol I don’t mind the extra effort I put in to give him adequate excersize or, the fact that he has a massive appetite (you’re so right about huskies loving to eat) but, how do I get Echo to stop thinking he’s the pack leader? I’ve tried being firm and not giving in to his pouting, disobedience or.. naughty behavior, but.. he’s still barely ever listens to me. He listens quit well to my fiance though. I find that bizarre since he’s only home on the weekends bec. of his work. So, why would my dog listen to him and not me? Also, do you ever give your dogs people food? I try not to as much as possible, but when I have a piece of meat (no bones), I will sometimes give him a tiny piece. My fiance gives in to him all the time and I know it’s bad for him. Is it really bad for huskies to get a bite of food once in a while, or.. would you advise not too at all? Thank you so much.
shibashake says
A similar thing happened to me when my Shiba was a puppy. He would listen pretty well to others but a lot less with me, even though I was his primary caregiver. There were several reasons for this, in our case-
1. My energy
Sephy is very sensitive to the energy of the people around him. If I am frustrated, stressed, angry, fearful, or otherwise not calm, he would pick up on that energy, get stressed himself, and his behavior would worsen. He listens best to people with calm energy and to people who are consistent and decisive. After I controlled my own energy, things got better. I also have a plan for each of his problem behaviors so that I can be decisive and consistent.
2. Management and Structure
I set up a fixed routine and a consistent set of rules. I make sure everyone enforces the same rules in exactly the same way. This creates certainty, and certainty helps to reduce stress, confusion, and conflicts.
More on how I became pack leader.
More on dog dominance and bad dog behavior.
More on how I trained my Husky puppy.
More on how I deal with puppy biting.
More on how I deal with bad dog behavior.
It depends on what you mean by people food. I never give my dog table scraps. The main reason for this is because the food that we eat usually contains a lot of spices and other ingredients that may be bad for a dog’s digestive system. Some people food may also be poisonous to dogs.
https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/dog-behavior/foods-are-hazardous-dogs
In addition, both my Huskies have very sensitive stomachs, so I am very careful about their diet. I limit what I feed them, and I pay very careful attention to the ingredients of the processed kibble and treats that I give them. They are both allergic to a variety of grains, and don’t do well with some types of fish.
However, I do give my dogs plain boiled chicken. I use the same chicken pieces as what people eat, but just boiled or microwaved with nothing added. I sometimes also give my Shiba Inu very low salt cheese. My youngest Husky has the most sensitive tummy so I really limit what I give her. Mostly just chicken kibble, boiled chicken, and dry chicken.
I also measure out how much I feed my dog, so that they don’t overeat.
More on how I pick my dog’s food.
Congratulations on your Husky puppy! Big hugs to Echo.
Elena says
Hi I just found your website today and loved it! Me and my husband just bought our first husky puppy as a couple and her name is Luna. She is 5 weeks old and looks VERY much like ur puppy except one light blue eye and one dark blue. I think shes still PERFECT! As i was saying shes 5 weeks which worries me after reading you blog. We’ve done everything possible to make her feel at home and so far have had success in potty training and play times. My question was you mentioned something about being very energetic and said that sometimes get off there leash. If with consistent outings on a bike ride and her following with no leash, do you still believe she would wonder off? She follows now and LOVES IT! But my fear is that when she does get older would she still follow and know her owner and not get distracted?
shibashake says
Congratulations on your new Husky puppy! I love her name!
As for leaving a Husky off-leash, it is generally *not* recommended because they usually have high prey drive. Both my Husky girls have high prey drive, so if they see a cat, squirrel, or deer, they will bolt after it. At this point, they have switched to instinct mode, and they are fast, so it is very difficult to stop them.
Because of this, I keep both my Huskies on-leash when we are in non-enclosed spaces. I still train them on recall, in case of emergencies (e.g. collar slips and such).
deirdre kane ireland says
hello from wet old ireland, i have a siberian huskie nine weeks old, we have a one year old yorkshire girl, who is one of slightly smaller stature. the pup is biting and i know your website, but is this too much on the little yorkie, please give me some advice, slan leatx
shibashake says
With my dogs, I set up clear dog-to-dog interaction rules. I slowly teach my new puppy what the rules are, and I supervise closely to make sure that everyone follows the rules and nobody gets overwhelmed. I also manage my dogs’ excitement level by throwing in many play-breaks.
I set up a fixed schedule for my puppy and I do not let my puppy bother my adult dogs when they want to rest or do their own thing.
In this way, my dogs know exactly what to expect from each other, what to expect from me, and what I expect from them in return. This helps to create certainty, which in turn reduces stress and conflicts. Structure, rules, and management are also important to keep everyone safe, especially when there are big size, energy, and play-style differences.
More on how I help my dogs get along.
However, dog behavior is very context dependent, so each dog and situation are different. Things become even more complicated when there are multiple dogs involved. Therefore, when in doubt, I get help from a good professional trainer.
http://apdt.ie/index.php/articles/choosing-a-trainer/