Siberian Husky

What is a Siberian Husky?

A medium-sized sled dog of 16-27kg bred by the Chukchi people of north-eastern Siberia to pull light loads over long distances in extreme cold. Everything about them is that job: the double coat, the efficient gait, the endurance, the ability to keep going away from home for hours.

They are also strikingly good-looking, which is why so many are bought by people who wanted the look and got the dog.

History and origins

Kept by the Chukchi for at least three thousand years as a working and household dog. Brought to Alaska in 1908 for sled racing, where their speed and stamina made them dominant. The 1925 serum run to Nome made them famous. The Kennel Club recognised the breed in 1968.

Appearance and size

51-60cm. Dense double coat in grey, black, red, sable, agouti or white with distinctive facial markings. Eyes brown, blue, one of each, or parti-coloured - all correct. Erect triangular ears, brush tail carried in a sickle over the back when alert.

Temperament and personality

Sociable, mischievous and independent. They like people, including people they have just met - they are not guard dogs and never will be. They live well in groups.

They also howl rather than bark, they talk back, and they have an instinct to travel that does not care about your relationship with them. A loose Husky heads for the horizon.

Intelligence and trainability

Clever and completely unbiddable in the retriever sense. They understand exactly what you want and weigh up whether to do it. Positive methods only; coercion produces a dog that shuts down.

Recall is the central problem. A significant proportion of Siberian Huskies never achieve reliable off-lead recall, and experienced owners simply do not risk it: long lines, enclosed fields, canicross harnesses. Anyone who tells you it is just a training issue has usually not owned one.

Children and other pets

Good with children - tolerant, playful and not aggressive. Excellent with other dogs. Not to be trusted with cats, rabbits, chickens or anything else small. The prey drive is high and it is not trainable away; huskies kill small animals every year in households that thought they had it managed.

Health problems

A genuinely healthy breed, which is what several thousand years of hard selection produces.

• Eyes. Hereditary cataract, corneal dystrophy and progressive retinal atrophy all occur. An annual eye examination on breeding stock, plus the HSF4 DNA test.
• Hip dysplasia - low rates for the size, but score the parents.
• Degenerative myelopathy - DNA test.
• Hypothyroidism and zinc-responsive dermatosis, which is over-represented in the breed.
• Otherwise robust. Twelve to fifteen years is normal.

Daily care routine

Two hours minimum, and it must include running, pulling or hiking rather than pavement plodding. Canicross, bikejoring and scooter work suit them exactly and turn the problem into the point. Check the garden fence: six feet, dug in at the base, and no gate they can lift.

Grooming and coat care

Brush two or three times a week with an undercoat rake. Twice a year they "blow" the coat and your house fills with it for a fortnight; there is no way around this and you should see it before you commit. Never shave a Husky - the double coat insulates against heat as well as cold, and shaving it damages regrowth permanently.

Exercise needs

Two hours a day of real work, every day, in all weathers, for twelve to fifteen years. This is the honest figure. A Husky that gets a forty-minute walk will dig up the garden, escape, and howl, and it will be right to.

Feeding and diet

Two meals, £45-£70 a month. Surprisingly efficient feeders for the size - the Chukchi bred them to work hard on little.

Price

£800-£1,800 from eye-tested, hip-scored parents. Setup £350-£600; ongoing £90-£150 a month.

Before you buy one, look at how many are in rescue. Huskies and husky crosses fill British rescue kennels, almost entirely because of the gap between the photograph and the reality. An adult from rescue, with a known temperament and a known recall, is often the better dog.

Buying advice

Ask for a current eye certificate - within twelve months, not from three years ago - the HSF4 and DM DNA results, and hip scores. Ask what the parents do. Then ask yourself honestly: can you give this dog two hours of real exercise a day for fifteen years, and is your garden actually secure?