The two dog breeds that most resemble wolves are arguably the Siberian husky and the Alaskan malamute. The Siberian husky is the smaller and faster of the two. It’s also the easier to acquire. There are Siberian husky breeder associations in Europe, Asia and North America.
However, although it might seem attractive to have a small faux-wolf dog, not everyone is suited for living with one. Sadly, many thousands of people make the mistake of getting a Siberian husky puppy on impulse and this leads to a proliferation of homeless huskies once the cute phase has worn off.
The Coat
Siberian huskies are bred to live in snowy climates. They suffer when living in hot temperatures. They have an incredibly thick double coat that sheds about every six months. During this time, the undercoat can take up to a month to fully shed in great big clumps. Huskies can usually get by with daily brushing the rest of the time.
Often, pet huskies only need to be bathed once or twice a year (unless they roll in some special organic matter). You don’t have to worry about the coat getting so long that you can’t tell one end of the dog from another.
Huskies come in a lot of colors, but usually they are bi-colored with a white belly and legs and a darker color on top. Pure white huskies are allowed, as are all black huskies. Most black huskies have some peppering of white. Huskies tend to have a lot of white markings anywhere on the body, as well.
Living With A Husky
Huskies are friendly dogs and, unless excited, tend to be very quiet. Because of this, Siberian huskies do not make good guard dogs. Huskies are highly intelligent animals and have a high energy drive. This means if they don’t get regular long walks, they will take their energy out in some way, usually by escaping your home and wandering around the neighborhood.
Other reasons that Siberian huskies have been abandoned include digging, pulling on walks, howling when the owner is away and the owner not wanting to pay for medical treatment. Huskies get to be heavy dogs, about fifty or sixty pounds, and this makes them prone to such problems as hip dysplasia and gastric disease. Other medical problems reported in huskies include zinc responsive dermatosis, eye problems, ulcerations and bronchitis.
There have been huskies trained to be search and rescue dogs, but not many. This is not due to the husky’s unwillingness to learn something new, but because he is so intelligent that once he learns something, he immediately tries to find a better way to do it. If you can put up with a husky’s quirks, then you just might be ready to live with one.
Additional References
- ASPCA Complete Guide to Dogs.” Sheldon L. Gerstenfeld, VMD. Chronicle Books; 1999.
- Encyclopedia of Dog Breeds.” D. Caroline Coile, Ph.D. Barron’s; 2005.
- “The Howell Book of Dogs.” Liz Palika. Howell Book House; 2007.
- DogBreedInfo.com
