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A working dog breed that originated in eastern Siberia, the Siberian Husky is a wolf-like, medium-sized dog, 20 to 55 pounds (16 to 27 kg) in weight, 20 to 23.5 inches (51 to 60 cm) in height, originally bred by the Chukchi tribes for use as a village dog, herding the reindeer, pulling sledges, and keeping the children warm.
The Siberian Husky (Sibirskiy Haski) 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.
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.
The Siberian Husky has been described as a behavioral representative of the domestic dog's forebear, the wolf. It exhibits a wide range of the ancestor type's behaviors. They are frequently known to ululate 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. Fifteen-minute obedience training classes will serve well for Siberian Huskies, as will daily training.
Appearance: Siberians have a thinner coat than other
types of huskies, that comes in a variety of colors and
patterns, usually with white feet 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 have a wolf-like
appearance, albeit smaller and with less shaggy fur.
Eyes: The dogs eyes are brown, hazel, or blue. Light
blue eye colour 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 colour
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.
Ears & tail: Its ears are triangular, well furred, medium-size, and erect. Often faulted in other breeds by kennel clubs such as the American Kennel Club, this kind of ear shape is known as a Spitz ear. Its fox-like brush tail is carried in a sickle curve over the back, and trails behind the dog in motion. Most Siberian Huskies have a white tip on the end of their tail. The tail must not curve so much as to touch the back as it does in most Spitz breeds. Tails have whitish tail color.
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&mdash. 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 a very good hearing.
Temperament: Popular as family pets and as show dogs
due to their striking appearance and gentle temperament,
Siberians have certain drawbacks. Huskies can be extremely
affectionate, curious, and welcoming to people, which means
they rarely hurt humans, making them poor guard dogs. Properly
socialized Siberians are often quite gentle with children,
although no dog, including Siberians, should be left
unsupervised with small children. Siberian Huskies are welcome
to roam your yard on their own, because they are very obidient
dogs that will come to you when you call. Huskies are
extreamly easy to train, due to their very intelligent and
obedient mannor. They are very good to play around the yard
with as well as just sit around and watch a movie, they are
very sweet, and loving dogs.
Health: Siberians are normally rather healthy dogs,
living typically 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.
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.
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 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.
Dogsled racing: 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. Siberian Huskies were designed to pull a light 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.
Famous Huskies:
Togo (dog), Leonhard Seppala's famous leader.
"Exile" from Road Rovers
Balto (Although there is some dispute over whether Balto
was a Siberian Husky or part Wolf or possibly a hybrid of
the two.)
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)
Jenna from Balto, Balto 2: Wolf Quest, & Balto 3:
Wings of Change
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