THE BREED
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Someone once commented to us
that a Siberian husky is like a
potato chip; you can't have just
one. |
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True enough! It is true because
they are pack animals by nature
and do best with at least one
other dog and/or a human family
that can spend a good portion of
every single day with them,
preferably including exercise.
It is also true because the
Siberian husky has a magical,
even mystical and primitive,
quality that is truly
captivating. Loyal, dedicated,
intuitive, playful, smart,
loving, graceful and with an
independent sense of spirit that
one can never quite capture, the
characteristics of the Siberian
hark back to their roots as
partially domesticated working
dogs in Siberia. As Jon Katz
says in his book A Good Dog,
“dogs live in their own sphere,
by their own lights”. They are
true unto themselves and as
such, their respect must be
earned. |
Devoted with a free
spirit. |
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Pup exploring the
world. |
Once earned however, their love
and loyalty know no bounds, but
still, they are never blindly
obedient. This makes the
Siberian more high maintenance
than some other breeds. Each
individual dog has its own
personality and characteristics,
but there are certain common
traits for the breed as a whole
that must be understood and
accepted for successful
ownership. Key among them are:
the need to be safely contained
at all times, their predatory
instinct, early training that
focuses on positive
reinforcement, their love of
digging, their need for daily
exercise and their need to have
either a canine and/or a human
family. |
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In this vein, an owner must also
be willing to learn dog speak
(especially if there enough dogs
to have a pack and therefore
pack behavior) so that the
Siberian can be accepted for who
s/he is; you can't blame a
Siberian for being a Siberian!
This is where many people get
into trouble and end up unhappy
with their dogs as a result. Rather than reinvent the
wheel, there are two links
below, one from the
Siberian Husky Club of America
and one from the
American Kennel Club with
short articles, that explain
this breed very well. If you are
seriously considering joining
the fold of Siberian husky
owners, we strongly suggest that
you read these articles to learn
more about this wonderful and,
be forewarned, addicting breed,
for they can in fact be just
like potato chips! |
On the trail. |
KEEPING A SIBERIAN
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No matter how bonded we are with
any of our dogs, they cannot be
allowed to run free precisely
because it is in their genetic
make up to run ... and run ...
and run and because they are
prey driven at a instinctual
level (they simply aren't able
to ignore small animals or an
enticing scent). This was a big
adjustment after having owned
Golden Retrievers for 30 years,
dogs who could go in and out of
the house at will. There are
many good ways to set up a
kennel, the two basic choices
being between tie outs and
kennels.
The majority of toys and bones
on the market are not sturdy
enough for the adult Siberian
(while they adore stuffed toys,
they are shredded in 30
seconds!) so it is important to
choose carefully and to
supervise their use. For bones
we use the practically
indestructible Nylabone Durable
for long term use and
periodically give them the treat
of a large smoked knuckle bone
from the butcher that they can't
splinter.
Siberians are pack
animals by nature and do
best with at least one other
dog and/or a human family
that can spend a good
portion of every single day
with them, preferably
including exercise. It is
also true because the
Siberian husky has a
magical, even mystical and
primitive, quality that is
truly captivating. Loyal,
dedicated, intuitive,
playful, smart, loving,
graceful and with an
independent sense of spirit
that one can never quite
capture, the characteristics
of the Siberian hark back to
their roots as partially
domesticated working dogs in
Siberia. As Jon Katz says in
his book A Good Dog, “dogs
live in their own sphere, by
their own lights”. They are
true unto themselves and as
such, their respect must be
earned. |
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BOOKS
There are a lot of really good
books out there about dogs; some
informational, some that recount
an adventure, some true
narratives about owning dogs,
and some fictional. Since you
are on our site, we assume you
are interested in dogs! And
perhaps also dog sledding. We
could make an enormous list of
books, but instead, we share
with you our short list of
favorites that are mostly
centered on the Siberian husky
and dog sledding. There are of
course some out there that we
haven't discovered, so if you
know of a good one, let us know!
~ The Siberian Husky: Able
Athlete, Able Friend. Michael
Jennings.
~ The New Complete Siberian
Husky. Michael Jennings.
~ The Siberian Husky, 3rd ed.
Published by the International
Siberian Husky Club.
N7002 Peck Station Rd. Elkhorn,
WI 53131
~ A New Owner's Guide to
Siberian Huskies. Kathleen
Kanzler.
~ Running North. Ann Mariah
Cook.
~ The Cruelest Miles: The Heroic
Story of Dogs and Men in a Race
Against an
Epidemic. Gay Salisbury & Laney
Salisbury.
~ Race Across Alaska: First
Woman to Win the Iditarod Tells
Her Story.
~ Iditarod Dreams: A Year in the
Life of Alaskan Sled Dog Racer.
DeeDee
Jonrowe.
~ Sled Dog Trails. Mary Shields.
~ Woodsong. Gary Paulson.
~ WinterDance. Gary Paulson
~ Dog Driver: A Guide for the
Serious Musher. Miki and Julie
Collins.
~ Training Your Lead Dogs. Lee
Fishback.
~ The Art of Raising a Puppy.
The Monks of New Skete.
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