Siberian Huskies for Dummies

Discover how to raise, train, and enjoy your Siberian Husky with this fantastic resource 

The Second Edition of Siberian Huskies For Dummies offers the most up-to-date information about welcoming a Siberian Husky into your home and loving your new family member. Author and Husky owner Diane Morgan walks you through how to care for these beautiful, curious, and engaging dogs, as she: 

• Suggests ideal methods for adopting and selecting a Husky right for you  
• Examines ways to socialize your new Husky 
• Shares details about Siberian Husky grooming and veterinary care 
• Provides additional information about behavior correction and training 

Siberian Huskies For Dummies is packed full of practical tips about how to raise and have fun with your young or old Siberian Husky. The author shares her advice in plain English for people looking for accessible and approachable information. 

Perfect for new and experienced husky owners, Siberian Huskies For Dummies also belongs on the bookshelves of anyone who’s ever considered adopting one of these magnificent animals. 

Diane Morgan is a Master Instructor of English, Communication, and Modern Languages at Indian River State College in Florida. She's also a writer and longtime owner of many breeds of dog. The Siberian Husky—with its fascinating beauty, personality, and history—is one of her absolute favorites.

Introduction 1

About This Book 1

Foolish Assumptions 2

Icons Used in This Book 2

Where to Go from Here 3

Part 1: Getting to Know Your Siberian Husky 5

Chapter 1: The Lowdown on Siberian Huskies, Just the Basics 7

Knowing What to Look for: A Husky’s Breed Standard 7

Understanding Why Huskies Make Great Pets 10

Picking a Husky: Where to Go and Where to Avoid 11

Introducing Your Husky to His New Home 12

Ensuring you have the right supplies 13

Listening to your Husky 13

Helping your Husky make new friends 14

Incorporating some discipline and training 15

Keeping an eye open for behavior issues 16

Caring for Your Husky 17

Making sure your Husky has proper nutrition 17

Giving your Siberian a spa treatment 18

Ensuring your Husky is healthy 18

Noting any changes in your Husky’s health 19

Chapter 2: Recognizing What a Siberian Husky Is (and Isn’t) 23

Examining the Siberian Husky Breed Standard 23

Size 24

Body 25

Front view 25

Back view 26

Neck 26

Skull 26

Teeth 26

Expression 26

Eyes 26

Ears 28

Feet 28

Tail 28

Coat texture 28

Color 29

Nose 31

Gait 32

Temperament 32

Comparing the Lookalikes and Imposters 32

Alaskan Malamutes 33

Samoyeds 33

“Alaskan Huskies” 33

“Miniature Huskies” 34

Alaskan Klee Kai 34

Northern Inuit Dog 34

Wolves and wolf-hybrids 34

Part 2: Looking for Your Soul Mate 37

Chapter 3: Selecting a Siberian Husky 39

Determining Whether a Husky Is Right for You 40

A Husky’s heritage 40

Children 41

Financial considerations 42

Your house 42

Climate 43

Time and exercise 43

Legal considerations 44

Commitment 44

Finding Your Dog 44

Your first option: The breeder route 45

Your second option: The shelter/rescue route 50

Avoiding pet stores 51

Choosing the Right Puppy 52

General condition 53

Size 53

Sex 53

Color 54

Eyes 54

Ears 54

Temperament 54

Age 55

Recognizing When Your Husky Puppy Matures 56

Chapter 4: Outfitting Your New Husky 57

Selecting the Right Collars, Leashes, and Harnesses 57

Collars 58

Taking your friend on a walk: A leash 60

Protecting your dog’s neck: Harnesses 60

Using ID Tags 61

Choosing Food and Water Dishes 62

Focusing on Grooming Tools 63

Picking a Place for Your Husky to Sleep 64

Finding the Right Crate 65

Understanding when to use a crate 65

Considering your options 66

Getting Chew Toys 67

Considering great toy choices 68

Steering clear of certain toys 68

Considering Pet Doors 69

Considering an Outdoor Kennel 70

Adding a Dog Gate 70

Part 3: Living with a Siberian Husky 71

Chapter 5: Welcoming Home Your Husky 73

Choosing a Veterinary Practice 74

Naming or Renaming Your New Dog 76

Surviving the First Day and Night 76

Feeding your new dog his first meal 77

Helping your dog adapt to his new family 77

Reassuring your dog on his first night 77

Determining Whether Dog Is an Indoor or Outdoor Dog 78

Securing your Husky outdoors 78

Keeping your Husky hydrated outside or inside 79

Wintertime fun: Keeping your Husky outdoors 79

Summertime blues: Helping your Husky avoid heat stress 80

Giving Your Pup the Love, Exercise, and Discipline He Needs 81

Knowing when your Husky needs exercise 81

Rewarding your dog 82

Housetraining Your Husky 82

Using crates to help housetrain 83

Getting the basics of housetraining 84

Figuring out what’s behind the accidents your Husky has 86

Cleaning Up: Siberian Housekeeping 87

Taking care of the yard 88

Getting rid of urine stains 89

Dealing with vomit 90

Cleaning up blood 90

Chapter 6: Figuring Out What Your Husky Is Telling You 91

Picking Up on What Your Dog Is Saying: Audible Cues 92

Barking 92

Howling 92

Wooing 94

Whining 94

Growling 94

Yelping 94

Soundless chattering 94

Interpreting Your Husky’s Body Language: Visual Cues 95

Circling and sniffing 95

Mounting behavior 95

Pawing 96

Bowing 96

Nudging or punching 96

Wanting a belly rub 96

Hand-holding 97

Mouth-licking 97

Constant licking or tail-chewing 97

Reading Your Dog’s Facial Gestures 98

Watching Your Husky’s Tail 99

Making Sense of Weird Behavior 99

Rolling in nasty stuff 100

Scooting 100

Eating grass 100

Rock eating 101

Eating feces 101

Noticing Your Siberian’s Sleeping Style 102

Chapter 7: Socializing Your Siberian 105

Interacting with Your Puppy 105

Visiting with your Siberian 106

Staying safe: No dog kisses 107

Enrolling in puppy kindergarten 107

Introducing Your Siberian to Children 107

Training the children to be pet-friendly 108

Dealing with toddlers and your dog 108

Getting your Husky ready for a baby 109

Helping your Husky welcome a baby into your family 110

Introducing Your Husky to Other Animals 110

Other dogs 111

Cats 111

Birds 112

Livestock 112

Small pets 112

Chapter 8: Training Your Husky 113

Training the Family before You Train Your Dog 114

Setting Your Training Goals 115

Agreeing on Commands 116

Commanding without words 116

Paying attention to your tone of voice 117

Using your dog’s name 117

Teaching Your Husky the Basics 117

Watch Me! 117

Come 118

No! 119

Sit 120

Stay 120

Down 121

Leave or Get Out 121

Off 122

Give It and Drop It 122

Heel 122

Correcting forging in your Husky 123

Taking Advantage of Formal Obedience Training 125

Chapter 9: Solving Bad Behavior 127

Coping with Separation Anxiety 128

Sensitize yourself 129

Desensitize the dog 130

Medicate the dog when necessary 131

Coping with the Thunder Phobia 132

Addressing the Vocalist 132

Dealing with Holes: The Digger 133

Stay observant 134

Discourage digging 134

Chomping on Everything: The Chewer 135

Understanding why dogs chew 135

Curing chewing 136

Preventing chair chomping 137

Stealing Set-Out Food: The Counter-Cruiser 137

Dumping Trash: The Trashman 138

Running Off: The Escape Artist 139

Hunting Other Animals: The Big (or Small) Game Hunter 140

Heading for the Door: The Charger 140

Being Playful: The Nipper 141

Getting Your Attention: The Jumper 141

Chapter 10: Dealing with Aggression 143

Establishing Your Leadership 143

Handling Aggression 144

Relative dominance among dogs 145

Predatory aggression 147

Aggression toward people 147

Understanding Types of Aggressive Behavior 149

Fear-induced aggression 149

Territorial aggression 150

Food or toy guarding 150

Pain-induced aggression 151

Irritable aggression 151

Maternal protectiveness 152

Genetically based aggression 152

Environmental aggression 152

Hiring a Professional 153

Avoiding Dog Bites 153

Part 4: Keeping Your Husky Healthy 155

Chapter 11: Feeding Your Husky 157

Knowing Your Husky’s Nutritional Needs 157

Protein 158

Fat 159

Minerals 160

Water 160

Carbohydrates 161

Reading the Labels 161

Taking a Look at the Main Types of Dog Food 163

Dry food 163

Canned food 164

Semi-moist food 164

People food 164

Considering Supplements 166

Figuring Out How Much to Feed Your Dog 166

Looking at Performance, Maintenance, and Low-Calorie Foods 167

Feeding your puppy 168

Feeding your senior dog 168

Chapter 12: Grooming Your Siberian 169

Brushing and Combing Your Husky 169

Basic grooming 101: Important points to remember 170

Combing and brushing: Easy-peasy 171

Bathing Your Husky 173

Dealing with Shedding 174

Paying Attention to Your Husky’s Entire Body 176

Feet 176

Nails 176

Teeth 177

Eyes 179

Ears 179

Anal sacs 179

Finding a Professional Groomer 180

Chapter 13: Focusing on Your Husky’s Health and Wellbeing 181

Knowing What to Expect on the First Vet Checkup 182

Neutering and Spaying: The Biggest Decision 182

Eyeing why you’d want to spay your Husky 183

Considering why not to spay your Husky 183

Eyeing why you’d want to neuter your Husky 184

Choosing not to neuter your Husky 185

Examining Vaccines in Plain English 185

Looking closer at vaccines 186

Considering key points about vaccines 187

Focusing on the Different Viruses That Can Afflict Your Husky 188

Canine parvovirus 188

Canine distemper 189

Infectious canine hepatitis 189

Rabies 189

Kennel cough 190

Canine coronavirus 190

Avoiding Heartworm 191

Knowing How to Prevent Leptospirosis 191

Being Aware of Canine Hip Dysplasia 192

Being Aware of Degenerative Myelopathy (DM) 193

Tackling Arthritis 194

Eyeing Eye Problems 194

Recognizing common eye problems 194

Testing your Husky’s vision 198

Identifying Cushing’s Disease 199

Concentrating on Epilepsy 199

Attending to Diabetes 199

Watching Out for Fleas and Ticks 200

Fighting fleas 200

Preventing fleas 201

Tackling ticks 202

Getting the Lowdown on Hypothyroidism 204

Keeping an Eye Out for Cancer 205

Dealing with Zinc Malabsorption Disorder 205

Achoo! Controlling Your Husky’s Allergies 206

Treating allergies 206

Food allergies 207

Inhalant allergies 207

Flea allergies 208

Biting into Dental Problems 208

Addressing Bloat 208

Understanding Aging Issues in Your Husky 209

Chapter 14: Responding to Emergencies 211

Staying on Top of Your Dog’s Vital Signs 212

Assembling the Complete Pet First-Aid Kit for Your Husky 213

Administering Meds 214

Handling Accidents 215

Dealing with Bites 216

Snakebite 216

Spider bites 217

Stopping External (Wound) Bleeding 217

Keeping a Lookout for Bloat 217

Addressing Breathing Difficulties 218

Stabilizing Broken Bones 218

Paying Attention to Coughing 218

Tackling Digestive Issues 218

Diarrhea 218

Constipation 219

Vomiting 219

Attending to Choking 220

Cooling Down Heat Stress 220

Treating Poisonings 221

Antifreeze poisoning 221

Chocolate poisoning 222

Onion and garlic poisoning 222

Rat poison 222

Taking Care of Porcupine Quills 223

Managing Seizures 223

Aiding Wounds 223

Part 5: Bringing Out the Sled Dog in Your Siberian 225

Chapter 15: Sledding with Your Siberian 227

Sledding 101: The Basics of the Sport 227

Identifying a sledding team’s makeup 228

Examining today’s racing world 229

Watching a sled race 231

Understanding some mushing lexicon 231

Recognizing basic mushing equipment 233

Getting a Sled Dog 233

Sledding for Fun 234

Chapter 16: The Last Great Race: The Iditarod 235

Understanding How It Began: The Start of the Iditarod 235

Following the Trail 236

Looking at the Iditarod Today 237

Entering the race 237

Following the race rules 239

Running the race 240

Finishing and even winning the race 241

Part 6: The Part of Tens 243

Chapter 17: Ten (or So) Tips for Traveling with (or without) Your Husky 245

Go for a Walk 245

Include Your Husky on Your Bike Rides 246

Travel in Your Vehicle 247

Fastening your Husky’s seat belt 247

Dealing with a nervous Siberian 248

Find a Pet-Friendly Hotel 249

Take Public Transportation 250

Fly with Your Husky: Yes or No? 250

Find a Reputable Pet-Sitter 252

Locate a Good Boarding Kennel 252

Chapter 18: Ten Hazards for a Husky (and How to Avoid Them) 255

Electricity 255

Rat and Mouse Poison (Rodenticides) 256

Household Cleaning Agents 256

Medicine Chest Menace 257

Hazardous Plants 258

Holiday Hazards 259

Garage Doors 260

Antifreeze 260

Lawn Chemicals 261

Swimming Pools 261

Chapter 19: Ten Great Dog Activities for Your Husky (besides Sledding) 263

Agility 263

Bikejoring 264

Canicross 266

Carting (with a Cart or with Equipment) 266

Conformation 268

Diving Dog 269

Obedience 269

Rally 270

Skijoring 271

Therapy Dog 272

Tracking 273

Chapter 20: Ten Reasons to Have a Siberian Husky 275

Huskies Always Smile 275

Huskies Make Terrific Exercise Partners 276

A Siberian Husky Can Pull You Wherever You Want to Go 276

Siberians Have No Doggie Odor 277

Huskies Are Educational 277

Huskies Provide Social Mobility 277

Huskies Are Great with Children 278

Huskies Will Make You a Better Citizen 278

Siberians Remind You What Really Matters in Life 279

Huskies Love You Unconditionally 279

Appendix A: Glossary 281

Appendix B: Siberian Husky Resources 287

The Siberian Husky Club of America 287

International Sled Dog Racing Association 287

American Kennel Club (AKC) 288

International Siberian Husky Club 288

Mushing/Sledding Equipment 288

Sled Dog Central 288

National Association of Professional Pet Sitters 289

Pet Poison Helplines 289

Index 291

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