Character of a Siberian

• Siberian Huskies are alert and very intelligent and have a charming even mischievous personality.
• As a rule, being pack animals, they are sociable with other dogs but as with any breed there are a few exceptions.
• They love company and make great housedogs but can live outside just as happily.
• They are great with children but as they are very very strong it is not advisable to let a child walk a Husky on the lead. It is just too dangerous; the poor child would have no control whatsoever. It is difficult enough for an adult to keep their balance when a Husky pulls in another direction without warning, or suddenly stops dead for a good old sniffing session. Huskies love to pull even if they do not understand what"Heel" means and are very hard to control on a lead.
• Siberians can be loving and affectionate but they also have a strong independent streak running right down their backbone. As mentioned they are very intelligent and if trained to be obedient as pups you will have a modicum of control but a Siberian Husky tends to try to live on their terms, they are very much free spirits. Some are calm and relatively laid back, others are simply whirlwinds of energy, but you can usually tell which is which when they are puppies. They have a very strong hunting instinct and because of this CANNOT be allowed off the lead. No matter how obedient they are, when the hunting instinct clicks into gear they become oblivious to all else. They will kill sheep, chickens, cats, even small dogs, so unless you are in extremely secure surroundings you cannot let your Husky run free.
• It is possible for them to live with cats, small dogs and even chickens if they are brought up with them and consider them as part of the pack, but a strange cat etc, will be considered as fair game. Believe it or not, Huskies are excellent mousers!    But more than one Sibe and the pack instinct can kick in and they have been known to kill cats they have lived with very happily for years. It is NEVER a good idea to introduce an adult Sibe to your cats or any other small furry animal.
• Being so smart, they are easily bored and need plenty of mental stimulation and exercise, it is a very depressed and sometimes ill Husky that doesn’t get walked or receives any attention.
• They are not yappy dogs and definitely NOT guard dogs. Generally very quiet, they can be quite vocal when they become bored or excited, however they are given more to howling than barking, theirs is definitely the "call of the wild".
• Most Siberians love to work pulling the sled, it’s in their blood, there are a few exceptions but the majority get really excited when being hooked up to the rig or sled. It is not cruel, as some people seem to think, you only have to see them working to realise how much they enjoy it! The unhappy dogs are those left behind; and it is an excellent way of giving them the exercise they need. The small percentage of Huskies who do not like to work should NEVER be forced.