Living With a Husky
Huskies are wonderful dogs that a lot of people give up on. Here's the stuff to know before you bring one home.
Northern breeds have a double coat: a dense, soft undercoat under longer guard hairs. Expect steady shedding plus a heavy "coat blow" once or twice a year, when the undercoat comes out in clumps. Brush often during a blow. Don't shave a husky. The coat insulates against heat as well as cold, and it may grow back badly.
These dogs were bred to run all day. A bored husky will make its own fun, usually with your couch or your drywall. Plan on daily vigorous exercise like running, hiking, canicross, bikejoring or scootering, plus puzzle feeders and training for their brains.
Huskies are famous for digging under, climbing over and slipping through fences. Use a tall fence, block digging along the bottom, add latches they can't nose open, and never leave them alone in the yard for long. Microchip them and keep your contact details up to date.
Many huskies have a strong urge to chase small animals, including cats, rabbits, squirrels and chickens. Some live happily with a cat they grew up with, and some never can. That's a big reason most husky people keep them on leash or in a securely fenced area.
Huskies aren't usually big barkers, but they howl, "woo," grumble and argue back. It's charming until 6 a.m. Exercise and a routine help, and so does a sense of humor. Shared walls can be a real problem.
Huskies live in warm places, but you have to be smart about it. Exercise at dawn or dusk, provide shade and plenty of water, and keep them inside with air conditioning on hot days. Know the signs of heatstroke: heavy panting, drooling, weakness, a bright red tongue or collapse. Heatstroke is an emergency, so call your vet right away.
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Daily life, training, shedding and rescue, from people who live with these dogs. The YouTube player loads only when you press play. See all husky videos →
Quick quiz
Seven quick questions. We don't ask for your email, and we don't save your answers.
How this works: each answer scores 2, 1 or 0 points (the first option in each question is worth 2, the last is worth 0), for a total out of 14. 11 to 14 is "Husky-ready", 7 to 10 is "Possible, with some changes", and 0 to 6 is "Maybe not right now". It's a rough guide to start a conversation, not a guarantee. Every dog is different, so talk with a rescue about the specific dog you're considering.