What Is Good About Huskies?

Before you buy or rescue a dog, it's important to find out about the breed's traits to make sure it suits your needs and lifestyle. Husky is a blanket term for several sled-pulling sub-breeds, the most popular of which are the Siberian and Alaskan huskies. However, all types of husky are similar in appearance and temperament and have several good points.

  1. Intelligence

    • Huskies are intelligent dogs that can be trained to excel in obedience trials, heel work and other activities that require a highly trained dog. They're also observant and sometimes copy common behaviors of their owners. The downside of this is that they can learn to open doors and fridges, which are normally undesirable actions for a dog. Due to their intelligence, they can easily become bored of repetitive training, so short training sessions, with lots of treats, work best.

    Friendliness

    • If you want a dog that is good natured and friendly toward people and other dogs, a husky fits the bill. Because they were bred as pack animals, they relish in companionship, either canine or human, and see everyone as a potential new friend. Despite the inborn tendency toward friendliness, you should still make sure you properly socialize your dog. Huskies' sweet nature also means that they definitely don't make good guard dogs.

    Playful

    • Huskies are playful, energetic and athletic. They love to play games such as fetch and tug-of-war. These dogs love the outdoors and need lots of exercise, so this is good if you enjoy hiking, walking or just being out among nature. However, huskies do have a tendency to wander off, and have little to no homing instinct, so it's important to make sure you walk your dog on a leash.

    Easy to Care For

    • Many consider huskies easy to keep. They require a surprisingly small amount of food for their size and will leave part of a meal, or even completely refuse it, if they feel they don't need it. The breed also keeps itself clean and rarely gets parasites or bad odors. Their coat requires regular brushing, but they don't need clipping. They do shed their coats twice a year. However, many other breeds shed less fur but much more often.