I currently share my life with two Siberian Huskies – puppy Lara (7 months old) and Shania (3.5 years old). Both of them are very silly, and very energetic. They love to play, explore, and hunt for earth critters.
Siberian Huskies are beautiful dogs who love people and love life. They can be great family dogs if properly trained. However, because of their high energy and high prey drive, they require a lot of daily exercise and are not to be trusted off leash. When bored, a Husky may chew, dig, and escape to look for adventure elsewhere.
Before getting a Sibe puppy, find out all you can about the wonderful nature of Siberian Huskies – the good, the bad, and the quirky.
Siberian Huskies – The Good
1. Siberian Huskies are love bugs.
Sibes are very affectionate dogs. They are especially friendly with people, even strangers.
Husky Shania has very many friends in our neighborhood and she enjoys going to say hello to them every day. Her most favorite friend in the world is the Awesome Cookie Guy. Whenever we pass his house, Shania always stops and waits. When her Cookie friend spots her and comes out, he comes bearing gifts – a yummy low-fat cookie for Shania!
Shania also comes to me when I am sad or upset. She will lie down next to me or lay her head on my lap and give me licks.
The people trusting nature of Siberian Huskies make it easy to find caretakers for them when I get busy, or when I need to leave on emergencies or vacations.
2. Siberian Huskies are athletic and have a strong zest for life.
Lara and Shania are frequently on the go. They enjoy re-landscaping our backyard, attacking bushes, pulling down trees, running, jumping, and digging. They both enjoy playing chasing games and are always ready to go out for a walk and explore. They get very excited whenever anybody comes to visit and enjoy spending play-time and rest-time with their pack.
As part of their zesty life program, Huskies also love to eat.
Both Lara and Shania will eat and eat and continue to eat more if they can. To keep them healthy and slim, I set up a fixed eating schedule and only give them their allotted amount of food. If I give them treats, then I reduce their regular meals a bit so that they keep a fairly constant caloric intake.
Sibes are not shy about stealing food or begging for food. Both Lara and Shania will steal each other’s food if they can. They will also steal from my other dog, Shiba Inu Sephy.
I always supervise them closely during meal-times. Food stealing can encourage food aggression, so I train my dogs not to steal and teach them that if there is any stealing, I will handle the situation.
Siberian Huskies can also get impatient about food and may get slightly overzealous when taking food out of your hand. Bite inhibition training is a must.
3. Siberian Huskies are clever and independent.
Reward Training
Sibes are smart and will quickly learn new commands and figure out interactive toy puzzles; especially when food is on the line.
Lara learned how to Sit on command as soon as we got her home (8 weeks old). In fact, if we use positive reinforcement techniques, we can start obedience training puppies as early as 6 weeks old. However, puppies should not be removed from the litter until they are at least 8 weeks old.
With clever and independent dogs like the Siberian Husky, it is most effective to use reward training techniques. I teach my Huskies that the best way to get what they want is to do what I want first. Here is more on how I trained my Husky puppy.
- If they want to go play in the backyard, they must first do a simple Sit next to the door.
- If they want their food toy, they must first do a Handshake.
- If they dig where they are not supposed to in the backyard then they lose their backyard privileges.
Since we control all of our dog’s resources, we can encourage good behaviors and discourage bad behaviors by tying those behaviors to our dog’s most desired resources.
With reward training my Sibes are always motivated to work. They are never hand-shy and love being with people. Siberian Huskies have a wonderful independent spirit, so we should not shock them, choke them, or physically dominate them into submission.
Siberian Huskies – The Bad
1. Siberian Huskies shed a whole lot.
Sibes blow their coat once or twice a year. During this time they will shed most of their undercoat and replace it with new fur. Frequent brushing will help to control some of this shedding and keep our Husky comfortable and clean.
Even though they may only blow their coat twice a year, Sibes actually shed all year round. There is Sibe fur everywhere in our house, including carpets, tile floor, counters, tables, chairs, blankets, and beds. Hair can also get onto kitchen utensils, food, and drinks.
Another issue to consider is pet allergies. Many people are allergic to dog or cat hair. Although Siberian Huskies have little doggy smell and are not one of the most allergy-causing breeds, a serious pet dander allergy of a family member should have you reconsidering a dog for your choice of pet.
~~[Siberian Husky Club of Canada]
Because they shed so much, try to make brushing and handling fun for your Husky. I always pair brushing sessions with food so that it becomes a fun and rewarding experience. I start with a soft brush and slowly switch over to using the Furminator which is awesome at getting out a dog’s undercoat.
2. Siberian Huskies are awful guard dogs.
Sibes look wild, like wolves. For this reason, many people think that they make fierce guard dogs.
In truth, however, a Husky is more likely to invite strangers into your home with open paws and give them many licks.
Siberian Huskies are happy, goofy, and naturally trust all the people that they see.
My Siberians may sometimes make a fuss when people are at the door, but it is out of excitement rather than a warning cry.
Also, my Siberians will happily follow anyone home as long as they have some yummy pieces of food.
3. Siberian Huskies have very high prey drive.
Husky Shania is a very accomplished huntress.
When we first got our backyard landscaped, we had a big Earth Critter Attack. There are a fair number of rodents including gophers, voles, and mice that live in our area and they decided to throw a big party on our newly planted grass. Holes were appearing everywhere and the organic scent-based pest control we used did not seem to have much of an effect.
We were worried that our yard would not even last the year but then huntress Shania went into action. After a few days of hunting and marking, we noticed that the Rodent Gang had moved their party location somewhere else!
However, this high prey drive also makes it extremely risky to let a Sibe go off-leash in a non-enclosed space. If she spots a deer or squirrel, she will be gone and away before you can shout Stop. Siberian Huskies are very athletic and can cover large distances in a fairly short amount of time.
High prey drive also means that a Husky will have a strong instinct to chase and hunt cats and possibly also small dogs.
4. Siberian Huskies love to pull, pull, pull.
Sibes were bred to pull sleds, and today, they still love to PULL!
One of the biggest challenge with my Huskies is teaching them how to walk without pulling and/or to only pull on command.
The easiest way to leash train a Husky, is to start when she is young and still small. I have tried a variety of techniques with my dogs and what has worked best are the red-light,green-light technique and the 180-turn-around technique.
I started leash training puppy Lara almost as soon as we got her. First I trained her in our backyard. After she was fully vaccinated, I started leash training her around our neighborhood.
While leash training a Sibe, it is very important to be totally consistent. I stop as soon as puppy Lara starts to pull and if she pulls too much, I turn around and walk in the opposite direction. This teaches her that the fastest way to get to where she wants to go is to walk along with me at a measured pace.
5. Siberian Huskies love to sing.
Sibes have a great singing voice. However, neighbors may not particularly enjoy it when Siberians decide to sing or howl to the moon.
Husky Lara is a very vocal dog. She barks when excited, frustrated, scared, and sometimes when other dogs are barking. I have to spend more time and effort training her to stay quiet because her natural instinct is to vocalize.
Husky Shania is a more quiet dog. She almost never barks and the only time she vocalizes is when she is playing with my other dogs. She also sings beautifully when she hears a squeaky toy.
My Husky breeder tells me that there are some Sibe bloodlines that are more noisy than others. Lara’s mother, for example, comes from a more vocal bloodline.
6. Siberian Huskies are a big time commitment.
Sibes are very energetic and affectionate. They like being with people and they also need something to do. Otherwise, they will get bored and get into at least 10 kinds of trouble.
All my dogs work for all of their food, either through obedience exercises, grooming sessions, play sessions, or through interactive food toys. In addition, they go for 1.5 hour daily walks and wrestle with each other several times a day. Sometimes, I join in on the fun and play flirt pole or the water hose game with them.
When bored or lonely, a Husky will figure out her own activities, which may lead to property damage or escape expeditions.
Do not get a dog, especially a Siberian Husky, unless you have a lot of free time to spend with her. If you must work long hours, consider dog daycare or hiring a dog walker. Sibes do best when there are many interesting activities throughout the day and frequent human supervision.
I Love Siberian Huskies
Sibes are awesome dogs. They are always ready of adventure, and they will be there to give you licks and support when you need it, or even when you don’t.
I got my Huskies through the breeder list from the Siberian Husky Club of America. I also considered adopting from my local Siberian Husky rescue, but did not find one that fit well with my Shiba Inu.
It is best to avoid backyard breeders, pet stores, and online pet stores. Such establishments almost always sell unhealthy puppies with poor temperaments.
Source: Siberian Husky Pictures.
how do you excercise your huskies?
http://shibashake.com/dog/hyperactive-dogs-how-to-calm-a-hyper-dog-or-hyper-puppy
http://shibashake.com/dog/dog-play-fun-games-to-play-with-your-dog-or-puppy
http://shibashake.com/dog/exercise-your-dog
Hi, what dry food do you feed your huskies. You say that your huskies eat and eat, but mine has been really picky and I’m deciding to switch dog foods. I have my 2 year old husky on Taste of the Wild, but thinking either Acana, Wellness Core, or Blue Wilderness, in that order.
I want my husky to have a more meaty look as he is on the slim size. I was told that within 3 years, a husky’s fur would grown out and that would give my dog a fuller appearance.
Any advice you could give me?
Thanks,
Dean
We are currently using Wellness Core Original. Shiba and both Huskies enjoy it, and it seems to suit their digestive system. Both my Sibes have sensitive tummies, so I always have to be careful when introducing anything new into their diets.
I was deciding between Wellness Core and Blue Wilderness. They both have very similar ingredients, so I picked the one with potatoes, since I know my Sibes are ok with that. I wasn’t totally sure about tapioca.
Deboned Turkey, Turkey Meal, Chicken Meal, Peas, Potatoes, Dried Ground Potatoes, [Wellness]
Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal, Peas, Tapioca Starch, Tomato Pomace [Blue Wilderness]
For ingredients-
Deboned Turkey > Turkey Meal > Poultry Meal
I actually really like Orijen, but unfortunately it contains fish, and Shania is allergic to some types of fish.
More on how I pick kibble.
In terms of fur, Shania got her more fluffy look after over 1 year. Here are some of her earlier photos. Lara inherited shorter hair from her mother, so she has that more puppyish look (she is currently 2.5 years old). I actually really like the shorter-haired slim look. 😀
Big hugs to your Husky boy. Please post me a link if you have pictures of him online. Would love to see him.
I am really glad to see your response now. I tried Acana Red Meat Formula and he seemed to liked it the first day, as he only picked Acana out of the Taste of the Wild Mix I made.
In the end, I have returned all four of my TOTW bags and switched them for Wellness Core Ocean Formula. He is doing great so far and I hope he won’t get “bored” or become picky over time.
He smells a bit fishy, but I am hoping the best that his fur (from many reviews) will work wonders and become fuller and more shiny.
However, today’s second meal, I had to somewhat force feed him by placing the dry food in his mouth and then he would start eating it, then stop. Then I would have to repeat, and then he would start eating it again. He eats one kibble at a time and I’ve noticed that he likes eating them on the ground, lying down, instead of the eating it in the elevated bowl.
Is there a way to make my husky eat “freely”/more enjoy or get excited when I put down his dry food? He has been spoiled by my parents with real human food (of course boiled meat, etc). Also, how many cups of Wellness Core do you feed your lovely huskies?
I wish I could paste a photo in this comment section, but I do not have a direct link to any of his photos posted online.
Thanks again!
Lara gets about 3/4 cup kibble, and then she gets little pieces of plain boiled/microwave chicken for doing grooming and commands at home. She also gets some chicken jerky strips during walks. There have been some recalls on jerky strips lately, so I only get ones that are USA made. Total, she probably gets about 1.5 cups worth of food.
Shania gets about 1/2 cup kibble, and then she also gets boiled chicken and jerky. It probably comes up to about 1 cup per day. She is older than Lara and a tripod, so I monitor her weight carefully.
Hi,
I have a 9 yr. old liver Lab -M- Neutered, and a 5 yr. old Rot/German Shepherd-F- Spayed.
Now we have Bridget that is 8 months old and a “dirty-faced” Husky with gray eyes. We were going to have her spayed early July but we had to go through one cycle, according to the vet. She will be spayed in early August. My question, she is very sweet and lives with these two beasts but little dogs keep attacking her. Any advice?
Is this during walks? What do you mean by “attacking” – lunging and growling, barking, biting, puncture wounds? Are all the dogs on leash?
During walks, I make sure to protect my dogs. I only let them meet with other friendly dogs that we know well, who are calm, and who are not fearful or dominant. I make sure that their dog-to-dog encounters are positive or at worst neutral, so that they gain confidence and learn to trust me to keep them safe. Here are some things that I do when meeting other dogs during walks.
More on the friendly dog.
Like most of you I’m absolutely in love with the husky breed and I always have been. I’ve been doing a ton of research on the breed and I just keep falling more and more in love; I’m even thinking about renting a house so my husky can have a yard to play in, and pricing local puppy daycares for when I’m at work, I’m also near several dog parks, tails, and places to take him running, However, I’m a single parent and though I know SH are great with kids, my fear is what if we (my daughter and I) aren’t the right family for the breed. Is there any other info or web site I should know before committing myself to a SH. Thank you for your comments and help in advance.
The Siberian Husky Club of America website has some good information and resources-
http://www.shca.org/index.shtml
I also looked at various Siberian Husky rescue websites-
http://www.siberianrescue.com/general.htm
And I talked to several Siberian Husky breeders in my area. They are passionate about the breed and I learned a lot from our discussions. I got a breeder list from the Siberian Husky Club of America website-
http://www.shca.org/shcahp4f.htm
I will gladly take a look at these thank you for your help; I found your page to be a great help too.. Keep doing what you doing.
Thanks! Good luck on your puppy search! Let us know what you decide. 😀
Hi im in need of some help and advise ,
i have a husky she is 8 months old and 2 weeks ago she came into her first season i also have a male jack russle who has not been spade with the vets advice i was able to seperate my dogs from each other for 2 weeks now so they couldnt mate and desaster struck yesterday when my son accidently let the jack russle out and he mated with my husky im worried sick that she could be pregnant and she is so young i dont know what to do .
Yeah, it can be difficult to manage an un-spayed female, especially when there is an un-neutered male around. I would discuss this with her vet, and also ask about future spaying options.
I have an 18 month old called Locky, we bought him in october last year from someone who could no longer give him the time and attention he need’s since the owner was going back to work, they had done a fantastic job training him, he never potty’s in the house, doesn’t dig, doesn’t try to escape the garden, and never chews anything except his own toys, he responds to a lot of basic commands and i have reinforced this training consistently since he came to us, the only 2 problem’s we have are; jumping up at people when they come in my home (and i mean he launches himself at them nearly knocking them over and jumps all over them when they sit down) ive tried many things but he just get’s so over excited that eventually i have to put him out the room, the second is pulling whilst walking, from what i understand his previous owner NEVER walked him and gave him no leash training what so ever, the result is me nearly having a dislocated shoulder every time we go for walks, again ive tried everything i can think off to stop this, including stopping walking until he stands beside me, except he doesn’t stop, he continues to pull and his paws scrabble against the pavement in his efforts to move forward as we whines and yelp’s (which he does the entire time he’s out for a walk), if i pull him back to my side and try to gain his attention with treats, he totally ignores the fact im there or that i even have his favorite treat and lunges forward again, ive tried the 180 trick or even turning round and walking back the way we came, he still lunges and pulls (along with the persistent whining and yelping), no matter which direction he’s going, it’s like all he cares about is moving forward no matter what and is completely oblivious to everything, it’s getting to the point where i absolutely dread taking him for a walk, please help, any advice would be great
Re: Jumping on people
What works well for my dog is to put a lead on her *before* letting guests into the house. Then I can bring her away from the people to a quiet area until she is calm. Distance helps to weaken the “new people” stimulus.
Once my dog is calm, we try to approach again slowly and on-leash. As soon as she pulls or jumps, I no-mark and bring her away again and repeat. In this way, she learns that-
Pulling and jumping = Move away from people,
Calm and feet on the ground = Move toward people.
For a really over-excited dog, I do people desensitization exercises first, in a structured and controlled environment. This helps to raise my dog’s reactivity threshold and teaches her to use alternate behaviors for dealing with excitement.
Re: Pulling
With pulling, I find that consistency and persistence are both very important. I need to consistently stop or turn around every time the leash gets taut, and consistently move forward when my dog calms down. Initially, we don’t get very far, but I do frequent and shorter walks so that neither of us gets too frustrated.
I also start in a very quiet environment, e.g. I first start leash training in the backyard or even inside the house. In this way, my dog can get used to walking together with me in a very low stimulus environment. Once we are good with walking in the backyard, I *very slowly* increase the environmental challenge. For leash training, I use a 6 foot leather leash and a no-slip collar.
Another possibility is to use the head-halti, but that has its own pros and cons. *Do not* use a head-halti with a flexi-leash. More on the head-halti.
I understand that this type of dog has some problematic behaviors, kicking up dirt without regard to cleanness for instance. But if I can get help on the specific major problem he’s having when I leave, that would be great. I understand the process of desensitization to, what in this case are truly, abandonment issues manifesting shortly after departure. I recorded him it truly is saddening; pacing and quiet baying for long periods. I’m wondering if huskies require different responses during this period than those commonly proscribed to. Or even if a dog that may have been in dozens of homes before can be helped in this regard. I found him at SPCA. I give him a short goodbye and upon return attempt to comfort a little, though he is jumping around excited. A level of exuberance unusual for this 7 year old dog. Does not appear to be time dependent. Will defficate on floor shortly after my departure. I have gone on at least two short jaunts a day, three to 15 minutes, and longer ones on days when I have to. I am aware that this is likely not at all enough. Afraid he will injure himself while trying to tear through thick front door. Had to put on kick plate for a spot on the front door. Also felt necessary to employ chemical chew deterrent for his physical well being, it works. If he went after all the doors this would be very difficult. I don’t want to give him up cause he’s a rescue. And I don’t believe just about anyone else would be so frequently present or tolerant. He is great inside, stubborn outside in yard, and gives some pull on leash. Knows commands but will not perform, except for treats when hungry. Feed him once a day therefore. Does not make concerted effort to escape. 7 years old and pretty laid back.
Does he show any signs of stress when you are in another room? Is he ok with being in the backyard by himself?
With my dogs, I start very small at the beginning. For example, I would just leave the room and then come back. I repeat that many times throughout the day until they are comfortable with that. Then I *very* slowly lengthen the time that I am away.
The key is to start at a point where my dog can be successful, and then make progress from there.
Here is more on separation anxiety and what I do.
During retraining, I make sure to only expose my dog to situations that she can handle. If I will be away for a longer period of time, I put her in daycare or arrange for a caretaker. This is important because the desensitization process works by helping to build up my dog’s confidence, and helping her to associate alone time with being calm. If she still keeps experiencing negative or high stress alone time, then it would very quickly undermine my retraining process.
Getting help from a good professional trainer can also be helpful because dog behavior is very context dependent.
http://www.apdt.com/pet-owners/choosing-a-trainer/
In need of some help =)
My husband and I have a year old Siberian Husky with 1/4 Malamute mix and a year and a half lab, border collie mix. I am 7 months pregnant and we’ve been noticing that our husky has been digging massive holes. She’s always been a digger but not to the extent it is now. We’ve noticed that previously when she would did it would be to find tree roots to chew on or just explore where they go. But now the digging is becoming a safety hazard. We’ve tried multiple different methods of trying to teach her to stop digging in the whole yard, and to dig in “her spot” but as I am getting even more and more pregnant, she’s digging more and more. My husband came up with an idea to put a pair of baby socks on her feet after she digs and we take her to the hole and tell her “no, bad girl. no dig.” then she loses outside privileges for about 30 minutes to an hour. My dad also suggested building her a doggy sandbox with toys and stuff buried to keep her entertained there and to deter her from digging in the yard.
Do you have any tips? I’d really like to have a safe yard to play in and not be so frustrated when she digs massive holes. And how would we go about teaching her it’s okay to dig in the sandbox and not in the backyard?
Thanks so much!
To train my Sibes not to dig, supervision was very important. I need to be there while they are digging so that I can let them know that it is an undesirable behavior, and redirect them to dig in a different place or to doing something else. Correcting them after the fact does not work because they will not know what behavior caused the correction. They only know that I am angry or unhappy with them but do not know why. They may show appeasement behavior (head down, tail tucked) during correction, but it will not change their digging behavior.
To stop my Husky Lara from digging in the landscaped area of my yard, I had to supervise her closely. Every time she starts to dig on the good grass, I no-mark, body block her from the area, and lead her to where she can dig. Otherwise, I get her to do something else. If she keeps trying to dig, then I bring her inside and she loses outside privileges for a short time period.
I also practice letting her out and then supervise her from inside the house. If she tries to dig, I no-mark from inside the house. If she ignores me, then I go outside and bring her in. In this way, she learns that even when she is outside alone, she is not allowed to dig on the good grass. Supervision is key because I need to time my no-mark for when she starts the behavior. This will make it clear to her which behavior is undesirable.
In addition, I give Lara many other ways to fulfill her need for digging. We left a large area of our yard non-lanscaped, so that she has a place to dig for earth critters that is sanctioned. I also take her out on many hiking trips, to places where she can dig.
I make sure to exercise Lara very well with long walks (around 1.5 hours daily), fun games in the backyard, and supervised play-time with my other dogs. Both my Huskies are very energetic so they need many positive but structured outlets for their energy.
I had the same problem with my seven month old husky. Every day it was a new hole I had heard from my trainer to sprinkle cayenne pepper in with the hole also I’ve heard of vinegar in the dirt, but what worked best for me was to take her poop put it in the hole and let it sit there for half a day or so. Than I would come back and cover it with some dirt and grass. After doing this to three or four different holes she stopped but this has been a constant process for us
Hello, i have a 14 weeks siberian puppy. he does everything right the full day. since one week we noticed he eats his poop every night. we get up every hour in the night to check. we are really worried about his health. we do not want him to get sick. please help and advise how to stop this behaviour. your urgent reply is highly appreciated. thanks
What techniques are you using to teach him not to poop in the house during the day? Is he crate trained?
With my Husky puppy, I use a crate at night. I put her crate in the bedroom with us. If she needs to go during the night, she will make some noise, we wake up and take her out.
Here is more on how I potty trained my Husky puppy.
Big hugs to your Sibe!
Normally he has a habit of making poop immediately after his meal in the toilet, which is after each meal. in the night before we go to sleep he also does the same. sorry he does not live in the crate. we leave our toilet door open for him to go. he makes his pee and poo there, but at times when he is stressed he may do it in the hall. we also clean up the place immediately after he has done his business so that the toilet is always clean for him. he used to make noise on our door but he does not do it anymore. i am afraid this will continue and it will become his habit. i tried the training pads but he tears it into piece.
In general, I find that it is best to train my dogs to do their business outside. If they poop inside the house, they may try to clean it up themselves. From the dog’s point of view, he is helping out his family by cleaning up the den.
To stop our dog from eating poop we need to be there to supervise. Clearly, we cannot supervise all the time, especially during the night, which is when crate training becomes a useful tool. Here is a good article from the San Francisco SPCA on crate training-
http://www.sfspca.org/sites/default/files/crating_0.pdf
Here is another article on crating from the Humane Society-
http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/dogs/tips/crate_training.html
Hi Loved reading all the comments. HELP PLEASE, I have a 11 month Serberian Husky his name is Akino, he is georgous, loveing, playful and brilliant with all my family (husband, daughter, son), he can play nip But with me he can be a bit to rough and now my son. My husband read it is dominant, he is showing . But how to stop this, I have tryed treats and this works for about 10 minutes
Hello Caroline,
My Husky Lara was also very mouthy when she was a puppy. She was mostly interested in playing, and she interacts and plays with her mouth.
This is what I did to teach Lara not to bite on me-
http://shibashake.com/dog/how-i-trained-my-husky-puppy#bite-training
I also do bite inhibition exercises with all of my dogs to teach them to control the force of their bites.
Here are a few more puppy biting tips that I use with my dogs.
Here is a bit more on dominance and biting-
Dominance and bad dog behavior
Dominance and aggression (UC Davis)
However, each dog is different and each situation is different, so I make sure to pick methods that are appropriate for my dog, and tweak them as necessary to suit my situation. When in doubt, it can be helpful to get input from a professional trainer.
http://www.apdt.com/pet-owners/choosing-a-trainer/
Big hugs to Akino!