Profile Of An Alaskan Husky

You have probably heard about the Iditarod. MaybeYou will also need to consider your own lifestyle. An
you are sled dog savvy enough to know about theAlaskan Husky needs an active household. Running,
Yukon Quest. But what about the dogs that runcamping, hiking, and biking should be regular activities
these long distance races? What kind of dog does itfor a family that wants to own a husky. Keep in mind
take to run a 1000 mile race?that a musher will cover hundreds of miles with a
A dog with drive, tons of drive.husky in a single year. Over this long distance loyalty
What about an Alaskan Husky for a pet?and trust is developed. If you ignore this exercise
For starters, this type of dog is bred for two things;prerequisite you will regret your choice of a husky as
endurance and speed. That means they are not bredyour pet.
for obedience, retrieving, herding, guarding, or hunting.The husky is bred for cold weather. Yes, the modern
Most dog training methods rely on one or more ofhusky has been bred with pointers and hounds
these working dog traits for training. Working dogsleaving a less desirable winter coat, but that has not
are bred to please humans at a high level. This is notbeen the norm. The heavy double layered coat is
necessarily true for the sled dog. The workingideal for cold weather. A husky can have serious
relationship between a sled dog and a human is atrouble adapting to a warm climate because they
convoluted relationship. The Alaskan Husky is willingcannot pant fast enough to eliminate excess body
to please a human, but usually it is by way of dogheat. Clipping or shaving a husky is harder on them
team. A mushers' job is to continually manage a smallthen doing nothing at all. The double coat consists of
dog pack. It is through this pack management thatlong, course, outer guard hairs which protect the soft
loyalty and obedience are born.under coat. These layers together help insulate and
As you can imagine, recreating this habitat in thethermoregulate the husky. Shaving these dogs
typical suburban home might pose some problems.messes up their ability to keep a consistent body
First of all, huskies do not like to be the lone dog.temperature.
They really learn best from each other or at leastFinally, what type of person owns a husky?
other dogs. Second, what do you do with all thatA husky is bred for endurance, and not bred to hunt,
drive? It is not so much the husky has nervousbut they still have a very strong prey drive. Drive
energy. It is the constant need for new interaction.means determination. Like the drive to succeed.
This is what drives the stereotype as escape artistWhen a person has drive they tend to be very
or run away.focused. Huskies that are focused are hard to
Does that mean training the Alaskan Husky iscontrol. The best husky owner understands
unattainable?boundaries. They know in order to succeed with a
No. It means the dog training methods you arehusky, problems must be dealt with immediately. A
accustomed to using will most likely not work. Atgood husky owner always pays attention because
least they will not work in the usual order. The mostthey know one distraction can lead them to posting
important part of dog training a husky is bonding. Youlost dog signs all over town. They are people who
need to spend the entire first year with your huskyenjoy dogs, but do not have to be worshipped by
on a leash wherever you go. The instinct to want tothem. Husky owners have patience because they
be with you does not exist right away with a husky.know sharing their lives with a husky is a life long
It will develop, but it takes a long time. Consider thistraining process.
if you are thinking about getting a husky.