Talk:Siberian Husky/Archive 1

Archive 1

Donating my Flickr photos

All the photos in my Flickr account are Creative Commons-licensed so feel free to use them on Wikipedia. I'm too lazy to add the photos myself, so I'm leaving it up to you guys. I have a few shots of a non-purebred husky, but it really emphasizes the bi-eyed attribute. It's quite stunning. http://flickr.com/photos/kentwang/tags/husky/

Kent Wang 02:50, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

Infobox photo

I'm switching the places of these two photos (Siberian husky.jpg, and Jessecohen.jpg). I feel that the first photo is a much better representation of the breed, and therefore, a better photo for the infobox. On a slightly diferent topic, can anyone get a photo of a husky standing? I think that a standing photo would be the best way to show the sonformation of the breed. --Pharaoh Hound 21:33, 7 July 2006 (UTC)

I looked back through the history of this article. Prior to April 6th, Husky_L.jpg was in the Infobox. User:24.93.178.30 vandalised the page by replacing a photo of Husky_L.jpg with a photo of a Miniature Dachshund in the Infobox. Then User:12.208.99.20 placed Jessecohen.jpg in the Infobox. Since Husky_L.jpg is still usable, I have returned it back to the Infobox.

I'm putting Siberian husky.jpg back in the page. --Pharaoh Hound 12:46, 8 July 2006 (UTC)No No!!!!!!!!

"Liren" is growing up

Liren is my purebred bitch I've got pictured as a 7 week old, she's about 16 months now, would a "then/now" image be useful at all? She looks quite different. I could also toss up a pic later this year when she blows her coat again (likely in the next couple months). Weaponofmassinstruction 00:56, 12 February 2006 (UTC)

I'm not sure that it would add much, mostly because there are already 2 photos of adult dogs with similar coat coloring. More useful would be Sibes with obviously different colors, I think. Elf | Talk 21:07, 14 February 2006 (UTC)

And maybe some puppy pics too. --RedZion-- 28 June 2006 (UTC)

Good News! Liren will have a new chew-toy at the end of the month! We pick up the new pup soon! This one will be much paler by comparison. Weaponofmassinstruction 01:02, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

Weight

I'm hardly an expert on huskies, but I do own an AKC registered husky. The weight range given of 25 to 55 lbs seems a bit low to me though; my husky is 7 months and 50 lbs, and isn't even vaguely overweight. I've never seen a husky adult weigh only 25 lbs. Can this weight range really be accurate, or am I just in possession of a rather large husky? -Lvthn13 03:21, 1 December 2006 (UTC)

• Well spotted. You're correct, the minimum accepted weight for sibes 15.5 kg (30 lb), all kennel clubs. I've fixed that. --Pharaoh Hound (talk) 13:06, 1 December 2006 (UTC)

image cleanup

This article has way too many inline images, and they often crowd the text. I will be initiating a cleanup for a goal of 3-5 pictures, placed for readability and how well they highlight the section. VanTucky 18:47, 30 April 2007 (UTC)

I finished the cleanup. Please remember that wikipedia is not an image gallery for your pets. To add an image to the article or the gallery, please consider if it adds anything to the article (i.e. a new coat color, age, etc.). Thank you VanTucky 18:54, 30 April 2007 (UTC)

Redundancy

The article states:

"Huskies are much better in all circumstances when raised by one owner and stay with that owner."

Isn't this true for pretty much any household pet? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 155.31.230.90 (talk) 23:22, 17 October 2007 (UTC)

I've removed that section. It didn't seem to add much value to the article. Roundelais 21:47, 8 November 2007 (UTC)

Siberian Husky Forum

i am the webmaster of a Siberian Husky Forum. www.thehuskyforum.com

i would like the link added to the siberian husky page. i believe the site offers a wide range of help and discussion to new and old Siberian Husky owners. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Thehuskyforum (talk • contribs) 20:40, 5 July 2008 (UTC)

Siberian husky

I'm a little surprised at this page.

This page is a little scary - where did this info come from? Hopefully someone with experience editing these articles can help us... Parti-eye is NOT bi-eyed. Bi-eyed (person or dog) is an animal with eyes of two different colors (ie, one blue and one brown). Parti-eyed is a person or animal with one or more eyes that is two different colors (ie, one eye is blue AND brown and the other eye is just blue). For more info on eye colors in huskies see www.huskycolors.com/eye.html (although both these conditions also occur in people, dogs, and other animals)

i dont have trouble looking after my siberian husky its just that they a very beutifull and strong but not very good listeners when you tell them to sit down or something that you have taught him/her to do.they mainly like pinching you but they are only play,so dont do anything to hurt them.they love eating meat and eggs. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.128.40.81 (talk) 15:07, 9 August 2008 (UTC)

I have trouble recognising some of its statements as having anything to do with what I know as a Siberian Husky. This emphatically includes the photograph. Can't someone who knows something about this breed do an article? If you don't know much about a topic but you want to post something, at least check some online sources first so you don't look too ridiculous.

For the record, Siberian coats need brushing only when the dog is shedding; the rest of the time they are virtually maintenance-free. For another, Siberians don't eat people, though most of them are death on squirrels, gophers, chickens, rabbits or anything else smaller than they are. For another, they are a "large" breed only if you think 35 to 55 pounds is large; to me a "large breed" is like a German Shepherd or a Rottweiler, something that weighs at least 75 or 80 pounds. (Over 100 is "giant".) And although they are in theory outdoor dogs, just about every Siberian I've ever known has had a mad ambition to be a permanent house-pet.

Anybody want to have another try at this article? I don't really want to do it because I'm in a "competing" breed now. Ditkoofseppala 23:56 30 Jun 2003 (UTC)

How's that the country of origin of this dog is United States, as it is known that it was bred by Chukchis on the other side of Pacific? I guess it is meant to mean the country where this breed was officially recognized to the rest of the World, or something like that... I'm not much in kennel stuff, so I guess I can't know. Now the article seems to be acceptable. Best regards. --XJamRastafire 23:07, 3 Jan 2004 (UTC)

Yes, the USA is the country of development rather than the country of origin. I've changed the table. Thanks for catching that -- sannse 13:21, 4 Jan 2004 (UTC)

This sentence couldn't possibly be more wrong: "Siberian Huskies are welcome to roam your yard on their own, because they are very obidient dogs that will come to you when you call." To the contrary, Siberian Huskies really need to be tied up at all times, due to their roaming instinct. I also would never call a Siberian Husky "obidient".

I removed it, this is very suspect. - Trysha ^(talk) 05:54, 9 August 2006 (UTC)

Heck, thinking you can tie a Husky up is suspect. ~ Strathmeyer 07:42, 17 March 2007 (UTC)

I happened upon this page as I was reviewing some information and was appalled at much of what I was reading, mostly because of a lack of citations, which lends no credibility to either the breed of dog or the person making the statements. I have worked both as a kennel technician and a kennel manager, as well as a vet assistant and technician. I love these dogs. They have done way more than deliver medicine to save lives, they saved whole peoples, and helped people to forge into new territory. I thought I might give them the credit due them for all their hard work. I don't have any pictures to add, but the page could certainly use some breed-specific pictures. I hope some of you out there editing this page who have a Husky at home will take the time to scan some pictures and include them here. Though I have not cleaned up the entire article today, I will do so if you folks feel it is warranted. I feel it is. --AmandaEP 22:15, 1 December 2007 (UTC)

XJamRastafire, aside from the article which you cite from Wikipedia which talks of the Chukchi peoples but nothing about sled dogs, where is your citation referring to this tribe of peoples ever having anything to do with Siberian Huskies? All of the information connecting the Alaskan mainland to Russia in this regard is still highly speculative even amongst scholarly circles whom have been studying this for quite some time. --AmandaEP 22:37, 1 December 2007 (UTC)

Thank you for contributing to Wikipedia, AmandaEP. The article has a sufficient number of photographs for it current length. If more images were to be added, they coward the text and give the article a bad layout. Coaster1983 (talk) 05:49, 3 December 2007 (UTC)

Coaster1983, thanks for the kudos, and fixing the citations. I have to ask, what is your source for Gunner Kassen's name spelling? The Italian Wiki entry has it as Gunnar Kasson as well. I did a little more digging, and according to the Nome Kennel Club, it is spelled Gunnar Klassen. http://www.nomekennelclub.com/nkchistory.htm My personal library sources spell the name as Gunnar Kasson, and I get more hits at Google Books under this spelling. I only receive two returns on Kassen, and these books were published within the past five years. As far as the English Wiki entry on him, it is spelled Gunnar Kaasen. Concerning more images, I was thinking of more pictures to represent all the breed's specific purebred colorations. I am not sure about it making the text "cowardly", though. Cheers! --AmandaEP 23:46, 3 December 2007 (UTC)

My mistake, that word should be crowd not coward. The problem is that there are too many variations of coat color in this breed for the current state of the article to support and still have a good layout. While the number of images could condensed by showing four different coat colors along with the four variations of eyes, the minimum number of images would be 10. As for Gunnar Kaasen's name, my source is the The Cruelest Miles: the heroic story of dogs and men in a race against an epidemic by Gay and Laney Salisbury. While it was published in 2003, this book is well researched and one of the best sources on the 1925 Serum Run. Also, the name Gunnar E. Kaasen is inscribed on his grave marker at the Cypress Lawn Memorial Park in Everett, Washington after his death in 1960.Coaster1983 05:02, 4 December 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for the clarification! I wasn't disagreeing about his name, it's just hard to ascertain which is the right spelling with so many variants out there. So Kaasen is the usage on his epitaph? I'll correct this on the page if I still have any erroneous spellings. Thanks for the source, I'll have to pick it up and check it out. I think you're right about the coat variations, that would just be too many pictures for the page. Kudos! --AmandaEP 20:01, 4 December 2007 (UTC)

Still Working

As of 2003 the Chukchi were still apparently using working sled dogs: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/11/1106_031107_icedogs.html

Falange|Falange]] (talk) 15:32, 28 September 2008 (UTC)

We have "working" sled dogs in North America, but they are really recreational or entertainment workers and not employed in their traditional roles.

Greenland for some reason still seems to have a huge number of true working sled dogs: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0601/feature6/index.html http://animal.discovery.com/news/afp/20060417/sleddogs.html http://www.wavez.at/pages/d_999.php?u=15463&p=70193 http://www.canadianvoiceforanimals.org/GreenlandSledDogs2.html http://www.canadianvoiceforanimals.org/GreenlandSledDogs1.html http://www.groenlandhunde.wavez.at/Falange (talk) 20:50, 27 September 2008 (UTC)

Extent of Inbreeding in the Siberian Husky

The Siberian Husky breed is courting disaster by not opening the studbooks to Siberian imports

The Siberian Husky breed clubs in the US and Canada (assuming they are really concerned about the long term health of the breed) should petition the AKC and CKC to open their stud books and allow for the registration of healthy working-stock dogs imported from Siberian Russia. Genetic diversity and low coefficients of inbreeding are the best defense against inherited disease and shortening lifespans. See:http://terriermandotcom.blogspot.com/2006/05/inbred-thinking.html (...)

On the positive side, more and more breeders are testing their dogs for hip dysplasia (OFA), eye problems (CERF), and deafness (BAER). Unfortunately, testing and culling alone are not a curative for genetic problems. In fact, culling large numbers of dogs from a gene pool only serves to further reduce the size of the gene pool. So long as you are operating within a closed registry, the engine of disaster is still on the tracks ... and only increasing its speed.

(...)

AND http://terriermandotcom.blogspot.com/search/label/disease (...)

The genetic quality of the original Kennel Club pool is obviously important, but it cannot provide salvation, for even a pool of dogs without negative genetic traits is doomed under a closed registry and show-ring selection system. The reason for this is the pairing of two phenomenon called genetic mutation and genetic drift. Most genetic mutations are recessive, and remain unseen and unexpressed in the form of visible defect. In a large and "wild" population of animals most of these negative genes will "drift" out of the population just as they drifted in. In a closed registry system with a relatively small number of dogs, however, negative recessive genes can quickly find each other and spread through the population -- especially if they are passed on by a show-winning sire with many offspring. The result is a rapidly rising level of "spontaneous" disease and deformity out of what was once thought of as a "healthy" population of animals. Time is a variable in the Kennel Club destruction process for the simple reason that some breeds have not been in the Club long enough to be completely wrecked.

(...)

Genetic diversity in the Siberian Husky http://www.beautdogs.com/BRAGG.htm#What%20is%20a%20Canine (...)

An Example from One Breed Thus the recognition of a breed creates a founder event when the registry is opened; a limited number of breed foundation animals are selected, often from a population which has already undergone considerable inbreeding and selection. Let us take for an example the Siberian Husky breed. Registered in 1939, the initial CKC population consisted of 47 animals, all belonging to or bred by one kennel! Of those 47, nine were foundation stock of the kennel whose dogs were registered. Two of those were males imported from Siberia - littermate brothers! The other seven were mostly related to one another. (Two were seven-eighths Siberian and one-eighth Malamute.) The other thirty-eight were all progeny and grand-progeny of the founders. Of the nine foundation animals, two were not bred from at all. Two were mated - once only - to each other: one only of their progeny contributed to further breeding. Of the two Siberia import males, one brother was always bred to the same bitch, producing a large number of progeny of identical pedigree; the other brother was usually bred to daughters of the first brother. Today Siberian Husky lines that trace directly back to the Canadian foundation stock owe 25% of their pedigree lines to the first brother, 15% to the second brother, and 27% to the first brother's invariable mate! Two-thirds of the genetic heritage of these modern Siberian Huskies derives from only three foundation animals! This is not an exceptional situation, it is a fair example of the early breeding history of CKC breeds. In the case of the Siberian Husky, then, (which happens to be my breed, with whose early history I am reasonably well familiar), The Canadian Kennel Club opened a registry in 1939, inspected one kennel's dogs and admitted four dozen closely-related individuals to the registry, which was then closed permanently. No effort was made to ensure a broad foundation, nor a numerous one, nor a genetically diverse one.

(...)

For the past fifty-six years, then, all Siberian Huskies bred in Canada have stemmed from the 1939 registrations, or from American imports, which mostly stem from the same dogs CKC registered, plus perhaps three additional animals. The original foundation animals were poorly utilised and subsequent generations were so closely inbred that the two Siberia import males plus one bitch are even today still statistically equivalent to grandparents of every single Siberian now registered! Thus the original founder event in my breed plus the closed studbook has resulted in a state of forced inbreeding for Siberian Huskies. There is no such thing as an outcross mating in Siberians in any genetically meaningful sense. A sire can be found, perhaps, who may have no ancestors in common with a bitch for the last 5 or 6 generations - if one knows all Siberian bloodlines well enough and doesn't mind going a few thousand miles to find him - but he will not be an outcross, because all of his ancestors and all of the bitch's ancestors are the same animals, once the pedigree is taken back far enough. It would be difficult to calculate inbreeding coefficients for fifteen to thirty generations of ancestry; software to handle calculations of that nature doesn't seem to be generally available to breeders. (After all, a thirty-generation pedigree would contain over two billion names.) Thirty generations of breeding all going back to ten dogs or fewer represents an impressive feat of sustained inbreeding! Predictably enough Siberian Huskies, which eighty-five years ago were probably the toughest, hardiest variety of dogs on earth, now suffer from the same gamut of genetic defects that afflicts other breeds. Few if any registered Siberians are now able to perform as sleddogs on anything approaching the level of the 1910 dogs imported from Siberia. Probably this is mostly due to the decline in heterozygosity and loss of vitality through inbreeding. What is worse, unmistakable signs of inbreeding depression are surfacing in the breed: rising numbers of Caesarean births, smaller litters, lower birth weights, delicate nestlings prone to infection, etc. Breeders of domestic livestock - cattle, poultry, sheep - manage to run registries and maintain breed type without imposing the concept of absolute breed purity. They inbreed to fix desirable traits, as do dog breeders. Livestock breeders, however, do not try to pretend that they can inbreed forever without ill effects. Thus when inbreeding depression or genetic defects threaten, they outcross - repeatedly, if necessary. They can do so because they do not have closed studbooks. I do not suggest that we slavishly copy the procedures and registry structures of livestock associations, because I think they, too, might benefit from some restructuring in the light of modern genetic knowledge. Nonetheless I would make the point that we in the canine fancy are in a minority when we cling to absolute ideals of breed purity and insist on rigidly closed studbooks.

(...)Falange (talk) 12:41, 30 September 2008 (UTC)

Puppy photo?

I've noticed there doesn't seem to be a picture of a siberian husky as a puppy anywhere in the article, could one be added? MyPerfectPeice (talk) 15:24, 1 November 2008 (UTC)

Huskies in Pop culture

The dog in The Thing is a Husky, it's a pretty integral point of the film. Yet this info was removed. Why? —Preceding unsigned comment added by SexyIrishLeprechaun (talk • contribs) 14:16, 1 August 2008 (UTC)

• I agree there should be a section for Huskies in pop culture or 'Famous and fictional Huskies' this is the case in the Chihuaha article..? There are many Films where Siberian Huskies play a predominant role, such as in Balto. This is already mentioned in the article 'The event is also loosely depicted in the 1995 animated film Balto' But perhaps this should be moved into a new section? Any thoughts? MyPerfectPeice (talk) 15:36, 1 November 2008 (UTC)

not all huskies run

i dont agree with what they say in the behavior section about running my friend has a pure breed 2 year old siberian named covu and he is not trained very well and she takes him everywhere off leash and he never tries to run away she doesnt even have a fence around her backyard! —Preceding unsigned comment added by Fall out gurl (talk • contribs) 00:26, 2 July 2007

I've had four huskies in the past sixteen years. The first was a talented and dedicated escape artist who roamed the neighborhood at will and was nigh impossible to catch. The next two were too busy trying to establish dominance over each other to try and get out much, but have always been happy to lead us on a merry chase toward the interstate when given the opportunity. The latest is the only one I've been able to trust off-lead, and the two times she's bolted while on a walk she's headed straight home and huddled against the front door whining to be let into the house. Basically, every husky has its individual traits, and some are more open to training than others. Based on observation, huskies as a breed tend to be rolling stones rather than homing pigeons. Roundelais 15:45, 11 July 2007 (UTC)

Unfortunately, I love my 'usky, but have to agree. I would never trust my husky not to head for Nome, Alaska the moment my back was turned. As it is she waits for me to be distracted and then heads upstairs to sleep on my bed (off limits). Husky's have more character than just about any other breed l santry (talk) 00:57, 7 March 2010 (UTC)

Kesha

Kesha is a popular Russian pet name. It's not a breed name. Elk Salmon (talk) 03:14, 31 March 2010 (UTC)

History section needs better sources

In the History section, the statements that cite the Beverly Pisano book as their source almost to a one give incorrect or inaccurate information. Looking at it at Amazon it appears to be a pet shop book, basically "How to Care for Your Siberian Husky." It might be a valuable source for the Appearance and Health sections, where it's also referenced, but as for the breed's history there are many relatively scholarly sources which agree on information that it seems this book misstates, and which develop this interesting story to far greater depths. -- LaNaranja (talk) 03:34, 1 May 2010 (UTC)

Pictures

I have a picture of a pedigree 1yr old siberian husky standing face to face with a 2year old pedigree female husky both registered as reds and would love the picture to be displayed to show the differences in colours but i am unsure of how or where the image would fit in. if anyone can help the image is at http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/album_photo.html?c_photo=1606753909 i am not trying to use this as a personal photo album but just to show how different to red siberian huskys can be in colour. there is lots more pictures of our Siberian Husky the male Duke of the forest there if anyone would like to view them. Fayp 15:09, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

I do to of my 20 week old Husky at http://picasaweb.google.com/soliscjw/20100413KahlanMe#. Soliscjw (talk) 20:04, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

This page sucks!

This page shows no information that i need for my project!!! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.112.43.58 (talk) 14:50, 15 March 2010 (UTC)

Then do not use it for your project! I think it is great and want to thank the people who contributed to it! Soliscjw (talk) 20:22, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

It is that time of Year

There shall be no other dog before me!

My husky has begun blowing her coat. We live in Canada, and although the perception is that we (Canadians) sit around in our igloos rolling up the rim on our Tim Hortons; we are getting ready for Spring, on March 21st :). Hurrah!. l santry (talk) 00:48, 7 March 2010 (UTC)

Kahlan my Siberian Husky puppy is blowing her coat as well I wonder if it is because she is 20 weeks old that it is happening later even though I live in Georgia Soliscjw (talk) 20:28, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

Comment

Someone placed a comment within the article: "off-topic Other problems may occur in puppies, such as faece-eating. This will eventually go away around the age of six months. Do not get put off by this as it is an extremely common problem in all breeds; over 75% of dogs do this with or without their owners knowing." It was originally, missing an ending tag. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 205.227.88.253 (talk) 22:23, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

Woohoo! energy effecient

"That said, Siberian Huskies are rather fuel efficient dogs, consuming less food than other dogs of similar size and activity level."

Nice! I like that, especially in our oil crisis :) Alphalife 00:01, 7 September 2005 (UTC)

Less food! My Husky will scavenge through everything looking for a bite, and, she eats more than my 100 pound behemoth of a Golden Retreiver did! Amazing how she can pack it into that small frame :) --Brian Howard 04:41, 29 September 2005 (UTC)

how much they will eat and how much they need to eat, is not the same. this page is a joke.

I've never heard this... I do know that athletic huskies (ie, working sled dogs) can burn up to 10,000 kcalories/day. Doesn't seem too efficient for a 50 pound dog.... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.98.157.188 (talk) 00:56, 18 December 2007 (UTC)

OK, you try running 20 to 40 miles in one day and see how many calories you burn. You silly l santry (talk) 01:01, 7 March 2010 (UTC)

Siberian Huskies eat less food compared to similar sized breeds unless they are working dogs and then require a large amount of calories. But for most family dogs this is true. They will still scavenge anything they find especially when winter rolls around and survival instinct kicks in. This comes from the Dummys Guide to Siberian Huskies written by a breeder iirc. Bortson (talk) 14:56, 1 June 2010 (UTC)

Pure White Appearance removed

I removed the sentence "The pure white Husky is treasured if it has ice-blue eyes, as it does not occur in most litters." for several reasons.

One it wasnt cited, is seems to be opinion. Second, in a breed where sledding ability is what is treasured not look I felt it had to go. I cant remember who (and google isnt helping) but I remember reading in a book someone famous back in the 20's (maybe even Gunnar) wanted a sled team full of pure white huskies for a photo op and then ditched them when they were terrible sledders and replaced them with dogs based on ability rather than appearance.

I also removed the sentence about them being smaller than malamutes, while even though they are related, the article is about huskies and any comparisons should be made in the size section anyway. Bortson (talk) 15:08, 1 June 2010 (UTC)

Images

Recently User:Huskyfella changed some images in the article. In order to avoid an edit war, I am opening up a discussion. The following images are up for discussion:

Lead: Photo changed from File:Siberian-husky.jpg to File:The Husky.JPG. I disagree with this change because the File:The Husky.jpeg does not give the reader an overview of the Siberian. A level side-shot of the dog standing shows the reader what the dog looks like from head to tail is a good overview. In addition, the bushes behind the dog in File:Siberian-husky.jpg gives the read a sense of proportion. File:The Husky.jpg has neither of these. The dog is in a sit and shot is taken at downward angle, which is not helpful to the reader.

History: Photo changed from File:Sobaka Husky.JPG to File:Sydney1.JPG. Current image of a nursing female and pups is irrelevant to the History section. The previous image was relevant because the dog was wearing a harness, which shows the historical working Siberian. However, I would replace that image with an image of a sled dog team (File:Husky_1.JPG).

Intelligence: File:Young husky.jpg added. The article does need a puppy photo, but the Intelligence section is not the place to put it. That being said, the article is short enough that the I am not sure if there is a place to put it. Any suggestions? Coaster1983 (talk) 03:23, 12 May 2010 (UTC)

I agree with your assessment, save that I think the picture of the dog sled team is a bit indistinct. The three photos recently added are all of rather poor quality, especially the one of the puppy. We could use a puppy photo, but there should still be some quality threshold, otherwise the image is not encyclopedic. Weakopedia (talk) 19:44, 16 May 2010 (UTC)

I restored the lead image and removed the nursing female image and the puppy image. I feel that I have given User:Huskyfellaboy enough time to respond and [s]he has remained silent. I agree that the puppy photo is not good quailty. The history section could use a historical Pubilc Domain image of either Seppala with Togo, Kassen with Balto, or team of Siberians before 1930.Coaster1983 (talk) 02:28, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

Main photo: It seems to me that this is actually a photo of an Alaskan Klee Kai (a smaller breed of husky dog), and not a Siberian Husky. Unless the creator of the image can verify that the subject is indeed a Siberian Husky, I think this photo should be replaced with one of a known Siberian Husky. Gaddy1975(talk) 16:53, 07 July 2010 (UTC)

The uploader is a breeder [1], and they seem to be suggesting that all their dogs are the same breed. Do you have issue with their claims? Weakopedia (talk) 11:13, 8 July 2010 (UTC)

Unless you have evidence that the photo is not that if a Husky, then it should probably stay. Rapier (talk) 00:42, 9 July 2010 (UTC)

land bridge

This sentence, in "History":

The word "Siberian" in this breed's name is derived from Siberia itself, because it is thought that Eskimo or sled dogs were used to cross the land bridge of the Bering Strait on the way into, or out of, Alaska,[2] though this theory is continuously disputed by scholars.[4]

The reference for "though this theory is continuously disputed...." is the last few lines of this article, which I think might have been misunderstood. The article's last sentences are about when and from where the first humans arrived in the Americas. They're not questioning whether migration occurred between Siberia and Alaska, or whether dogs traveled along. So I removed "though this theory...." and its reference because the existence of a land bridge across which people and dogs traveled is not in dispute. Also removed the two off-topic sentences that followed, about the origin of the word "Siberia," and their source. -- LaNaranja (talk) 09:59, 29 April 2010 (UTC)

I removed this section entirely. Siberian Husky is a distinct variety from other Huskies, such as the Malamute, or the Alaskan Husky, which are bigger and have different facial and body characteristics. The Siberian Husky was brought over from Siberia (hence the name) in 1909 by Alaskan hunters and trappers. There were other huskies in the North pulling sleds at the time, but they were generally bigger, and not referred to as Siberian Huskies.

66.46.200.2 (talk) 12:49, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

Smile.jpg!

I know that it seems to be annoying, but we can't ignore it. That ghostly smiling husky even made an appearance in Oklahoma News. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 90.190.194.119 (talk) 12:33, 31 March 2011 (UTC)

Intelligence

In behaviour, the Siberian Husky is referenced as having an average working/obedience intelligence, placing 45th on the list "The Intelligence of Dogs". Why, is it then listed just underneath that Siberian Huskies are "highly intelligent". Highly intelligent to what exactly, a rock? if the Husky takes 25 to 40 repetitions to understand a new command, and gets the command right 50% of the time, on the first time, how does the Husky "excel in obedience trials".

Just posing a question. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.77.165.6 (talk) 19:47, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

As much as I respect Stanley Coren, "The Intelligence of Dogs" does not, in fact measure intelligence, but instead obedience and subservience. From personal experience, my husky learns new commands usually well within 10 repetitions. She's also curious and stubbornly independent, which means that while she knows what I want her to do, when I give her even a simple command, she may not obey. I think that's a bigger sign of intelligence than how many repetitions it takes to learn new commands :)

Seriously. Read "the Intelligence of Dogs" to figure out the methodology behind the ratings, and what exactly, Stanley Coren means by "Intelligence"

I should put this on all Dog Breed pages.

66.46.200.2 (talk) 12:59, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

As the owner of a Husky myself I'll vouch for the unnamed editor above, but I want to caution everyone that any information placed in articles must be based on reliable third party sourcing, and that any "personal observations" are considered original research and should not be used in an article. Rapier (talk) 15:15, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

I came to this talk page to check on this prior to changing it. The source just doesn't support the "highly intelligent" observation. In fact, it specifically mentions the limitations of husky intelligence. The reference to Coren, on the other hand, isn't an abstract statement - it just says that's how he ranks them... for what that's worth. I'd vote for rewriting this section to conform to the cited source... which seems pretty good. BTW - I own two huskies. They're not interested in demonstrating any intellgence they may possess or otherwise behaving. I'd vote for researching and expanding the behavoir section to include other unique Siberian characterstics, e.g., digging. John2510 (talk) 18:26, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

I have dealt with many dogs in my life and I can assure you that the average German Shephard is 10 times more intelligent than the cleverest husky... --Actarus Prince d'Euphor (talk) 14:48, 17 September 2011 (UTC)

Photo dispute

{{3O}}

Photo under contention

Requesting third opinion to avoid an edit war. Copied from talk page:

While the dog is pretty, your photo does not illustrate anything not covered by the other images in the Siberian Husky article. Why not place it on your user page, instead?  Thundersnow  08:54, 10 September 2012 (UTC)

(moved from Thundersnow's talk page) re siberian husky page.. i don't want the photo on my user page, that is of a show dog, and the photo is worthy of being on wikipedia., stop removing it please!! remove one of the other ones!! 878photo —Preceding undated comment added 17:22, 10 September 2012 (UTC)

Please keep the conversation in one place. The other photos in the article have illustrate specific points: full body shot, historical, odd coat color, odd coat color and eyes, common activity, and working. Your image cannot replace any of them, showing only normal coat colors, normal eye color, no specific activity, and no historical value. It does not belong in the article. From WP:PERTINENCE: "You should always be watchful not to overwhelm an article with images by adding more just because you can."  Thundersnow  17:38, 10 September 2012 (UTC)

While the dog is gorgeous, it has no place in the article. It does not illustrate anything unique about Siberian Huskies, and Wikipedia is not an image gallery. That is what the link to Commons is for.  Thundersnow  18:00, 10 September 2012 (UTC)

3O Request: Hello! I'm responding to the third opinion request as an uninvolved third party. My role is to assist in resolving the dispute. The third opinion process is informal and nonbinding. When images are placed in articles, there should be an encyclopedic reason for its inclusion, as per our Manual of Style guidelines on images. Does the picture illustrate a unique feature of huskies, that has yet to be covered by any of the other pictures? The picture was provided in good faith, and that is appreciated, but there should be a rationale for its inclusion.--SGCM (talk) 18:05, 10 September 2012 (UTC)

yes., the photo does illustrate a unique feature.., the subject of the photo is unique in the sense it is of a prize winning showdog, as I have said before, is very very gorgeous., so much so that the photo almost looks fake.. it is an excellent quality photo of what could be considered a perfect siberian husky., it is showing almond shaped brown eyes (the article referes to almond shape eyes) and furthermore this is a photo that people actually want to see., mr thundersnow is making a big deal about this., it does not overwhelm the article., he has already removed 4 or 5 other images from the article that did not need to be removed., this one can stay!! 878photo —Preceding undated comment added 18:14, 10 September 2012 (UTC)

Does almond-shaped eyes really need to be illustrated? I typed "almond shape eyes" into the Search box and found 11 animals out of 20 selections on the first page. If it needed to be illustrated, the tail image would also cover it, as that dog has the same nose-down posture that is exaggerating the eye shape. The reasoning seems specious to me.  Thundersnow  18:36, 10 September 2012 (UTC)

Image quality cannot be the sole reason for inclusion. Yes, it's a cute dog. But the image must also be encyclopedic. Your comment about almond eyes is a stronger argument than your comment praising the quality of the picture, but there are other pictures that already illustrate it.--SGCM (talk) 18:39, 10 September 2012 (UTC)

SGCM, how long do we wait?  Thundersnow  07:19, 13 September 2012 (UTC)

There is no set time. WP:BRD applies. Discussion has occurred, you edit, and if they revert, the discussion continues. If no resolution is reached by then, it should brought to a wider audience (like DRN).--SGCM (talk) 18:42, 13 September 2012 (UTC)

I do not understand the sequence you outlined above, but if it is re-added I will take the dispute to DRN.  Thundersnow  10:15, 17 September 2012 (UTC)

You boldly remove the image. If they don't revert, then the issue's settled. If they do revert, the discussion continues. If the discussion goes nowhere, you bring it to dispute resolution. This is WP:BRD. Hope that helps.--SGCM (talk) 10:25, 17 September 2012 (UTC)

I don't know how long you want this discussion to go on, but I will make the points again., the image is encyclopedic for the following reason., it is a picture perfect specimen of the breed of dog that the article is about., it is similar to having an image of Michael Jordan in the shooting guard article.., furthermore, the image clearly shows almond shape eyes, and brown eye color.. 878photo —Preceding undated comment added 21:51, 17 September 2012 (UTC)

Is that your dog? Your entire editing history has been focused on trying to place that image on the article. I think calling it the "Michael Jordan" of Siberian Huskies is a bit hyperbolic. :P --SGCM (talk) 01:26, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

no., i'm a photographer, it is my photo.. i am new to wikipedia., the reason i was using the michael jordan reference, because when you think shooting guard, and image of jordan pops up., this dog has all the perfect features of a siberian husky, the eyes, the markings, the face, everything is perfectly symmetrical., i don't see any reason why the image should not be in the article.. 878photo —Preceding undated comment added 04:44, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

Pictures in Wikipedia articles should illustrate a distinct feature or historical aspect of the subject and must have encyclopedic significance.--SGCM (talk) 18:30, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

Siberian Huskies outdoors !

The Siberin Husky is a outdoor dog ! Thy LOVE to be out doors —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.138.40.252 (talk) 23:42, 28 April 2009 (UTC)

So? Lots of dogs like the outdoors. That's not very noteworthy. Also, sign your comments. Zootboy (talk) 19:23, 23 May 2009 (UTC)

The Siberian Husky and other arctic breeds NEED to be outdoors. It is difficult for them to maintain mental health if they are not allowed ample freedom to run and roam in an outdoor environment. ---Dagme (talk) 15:49, 1 January 2013 (UTC)

Temperament

One of the most striking features of the Siberian Husky breed is nearly universal sweet temper. I am a dog lover and have spent most of my (fairly long) life around dogs. Of all the breeds I know, the Siberian Husky breed is THE MOST universally sweet tempered. This feature should be included in the article. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Dagme (talk • contribs) 15:57, 1 January 2013 (UTC)

Not without reliable, third-party sources. Wikipedia does not accept WP:OR. Regards.--Tomcat (7) 16:49, 1 January 2013 (UTC)

Intelligence

The intelligence section needs work and no one seems to be fixing the incorrect information that it contains. Let's hurry up and fix it, please. Lets be sure to take our time, actually. Don't want any mistakes. RaidenRules! (talk) 22:57, 9 February 2013 (UTC)

Dog or Wolf?

Isn't the Siberian Husky a wolf, not a dog? Or is my information outdated/wrong? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 142.166.9.146 (talk) 09:42, 7 May 2013 (UTC)

Your information is wrong. The Siberian Husky is not a species of wolf. The Siberian Husky is a breed of domesticated dog 58.164.138.229 (talk) 11:53, 20 June 2013 (UTC)breed.

Age span of a Siberian Husky?

In the article it's noted as being 12-15, but (thanks google!) just looking at a variety of different websites the age span seems more to be 10-15 years rather than 12-15. Most say 10-12 is most common, but some reach 15. Does anyone think it would be a good idea to change the age range to 10-15? MyPerfectPeice (talk) 15:30, 1 November 2008 (UTC)

I agree. The claim that Siberian huskies live for 12-15 has no citation to support it. Claimed life expectancies on different websites vary from 10-12; 10-14; 10-15; 12-15. The average claimed life expectancy on various sites seems to work out at about 11 or 12, but this is merely my impression and thus constitutes original research. It's time to add a 'citation needed' to this unsupported claim.58.164.138.229 (talk) 11:47, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

There is this Kennel Club survey that you could try to glean info from? SagaciousPhil - Chat 12:11, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

Huskies as pets

Some added suggestions: Huskies are a very social breed and having a fenced backyard is preferred because they are escape artists. If you want to own a husky, it's probably best to purchase them in pairs. Also, they love digging holes and sleep in them for warmth, which is why a big fenced backyard is perfect for this breed.

Teek28 (talk) 03:11, 18 October 2013 (UTC)

Removing intelligence section

This section has been tagged as needing sources since September 2012. There is one source, but looking at the abstract, I see "The ideal physical structures of purebred dogs are defined in the American Kennel Club (AKC) standards for their breeds. One of these breeds is the Siberian Husky, a medium-sized working dog first bred in Siberia to pull dog-sleds. A rule-based prototype expert system evaluates Siberian Huskies with respect to their standard." [2] Don't see anything in the abstract supporting the sentence it's being used for here - "Siberian Huskies are highly intelligent, which allows them to excel in obedience trials." The paper looks to be just about evaluating their physical conformance to AKC standards. It's possible that something in the body of the paper supports it - if someone has access to the entire paper, and wants to restore it, could they please quote a sentence or two at this talk page. The rest of the section is unsourced. Novickas (talk) 22:38, 22 October 2013 (UTC)

capitalize "husky"?

Hi, I'm a new member of the Dogs WikiProject. I noticed that with and without "Siberian," the word "husky" was capitalized throughout the article more often than not. I couldn't find a definitive statement on this topic so I capitalized it straight through. Also, please see hidden-note questions about a couple of sentences that seemed off-topic, and I removed the Copyedit tag. Thanks! -- LaNaranja (talk) 01:16, 29 April 2010 (UTC)

I think this is a strange case, because "husky" is both a nickname for "Syberian Husky" and the general name for a type of dog. When referring to the specific breed, I say capitalize. When referring to the general type, do not. This will clarify the reading as well. Yay for functional capitalization. 174.25.126.146 (talk) 17:19, 5 December 2014 (UTC)

Brett Bretzman's personality

I have no clue what that phrase (in the "Behaviour" section) means and I feel I'm not the only one in this case. Clarification would be helpful. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.86.161.77 (talk) 20:50, 28 February 2015 (UTC)

First dogs to the Pole

On Decmber 14th 1911, a team of Siberian Huskies became the first dogs to reach the South Pole. They had pulled the sledges of the Amundsen expedition south from their base at Framheim and then took the expedition back to Framheim - a roundtrip of about 1400 miles. It was partly due to the abilities of the dogs to pull heavy loads in extremecold conditions that allowed Amundsen to beat the British expedition lead by Captain Scott. Amundsen knew that he needed to keep his time on the ice cap to an absolute minimum and dogs provided that means, whereas Scott believed that man-hauling the sledges was a superior method. Amundsen returned to Framheim and eventually to Norway, Scott remains entombed in the ice. So why isthere no mention in the article about the dogs journey to the South Pole. Incidentally in the Nome Serum Run the dog that ran the furthest was Tojo and he is hardly ever mentioned! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 92.2.249.240 (talk) 17:12, 30 October 2015 (UTC)

Assessment comment

The comment(s) below were originally left at Talk:Siberian Husky/Comments, and are posted here for posterity. Following several discussions in past years, these subpages are now deprecated. The comments may be irrelevant or outdated; if so, please feel free to remove this section.

Has lots of good info. Needs references. Pictures of more different colours would be nice. --Pharaoh Hound (talk) 17:02, 30 January 2007 (UTC)

Last edited at 17:02, 30 January 2007 (UTC). Substituted at 06:05, 30 April 2016 (UTC)

Bloomsburg University

Bloomsburg University, located in Pennsylvania is a public state school that has their mascot as a husky named Roongo. Tyler massar (talk) 22:44, 24 July 2017 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 25 April 2021

Please change bitch to female and dog to male! 47.204.0.109 (talk) 13:44, 25 April 2021 (UTC)

 Not done You haven't given a reason why - those are fairly standard words in this context. GirthSummit _(blether) 13:48, 25 April 2021 (UTC)

Relevant links need to be added to the 'See also' section of the article

In my opinion, relevant links need to be added to the 'See also' section of the article as the 'See also' section of the article is currently empty and in my opinion, it is pointless having an empty section within the article. Xboxsponge15 (talk) 17:48, 24 May 2021 (UTC)

Thanks for your observation, however if you look to the right you will see the link to the Siberia portal. William Harris (talk) 10:08, 5 June 2021 (UTC)

Images

Hello! So I am here to ask about the images for 2 reason. 1, their descriptions. The image description seems to occasionally state the gender of the dog in the photo. Is this really necessary? I don't see the reason why including what gender the dog in the photo is should be in the description of the image. 2, there are more images related to the dogs eye color than not (which might be WP:UNDUE but I'm asking to see if I"m correct). This causes the issue of moving images down. This is a concern because (on my screen) the image related to the dog covering its nose with its tail is moved to the bottom of the section, however the part of the section that mentions this has the words "as shown" (or something similar) which makes me think it's the image relating to the dog's eye color. This could simply be resolved by removing that wording, however I still don't see the reasoning for more images related to the dog's eye color than not. ― Blaze The Wolf^Talk_{Blaze Wolf#6545} 20:07, 2 November 2021 (UTC)

I agree with the point on the sex of the dog - There is no reason for this unless it is a full body picture, to show structural differences. There is also no reason to show numerous combinations of eye color. If blue and Brown are represented, that is fine and images do not need to cover every phenotype possibility of the breed. For what it's worth, not every coat color is even displayed on this page, so if we were to document for completeness of accepted looks (which we should *not*), we should have images of Agouti and pure white dogs as well. I support these edits, if there's further consensus to keep them it should be discussed here. Mcfuggins (talk) 14:08, 6 January 2022 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 16 April 2022

Regarding this sentence: "The Siberian Husky's work as a sled dog, with minimal active direction from a driver, and a driver's reliance on the dogs to make their own decisions in poor conditions utilizes the other two forms, "Instinctive Intelligence" and "Adaptive Intelligence" to a much greater extent". I suggest adding a comma after the word "conditions". This would make this long sentence much easier to read, as the verb "utilizes" could be easily found. Nekoshet (talk) 09:10, 16 April 2022 (UTC)

 Done. Ive also added a second comma after "Adaptive Intelligence". Aidan9382 _(talk) 17:56, 21 April 2022 (UTC)