Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Siberian Husky Dog Breed


By : Ashley Peach
Alaska, Siberia, and even Canada have breeds of dogs that work sleds, and live in cold weather with their owners. The Siberian Huskies are just one of the working dog you may want to have if you live somewhere cold. They are a medium dog breed that offers loyalty, affection, and happiness for any human. You will find out below about some of their characteristics, grooming needs, and the proper care for these dogs.

If you take proper care of the Siberian husky you will find they live for more than ten or twelve years as faithful companions. They need a well balanced diet with plenty of protein and of course a lot of daily exercise. The Siberian husky is usually 35 to 60 inches in height depending on the sex and 20 to 24 pounds. They have medium length hair that is usually a white, gray, or black. You will also find that they tend to have blue eyes. They have thick coarse fur to keep them warm in the cold climates. You will also find that they have two coats, an undercoat that is usually thick and very soft, and a top coat that is a little coarser. You will find that they are usually lighter in color on the underside. Their faces are usually thin like a wolf, with a slightly long muzzle. The tail tends to remain uncurled unlike other breeds that they mirror.

If you are interested in a Siberian husky you should realize that they need a lot of exercise. They love to work and be useful so any time you can give them something to do even if it is just training you will have a happy dog. You will find that they exhibit agility, dominance, and pride. The dominance stems from the sled dogs that they are. They need to show some type of dominance in order to lead the back as a team. Some of the Siberian huskies will have less dominance as they were breed for further back in the team. However they all love to have a job given to them. They are highly intelligent, which means they can learn tricks, as well as work. You will find obedience training is a little difficult with the dominant nature, but they will soon learn who is master. As long as you keep a gentle hand and a firm hand with consistency you should have little trouble with further training. They do need to be socialized with other animals at an early age because of their hunting instincts. They get along great with other Huskies, but cats and other small pets can be an issue. They can get bored fairly easily so having a home with a medium sized backyard is usually very important. They would rather run around all day than be cooped up inside.

For care you will find that daily walks are needed, at least a total of two hours. Grooming is important on a daily basis to avoid matting and tangles. You should also know for care that the Siberian husky can have cataracts and retinal atrophy so you need to have frequent eye checks as well as other vet visits. These dogs love to be around people and be of use. They can even be pretty great with children as they are a hardy breed.



Author's Resource:

Ashley Peach writes for dog supplies, dog bowls and unique dog toys.

Visit Animal Pets & Friends for more pet and animal articles.

Dog Training Importance


By : Ashley Peach
Though we have looked at training a few different ways in previous articles you will find that in this article of training importance we are looking at a few specific behaviours of dogs. There are some dogs that tend to bark a lot more than other dog breeds. If you are aware of the proper training and take the time to train your dog you will not have to worry about much of the barking. This can be important to you as well as your neighbours based on the fact that many like the peace and quite, rather than incessant dog barking. So how do you go about training out some things a dog just does instinctively?

Well the answer to that is really more in line with behaviour training. You will need to start the training as early as possible. In other words once the dog breed has been weaned from its mother you will want to enter the dog into training. You can go about training in a few different ways. If you feel you are a confident owner that exhibits patience and a consistent hand you may wish to purchase a manual and look on dog training sites for the information. This is one method and most usually the least effective. While books can help during training for dog barking and other instinctual behaviours you really want a professional that will teach you obedience as well as other training methods for your dog. The best approach to any training is going to be a combined method. You also should keep aware that training should never stop. Even though you have been successful in training a dog will go back to the instincts they were born with over training if you don’t keep with the training regiment. Most training is considered a daily exercise along with the actual physical exercise the dog needs.

So now that we have looked at training methods let’s look at behaviour training a little more in depth. Behaviour training is not just obedience. With behaviour training you are trying to teach the dog the response you would like to have. If the dog barks for know reason you should not reward the behaviour with petting. In actuality you need to discourage the behaviour. Yelling is not a way to do this. You need to find something that the dog does not like. For example with cats water is a good deterrent for bad behaviour because they don’t like to be wet. For dogs, it can differ depending on the breed, but usually a tone of voice, that is still at the normal level or the word no will be sufficient to get the bad behaviour stopped when you consider the training you are imparting. Remember that you also want to reward for good behaviour. Good behaviour can be the response to the “no” command you have issued. In other words if the dog ceases the barking and lies down instead you can reward them with a “good dog” or a little rub. Treats should be left for special occasions during training.

It can take a few months to get a dog trained to not bark. In some cases dogs will still bark when they hear the approach of a car or stranger. This can be good if they learn to bark once to alert you and then quiet down again. If they continue the insistent barking you may need to continue training. Remember so behaviour’s are instinctive so that behaviour training must over ride these senses to be effective.



Author's Resource:

Ashley Peach
Dog Supplies - Dog Training Equipment - Dog Collars

Visit Animal Pets & Friends for more pet and animal articles.

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