Among the canine diversity, the great variety of canine breeds, the northern Spitz-like dogs shine brightly and literally “rule the world.” Sled huskies enchant with their rugged beauty and romantic image: powerful snow dogs do not leave the top ratings and trends.
Despite its instant recognition and amazing popularity, there are rumors, inaccuracies, and generalizations swirling around the breed.
Let's try to understand the legendary family - what kind of huskies there are , what are the types and varieties of the breed branch.
Breed formalities
Husky is a uniting toponym of several varieties. The etymology of the term “husky” is based on a distortion of the word “Eskimo” (the indigenous people who cultivate the breed). The ancestors of modern huskies were bred by nomadic and sedentary aborigines living in the extremely extreme conditions of the northern outskirts of the Russian Empire. Historian cynologists operate with a three-thousand-year history of the species: this is precisely the age of rock carvings of dog sleds found near Lake Baikal.
There were two types of native Spitz-like animals: the first helped in hunting, herded deer, and guarded property, while the second were cultivated exclusively as mounts. It was the “harness” type (large, swift, long-haired ) that served as the material for subsequent selection and became the genetic “source” of all modern huskies .
The natives practiced “wild selection”: they took bitches in heat to the habitats of polar wolves, and carried out interspecific breeding: they mixed “strong” blood with the working phenotype. Subsequently, individuals with uncontrollable aggression and professional unsuitability were cut off by merciless culling. As a result, an excellent working breed was created in the region - an extraordinary semi-wild, but very hardy canine species.
Officially, the “canine brand” was registered in the first half of the twentieth century. American breeders (fans of blue-eyed snow dogs) compiled the standard standards of the breed and registered a canine branch called the “Siberian Husky.”
Character and intelligence
By nature, the husky is willful and stubborn. In a hopeless situation, he makes his own decisions. And all this thanks to high intelligence.
To overcome the wolf roots and adapt the dog to yourself, you need a strong character; the dog will not obey a weak-willed owner.
For those who dream of a calm dog who spends all his time on the couch, a husky is not suitable. The peculiarities of the breed are constant movement, so it cannot be limited by 4 walls. If you don't give your dog enough open space, the dog will start to freak out and become unbearable.
A representative of the breed is friendly, but when his instincts are “tamed”, the friendship ends. If you don't take your dog out for a walk on time, you can end up with chewed shoes and shabby pillows.
It is not recommended to keep a dog on a leash all the time, however, in order to avoid leaving home, it is still recommended to tie a young dog in the absence of the owners, otherwise the husky may simply go “in the air.”
When kept in an apartment, a puppy can do a lot of mischief, for example, chewing off all the shoes, tearing off the curtains, and rolling up all the carpets on the floor. During walks, dogs dig holes, and this behavior is explained by their origin, because in their homeland they dug up snow in order to spend the night in the resulting holes.
Attitude towards children and others
Husky gets along well with kids. The northern peoples had a tradition of letting a dog into the yurt after the birth of a child, so that it would warm the newborn with its warmth. Representatives of the breed love to play with children, ride them on sleds around the yard, and the dogs exhibit protective qualities.
However, you should not leave preschool children with a husky, as the dog’s excessive activity can lead to undesirable consequences and even injury.
Training and education
Socialization will be successful if you start raising your dog from an early age. It is advisable to walk at a time when other couples with dogs are walking along the street, as the husky loves company and is sociable. The breed is friendly, treats well not only family members, but also everyone around them, so it is useless to train a dog to guard the territory.
Special rules have been defined for training representatives. When educating, it is necessary to patiently and persistently demand that the command be followed. It is recommended to move on to teaching a new command only after the dog has mastered the first one. The stubbornness of the dog does not allow the owner to understand whether he has learned his lesson or not.
Huskies cannot be forced to obey unconditionally. She must know what she can do and what she is not allowed to do.
Dogs get along well with teenagers, so a 12-14 year old guy can raise a puppy or an adult. One requirement is good physical preparation so that he can resist a strong dog.
Application of the Husky breed
Initially, the first representatives were bred to transport people and luggage over long distances. Man's friend can reach great speed. The main characteristics of a husky are endurance, speed of reaction and strength. The husky looks elegant when running.
Huskies are not used as a guard, as the breed does not like to bark and treats everyone kindly.
Is the breed suitable for hunting?
All dogs that have wolf roots have hunting instincts. But for a husky to be a real hunter and show excellent instincts, hunting skills will have to be developed from an early age. First, a small puppy must be taught to follow commands, and then begin training so that the pet brings game to the owner.
If you develop hunting skills in Huskies in time, they will become excellent hunters, better than huskies.
Types
All northern huskies are divided into three typical groups - “applied”, “sporting” and “show dogs”. This is a classification by application, differences between huskies by area of life activity.
“ Applied ” is the forerunner of world haskovodstvo. The canine version of “workhorses”: dogs designed to transport cargo and the owner-musher over considerable distances in conditions of extreme frost and minimal maintenance (grooming/food). a northern husky, sparkling with the delights of its exterior and beauty : not very fast, but an amazingly hardy dog. Today, dogs of this type are considered huskies , a canine rarity. Headliners of breed kennels, a classic of the entire husky species , a delight for tourist excursions (hiking/sledding).
The sporting husky type is a special animal for participating in sporting competitions. These are high-speed modifications: dogs with a specific exterior ( short-haired husky ) and motor skills.
Exhibition show dogs are dog-actors who work in the rings and spend their entire lives in shows and fashion shows. Show dogs are divided into two sub-branches: continental and European. The difference between show huskies is only in the exterior: the overseas show format is more brutal and sternly romantic than the usual Spitz look of European huskies .
The official registry breed standard still describes the sledding (working) husky husky. If we judge formally: “athletes” and “actors” are a defective deviation from the standard.
Types by coat type
Smooth-haired
The coat is two-layered, medium in length, and can be more or less short in different parts of the body. It consists of a dense and dense, but at the same time soft undercoat and a tougher spine adjacent to the body. During shedding, the undercoat comes out completely, making the dog look sleeker than usual.
Longhair
Long-haired huskies look very elegant, as their elongated hair forms beautiful fringes in the form of a mane and pants. The tail of the longtails is very fluffy, similar to a plume. However, despite the fact that long hair looks very elegant, according to the requirements of the standard, it is considered a serious fault.
IMPORTANT!
The long-haired husky is a good pet, but you should not expect such a pet to become a show winner.
Husky varieties: breeding delights
Owners of mono-breed nurseries, commercial livestock specialists and breeders are constantly striving to improve the standard characteristics of huskies, expand the variety of shapes, colors, coat structures, and improve (soften) temperament.
The twenty-first century enchants users with four breeding delights, unofficial, but quite common varieties of the breed : let's look at what modern husky .
Siberian ideal
Siberian Huskies are charming Spitz-like dogs, captivating with their romantic appearance and heavenly blue eyes. This is a wild mixture of polar wolves and Far Eastern aboriginal huskies, polished by American breeders. The Americans took a magnificent native source, softened the character, stabilized the genetics, “evened out” the exterior and working skills.
It was the hybrid prototype obtained during the “gold rush” of the early twentieth century in North America that brought the breed to the pinnacle of glory and glorified the husky brand. The name “Siberian” is a tribute to the distant past of the breed, a respectful indication of the historical homeland of the entire husky branch.
Alaskan Husky prototype
This variety of northern sled huskies is considered a “sporting formation”, a husky for quickly transporting cargo sleds and mushers.
Gold miners from Alaska, taking Eskimo dogs (exported from the Russian frosty outskirts) as a basis, added to the basic phenotype the blood of German shepherds, border collies, and large huskies, malamutes. As a result, the mestizos “softened” their character, became a little taller (due to the lengthening of their paws), and acquired shorter fur. The main differences between the remake and the original Siberian Husky are their docile disposition, increased speed and load-carrying capacity. The species “paid for” the sporting transformation by weakening its frost resistance and vitality: the introduced blood weakened the health and immunity of the original source.
Mini klee kai
The Klee Kai modifier is a husky-type dog , a proportionally smaller replica of the blue-eyed polar breed. American zootechnicians specially created a mini prototype for amateur fans who do not have the opportunity to adequately support a large and very driven animal. Twenty years of work by overseas breeders have given the world a canine curiosity: a dog ideally similar to a husky , but is not one. The similarity ends with the exterior: blue eyes, branded “mask-glasses” on the muzzle, two types of coat (short- haired and fluffy and frankly shaggy mini-husky modifications).
The mini hybrid klee kai acquired its personal characteristics and talents from a Belgian shepherd Schipperkie participating in the “dimensional selection”.
Sakhalin Patriarch
The Sakhalin Husky is a decoration of the breed's working formation. This is a very rare variety, a practical “gene source”, an ancient husky progenitor.
Spitz-like sled dogs living on Sakhalin Island are famous throughout the world:
- incredibly loyal disposition;
- the highest intelligence;
- amazingly high survivability and endurance;
- good health and high immunity.
Sakhalin huskies differ from the basic husky mainstream in their versatility of use: in addition to working in a harness, powerful Far Eastern dogs work well as “gun hunters” and are good guards of property. These are very rare huskies , a true species exclusive.
Where to get a puppy
As already noted, the dog is on the verge of extinction and it is almost impossible to acquire a purebred dog, an ancient line. Unfortunately, there are almost no dogs left in our homeland. And in a dog’s passport you will more often see the imported name Sakhalin Husky than the native one. The main nurseries working with this breed are located in Japan.
To find a truly worthy dog, you may have to go outside the country.
- The price for a good, rare working dog can reach several thousand dollars.
- Show-class huskies can cost about 50 thousand rubles. Usually such dogs are sold at 6 months, when the puppy has already matured.
- Breeding class puppies already cost from 30 to 40 thousand rubles.
- Even the cost of pet-class dogs rarely falls below 20 thousand rubles.
This amazing dog must be preserved and delight more than one generation of sled dog enthusiasts.
Avoiding mistakes
The above material is the answer to the question “ how many breeds of husky are there ?” The difference and comparison of husky varieties is not the purpose of the publication.
It is important to understand the main thing: there is first blood, a northern aboriginal source. There is an American breeding release registered with the UKC called the Siberian Husky. And there are “designer cynological delights”, although very popular, but which have not yet received official recognition.
Huskies should not be confused with numerous Spitz-like breeds. West Siberian and East Siberian huskies are in demand and popular... but these are separate breeds that have nothing to do with huskies , just like Samoyeds, Malamutes, Japanese Akita Inu and other types of hunting, herding and sled dogs.
External features
The closest relatives of these dogs are the Japanese Spitz and Akita Inu. Outwardly, they really resemble Spitz dogs, but have more powerful muscles and skeletal system.
Sled dogs of the Sakhalin Husky breed are distinguished by their impressive size: their height at the withers can reach 70 cm, but more often there are individuals whose height does not exceed 62 cm. Moreover, the weight of the dogs is small - up to 40 kg. Sakhalin Huskies are built harmoniously: the body is of medium length, the limbs are straight, parallel, the hind legs are more powerful.
The head is large, clearly defined. Wider at the top, tapering towards the eyes. The eyes are medium-sized, oval, almond-shaped. Color may vary (depending on color). The ears are high-set, erect, triangular in shape with pointed tips. The tail is set high and resembles a fox's: fluffy, sometimes curved and slightly curved to the side.
Summing up
Varieties of huskies : design modifications, breed types and types - a very complex canine topic. The community is seething with ideas, single-breed associations and associations do not stand still - every day in the world of blue-eyed dogs there is movement, overcoming new heights.
Nothing can be taken as an absolute: it is quite possible that right now the FCI is introducing Huskies into the register or registering a new Husky branch.
- Husky
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Proper pet care
Shedding period and fur
To ensure a comfortable stay, you need to literally know everything about huskies, including the features of grooming . It is thick, soft, and has 2 layers: undercoat and main coat. Molting occurs twice a year; it is, of course, more noticeable in an apartment. It lasts about 3 weeks, and you need to comb it out every 2-3 days with a special bristle brush to remove excess undercoat.
At normal times, it is also worth brushing your dog with such a brush to remove dust and dirt. Since Huskies are a noble breed, their coat is very clean and odorless. There is no need to cut the dog's hair.
Ears, eyes, claws, teeth
To keep your pet healthy, you need to follow some hygiene procedures. One of them is ear cleaning; once every 2-3 weeks it is necessary to examine the ears; it is better to have this done by a veterinarian. In order to clean your ears , you need to:
- Take a cotton swab and soak it in a special purchased solution or oil.
- Lay the dog down in a calm state, secure it firmly.
- Massage your pet's ears to make sure he is comfortable.
- Start cleaning your ears gently from the bottom up, doing it very carefully.
After successful cleaning, you should pamper your pet with something tasty to make it easier for him to cope with stress. The second important element is eye care . To do this, you just need to make sure that there are no purulent discharges, if there are any, carefully remove them with a cotton swab and show the dog to the veterinarian.
Nail care is also important; if the dog is active and walks a lot, then there is no need to trim the nails, since they wear off on the asphalt, but otherwise, you need to contact a veterinarian to sharpen your pet’s claws.
You can do this yourself using a special nail clipper, but it is important to remember that you only need to trim a few millimeters so as not to damage the blood canal, which will be very painful for the dog. It is especially important to monitor the health of your Husky's teeth. To do this, you need to clean it once a week using special products that can be purchased at the pharmacy (brush, paste, nozzle).
Pros and cons of the breed
The positive aspects of the breed include:
- friendliness;
- sociability;
- friendliness;
- excellent health;
- endurance;
- ability to make decisions in difficult situations.
The Husky breed is distinguished by the fact that it does not have a dog smell. In addition, this is one of the most beautiful dogs.
Flaws:
- sheds profusely and frequently;
- not suitable for protecting the territory;
- loves to dig the ground, spoils flower beds;
- needs long walks.
When getting a dog, it is necessary to take into account the characteristics of the breed, so as not to be disappointed in the acquired four-legged friend.
Training issues
“Siberians” are smart and cunning dogs that don’t do anything for nothing. Representatives of the breed need good motivation to start learning. Features of training a Siberian Husky are leadership of the owner, respect for the dog and variety in training.
At the age of six months, the dog can undergo a general training course, although mastering basic commands can begin earlier. Constant, monotonous execution of commands quickly gets boring for the dog. Therefore, it is recommended to consolidate the acquired knowledge in practice by walking and playing with your pet. Huskies are very attracted to treats for completing a task correctly.
Huskies are easy to train to use the toilet outside, given the breed’s natural cleanliness. Until six to eight months, the little “Siberian” goes on a newspaper or a diaper at home. At this age, it is difficult for a dog to endure, and therefore there is no point in punishing the puppy for an offense. Only after the puppy has been vaccinated can he be taken outside. To make the dog understand what they want from it, take the newspaper outside. Give verbal praise and treats after “things” done correctly.
“Sibiryak” definitely needs to learn the command “Near!” on walks, otherwise the dog will drag the owner along, not paying attention to his protests. Huskies always need to pull something, so pulling on the leash is a genetic habit that can be brought under control by a patient owner. It would be a good idea to master the commands “Left!”, “Right!”, “Stop!”, “Forward!”, “Shake yourself off!”.
