Koomeska Huskies
A personal tribute to my team
The Siberian Husky is a medium-size, dense-coat working dog breed that originated in north-eastern Siberia. The breed belongs to the Spitz genetic family. It is recognisable by its thickly furred double coat, sickle tail, erect triangular ears, and distinctive markings.
Huskies are an active, energetic, and resilient breed whose ancestors came from the extremely cold and harsh environment of the Siberian Arctic. Siberian Huskies were bred by the Chukchi of North-eastern Asia to pull heavy loads long distances through difficult conditions.
The dogs were imported into Alaska during the Nome Gold Rush and later spread into the United States and Canada. They were initially sent to Alaska and Canada as sled dogs but rapidly acquired the status of family pets and show dogs. Because of their efficiency as a working breed, most huskies are bred to be able to withstand long work days on little amounts of food. They can travel up to 40 miles per day.
Coat
The Siberian Husky's coat is thicker than most other dog breeds, comprising two layers: a dense undercoat and a longer topcoat of short, straight guard hairs. It protects the dogs effectively against harsh Arctic winters, but the coat also reflects heat in the summer. It is able to withstand temperatures as low as -50 to -60 °C. The undercoat is often absent during shedding. Their thick coats require weekly grooming.
Siberian Huskies come in a variety of colours and patterns, usually with white paws and legs, facial markings, and tail tip. 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, though many individuals have blondish or piebald spotting. Striking masks, spectacles, and other facial markings occur in wide variety.
Eyes
The American Kennel Club describes the Siberian Husky's eyes as "an almond shape, moderately spaced and set slightly obliquely". The eyes of a Siberian Husky are ice-blue, dark blue, amber or brown. In some individual dogs, one eye may be brown and the other blue (complete heterochromia), or one or both eyes may be "parti-coloured", that is, half brown and half blue (partial heterochromia) All of these eye-colour combinations are considered acceptable by the American Kennel Club.
Nose
Show-quality dogs are preferred to have neither pointed nor square noses. The nose is black in grey dogs, tan in black dogs, liver in copper-coloured dogs, and may be flesh-coloured in white dogs. In some instances, Siberian Huskies can exhibit what is called "snow nose" or "winter nose." This condition is called hypopigmentation in animals. "Snow nose" is acceptable in the show ring.
Tail
Siberian Husky tails are heavily furred; these dogs will often curl up with their tails over faces and noses in order to provide additional warmth. The tail should be expressive, held low when the dog is relaxed, and curved upward in a "sickle" shape when excited or interested in something. It should be symmetrical, and not curved or deviated to the side; nor should it ever curl so much as to touch the back.
Size
The breed standard indicates that the males of the breed are ideally between 53 and 60 cm tall at the withers and weighing between 20 and 27kg. Females are smaller, growing to between 51 to 56 cm tall at the withers and weighing between 16 to 23 kg.
Behaviour
The Siberian Husky has been described as a behavioural representative of the domestic dog's forebear, the wolf, exhibiting a wide range of its ancestors' behaviour. They are known to howl rather than bark. If the dog is well trained when it's young, it can make a great family pet. The frequency of kennelled Siberian Huskies, especially for racing purposes, is rather high, as attributed through the history of the breed in North America. They are affectionate with people of all ages, but are independent and strong-willed.
A fifteen-minute daily obedience training class will serve well for Siberian Huskies. Siberians need consistent training and do well with a positive reinforcement training program. They rank 45th in Stanley Coren's The Intelligence of Dogs, being of average working/obedience intelligence. They tend to run because they were at first bred to be sled dogs. Owners should be advised to exercise caution when letting their Siberian Husky off the leash, as the dog could be miles away before looking around and realizing its owner is nowhere in sight or be easily hit by a vehicle. They are excellent "escape artists" as well, and have been known to climb chain-link fences and find other ways of escaping a confined area. They also get bored easily, so physical and mental stimulation on a daily basis is very important. If owners fail to give them the proper exercise they need, Huskies can exhibit unwanted behaviour, such as excessive howling, marking, chewing on furniture, or crying. They were historically bred to be working and companion animals by the Chukchi people, and should always be gentle in nature.
Intelligence
Siberian Huskies are highly intelligent, which allows them to excel in obedience trials, though many clubs would like to keep the Husky's instinct by doing sled-racing. However, because of their intelligence, they can easily become bored and may stop listening to commands. Many dog trainers usually attempt to avoid this behaviour by keeping them busy with new activities. Also due in part to their intelligence, Siberian Huskies tend to be very observant of the actions of people around them and have been known to mimic common household activities such as turning on lights with their paws and opening doors with their teeth. Some undesirable behaviours they can exhibit include opening refrigerators (and eating the food inside), climbing fences or digging tunnels in the backyard to escape. These behaviours can be prevented if the dog is given enough activity to occupy it. Huskies require both mental and physical stimulation for optimum health.
Health
Huskies, with proper care, have a typical lifespan ranging from twelve to fifteen years. Health issues in the breed are mainly genetic, such as seizures and defects of the eye (juvenile cataracts, corneal dystrophy, canine glaucoma and progressive retinal atrophy) and congenital laryngeal paralysis. Hip dysplasia is not often found in this breed; however, as with many medium or larger-sized canines, it can occur. The Orthopaedic Foundation for Animals currently has the Siberian Husky ranked 155th out of a possible 160 breeds at risk for hip dysplasia, with only two percent of tested Siberian Huskies showing dysplasia.
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.