Siberian Huskies For Dummies

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 1About This Book 1Foolish Assumptions 2Icons Used in This Book 2Where to Go from Here 3Part 1: Getting to Know Your Siberian Husky 5Chapter 1: The Lowdown on Siberian Huskies, Just the Basics 7Knowing What to Look for: A Husky’s Breed Standard 7Understanding Why Huskies Make Great Pets 10Picking a Husky: Where to Go and Where to Avoid 11Introducing Your Husky to His New Home 12Ensuring you have the right supplies 13Listening to your Husky 13Helping your Husky make new friends 14Incorporating some discipline and training 15Keeping an eye open for behavior issues 16Caring for Your Husky 17Making sure your Husky has proper nutrition 17Giving your Siberian a spa treatment 18Ensuring your Husky is healthy 18Noting any changes in your Husky’s health 19Chapter 2: Recognizing What a Siberian Husky Is (and Isn’t) 23Examining the Siberian Husky Breed Standard 23Size 24Body 25Front view 25Back view 26Neck 26Skull 26Teeth 26Expression 26Eyes 26Ears 28Feet 28Tail 28Coat texture 28Color 29Nose 31Gait 32Temperament 32Comparing the Lookalikes and Imposters 32Alaskan Malamutes 33Samoyeds 33“Alaskan Huskies” 33“Miniature Huskies” 34Alaskan Klee Kai 34Northern Inuit Dog 34Wolves and wolf-hybrids 34Part 2: Looking for Your Soul Mate 37Chapter 3: Selecting a Siberian Husky 39Determining Whether a Husky Is Right for You 40A Husky’s heritage 40Children 41Financial considerations 42Your house 42Climate 43Time and exercise 43Legal considerations 44Commitment 44Finding Your Dog 44Your first option: The breeder route 45Your second option: The shelter/rescue route 50Avoiding pet stores 51Choosing the Right Puppy 52General condition 53Size 53Sex 53Color 54Eyes 54Ears 54Temperament 54Age 55Recognizing When Your Husky Puppy Matures 56Chapter 4: Outfitting Your New Husky 57Selecting the Right Collars, Leashes, and Harnesses 57Collars 58Taking your friend on a walk: A leash 60Protecting your dog’s neck: Harnesses 60Using ID Tags 61Choosing Food and Water Dishes 62Focusing on Grooming Tools 63Picking a Place for Your Husky to Sleep 64Finding the Right Crate 65Understanding when to use a crate 65Considering your options 66Getting Chew Toys 67Considering great toy choices 68Steering clear of certain toys 68Considering Pet Doors 69Considering an Outdoor Kennel 70Adding a Dog Gate 70Part 3: Living with a Siberian Husky 71Chapter 5: Welcoming Home Your Husky 73Choosing a Veterinary Practice 74Naming or Renaming Your New Dog 76Surviving the First Day and Night 76Feeding your new dog his first meal 77Helping your dog adapt to his new family 77Reassuring your dog on his first night 77Determining Whether Dog Is an Indoor or Outdoor Dog 78Securing your Husky outdoors 78Keeping your Husky hydrated outside or inside 79Wintertime fun: Keeping your Husky outdoors 79Summertime blues: Helping your Husky avoid heat stress 80Giving Your Pup the Love, Exercise, and Discipline He Needs 81Knowing when your Husky needs exercise 81Rewarding your dog 82Housetraining Your Husky 82Using crates to help housetrain 83Getting the basics of housetraining 84Figuring out what’s behind the accidents your Husky has 86Cleaning Up: Siberian Housekeeping 87Taking care of the yard 88Getting rid of urine stains 89Dealing with vomit 90Cleaning up blood 90Chapter 6: Figuring Out What Your Husky Is Telling You 91Picking Up on What Your Dog Is Saying: Audible Cues 92Barking 92Howling 92Wooing 94Whining 94Growling 94Yelping 94Soundless chattering 94Interpreting Your Husky’s Body Language: Visual Cues 95Circling and sniffing 95Mounting behavior 95Pawing 96Bowing 96Nudging or punching 96Wanting a belly rub 96Hand-holding 97Mouth-licking 97Constant licking or tail-chewing 97Reading Your Dog’s Facial Gestures 98Watching Your Husky’s Tail 99Making Sense of Weird Behavior 99Rolling in nasty stuff 100Scooting 100Eating grass 100Rock eating 101Eating feces 101Noticing Your Siberian’s Sleeping Style 102Chapter 7: Socializing Your Siberian 105Interacting with Your Puppy 105Visiting with your Siberian 106Staying safe: No dog kisses 107Enrolling in puppy kindergarten 107Introducing Your Siberian to Children 107Training the children to be pet-friendly 108Dealing with toddlers and your dog 108Getting your Husky ready for a baby 109Helping your Husky welcome a baby into your family 110Introducing Your Husky to Other Animals 110Other dogs 111Cats 111Birds 112Livestock 112Small pets 112Chapter 8: Training Your Husky 113Training the Family before You Train Your Dog 114Setting Your Training Goals 115Agreeing on Commands 116Commanding without words 116Paying attention to your tone of voice 117Using your dog’s name 117Teaching Your Husky the Basics 117Watch Me! 117Come 118No! 119Sit 120Stay 120Down 121Leave or Get Out 121Off 122Give It and Drop It 122Heel 122Correcting forging in your Husky 123Taking Advantage of Formal Obedience Training 125Chapter 9: Solving Bad Behavior 127Coping with Separation Anxiety 128Sensitize yourself 129Desensitize the dog 130Medicate the dog when necessary 131Coping with the Thunder Phobia 132Addressing the Vocalist 132Dealing with Holes: The Digger 133Stay observant 134Discourage digging 134Chomping on Everything: The Chewer 135Understanding why dogs chew 135Curing chewing 136Preventing chair chomping 137Stealing Set-Out Food: The Counter-Cruiser 137Dumping Trash: The Trashman 138Running Off: The Escape Artist 139Hunting Other Animals: The Big (or Small) Game Hunter 140Heading for the Door: The Charger 140Being Playful: The Nipper 141Getting Your Attention: The Jumper 141Chapter 10: Dealing with Aggression 143Establishing Your Leadership 143Handling Aggression 144Relative dominance among dogs 145Predatory aggression 147Aggression toward people 147Understanding Types of Aggressive Behavior 149Fear-induced aggression 149Territorial aggression 150Food or toy guarding 150Pain-induced aggression 151Irritable aggression 151Maternal protectiveness 152Genetically based aggression 152Environmental aggression 152Hiring a Professional 153Avoiding Dog Bites 153Part 4: Keeping Your Husky Healthy 155Chapter 11: Feeding Your Husky 157Knowing Your Husky’s Nutritional Needs 157Protein 158Fat 159Minerals 160Water 160Carbohydrates 161Reading the Labels 161Taking a Look at the Main Types of Dog Food 163Dry food 163Canned food 164Semi-moist food 164People food 164Considering Supplements 166Figuring Out How Much to Feed Your Dog 166Looking at Performance, Maintenance, and Low-Calorie Foods 167Feeding your puppy 168Feeding your senior dog 168Chapter 12: Grooming Your Siberian 169Brushing and Combing Your Husky 169Basic grooming 101: Important points to remember 170Combing and brushing: Easy-peasy 171Bathing Your Husky 173Dealing with Shedding 174Paying Attention to Your Husky’s Entire Body 176Feet 176Nails 176Teeth 177Eyes 179Ears 179Anal sacs 179Finding a Professional Groomer 180Chapter 13: Focusing on Your Husky’s Health and Wellbeing 181Knowing What to Expect on the First Vet Checkup 182Neutering and Spaying: The Biggest Decision 182Eyeing why you’d want to spay your Husky 183Considering why not to spay your Husky 183Eyeing why you’d want to neuter your Husky 184Choosing not to neuter your Husky 185Examining Vaccines in Plain English 185Looking closer at vaccines 186Considering key points about vaccines 187Focusing on the Different Viruses That Can Afflict Your Husky 188Canine parvovirus 188Canine distemper 189Infectious canine hepatitis 189Rabies 189Kennel cough 190Canine coronavirus 190Avoiding Heartworm 191Knowing How to Prevent Leptospirosis 191Being Aware of Canine Hip Dysplasia 192Being Aware of Degenerative Myelopathy (DM) 193Tackling Arthritis 194Eyeing Eye Problems 194Recognizing common eye problems 194Testing your Husky’s vision 198Identifying Cushing’s Disease 199Concentrating on Epilepsy 199Attending to Diabetes 199Watching Out for Fleas and Ticks 200Fighting fleas 200Preventing fleas 201Tackling ticks 202Getting the Lowdown on Hypothyroidism 204Keeping an Eye Out for Cancer 205Dealing with Zinc Malabsorption Disorder 205Achoo! Controlling Your Husky’s Allergies 206Treating allergies 206Food allergies 207Inhalant allergies 207Flea allergies 208Biting into Dental Problems 208Addressing Bloat 208Understanding Aging Issues in Your Husky 209Chapter 14: Responding to Emergencies 211Staying on Top of Your Dog’s Vital Signs 212Assembling the Complete Pet First-Aid Kit for Your Husky 213Administering Meds 214Handling Accidents 215Dealing with Bites 216Snakebite 216Spider bites 217Stopping External (Wound) Bleeding 217Keeping a Lookout for Bloat 217Addressing Breathing Difficulties 218Stabilizing Broken Bones 218Paying Attention to Coughing 218Tackling Digestive Issues 218Diarrhea 218Constipation 219Vomiting 219Attending to Choking 220Cooling Down Heat Stress 220Treating Poisonings 221Antifreeze poisoning 221Chocolate poisoning 222Onion and garlic poisoning 222Rat poison 222Taking Care of Porcupine Quills 223Managing Seizures 223Aiding Wounds 223Part 5: Bringing Out the Sled Dog in Your Siberian 225Chapter 15: Sledding with Your Siberian 227Sledding 101: The Basics of the Sport 227Identifying a sledding team’s makeup 228Examining today’s racing world 229Watching a sled race 231Understanding some mushing lexicon 231Recognizing basic mushing equipment 233Getting a Sled Dog 233Sledding for Fun 234Chapter 16: The Last Great Race: The Iditarod 235Understanding How It Began: The Start of the Iditarod 235Following the Trail 236Looking at the Iditarod Today 237Entering the race 237Following the race rules 239Running the race 240Finishing and even winning the race 241Part 6: The Part of Tens 243Chapter 17: Ten (or So) Tips for Traveling with (or without) Your Husky 245Go for a Walk 245Include Your Husky on Your Bike Rides 246Travel in Your Vehicle 247Fastening your Husky’s seat belt 247Dealing with a nervous Siberian 248Find a Pet-Friendly Hotel 249Take Public Transportation 250Fly with Your Husky: Yes or No? 250Find a Reputable Pet-Sitter 252Locate a Good Boarding Kennel 252Chapter 18: Ten Hazards for a Husky (and How to Avoid Them) 255Electricity 255Rat and Mouse Poison (Rodenticides) 256Household Cleaning Agents 256Medicine Chest Menace 257Hazardous Plants 258Holiday Hazards 259Garage Doors 260Antifreeze 260Lawn Chemicals 261Swimming Pools 261Chapter 19: Ten Great Dog Activities for Your Husky (besides Sledding) 263Agility 263Bikejoring 264Canicross 266Carting (with a Cart or with Equipment) 266Conformation 268Diving Dog 269Obedience 269Rally 270Skijoring 271Therapy Dog 272Tracking 273Chapter 20: Ten Reasons to Have a Siberian Husky 275Huskies Always Smile 275Huskies Make Terrific Exercise Partners 276A Siberian Husky Can Pull You Wherever You Want to Go 276Siberians Have No Doggie Odor 277Huskies Are Educational 277Huskies Provide Social Mobility 277Huskies Are Great with Children 278Huskies Will Make You a Better Citizen 278Siberians Remind You What Really Matters in Life 279Huskies Love You Unconditionally 279Appendix A: Glossary 281Appendix B: Siberian Husky Resources 287The Siberian Husky Club of America 287International Sled Dog Racing Association 287American Kennel Club (AKC) 288International Siberian Husky Club 288Mushing/Sledding Equipment 288Sled Dog Central 288National Association of Professional Pet Sitters 289Pet Poison Helplines 289Index 291