Siberian Husky
There can be not much debate that, of the new breeds arriving on the shores of Guyana and across our porous borders recently, the Husky must be #1; most probably because the adult Husky, with its long, double-layered coat, is just simply gorgeous. And we must not forget those enticing blue eyes.
The Husky, often called a Siberian Husky, belongs to a group (breed) called the Spitz. In fact, this group comes in varying sizes according to its diverse usage, including herding, hunting, guarding, and pulling sleds. The smaller variants are kept solely as “lap dogs”, those pets sitting happily on the caregiver’s lap, Huskies have a double layer of long hair, which needs grooming once or twice a week.
Scientists have decided, and it seems apparent, that the larger exemplars, which include Huskies, have descended from wolves. Measurements of the skull, the shape of the head, the typical wolf coloration, and its constantly alert expression are brought into this discussion to support the hereditary argument.
I should mention in passing that, as the early migrations took humans to East Asia, the Chow Chow (China), the Akita (Japan) and the Malamute (Alaska) – the Spitz breeds – developed. We do know that a great mass of humans and their animals also moved over the Bering Strait from Siberia to North America.
The large Spitz-type dogs have characteristics of animals bred specifically for living in extremely cold climates. It is for this reason that Siberian Huskies have a thick double coat of hair. One would also notice that the Huskies’ ears are small and pointed, which scientists argue is to prevent heat loss associated more with dogs bred and living in the tropics, where the animal needs to give off heat instead of conserve it. Remember, too, that dogs do not perspire. Huskies also possess well furred feet – something that is not needed in the Tropics, and the topic which will be discussed next week.
The Siberian Huskies are quite peaceful by nature, and make lovable companions; but let me warn you that they need plenty of exercise. If one does not have the time to spend exercising the Husky, then do not choose this breed as a companion animal.
Also, I must add that it has been keenly observed, over the centuries of association with humans, that the Husky still possesses an independent nature, even though, like wolves, they are pack animals. In other words, they need to be with humans and other dogs, but they need, from an early age, to be managed/led by a strong human hand.
It has been observed that Huskies tend to see small animals as prey. It is therefore incumbent on the owner to socialise their Husky puppies with other pets in the household.
Alaskan Malamute
I referred to the Alaskan Malamute above. Malamutes are coming into Guyana as well. In fact, the names “Husky” and “Malamute” are often used interchangeably. This is wrong. The two are similar, but different. They both possess an abundance of stamina, energy, strength, tenacity, and a heightened sense of direction and smell. Also, the literature documents that the Malamute is an extremely friendly dog, especially towards humans. That latter consideration would logically not make the Malamute to be reliable as a guard dog. Having said that, allow me to add that I (and I dare say most veterinarians) warn against having large, strong, energetic dogs being left alone with a small child.
Male Malamute dogs have been known to exhibit intolerance to strange dogs, especially those wandering into the former’s territory. This means that more than the usual socialization and training must be administered to this breed, even as early as during the puppy stage.
With all of the data documented above, and the effort it will take to care for and monitor these large Spitz breeds (Siberian Husky and Alaskan Malamute), why would one want to rear these breeds? We will carry on this discussion next week.
