Eyes of the Siberian Husky

Not necessarily the eyes of the siberian husky should be blue! The eyes of the Siberian Husky can be very colorful… It can be not only blue, but also brown or amber, or both.. Some Huskies have one brown and one blue eye, or two different blues of browns. They can even have “parti-colored” eyes, which means that one eye is half blue and half brown.

Husky Hair

Siberians are clean, odorless dogs. Their gorgeous coats need no trimming, shaping or thinning. Twice a year, they'll shed or "blow" their undercoats and hair will fall out in clumps. Frequent brushing is essential during these intense shedding periods, which can last three weeks or more. For the rest of the year, once a week brushings are needed to remove dead hair and maintain a shiny coat. Baths are recommended once or twice a year.

History

The Siberian Husky, Samoyed, and Alaskan Malamute are all breeds directly descended from the original "sled dog." Recent DNA analysis confirms that this is one of the oldest breeds of dog as can be seen with the Alaskan Malamute.

In this breed of canine, the word "husky" derives from Inuit tribes called "huskies", named by Caucasians who made early expeditions into their lands. The word "Siberian" in this breed's name is derived from Siberia itself, because it is thought that Eskimo or sled dogs were used to cross the land bridge of the Bering Straight on the way into, or out of, Alaska, though this theory is continuously disputed by scholars. Breeds descending from the Eskimo dog were once found throughout the Northern Hemisphere from Siberia to Canada, Alaska, Greenland, Labrador, and Baffin Island.

Character

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.

Dogsled racing

Siberian Huskies are still used occasionally as sled dogs in dogsled racing but have been widely replaced by the more popular Alaskan Husky and hound-type cross-breeds that are specially bred and selected for speed and have less heavy coats. Freight Siberian Huskieswere selectively bred 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 pure-breds 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 versus "show" Siberians.

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. They have also seen use as therapy dogs.

Behavior

The Siberian Husky has been described as a behavioural representative of the domestic dog's forebear, the wolf. It exhibits a wide range of the ancestor type's behaviours. They are frequently known to howl rather than bark. Hyperactivity displaying as an over-active hunting drive, a characteristic of kennelled dogs, is often noticeable in dogs released from their captive environment for exercise - a behaviour welcome in hunting dogs but not in the family pet. The frequency of kennelled 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.

What's he digging for?

Huskies dig holes under fences to escape but they also dig because digging is fun. Siberian Huskies have a natural tendency to dig. They dig holes, they might even dig craters. It's the nature of the breed to dig holes to lie in. They've also been known to dig up plants and bushes, so when fencing in an area for Huskies to run and play, Husky owners might want to fence them out of flower beds, away from gardens and prized shrubs. Digging can be a very difficult problem to solve. Some owners overcome the problem of the nuisance digging by providing a spot in the yard - a sand box type area - where their dog is allowed and encouraged to dig.