Mother of Pomsky: The Siberian Husky

The Husky is originally a sled dog, which is resident in northern regions. It is related to the Spitz. The crossing of the Husky with the Spitz to create a hybrid breed is therefore the combination of two related dog breeds. The result, the Pomsky, is optically a smaller version of the Husky.

Huskies are used in sled dog races. They can pull the sled faster and more powerfully than other dog breeds, which makes them particularly qualified for this task. In recent years, companies have also marketed tourist hikes with dog sleds for adventure travelers in snowy regions. Huskies are now also increasingly kept as pets, but require demanding tasks that demand their strength and stamina.

The Siberian Husky

The Siberian Husky is a medium sized working dog breed, which has its origin in Northeast Asia. The breed belongs to the genetic family of the Spitz. With correct training, they are great pets and sleddogs. It is characterized by its thick, furry double coat, upright triangular ears and distinctive markings.

The original Siberian Huskies were bred by the Tschuktschen. It is an active, energetic, resistant breed whose ancestors lived in the extremely cold and harsh environment of the Siberian Arctic. William Goosak, a Russian fur trader, brought them to Nome, Alaska during the Nome Gold Rush. In the beginning Huskies were only sled dogs, but later they became fashionable as pets.

Physical characteristics of the Husky according to breed standard.

The fur of the Husky protects it against -60 degrees Celsius

The coat of a Siberian Husky is thicker than that of most other breeds and consists of two layers: a thick undercoat and a longer topcoat of short, smooth protective hair.

The thick fur protects the dogs from hard arctic winters, but also reflects the heat in summer. It can withstand temperatures from -50 to -60 °C (-58 to -76 °F). Its thick coat requires weekly care.

Siberian huskies come in a variety of colors and patterns, mostly with white paws and legs, facial features and tail tips. 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, although many individuals are blonde or spotted. Striking masks, eyeglasses and other facial features appear in great variety. Merle fur patterns are not allowed.

Husky-Eyes: Blue and Odd-eyes

The eyes of the Siberian Husky are almond-shaped, moderately distributed and slightly slanting. They can be brown, blue or black. A polychromy of one eye is accepted in the breed standard. Also the different coloring of both eyes, so-called Odd-Eye, belongs to the possible characteristics of the Husky.

Their eyes are typically light blue, although they can also be

• brown,
• green,
• blue
• blue
• yellow or
• heterochrome.

Huskies are more susceptible to some uveitis than most other breeds. The unusual partial colour of the eyes does not affect the dog’s eyesight.

Colourful noses – or rather white?

The breed standard for huskies is a nose that is neither pointed nor square. The colour of the nose stands out from the coat colour. So the nose is black with grey dogs, brown with black dogs, light brown with copper-colored dogs and white dogs.
Some Siberian Huskies have a so-called “snow nose” or “winter nose”. Here the nose is light. This hypopigmentation of the nose is officially accepted as a characteristic.

The tail serves the Husky as a heater.

Siberian husky tails are heavily hairy. The husky often uses its tail as a heat source. It puts its tail over its face and nose and keeps them warm.
Breed Standard: The tail should be expressive, kept low when the dog is relaxed, and bent upwards in a “sickle” shape when he is excited or interested in something. It should be symmetrical and not curved or bent to the side; the tail can curve so far that it touches the back.

Size of a Husky

The breed standard determines that the males of the breed are ideally between 53 and 61 cm high and weigh between 20 and 27 kg. The females are smaller, grow up to 51 to 56 cm high and reach a weight of 16 to 23 kg.

Character and behaviour of the Husky

Huskies are energetic and athletic, they are more likely to howl and don’t bark. He is an escape artist. Huskies dig under fences, chew fences and ropes and jump over high walls. He is intelligent and almost always finds a way to escape.

Huskies are a very child-friendly breed. However, the Husky has a high energy level, which makes it a bit too impetuous for toddlers. He has a high need for movement and without adequate workload decays into destructive behavior.

Siberian huskies have a strong hunting instinct. In their Siberian homeland they hunted in packs. They hunted wildcats, birds and squirrels. Even if the Husky has a rather calm mind in the meantime, the hunting instinct still comes to light today.

To be considered with the attitude:

A fence 1.83 m high is recommended for this race as pet, although some of them are known for overcoming fences up to a height of 2.44 m for it. Electric pet fences may not be effective. They love the community and feel very comfortable in the presence of people and dogs.

The Health of Husky

The Siberian Husky has an average life expectancy of 12 to 14 years. Health problems in the breed are mainly genetic. These include eye defects (juvenile cataracts, corneal dystrophy, corner glaucoma and progressive retinal atrophy) and congenital laryngeal paralysis.
Hip dysplasia is not common in this breed, but can occur as in many medium-sized dogs. The Orthopaedic Foundation for Animals currently ranks the Siberian Husky 155th out of 160 possible breeds at risk of hip dysplasia, with only two percent of Siberian Huskies tested showing dysplasia.