Siberian Huskies are an ancient breed, with known history dating back thousands of years. Originally bred as sled dogs, these beautiful but very hard-working dogs were hooked to sleds in teams of five or more and were capable of pulling heavy loads great distances. Today, Siberians are very much a part of modern life and are wonderful companion dogs. An active breed, Siberians love to camp and hike, walk, jog, pull sleds and wagons, and play with family's children.

Temperament

Siberian Huskies are fun loving dogs. Very people oriented, Siberians need to spend time with their people; time to play, exercise, learn obedience skills and social rules, and even just quiet time. This deside to be with people affects all aspects of his life. A Siberian is not a good dog to be left alone in the backyard all day. When bored or lonely, the Siberian may become destructive, digging up the yard, ripping up your garden, or tearing up the garden furniture. In a desire to be with people, some Siberians become incredible escape artists--jumping over fences or digging out of the yard. Siberians can find the fun in anything and will. Puppies will play with anything and love chasing butterflies, balls, toys, and even airplanes high in the sky. Even grown up mature adults retain a sense of fun and will turn into a clown when given any excuse to do so. If you decide to add a Siberian to your life, you better LOVE to laugh!

Physical Appearance

Siberian Huskies are medium-sized dogs, no taller then 23 inches at the shoulder, and between 40-65 pounds in weight. The females are smaller and more feminine in appearance. The Siberian has the dense coat, brush tail, and erect ears normally associated with the northern breeds. The Siberian Husky is a working breed and should appear athletic and able to do the work for which it was bred.

Siberian Huskies Needs

Before you decide to add a Siberian Husky to your family, make sure you can fulfill the dog's needs. First of all, your time and companionship is of the utmost importance. As was mentioned earlier, Siberians do very poorly alone in a backyard all day. This is a companion breed that needs to spend time with you.

You will also have to have a securely fenced yard. As a working dog, Siberians are very curious and given a chance, will wander off to explore. A large yard is wonderful, but even a dog run (no smaller than 10 feet by 30 feet) is acceptable as long as the dog gets plenty of time out of the run with you.

You must also have some means of exercising the dog. If you like to go jogging, that's fine, but if you are not a jogger, you will need to think of an alternative. Perhaps you can teach the dog to run next to your bicycle or you can take the dog swimming on a regular basis. A young healthy Siberian should NOT be a couch potato!!

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do research about the breed before buying the cute little puppy. Thousands of huskies end up in pounds and shelters every year due to lack of knowledge about the breed. These are cute puppies but they grow up to be dogs, and dogs are a life-long commitment, 10-15 years. So please read about the breed, decide if this dog is right for you!

Here is a couple of books I suggest you read. These are few of the books I own about Siberians but I feel will be appropriate for new owners to read to get information about the breed.

The Siberian Husky: Able Athlete, Able Friend
By: Michael Jennings

This book has a great history about the breed!

Siberian Husky
By Lorna Winslette
This book is a Kennel Club Book. It is a great comprehensive guide to owning and caring for huskies.

A New Owner's Guide to Siberian Huskies
By: Kathleen Kanzler
This is a pretty detailed book about owning huskies.

Siberian Huskies
By: Kerry Kern
A nice complete pet owner's manual. This is some light reading. A nice flip through book.