Buzz
The Husky (Siberian Husky) is popular for its friendly personality and easy-to-care-for fur coat. They are loyal dogs, making them a great choice for families. However, Huskies are also known for their stubbornness and can be challenging to train. If you're considering bringing a cute Husky pup into your home, it's important to be prepared for the journey ahead. The decisions you make during the early stages of training and care will greatly influence your dog's behavior as it grows.
Steps
Health Care for Your Puppy
Feed your puppy three times a day, then gradually reduce to two meals. An adult Husky should only be fed twice a day. However, a puppy needs to be fed more frequently. Feed your Husky pup three times a day until they are three months old, then reduce to two meals.
- Before reaching three months, if your pup doesn’t finish its meals or has a full stomach after three meals, divide the daily portion into four meals.
- When your puppy is 12 to 16 weeks old, you may notice they eat less at the evening meal. At this point, you can stop feeding them in the evening.
- Provide high-quality food for your pup – avoid options filled with additives. This is essential for dogs of all ages, especially growing puppies.
- Regular feeding helps with potty training, as Huskies generally need to go outside 15-30 minutes after eating.
- Do not allow your Husky to “free feed” at any age. Feeding them at set times and removing the bowl after they finish will help your stubborn Husky understand that you are the leader.
Brush your puppy’s fur instead of bathing. Huskies are naturally clean dogs. They will lick themselves and only have a slight scent. As a result, you can bathe your Husky once a year. However, their thick fur requires regular brushing.
- For most of the time, you should brush your dog once a week. Take this opportunity to clean their ears and brush their teeth as well.
- During shedding season, brushing your dog daily will help reduce the amount of fur around your house.
Care for your puppy’s paws. As Huskies are working dogs, their paws are vital to them. You should trim the long fur around their paws and nails.
- Dogs have blood vessels in their nails, so it's important not to cut them too short. If you're inexperienced in trimming dog nails, it's best to seek help from a professional groomer or veterinarian, or at least ask them to guide you.
Check your puppy’s eyes. Since Huskies are prone to eye problems, it is essential to have your puppy’s eyes checked from an early age. Huskies are often diagnosed with the following conditions:
- Cataracts, a condition where a layer of film covers the lens of the eye.
- Corneal dystrophy, causing the dog’s cornea to become cloudy. This disease commonly affects female Huskies.
- Progressive retinal atrophy, a condition that causes the dog’s eyes to deteriorate over time, leading to blindness.
- These conditions are usually hereditary. Research the parent dogs to estimate the likelihood of your puppy inheriting these conditions.
Create an Ideal Environment for Your Puppy
Secure your home and yard to prevent escape. Huskies are escape artists among dogs. You’ll need to secure your home and make every effort to prevent them from running away.
- Owning a Husky requires caution and constant vigilance. You will also need to build a fence that is at least 1.8 meters high and difficult for them to dig under. Reinforcing the bottom of the fence with concrete or wire mesh is an effective method.
Give your husky plenty of exercise. Huskies are naturally energetic, so they require A LOT of physical activity.
- As a breed originally used for work, huskies can become bored if they don't have a job to do. To keep your husky happy, ensure it gets 30 to 60 minutes of intense exercise daily.
- Huskies are great for running once they’re a bit older. They enjoy running, playing, and chasing things around.
- With so much energy, huskies can get bored quickly. If they don't get enough exercise, they may howl and cause destruction around your home.
Introduce your husky to people and other pets. Huskies have a friendly nature, but like all dogs, they need to socialize in order to feel comfortable around humans and other animals. Make sure to take your husky to different places while it’s young and introduce it to various people and other dogs.
- If your husky seems nervous or timid around people or other dogs, attending a dog training and socialization class might be a good idea. These classes help your dog learn how to interact with others effectively.
- Introducing your puppy to new experiences when it’s young will have a lasting impact on its personality. Failure to socialize can lead to unwanted behaviors like biting, barking, and possessiveness later in life.
Train your husky properly
Set reasonable boundaries. Huskies are strong-willed, so it's important to establish boundaries right away. They need to understand that you are the leader.
- Don’t let your husky sleep on your bed, as this can confuse them about their role in the family. You can make exceptions once they get older.
- Ensure that only one person in the household feeds your dog a portion of dry food. This action teaches your husky that all family members can control its food supply.
- Stick to all the rules you set. If you don’t remain consistent, your dog may learn that sometimes they can get what they want by pushing the limits. Make sure everyone in your household follows the same rules.
- Be patient. Your husky can be trained if you are firm and consistent. Huskies typically enjoy tasks in training because they are working dogs by nature.
Train your dog to go to the bathroom outside. Just like any puppy, your husky needs to be trained to potty. There are three main factors to train your dog to go outside:
- Monitor your husky. Keep an eye on your puppy indoors to avoid accidents. It’s easiest to do this by keeping your husky in a designated area. If you catch your dog in the act inside, make a loud noise and say "no!" Then immediately take them outside.
- Take your dog out for regular walks. Puppies need to go potty more often than adult dogs. To minimize indoor accidents, take your dog outside frequently and on a regular schedule.
- Reward good behavior. When your dog goes potty outside, praise them and give them a small treat. This helps your dog understand where they should relieve themselves, reinforcing the behavior. Using a clicker can speed up your husky’s learning process (see below).
Teach your dog to use a crate. An essential part of potty training your dog is teaching them to enjoy being in their crate. Dogs don’t want to soil their personal space.
- For huskies, this is a good way to minimize damage to your home when you're not around.
- When you can't supervise your puppy, place them in the crate with some food, dry kibble, and a chew toy. After some time, your dog will begin to enjoy spending time in the crate and might even seek refuge there when stressed.
- The easiest way to crate train is by initially placing food inside the crate without closing the door. After a day or two, you can start closing the door for short periods, gradually increasing the time your dog spends inside.
- Puppies under ten weeks shouldn’t stay in the crate for more than one hour. Between 11 and 14 weeks, puppies can spend up to three hours in the crate. At 15 and 16 weeks, four hours is suitable, and after 17 weeks, five hours is okay.
- Never use the crate as punishment if you want successful crate training.
Teach your dog to wear a leash. Leash training is vital for huskies. Given their natural tendency to run away, it's essential to teach them how to walk on a leash without pulling.
- Huskies are prone to running off and getting lost if not on a leash.
- Get your dog used to wearing a collar by putting it on during meals. This helps them associate the collar with positive experiences.
- Start by walking your dog around the house and reward them with food when they walk beside you without pulling the leash. Once your dog is comfortable with this, try taking them outside!
Train your dog using a clicker. Like other dogs, using a clicker is an effective way to teach commands and train your dog to follow them.
- During clicker training sessions, click the clicker every time your dog obeys a command, and immediately reward them. The combination of the sound and the reward helps your dog learn quicker and respond to the commands you're teaching.
- Begin by teaching your dog to associate the click sound with the reward. Randomly click the clicker and give a treat immediately after.
- Once your dog understands this connection, you can use the clicker with food to reward good behavior.
Prepare for the Future
Learn about the physical characteristics of a husky. Just like with any breed, understanding the physical traits of a husky brings many benefits. Huskies are robust dogs bred to work in cold climates.
- Adult male huskies typically stand between 53.3 and 59.7 cm tall and weigh between 20.4 and 27.2 kg.
- Adult female huskies are usually between 50.8 and 55.9 cm tall and weigh between 15.9 and 22.7 kg.
- Huskies generally have few health problems. However, certain issues may arise, such as eye conditions, hip dysplasia, and elbow dysplasia. These occur when joints become deformed, causing pain and difficulty in movement.
- Huskies shed a lot, especially as the weather warms. Be prepared for a lot of dog hair around your home.
- Unless there is an accident, a husky can live anywhere from 12 to 15 years. You should be prepared to care for them for at least that long.
- Huskies do not thrive in hot, humid environments. You might want to reconsider relocating to tropical cities in the near future.
Understand the temperament of a husky. It's important to familiarize yourself with the typical behaviors and personality traits of huskies to aid in training your new puppy and introducing them to others.
- Huskies are particularly energetic and independent. They're lively, full of energy, and prone to boredom. This is why they may destroy your home, garden, or belongings if left alone for too long. Because of this, they are not suited for small apartment living.
- Huskies are strong-willed and very intelligent. These traits make them great partners, but also make them harder to train compared to other breeds.
- Huskies are friendly and loyal. They live in packs and are better suited for families rather than a single owner. They are also very welcoming to strangers.
Prepare for the howling. The good news is that huskies rarely bark. The bad news is, they tend to howl loudly.
- Proper training and regular exercise can minimize this behavior. However, when you first adopt a husky, you can expect to hear howling frequently.
Advice
- Huskies are skilled escape artists, so always keep them on a leash when outside. Be sure to check your fences for weak or broken spots before letting your dog into the yard.
- A de-shedding brush is perfect for grooming your husky's fur.
- You can find a dog training clicker at any pet store. This tool is extremely helpful in training, especially when used alongside treats.
- If your husky is overheated during summer, use a cold water pool for dogs and make sure they rest in the shade. At night, set up a fan near where your dog sleeps.
Warning
- Avoid adopting a husky if you live in a hot and humid climate. They simply cannot tolerate such weather. These dogs were bred to work in the Arctic, and they will suffer in a hot environment.
- In addition to teaching your dog how to interact with children, you also need to educate the children in your home on how to interact with dogs. Never allow young children near any dog without adult supervision.
