Is Sibe h. behavior/training different

Northern dogs tend to be harder.  Bred to run "away", to pull, and in many cases to be food thiefs to survive in past generations.  Methods that use food based strategies to establish behaviors.  Lots of variety in activity that keep the mind engaged.  Do not do heeling practice in a square or circle.  Hand feeding to establish relationships and periodically through the dog's life.  Use of secure areas and long lines to teach "check in" behaviors.

 MRV, those are good basics.  I have heard many say that the average person shouldn't get a husky.  There are too many that do not know how to deal with the learning style that seems to be too difficult for most people. 
 
I have found that they make excellent family pets however. I  couldn't ask for a more interactive dog!  They talk, they love to play games, and they love everyone in the home.  I think that the reason people may be intimidated by caring for one is that you really do need to examine the behavior and what your dog is telling you/ how to work with him to make your situation a healthy one.
 
They enjoy playing a game that they can compete in.  Games like, getting the toy (whatever it is and keeping it away from the others) or jumping up on the picinic table and knocking the others off.  And naturally racing, going as fast as they can!
 
I notice my huskies run together a lot as well, as if they were on a team, harnessed together, side by side.  And other times it is just the female running way faster than the male, and he cries and barks as he can not catch her!
 

Anyone notice developmental stages in your Siberian? 
 

I think the thing that I've noticed most about my husky mix is that she is incredibly vocal!!!!! I swear sometimes she's actually talking because she makes so many different noises and it's always directed at me. I can't really say how much of her behaviour is from her being a husky (she is a mix) or from her being a neglected dog for her first year of life, I'm fostering her for the animal shelter so the only thing we know about her past is that she is majorly undersocialized. But yes, very, very, very, very vocal!!! And she's also incredibly loyal to me.

I have to agree an average person shouldn#%92t own a Siberian husky.  It takes a special person to own one or in my case 3, it takes a person with lots of patients and a high tolerant of craziness.
 
 
I have to say I found the breed to very expressive with emotions through the use facial gestures.   Mine also love to run in a tight little group with our male far behind lol We have to remember that they are pack orientated animals.
 
 
I have run into a number of problems along the way.  One being the joy of running and the ability to escape the backyard.   And the most famous among the breed the leash pulling.   To solve the escaping problem in the backyard we#%92re instilling the no dig fencing and increasing the height of the fence to 7 feet.    To help with the pulling I let them all have a good run in the backyard before the walk.  Instead of walking them all at once I take them one by one plus they get the special one on one time with me or my husband.

The Sibe metabolism varies from other dogs. It is slow but is ramped up by exercise. So, they usually eat right after exercising or working. Their metabolism is also adapted from the harsh sparse conditions of their breed history to get a huge benefit out of a little bit of food. So, they are more prone to eat smaller meals. They tend to regulate their own intake. They play hard, tug, crazy runs faster than the wind. Some are masterful escape artists. Initially, they were bred to pull sleds but also lived with the family. Because they often work in teams, rank is important. Each dog knows his place and the musher must not place to dogs together that don't get along well enough. In a working sled kennel, they will usually sleep outside, burrowed in the snow or on top of a platform made for them, chained to a tie out or static line. They live to pull and run and were never bred for recall, so retrieval games with them can be a challenge. With a retriever dog, you can reliably train a dog to fetch and return. With a Sibe, you can throw the ball, they go get it, and then take off at mach 1. (I know Ace is the exception.) They can get bored easily so training needs to be fun, varied, and not to long in sessions.
 
They often greet by jumping around or on each other and want to greet you the same way. Willfull, independent.
 
The other marked difference is their need for work or exercise. They are, like greyhounds, an athletic breed of dog. So, they need lots of exercise, either a long walk or pulling or carrying something, though lots of play can help, too, especially the cruising at low altitude runs. On the trail, a competitive team may run 40 miles, eat, rest a bit, then go on again.

Do not do heeling practice in a square or circle

 
mrv, could you expound on this?  I do not know why this would be but, my huskies will circle you round and round till they get what they need/want.  For instance, if we are leash walking and I stop and they want to go, esp the female, round and round she will circle me.  Also going out to the gate, I cant get it open fast enough, they go in a circle together, round and round!  LOL.  Does that have anything to do with why you stated above quote?
 
I have seen facial expression in my older husky the most.  He would literally roll his eyes upward as if he were bored.  Other times his eyes would be penetrating, in the warmest of ways, but cause he wanted that food item, BAD!  Lol, but he didnot talk as much as these two. 
 
The howling and wooowooing is just like a magnet to the human heart in this family.  I love how they communicate.  Simply beautiful.

With a Sibe, you can throw the ball, they go get it, and then take off at mach 1. (I know Ace is the exception.) They can get bored easily so training needs to be fun, varied, and not to long in sessions.

 
Ron, I have dealt with this one.  My older dog, actually did succomb to retrieving.  How?  Instead of trying to get him to deliver the ball, I just let him have it all he wanted.  When he realized I wasn't going to take it, he would deliver it to me. Drop it at my feet and then I would throw it to him.  When he saw that I wasn't going to keep it for myself and he got to chase it, he uniformly would 'retrieve'. 
 
I am no trainer, just a good owner that observes and works it out .  So, basically fun is the objective, not a boring training session!  That would bore me too. []

I do that, too. Shadow will get the ball and want me to follow him around. I turn and walk back to the door and he will arrive next to me for more play.

the best thing about training my huskies is the fact that they are so food motivated.The food thief thing is right on...Mine do not forget a thing(memory = intelligence)and i can put a food item down near me and they wont touch it as long as i am paying attention...the minute i get up,and even if i call them with me and we go inrto the other side of the house,if i let them wander away from me,they will beline for the food,and i am out of luck...thats why food hiding games are so much fun with these guys..

this is one i like to do...Bring your pup outside and have them leashed...bring a bunch of yummy treats with you....hide the treats in full view of your pup while still on leash....take them out of the area when all treats are "hidden".Go back into the area and let your dog off and time them to see how liong it takes to find all the treats.only do this with one dog tho so no fighting takes place..give it a try,you will have fun.

it didnt take long to figure out that they would do just about anything i asked for a treat.

All the basic commands(sit,down,stay and come)were pretty easy..

Heel was the hardest one.I learned pretty quickly that if i didnt tire them out with a quick run,that heeling was near impossible.My huskies want to PULLL..Unless they get that initial burst of energy out of thier system,i find its pretty hard to hold the attention.

Solution,springer bike attatchment...we run about 3-6 miles on average just to knock off that energy and it only takes 15 or 20 minutes...2 miles is enought to do the job tho..

Dogslife  has the same thing going on as i do...in our fenced in area,i will let them all out and they play tag...the female will run up and goad the males into chasing her...she is by far the fastest,tho sometimes she likes to give chase too..they also love to climb and elevate thier position,and we bought a picnic table into thier play are just for that reason.


mine dont play with toys that much unless its a game of tug with a furry squirrel looking type and you can count on that toy bieng ripped to shreds..

 i have heard people compare huskies to cats,and i can see some similarities,but when i think of cats,i think of independant and aloof animals...things that huskies arent...tho they can be independant at times..

  The coolest thing i have seen lately was when i was spiing on them and they were not aware....i saw my dogs stalking like cats across the ground and then pouncing...belly dragging on the ground and eveything...it was awesome,but they have never done this in front of me before...weird,but cool..

The high energy level was the  thing I noticed first when Bandit came to live with us.  I swear he never laid down to rest for weeks!
He was free fed as a pup, and never ate more than he needed.  To this day, he lays down to eat.  I have never seen him stand to eat.
Bandit does have excellent recall.  100% to date.  When he was younger, he did get out of the yard once when we weren't home, and wandered next door to play with some children. 
He has such an expressive face and ears!  I usually am able to tell what he is trying to communicate.  The woowoowoo-ing is pretty much non-stop.  Bandit loves everyone he has met, especially if they will play fetch with him, and he has always gotten along well with other dogs and cats.
This is Bandit being a lap dog:
 
 
 

ORIGINAL: dogslife
Ron, I have dealt with this one.  My older dog, actually did succomb to retrieving.  How?  Instead of trying to get him to deliver the ball, I just let him have it all he wanted.  When he realized I wasn't going to take it, he would deliver it to me. Drop it at my feet and then I would throw it to him.  When he saw that I wasn't going to keep it for myself and he got to chase it, he uniformly would 'retrieve'. 

I am no trainer, just a good owner that observes and works it out .  So, basically fun is the objective, not a boring training session!  That would bore me too. []

i do something similar with sydney. he is a sibe mix (most likely with lab). he has a high retrieve drive (ie. he wants to fetch the ball 24/7). the problem was he would get the ball run back to me, and then want to run from me or make me play a little game of tug to get the ball back.

now we play with 2-3 balls at once. i throw one, turn my back, and he will run up to me, i show him another ball and he will drop the one he has, then i throw the 2nd ball. he has gotten to where he is almost constantly running to fetch and bring the ball back. the only time the game stops is either i am tired and stop the game or if he doesnt drop the ball at my feet.

And, like cats, clean themselves and lack the "doggy" smell.
 
But yes, they've got to get that energy out. In a walk, then some crazy runs around the back yard. The funny part is when Shadow tries to make a turn at full speed and cuts it a little sharp and goes sliding, one paw locked like a front disc brake and the other one sliding and his muzzle bouncing on the turf while the back legs haven't stopped. I would love to borrow a vidcam to catch that just once and title it, "So you think your dog's a goofball?"

angelabarry -  that is a handsome pup you have there. sydney is my oversized lap dog too, but there is no way we could free feed him! []