If you are looking for a dog as a pet for your family and not sure what breed to choose, here is a little information for you about the Siberian Husky. Some of this information will be from the American Kennel Club and some information will be from my personal experience. We have owned 4 huskies over the last 20 years and we have found that they are excellent dogs. I would highly recommend the Siberian Husky as an excellent medium dog breed. Our current huskies name is Meisha, she is approximately 5 years old and is a wonderful companion to my husband as well as my "lap" dog. She has an excellent temperament and my grandchildren love to play with her.

The Siberian Husky is a medium size, dense coat working breed dog. They originally came from North-Eastern Siberia and were bred to pull heavy loads long distances through snowy, harsh conditions. They were later imported to Alaska during the gold rush and after that, they spread into Canada and the lower United States. The husky quickly earned the status of family pets due to their wonderful nature and disposition.

Male Siberian Huskies will range from about 50-75 pounds and the females from 35-60 pounds and they stand approximately 20-23 inches high. Their coat is thicker than most dogs and is comprised of two layers. The first layer is a dense undercoat and the second is a longer topcoat of short, straight hair. This double coat protects them against harsh Arctic winters and also reflects heat in the summer. Their colors range from black to white and brown/red in color. Their thick coats do need weekly grooming and when they are in their shedding season, I would recommend brushing them every other day or so with a soft wire type brush to get down to the undercoat.

The American Kennel Club describes the husky's eyes as almond shaped and may be ice-blue, dark blue, amber or brown. In some huskies, one or both eyes may be partially colored or they may have one brown eye and one blue. All of these eye color combinations are considered acceptable by the AKC. Meisha's eyes are both ice-blue and people often comment on her "beautiful eyes. Blue-eyed dogs are more "light sensitive" than others, just as blue eyes tend to be more light sensitive in humans.

Huskies normally have 6-8 puppies in a litter and will live for approximately 12-15 years. DNA analysis confirms that this is one of the oldest breeds of dogs in the world. The name "Husky" comes from the nickname "Esky", which once applied to the Eskimo dogs. Huskies are territorial and will challenge other dogs that come into their domain, but are not overly aggressive with them, but will let them know who the boss is. Huskies do tend to wander. They are "hunters" and will go off hunting. The best way to keep a husky from wandering is if they have a friend at home. Another husky or a same size or larger breed dog makes the best "friends" for them. They tend to want to chase smaller dogs than themselves. They make friends easily and all of my huskies have loved to ride, in anything, cars, trucks, side-by-sides, etc. The females do not tend to wander off as much, but still a friend to play at home or a large fenced in area is ideal to give them plenty of room to run and play and yet not be able to wander off.

Huskies are very intelligent dogs and learn quickly. In my experience they are very easy to house-train and prefer to "go" outside. They do not tend to jump up on people, which is good when you have children. They really love children and are very patient with them. Huskies become bored easily and need toys or friends to keep them occupied. When they become bored is when they like to dig or wander off.

Huskies rarely bark, but they will "talk" to you. The will make a howling type of sound when they want your attention. They actually are talking to you in their own language. My grandchildren love it when Meisha talks to us. They always ask me what she is saying, as if I really knew, but I can make a good guess. Huskies are not aggressive towards strangers, but strangers usually won't get out of the car without us there, as the husky does look similar to the wolf. Children usually refer to my dog as the "wolf dog".

Over all, the Siberian Husky is friendly, loyal and energetic. I would highly recommend the Siberian Husky for a pet and a great addition to any family!