Description
Book SynopsisTable of ContentsIntroduction 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
