Videos Siberian Husky Breed Information
Alternative names -
Chukcha,
Chuksha,
Keshia
Country of origin -
Russia (Siberia)
Common nicknames -
Sibe,
Siberian,
Husky
Classification and breed standards
FCI:|Group
5 Section 1 #270|Stds
AKC:|Working|Stds
ANKC:|Group 6
(Utility)|Stds
CKC:|Group
3 (Working)|Stds
KC
(UK):|Working|Stds
NZKC:|Utility|Stds
UKC:|Northern
Breeds|Stds
The Siberian Husky (Russian: Sibirskiy
Huski) is a medium-size, dense-coat working dog breed
that originated in eastern Siberia,
belonging to the Spitz genetic family. It
is recognizable by its thickly-furred double coat, sickle tail, erect triangular
ears and distinctive markings.
An active, energetic and resilient breed whose ancestors came
from the extremely cold and harsh environment of the Siberian
Arctic and were bred by the Chukchi peoples of Northeastern Asia,
it was imported into Alaska during the
Nome Gold Rush
and spread from there into the United
States and Canada, initially as a
sled dog. It rapidly acquired the status
of a family pet and a show-dog.
1. Appearance
Siberian Huskies share many outward similarities with the
Alaskan Malamute as well as many
other Spitz breeds such as the Samoyed, which has a comparable history
to the Huskies. Siberians have a thicker coat than most other
breeds of dog. They come in a variety of colors and patterns,
usually with white paws and legs, facial markings, and tail tip.
The most common colors are black and white, grey and white,
copper-red and white, and pure white, though many individuals have
blond, or piebald spotted. Striking masks, spectacles, and other
facial markings occur in wide variety. They tend to have a wolf-like appearance. Though the breed is not
related to the wolf any closer than any other breed of dog, it is
thought they maintained this appearance through isolated breeding
in Siberia.
1. 1. Eyes
The eyes of Siberian Huskies are most often brown or blue. The
breed may have one brown eye and the other blue
("bi-eyed"), called parti-colored by Siberian Husky
enthusiasts, and is not considered a fault by the American Kennel Club. The eyes are
an almond shape, moderately spaced and set slightly obliquely.
This breed may also be prone to heterochromia, "an eye condition in
which one iris is a different color from the other, complete heterochromia, or where
part of one iris is a different color from the remainder (partial heterochromia or sectoral heterochromia). It is a
result of the relative excess or lack of pigment within an iris or
part of an iris, which may be genetically inherited or due to
mosaicism, or acquired by disease or
injury".
1. 2. Ears and tail
Its ears are triangular, well furred, medium-size, and erect.
Often faulted in other breeds by kennel clubs such as the American
Kennel Club, this kind of ear shape is known as prick ears. Its fox-like brush tail is carried
in a sickle curve over the back, and
trails behind the dog in motion. Most Siberian Huskies have a white
tip on the end of their tail.
1. 3. Coat
The Siberian Husky's coat comprises two layers, a dense
undercoat and a longer topcoat of short, straight guard hairs. The absence of the outer coat is
often present during shedding, also
known as the telogen phase or
telogen effluvium, with the
latter often associated with stress. Recently, the shedding
present during the telogen phase has been termed as a cycle
separate from the resting state, and called exogen.
1. 4. Nose
In some instances, Siberian Huskies can exhibit what is called
"snow nose" or "winter
nose". This condition is called hypopigmentation in animals.
Show-quality dogs are preferred to have neither pointed nor square
noses in shape. The nose is black in gray, tan and black dogs,
liver in copper-colored dogs, and may be flesh-colored in white
dogs. "Snow nose" is acceptable in the show ring.
1. 5. Size
* Males
o Height: 21 to 23.5 inches (53.5 to 60 cm) at the withers.
o Weight: 45 to 60 lb (20.5 to 28 kg)
* Females
o Height: 20 to 22 in. (50.5 to 56 cm) at the withers.
o Weight: 35 to 50 lb (15.5 to 23 kg)
2. Temperament
As a working breed, Siberian Huskies are a high-energy canine
requiring lots of exercise. They have served as guard dogs,
companions, and sled dogs. Over time, this combination of factors
has lent the Siberian Husky a strong sense of gentleness and
devotion.
The Inuit tribes who used this breed for
utilitarian and survival needs trained them to pull heavy sledges
for great distances over frozen tundra, drawing umiaks, and securing game by assisting in hunting.
A 2000 study of dog bites resulting in human fatalities by the
US Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention found fifteen such
fatalities (6% of the total) were caused by "husky-type"
dogs (excluding Alaskan
Malamutes) between 1979 and 1997.
2. 1. Behavior
The Siberian Husky has been described as a behavioral
representative of the domestic dog's forebear, the wolf. It
exhibits a wide range of the ancestor type's behaviors.
They are frequently known to ululate
rather than bark. Hyperactivity displaying as an overactive
hunting drive, a characteristic of kenneled dogs, is often
noticeable in dogs released from their captive environment for
exercise- a behavior welcome in hunting dogs but not in the family
pet. The frequency of kenneled Siberian Huskies, especially for
racing purposes, is rather high, as attributed through the history
of the breed in North America. Fifteen-minute obedience training
classes will serve well for Siberian Huskies, as will daily
training.
3. Health
Siberian Huskies, with proper care, have a typical lifespan
ranging from eleven to fourteen years of age. Health issues in the
breed are genetic defects of the eye such as juvenile cataracts, corneal dystrophy, and progressive retinal atrophy.
Hip dysplasia is often found in
this breed, as with many medium or larger-sized canines.
Siberian Huskies used for sled racing may also be prone to other
ailments, such as gastric disease
, bronchitis or bronchopulmonary ailments
("ski asthma") , and
gastric erosions or ulcerations .
4. History
Of all dog breeds which resulted from one common ancestor, the
Tomarctus (Canidae) , the Eskimo dog (also known commonly as the sled
dog), has most certainly caught the imagination of dog enthusiasts
world-wide. The Siberian Husky, Samoyed, and Alaskan Malamute are
all breeds directly descended from the sled dog. Recent
DNA analysis confirms that this is
one of the oldest breeds of
dog as can be seen with the Alaskan Malamute.
In this breed of canine, the word "husky" derives from
Inuit tribes called "huskies", named by Caucasians who made early expeditions into
their lands. The word "Siberian" in this breed's name
is derived from Siberia itself, because
it is thought that Eskimo or sled dogs were used to cross the
land bridge of the Bering Straight on the way into, or out
of, Alaska , though this theory is
continuously disputed by scholars. Recent research indicates
it is possible that a back-migration may have occurred from North
America across the Bering Straight, according to studies focusing
on distribution of Y chromosome
DNA (patrilineal line) markers. However,
MtDNA (matrilineal line) analysis of women on the
Aleutian Islands indicates that
Aleuts are more closely related Chuckchi
and Siberian Eskimos rather than Kamchatkan populations, with such evidence
supporting archaeological research that Aleuts crossed the Bering
Straight.
Breeds descending from the Eskimo
dog were once found throughout the Northern Hemisphere from Siberia to
Canada, Alaska, Greenland, Labrador, and Baffin Island.
With the help of Siberian Huskies, entire tribes of peoples were
able to not only survive, but push forth into terra incognita. Admiral Robert Peary of the United States Navy was
aided by this breed during his expeditions in search of the North
Pole. The Siberian Husky's role in this feat can not be under
appreciated.
Dogs from the Anadyr River and
surrounding regions were imported into Alaska from 1908 (and for the next two decades)
during the gold rush for use as
sled dogs, especially in the All-Alaska Sweepstakes (AAS), a
408 mile (657 km) distance dog sled race from Nome to Candle and back. Smaller, faster and
more enduring than the 100 to 120 pound (45 to 54 kg) freighting
dogs then in general use, they immediately dominated the Nome
Sweepstakes. Leonhard Seppala,
the foremost breeder of Siberian Huskies of the time, participated
in competitions from 1909 to the mid 1920s.
On February 2, 1925 Gunnar Kaasen
was first in the 1925 serum
run to Nome whom delivered diphtheria serum from Nenana over 600 miles to Nome. This was
a group effort comprised of several sled dog teams and mushers. The
Iditarod Trail Sled Dog
Race commemorates this famous delivery. The event is also
loosely depicted in the 1995 animated film Balto , as the name of Gunnar
Kaasen's lead dog in his sled team was named Balto. In honor of this lead dog a bronze statue
was erected at Central Park in New York City. The epitaph upon it
is inscribed with
Dedicated to the indomitable spirit of the sled dogs
that relayed antitoxin six hundred miles over rough ice, across
treacherous waters, through Arctic blizzards from Nenana to the
relief of a stricken Nome in the winter of 1925.
Endurance--fidelity--intelligence
In 1930 the last Siberians were exported
as the Soviet government closed the
borders of Siberia to external trade. The
same year saw recognition of the Siberian Husky by the American
Kennel Club. Nine years later the breed was first registered in
Canada. Today’s Siberian Huskies registered in North America are
largely the descendants of the 1930 Siberia imports and of Leonhard Seppala’s dogs. Seppala owned a
kennel in Nenana before moving to New England. Arthur Walden, owner
of Chinook Kennels of Wonalancet,
New Hampshire, was by far the most
prominent breeder of Siberian Huskies. The foundation of his kennel
stock came directly from Alaska, and Seppala's kennel.
Only beginning to come to prominence, in 1933 Navy Rear Admiral
Richard E. Byrd brought with him
around 50 Siberian Huskies, many of which were assembled and
trained at Chinook Kennels in New Hampshire, during an expedition
in which Byrd hoped to journey around the 16,000-mile coast of
Antarctica. Called Operation Highjump, this historic trek
proved the worth of the Siberian Husky due to its compact size and
greater speeds. Siberian Huskies also served in the United States Army's Arctic Search and Rescue
Unit of the Air Transport
Command during World War II.
4. 1. Dogsled racing
Siberian Huskies are still used occasionally as sled dogs in dogsled racing but have been widely
replaced by the more popular Alaskan
Husky and hound-type crossbreeds that are specially bred and
selected for speed and have less heavy coats. Freight Siberian
Huskies were selectively bred to pull a medium load over long
distances at a medium pace, and simply can't keep up with their
faster counterparts. Siberians are still popular in races
restricted to purebreds and are faster than other pure sled dog
breeds such as the Samoyed and
slower but much stronger Alaskan Malamute. Today the breed tends to
divide along lines of “racing” Siberians versus “show”
Siberians.
Apart from dog sled racing, they are very popular for
recreational mushing and are also used for skijoring (one to three
dogs pulling a skier) and European ski-pulka. A few owners use them for
dog-packing and hiking. They have also seen use as therapy dogs.
In the United Kingdom, husky
racing on forest tracks using specially designed tricycles, known
as rigs, instead of sledges is popular during the winter
months.
5. Siberian Huskies in media and culture
* Balto, famous lead dog of the last team
of the 1925 serum run to
Nome.
* Togo, Leonhard Seppala's
famous leader.
* Barko from the Uncle Scrooge story, "North of the Yukon."
* Exile from Road
Rovers.
* The sled team from the Disney movie Snow Dogs.
* Diefenbaker from the
hit television series Due
South.
* Six of the eight dogs on the sled team from the Disney movie Eight Below.
* Tusky Husky the Husky Alien from Krypto the Superdog.
* Jenna from Balto,
Balto 2: Wolf Quest, &
Balto 3: Wings of
Change.
* Poppy, Galford's companion from
Samurai Shodown.
* Shadow from the game Dead to
Rights, is a Police dog but
appears to be a more vicious husky.
* Jonathan, a white Siberian, is the official mascot of University of Connecticut.
* King, mascot of Northeastern University.
* Kyoto, a white Siberian owned by the current leader of the
Liberal Party of Canada,
Stephane Dion. Kyoto was named
after the Kyoto Protocol.
* Based on a true story, Iron
Will, a film by Disney starring a
group of Siberian huskies and their young owner partaking a
dog-sled race. Also starring Kevin
Spacey.
* Blizzard T. Husky, mascot
of Michigan
Technological University.
* University of Saskatchewan (Canada) uses
the Husky as their mascot and team name; The U of S
Huskies.
Copyright (c) 2008 Kitt Killion Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License".
Taken or modified, in whole or part, from Wikipedia.org
