Gorgeous Siberian Husky in snow
The Siberian Husky is a
medium-size, dense-coat working dog breed that originated in north-eastern
Siberia. The breed belongs to the Spitz genetic family.The Siberian Husky's coat is thicker than most
other dog breeds, comprising two layers: a dense undercoat and a longer topcoat
of short, straight guard hairs. It protects the dogs effectively against harsh
Arctic winters, but the coat also reflects heat in the summer. It is able to
withstand temperatures as low as -50 to -60 °C (-58 to -76 °F). The undercoat
is often absent during shedding. Their thick coats require weekly grooming. In
hot areas a husky's coat can naturally change so the dog can adapt to hot
temperatures.
Siberian Huskies come in
a variety of colours and patterns, usually with white paws and legs, facial
markings, and tail tip. The most common coats are black and white, then less
common copper-red and white, grey and white, pure white, and the rare
"Agouti" coat, though many individuals have blondish or piebald
spotting. Striking masks, spectacles, and other facial markings occur in wide
variety.A red/white colored Siberian Husky with heterochromia.The American
Kennel Club describes the Siberian Husky's eyes as "an almond shape,
moderately spaced and set slightly obliquely." The eyes of a Siberian
Husky are ice-blue, dark 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
acceptable by the American Kennel Club.Show-quality dogs are preferred to have
neither pointed nor square noses. The nose is black in gray dogs, tan in black
dogs, liver in copper-colored dogs, and may be flesh-colored in white dogs. In
some instances, Siberian Huskies can exhibit what is called "snow
nose" or "winter nose." This condition is called hypopigmentation
in animals. "Snow nose" is acceptable in the show ring.
A Siberian Husky warming
its nose with its tail. Siberian Husky tails are heavily furred; these dogs
will often curl up with their tails over faces and noses in order to provide
additional warmth. The tail should be expressive, held low when the dog is
relaxed, and curved upward in a "sickle" shape when excited or
interested in something. It should be symmetrical, and not curved or deviated
to the side; nor should it ever curl so much as to touch the back.
The breed standard
indicates that the males of the breed are ideally between 21 and 23.5 inches
(53 and 60 cm) tall at the withers and weighing between 45 and 60 pounds (20
and 27 kg). Females are smaller, growing to between 20 to 22 inches (51 to 56
cm) tall at the withers and weighing between 35 to 50 pounds (16 to 23 kg).
The Husky has been
described as a behavioral representative of the domestic dog's forebear, the
wolf, exhibiting a wide range of its ancestors' behavior. They are known to
howl rather than bark. If the dog is well trained when it's young, it can make
a great 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. They are affectionate with people of all ages.
A fifteen-minute daily
obedience training class will serve well for Siberian Huskies. Siberians need
consistent training and do well with a positive reinforcement 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 sled dogs. They were historically bred to be working and companion
animals by the Chukchi people, and should always be gentle in nature. The
Chukchi people use Siberian huskies to look after their children.
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