Siberian Huskies

Siberian Huskies are not the kind of dog to hang on your every word, waiting in eager anticipation for your next command. They’re free spirits, busy thinking up the next adventure. After all, their ancestors saved an entire town and explored both poles. If you want a dog that could figure out how to rob a bank or escape from Alcatraz, that’s a Husky! Huskies are part jokester, part world explorer, and all best friend. They are equally at home curled up sleeping under the snow or by your side. But they definitely have a taste for mischief and mayhem. They’re typically not easy to train, but that’s part of their appeal. They always seem to have a fun take on things, so even when they’re trotting away after you've told them to come, you can’t help but share in their joy of disobedience-–at least just a little. Nobody can accuse a Siberian Husky of being complacent. Or boring.

The Siberian Husky has a fairly typical northern breed appearance, with features that help protect them from cold temperatures. The small, furred ears retain heat; they can sleep with their nose buried in their bushy tail; and their thick double coat repels moisture with its outer guard hairs while retaining heat with its dense wooly undercoat. The skull is slightly rounded, the neck arched and proudly carried. Unlike many spitz breeds, Huskies don't carry their tail curled forward over the back, but let it hang down or carry it out behind in a sickle-curve. Huskies are built for speed rather than strength, having specialized in pulling light sleds for great distances over the snow rather than pulling heavy sledges over short distances. Their almond-shaped eyes may be brown, blue, or they may have a brown eye and blue eye. The thick double stand-off coat comes in almost all ranges of the allowable colors (which are black, gray, agouti, sable, red, and white) but most commonly is seen with a darker body and lighter mask and extremities.

Although sled dogs do take directions from a musher, and as they say, “If you're not the lead dog, the scenery never changes,” Siberian Huskies are surprisingly independent dogs. Lead dogs actually make many decisions without the musher’s directions, even disobeying directions if they perceive danger. Mushers are thankful for dogs that assert themselves, which has saved many lives. Part of being a team member is both following the lead of other dogs but also thinking independently at times. Huskies like to run and explore, and typically need a well-fenced yard with a high fence. They are infamous for just taking off and running for miles. They are equally infamous for performing some of the most amazing home destruction jobs ever seen (usually when they don’t get adequate exercise). Huskies are high energy dogs with a friendly nature. They play well with others and can be gentle with the elderly and with toddlers, and up for an adventure with adults. They tend to be pack animals and crave human or canine companionship. Although not typically overtly aggressive, most have high prey drives and may see smaller animals, like neighborhood cats or household pocket pets, as potential snacks. Careful socialization is required for Huskies to live harmoniously with smaller companions. They are typically not good watch dogs nor good protection dogs. They are known as being vocal dogs —with assorted howls and almost human speech—which most owners adore.

Huskies tend to think they know better than you do, and they trust their own instincts over yours. This was a useful trait when pulling sleds across dangerous terrain with snow covered crevasses and cracking ice, and many seem to retain it today. So don’t expect your Sibe to obey your commands without question. They can appear stubborn and headstrong, but again, pushing on in the face of adversity was a necessary trait when pulling a sled through white-outs and blizzards. It may take a little longer than with some other breeds, but Siberians can be trained to perform exceptionally once you convince them it’s to their advantage, usually with especially tasty treats. They enjoy learning tricks, and have performed at top levels in obedience competitions. They are notoriously poor at recall training and most will never be able to have reliable enough recall to be safe off-leash.

The Siberian Husky is in the American Kennel Club (AKC) Working group. According to DNA, Huskies are one of the most ancient of all breeds, emerging from Northeast Asia with the nomadic Chukchi people. The Siberian Husky shares a close genetic relationship with the Alaskan Husky and Alaskan Malamute. Dog sled racing became popular in Alaska during the Gold Rush. It was dominated by large sled dogs until a team of much smaller Chukchi huskies from Siberia competed and won a major race. These small dogs came to dominate not only racing, but sledding jobs where speed was more important than power. In 1925, relays of Huskies traveled 674 miles in 5 ½ days to deliver life-saving diphtheria serum to Nome, Alaska. The present day Iditarod commemorates this “Great Race of Mercy.” Lead dog Togo covered 260 miles but fame went to Balto, who ran 56 miles and led the final team into Nome. New York City's Central Park is home to a statue of the Balto with a plaque reading: "Dedicated to the indomitable spirit of the sled dog that relayed antitoxin six hundred miles over rough ice across treacherous waters through arctic blizzards from Nenana to the relief of stricken Nome in the winter of 1925. Endurance. Fidelity. Intelligence." Admiral Byrd brought about 50 Siberian Huskies on his trip to Antarctica in 1933. During World War II Siberian Huskies served as search & rescue dogs. Huskies starred in the movies "Eight Below" and "Snow Dogs”. Celebrity owners include Michael J. Fox, Miley Cyrus, Jarod Leto, and Kate Jackson.