huskies

[rafferty]

I am wondering if someone could answer a simple question for me. Im wondering if it is possible to have a long haired huskie, as all the huskies i have seen have short hair. Also, what is the difference between an alaskan and siberian husky?

Thank you

[denisegordon]

I think: A Siberian Husky is the pretty one that we think of as a husky, and the breed standard is for a short coat.  An Alaskan husky tends to be a strong dog chosen because he is a good worker rather than a breed, so it's a type rather than a breed.  When you see real working sled dogs on TV (rather than competitions) they don't really look like huskies they are just the best local dogs.

[Fatkat]

Yes - long haired huskies are within breed standard but less common than the short hair in the UK.  Coat density is also variant on climate so the colder climates have the heavier-coated dogs.  There are various types of sled dog:  Siberian Huskies are the original pure breed that were used on the Serum run by Seppala.  Nowadays for sledding in the Iditarod and general arctic sledding, Alaskan Huskies are used which are a breed in their own right, but are a mixture of pure husky + other working/racing dogs that have been bred  for the purpose required (sprint/racing/working etc).  The Alaskan Malamute is the heavier breed, similar to a Siberian in looks but heavier and stronger and used for pulling heavier, shorter distance loads (whereas the Siberians are the smaller sprint dogs).  Malamutes are normally used on TV as they have less of a tendancy to run off and escape like Siberians which have to be kept on lead/chained/fenced in!

Huskies is also a general term used for all Northern breed dogs, so could include the spitz dogs and the Samoyeds, Greenland dogs, etc

As for prettiness - they are all beautiful!

Hope this helps - I have 4 Siberian Huskies and one has the longer coat!