Siberian Huskies
The Siberian Husky is a medium-size, dense-coat working dog breed that originated in eastern Siberia. The breed belongs to the Spitz genetic family.
It is recognizable by its thickly-furred double coat, sickle tail, erect triangular ears and distinctive markings.
Huskies are an active, energetic and resilient breed whose ancestors came from the extremely cold and harsh environment of the Siberian Arctic and were
bred by the Chukchi of Northeastern Asia, it was imported into Alaska during the Nome Gold Rush and spread from there into the United States and Canada,
initially as a sled dog. It rapidly acquired the status of a family pet and a show-dog.
Siberian Huskies share many outward similarities with the Alaskan Malamute as well as many other Spitz breeds such as the Samoyed, which has a comparable
history to the Huskies. Siberians have a thicker coat than most other breeds of dog. They come 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, copper-red and white, gray and white, and pure white, though
many individuals have blondish, or piebald spotting. Striking masks, spectacles, and other facial markings occur in wide variety. They tend to have a
wolf-like appearance.
The eyes of a Siberian Husky are dark blue, light blue, amber, or brown. In some individual dogs, one eye may be brown and the other blue (complete
heterochromia), or one or both eyes may be "parti-colored," that is, half brown and half blue (partial heterochromia). All of these eye color combinations
are considered to be acceptable by the American Kennel Club, which also states that the eyes are "an almond shape, moderately spaced and set slightly
obliquely."
The Siberian Husky has been described as a behavioral representative of the domestic dog's forebearer, the wolf, exhibiting a wide range of its ancestors'
behavior. They are known to howl rather than bark. Hyperactivity displaying as an overactive hunting drive, a characteristic of kenneled dogs, is often
noticeable in dogs released from their captive environment for exercise - a behavior welcome in hunting dogs but not in the family pet. The frequency of
kenneled Siberian Huskies, especially for racing purposes, is rather high, as attributed through the history of the breed in North America. A fifteen-minute
daily obedience training class will serve well for Siberian Huskies. Siberian Huskies are a very stubborn and dominant breed of dog. Siberians need
consistent training and do well with a "Nothing In Life Is Free" training program. They rank 45th in Stanley Coren's The Intelligence of Dogs, being of
average working/obedience intelligence. They tend to run because they were at first bred to be a sled dog. Owners are advised to exercise caution when
letting their Siberian Husky off the leash as the dog is likely to be miles away before looking around and realizing their owner is nowhere in sight.
Siberian Huskies are still used as sled dogs in sled dog racing. Siberians are still popular in races restricted to purebreds and are faster than other
pure sled dog breeds such as the Samoyed and the slower but much stronger Alaskan Malamute. Today the breed tends to divide along lines of "racing"
Siberians and "show" Siberians. Racing sibes tend to have more leg to enable them more reach when running. Show sibes tend to be a bit smaller.
Apart from dog sled 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. Due to the lack of snow in the United Kingdom and Australia, Siberian Huskys are
raced there on forest tracks using specially designed scooters with two wheels for one or two dogs, or three wheeled rigs for three or more dogs.
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