PetCare Breed Information

Other names/Nicknames:

• Arctic Husky

Country/Date of origin:

• Russia
• 1800’s

Height:

• Females: 20 to 22 inches
• Males:  21 to 23-1/2 inches
  

Weight:

• Females:  35 to 50 pounds
• Males:  45 to 60 pounds
  

Personality:

• Intelligent and eager to please.  This is not the typical sled dog personality.
• Siberians are softer and more responsive.
• Friendly by nature towards humans but really stubborn.
• Prefers to be outdoors.
• High energy.

History:

This is the speed demon of the sled dog world.  This working animal of the Chukchi people of northeast Siberia caused a sensation when it was introduced to Alaska for the All Alaska Sweepstakes in 1909.  They revolutionized racing, as nothing finished even close to them.  Today, the racing sled dogs of Alaska owe much to their Siberian Husky blood.  Recognized by the American Kennel Club (AKC) in 1903.  Very popular as a companion animal.

Body Type:

• A medium-sized, sled dog of the Spitz family.
• Compact and muscular with a wolf-like expression.
• The tail, bushy and fox like, is carried over the back.  It is never altered.
• The ears are erect and are not altered.  In line with what you would expect from a Northern dog, the ears are small and heavily furred.
• Eyes may be brown or blue, or the dog may have one of each color.

Coat:

• Thick, double coat of short to medium length.
• The outercoat is coarse and the undercoat is oily and woolly.
• All colors are permitted from black to white, with many having striking face markings.
• Sheds heavily in the spring.  At other times, grooming is moderate.

Health and Wellness:

• Autoimmune thyroid disease.
• Laryngeal paralysis.
• Ectopic ureter.
• Follicular dysplasia.
• Congenital deafness.
• Metabolic bone disease.
• Cataracts.
• Glaucoma.
• Uveodermatologic syndrome.
• Zinc-responsive dermatosis.
• Discoid lupus erythematosis.
• Progressive retinal atrophy.
• Skin tumors.

What you should know:

• Communal howling is a hallmark of the breed.
• Much gentler and much less quarrelsome with other dogs than the other Northern breeds.
• Registered under the name Arctic Husky by the United Kennel Club (UKC).
• Very popular.  In the top twenty of AKC registrations for 1995.