The history of the origin of any breed largely determines the nature of dogs. For example, there are breeds bred to guard the prisoners or vice versa the property of the people. Buying such a puppy don’t be surprised, that growing up, dog bits a neighbor. As well as do not expect from husky that it will protect your apartment or country house.
The history of the origin of the breed “Siberian husky” goes back centuries and is associated with the development the North by human. In these harsh conditions people needed help in hunting, but even more in moving over long distances on snow-covered plains, frozen rivers and the Northern seas shores. Hence husky has amazing endurance – this dog can make a run for tens of kilometers making you company in long-term bicycle rides. Power – even one adult dog can ride on a sled or snow tube not only a child but also an adult. Hunting instinct – mice and hamsters, rabbits and hares, chickens and other domestic animals are just food for husky. And it’s very difficult to convince your pet not to eat it.
Huskies are very similar to wolves and often have a rather menacing look because of the mask on the face. It can even cause fright among the passers during a walking. This is one of the main curiosities of the breed. The fact is that the Siberian husky is one of the friendliest breeds to humans. Historians of the breed attribute this to two reasons. The Chukchi and the Eskimos crossed progenitors of husky with wolves, apparently in order to increase the endurance of the dogs and get some more important qualities. However, the wolf genes have a side effect – some of the puppies showed aggressiveness with which the Northern Nations ruthlessly fought. The second reason is associated with the fact that in the harsh Northern conditions dogs often had to take to the house, where there were not only adults but also children. Therefore, even the slightest signs of aggression towards a person or a child were out of question.
Perhaps husky have unusually high intelligence for this reason. Such close contact with a person could cause ‘Mowgli syndrome’ on the contrary, when the need to understand gestures, facial expressions and rich vocabulary of a person contributed to the development of intelligence of the dog. And maybe this is another consequence of wolf genetics — stupid predators do not survive in the wild nature. Anyway, the husky easy open simple locks in the form of hooks and latches during the keeping in a cage. They also can open the feed bag or open the fridge. But husky easily understand a person, learn quickly commands and habits of the owner. However, this does not guarantee that huskies will unquestioningly obey all these commands. This is another of the curiosities of the breed – high intelligence in husky is combined with independence in decision making.
Some historians of the breed connect this with the fact that while running in a team dogs could feel a crack in the ice and dramatically change the route. Therefore, they had the right to make their own decisions. This feature is especially typical for Siberian husky males, mostly they were leaders of the team. There is a common formula among breeders – “Husky is a dog with which it is necessary to negotiate”. But it isn’t necessary to indulge the pet needless. In the North huskies were kept in packs of 7-9 dogs, and as a result they have very developed pack instincts. It means that during the training dogs you should always clearly define who is the boss. Then husky will perceive you as the pack leader, which must be obeyed.
Despite the name of “Siberian husky”, the origin country of the breed is considered to be the United States of America. This curiosity with the breed occurred in the beginning of XX century. Before the revolution in our country, the number of dogs of Northern sled breeds grew steadily, the development of Siberia was associated with the development of postal and cargo flow, where traditional sled dogs weren’t enough. During the years of Soviet power, the need for sled dogs began to decrease because of industrial production development and the emergence of special equipment. Famous for its formalism Soviet authorities performed strict regulation of dogs dividing them into groups, taking into account the benefits for the national economy. Husky seemed these innovators too small for the draft animal and their breeding was prohibited.
Balto
It is characteristic that at the same time Americans who weredistinguished by enterprising, on the contrary, highly appreciated driving characteristics and endurance of the breed. They started to breed husky and in 1930 they were recognized by the American kennel club, and in 1932 developed the first standards of the breed. Prefix “Siberian” husky got in order not to confuse them with larger dogs Alaskan Eskimos. Gold miners in Alaska also called them huskies as a result of deformation the word “Eskimos” and reducing it to “Eski.” In the USA, the breed grew rapidly and received wide recognition, including due to the occasion when husky team managed to deliver a vaccine against diphtheria in hardly accessible city of the Nome and save its population from the outbreak of the epidemic. There were made animated and feature films about this heroic act. And the monument of Siberian husky Balto was even installed in New York.
The breed came back in Russia only in the 90s but quickly found their fans and professional breeders. By 2000 Russian Kynological Association had registered more than a hundred puppies of Siberian husky breed. Today there are several dozens of kennels professionally engaged in breeding this interesting breed. Dozens of monobreed dog shows of Northern sled dogs national club are held annually, where the Siberian husky honorably represented. We hope that professional breeders community of Siberian husky breed will continue to progress, and dogs bred in Russia will be honorably represented at international dog shows and prestigious competitions.