What it takes to keep a siberian husky 
Housing a siberian husky:
Kennel: Siberian huskies require a very strong and preferably a 6 ft. fence. Some learn to climb or jump and vault themselves over a fence.
If they are kept outside they need to have shade and water available at all times. Summer is hard on them because of all their fur and they need
to have cool water to be able to put their feet in and drink to cool off. Winter for your siberian husky is just right as long as they do have some kind
of shelter to get in out of the elements. There are various surfaces that people use for their kennels. We use a strong fence buried under road gravel.
It has to be renewed with more 2-3 times a year. We formerly used farm lime washed in every couple of months to freshen up and absorb odors but
have since switched to Sweet PDZ as it works so much better to control odor. Our kennels during the summer are opened up on the sides but always
covered with a metal roof. We have a fresh source of water all day during the summer in every pen. We use 3 ft. long x 1 ft high sheep tanks with a
continual supply of running water. I realize with water limitations in some places this would not work. Our dogs love it and it keeps them cool.
Children’s solid plastic swimming pools work real good also. During the winter the pens are completely enclosed with strong reinforced plastic.
outside of our kennel one of the large pens
Exercise: All of our dogs get to run in 2 separate pastures that are all totally fenced in. We have 2 so we can separate them if we have bitches in
season. Otherwise they all run together and get along fine except for a few misunderstandings once in a while. We never leave them alone while they
are out running. You never know when they might figure out how to climb the fence. They are very smart!!! We have tried exercising with our ATV
and it works fairly well. If you join a kennel club one of the neat things to do with your siberian husky is agility. It is good exercise for them and also
for you. If you have places to sled or go skijoring or ride your bike with an attachment for your dog they will love it. They also like to dig and seem to
hear or smell small creatures so hopefully you don’t mind a few holes here and there in your landscape.
Sledding Equipment: We just recently purchased a sled and training rig from a person that use to train her Alaskan
Malamutes. We are going to slowly start training a few of our dogs to start learning how to pull.
Temperament: Siberian huskies love people and love kids especially. We have had only two that were shy. They like to be around people or
other dogs and like to give kisses. We have had several of our dogs do pet therapy at nursing homes and the residents love them.
They seem to relate to little kids very well and would do great in a place with children as a companion or an incentive for the children to apply
themselves more verbally or physically. Most cannot be trusted around small animals including cats. There are however some people that have
been able to have them with their cat if introduced when young. They see most small animals as prey and they have a very high prey instinct.
They are very independent and sometimes it takes some strong commands and training or they will be the master and not you. They are very
intelligent and it really does not take that much training for them to learn simple obedience commands.
Even though siberian huskies love kids never leave a small child or baby alone with them or any dog especially when they are
initially getting to know each other. You need to be able to read the temperament of your dog and evaluate all possible scenarios
that could happen when it concerns a small child or baby. Use every caution when it relates to your children and your dog.
Playing in the snow Playing in the snow
House dog: Most siberian huskies are perfectly happy being a house dog as long as they get to go out on a leash for walks or run in the yard for
their exercise. They can be perfectly happy taking over your couch or your bed or just laying at your feet. If you want a dog that will fetch toys
they are not the ideal dog for that. They may do it a couple of times and then simply look at you with a (you threw it so go get it yourself) stare
or just quit fetching. They can be trained in obedience but have the same attitude about it as they do fetching. They can also do agility with the
same attitude. Some of our dogs love to get in the show ring and others will do it but don’t really want to. Most of our siberian huskies love
stuffed dog toys that squeak and will play with them until they are all torn apart. Make sure you don’t leave any food out that they can get into
as mine are always looking for something to eat. One last thing and it is by no means trivial. If you don’t like dogs that shed or it really bothers
you to have hair from your dogs on your clothes or your couch, your carpet, your bed or for that matter anywhere, a siberian husky is not for
you. They usually shed twice a year and at least one of these times quite a bit. Siberian huskies on the whole keep themselves very clean and
usually do not have a doggy odor (very big plus) like some dogs but they can’t comb themselves when they are shedding and it will be up to you
to keep them brushed especially during shedding season.
Feeding your Siberian Husky:
Siberian Huskies are pretty easy keepers as far as feeding. Our adult ones eat around 2 Cups per day. Their average weight is between 45-55 at
our house. Once in a while some have more sensitive stomachs and you have to keep trying different foods until you find the right combination.
Recently I had a question asked about putting weight on their siberian husky. I usually have the opposite problem but anyway it is a problem that
some people have and so one of the supplements some people use is Satin Balls. I looked up several recipes but here is what sounds like
a goodrecipe.
Satin Balls Now if you are trying to lose weight we have been successful by reducing their food and substituting that amount with green beans and adding
a good supplement to replace any loss of vitamins and minerals.
Skin and Coat:
There is one thing that I have noticed after having rasied several litters of siberian husky puppies. This is most noticeable on darker colors of
puppies, they have a problem with dry flaky skin which is predominate on the back of the head, neck and along the back. I have tried baths
with an oatmeal shampoo and brushing and the bath helps somewhat and I've been told to add more oil to the diet but none of these things
have helped. I finally stumbled on a reason for this. The sebeaceous glands that secrete oil are not active on young puppies and usually until they
are about 4 months old are not working as they do on the adult dogs. So keep you puppy brushed and clean but don't worry too much about the
dry flaky skin unless it does not clear up after they are about 4-5 months old. Like I said it is more noticeable on the dark reds and the blacks and
recently that is what I have been producing. As far as adult dogs it is amazing how they can get muddy and dirty and if left alone overnight they
look amazingly clean. Siberian huskies clean themelves very well. They do however need a bath now and then cause they are not getting all that
dirt underneath that clean looking coat.
Should I breed my dog: Below is a a document that I have provided a link to that has a wealth of information about what to do before deciding
to breed your dog. It is a well written article and I think that you will find it very useful. With this last litter of mine I have encountered several
problems that I had never had previously. Although I have had siberians for years I am always learning something new. I hope this information is
useful to you.
Have you checked the clearances of the dog or bitch that you plan on breeding to your dog? Have you researched your dogs pedigree and what
kennels lines would be appropiate to breed to your own line? What are you trying to do to maintain or better in your own breeding program?
Another useful site to refer to for siberian huskie related information is the SHHF. 
This is the Siberian Husky Health Foundation Web Site
Showing a siberian husky: I have not mentioned anything in my website about showing a siberian husky, however I am always willing to
share any information that I can with people that have an interest in this endeavor. We do encourage obedience training with any new puppy
whether you learn and do it on your own or at a training facility as you will be happier with a dog that is not misbehaving and you can walk with
and have better control. We have had siberian huskies since 1993 and have shown for about 12 years. It takes alot of time and money to show on
a regular basis and the average person just has a hard time doing this. However we have spent alot of time and money trying to either buy or
breed to get the best representatives of the breed according to the standard. Also like most breeders do we have our own preference and ideas
as to what best represents what we think the siberian husky should look like. We also strive for that dog that has that fluid effortless gait in the
ring. Our kennel is small but we have been very competitive with the dogs that we have shown. One thing we haven't been able to do is to try
our hand at sledding. Our dogs get to do alot of running on our pasture area but it would be nice sometime to actually have our dogs pulling a
sled.
We breed only our show quality dogs that have had various testing to make sure that they are free of any genetic problems that we know and
therefore we would of course like to have some of our puppies go to show homes.
When a dog is sold as a show puppy I do expect that this puppy will be shown. I will sell a puppy to people if they want to breed only with
special approval. Some considerations will also be given to people that want a show potential puppy that do not want to show.
With all my puppies I want to impress upon the new owners that I will occasionally contact them to see how the puppy is doing. I would like
to be kept informed as to how they are progressing. The health and well being of my puppies are very important to me as a breeder and as
a pet owner.
More important however is that they go to a home where they are going to be loved and appreciated for being a beautiful and intelligent dog
that will give you many years of companionship and love.