Siberian Husky

Four-year-old black and white Siberian Husky

The Siberian Husky is a working dog breed that originated in eastern Siberia. The Siberian Husky is a medium-sized dog.

Siberian Huskies are a resiliant breed of dog, known for their ability to thrive in the arctic cold. They were originally bred by the Chukchi tribes for use as a village dog to accomplish such tasks as herding reindeer, pulling sleds, and keeping children warm.

Appearance

Siberians have a thicker coat than most other breeds of dog. It comes in a variety of colors and patterns, usually with white paws and legs, facial markings, and tail tip. The most common colors are black and white, grey and white, copper-red and white, and pure white, though many individuals have brown, reddish, or biscuit shadings and some are piebald spotted. Striking masks, spectacles, and other facial markings occur in wide variety. They tend to have a wolf-like appearance.

Eyes

The dogs eyes are brown, hazel, or blue. Light blue eye color is characteristic but not completely dominant. The breed may have one eye brown or hazel and the other blue, called "bi-eyed" or may have blue and another color mixed in the iris of one or both eyes; this latter trait, heterochromia, is called "parti-eyed" by Siberian enthusiasts. This is one of the few breeds for which different-colored eyes are allowed in the show ring. The Siberian Husky is one of the few dog breeds where blue eyes are common.

A "Bi-eyed" Siberian

Ears & tail

Its ears are triangular, well-furred, medium-sized, and erect; its fox-like brush tail is carried in a sickle curve over the back.

Coat

The Siberian Husky's coat consists of two layers, a dense, cashmere-like undercoat and a longer coarser topcoat consisting of short, straight guard hairs. Siberians only shed their undercoat once a year; the process is commonly referred to as blowing their coat. Dogs that live primarily indoors often will not shed year round, so the shedding is less profuse. Otherwise, grooming is minimal; bathing is normally unnecessary as the coat sheds dirt. Also, it is not uncommon for a dog of this breed to groom itself carefully in much the same way one might expect of cats. Well and healthy Siberians have little odor. Their ears are amazingly soft and they have very good hearing.

Nose

Like all dogs, the Husky's nose is normally cool and moist. In some instances, Huskies can exhibit what is called 'snow nose' or 'winter nose'. Technically called "hypopigmentation", it results from loss of sunlight, and causes the nose (or parts of it) to fade to brown or pink in winter. The normal color returns as summer approaches. Snow nose also occurs in other light-coated breeds; the color change can become permanent in older dogs, though it is not associated with disease.

Size

There is a large variation in size among huskies, and breed standards state that height at the withers and weight should always be porportional to each other. The approximate measurements:

• Males
  • Height: 21 to 23.5 inches (53.5 to 60 cm)
  • Weight: 45 to 60 lb (20.5 to 28 kg)
• Females
  • Height: 20 to 22 in. (50.5 to 56 cm)
  • Weight: 35 to 50 lb (15.5 to 23 kg)

Temperament

A male Siberian Husky

Despite their sometimes intimidating wolf-like appearance, Siberian Huskies generally have a gentle temperament. Being a working breed, Siberians are very energetic and enjoy the ability to explore and run. That, combined with their striking appearance, has made them popular as both family pets and as show dogs. Huskies can be extremely affectionate, curious (like all dogs), and welcoming to people; characteristics that usually render them as poor guard dogs. Properly socialized Siberians are most often quite gentle with children (although no dog, including Siberians, should be left unsupervised with small children).

Like Malamutes, the harsh conditions for which Siberians were bred rewarded a strong prey drive, as food was occasionally scarce. Consequently, Siberians may instinctively attack animals such as house cats, squirrels, rabbits, chickens, quail, and even deer (however, many households enjoy harmonious, mixed "packs" of cats and Siberians).

As with any dog breed, Siberian Huskies do have some qualities which some pet owners may find undesirable. Despite their affectionate nature, Siberian Huskies are not as subservient and "eager-to-please" their owners as some other popular breeds. Siberian Huskies can be challenging to train due to their strong will and stubborn nature. Many times they will refuse to perform a task until they see a greater reason than simply appeasing their owner. Proper training requires a lot of persistence and patience on behalf of the trainer. Siberian Huskies are not generally recommended for first time dog owners, as their strong will and desire to run are difficult to manage without the right knowledge. Siberian Huskies have strong running instincts and therefore as a general rule of thumb should never be left to run free off-lead for their own safety.

Health

Siberians are normally rather healthy dogs, typically living from eleven to fifteen years of age. Health issues in the breed are eye troubles (cataracts, glaucoma, and corneal dystrophy among others), allergies, and cancer in older animals. Hip dysplasia occurs but is not a major concern in the breed. This breed needs a high-quality diet with high levels of protein and fat, particularly when used for dogsledding. That said, Siberian Huskies are fuel-efficient dogs, consuming less food than other dogs of similar size and activity level. The diet must be adjusted to their level of work and exercise; obesity can be a problem for underexercised, overfed pets.

History

The Siberian Husky is widely believed to have originated exclusively with the Coastal Chukchi tribes of the east-Siberian peninsula. There is evidence, however, that Siberian dogs were also imported from the Koryak and Kamchadal tribes. Recent DNA analysis confirms that this is one of the oldest breeds of dog.[1] Dogs from the Anadyr River and surrounding regions were imported into Alaska from 1908 (and for the next two decades) during the gold rush for use as sleddogs, especially in the All-Alaska Sweepstakes (AAS), a 408 mile (657 km) distance dogsled race from Nome to Candle and back. Smaller, faster and more enduring than the 100 to 120 pound (45 to 54 kg) freighting dogs then in general use, they immediately dominated the Nome Sweepstakes.

Seven-week-old Siberian

Leonhard Seppala, a Norwegian fisherman turned gold miner, became involved with Siberian dogs when he was asked by his employer to train a group of females and pups for the 1914 AAS. After a poor start his first year, Seppala dominated the races thereafter. In 1925 he was a key figure in the 1925 serum run to Nome which delivered diphtheria serum from Nenana by dogsled after the city was stricken by an epidemic. The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race commemorates this famous delivery. The following year two groups of Seppala’s dogs toured the USA, starting a mania for sleddogs and dogsled racing, particularly in the New England states.

In 1930 the last Siberians were exported as the Soviet government closed the borders of Siberia to external trade. The same year saw recognition of the Siberian Husky by the American Kennel Club. Nine years later the breed was first registered in Canada. Today’s Siberian Huskies registered in North America are largely the descendants of the 1930 Siberia imports and of Leonhard Seppala’s dogs.

Miscellaneous

Dogsled racing

4-year-old male

Siberians are still used occasionally as sleddogs in dogsled racing but have been widely replaced by the more popular Alaskan Husky and hound-type crossbreds that are specially bred and selected for speed and have less heavy coats. Freight Siberian Huskies were designed to pull a medium load over long distances at a medium pace , and simply can't keep up with their faster counterparts. Siberians are still popular in races restricted to purebreds and are faster than other pure sleddog breeds such as the Samoyed and Alaskan Malamute. Today the breed tends to divide along lines of “racing” Siberians versus “show” Siberians.

Apart from dogsled racing, they are very popular for recreational mushing and are also used for skijoring (one to three dogs pulling a skier) and European ski-pulka. A few owners use them for dog-packing and hiking. They have also seen use as therapy dogs.

5-year-old female

Famous Huskies

• Togo, Leonhard Seppala's famous leader.
• "Exile" from Road Rovers
• Balto (Although there is some dispute over whether Balto was a pure Siberian Husky or a Wolf hybrid.)
• The sled team from the Disney movie Snow Dogs
• Diefenbaker from the hit television series Due South
• The sled team from the Disney movie Eight Below (two of which were Malamutes)
• Husky Tusky Husky Alien from Krypto the Superdog
• Jenna from Balto, Balto 2: Wolf Quest, & Balto 3: Wings of Change
• Poppy, Galford's companion from Samurai Shodown
• Nanook from The Lost Boys is commonly mistaken for a Husky, but was in fact a Malamute.
• Unnamed Siberian Husky in Ned's Declassified School Surivial Guide.
• Prue from Charmed turns into a Siberian Husky in the episode Look Who's Barking.

External links

• The Siberian Husky Club of Great Britain
• The Siberian Husky Club of America
• The Siberian Husky Club of Canada
• Colors of the Siberian Husky
• The Siberian Husky Health Foundation
• Siberian Husky Rescue Organization
• Siberian Husky historic working bloodlines

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