Siberian Huskies

[link>http://forum.dog.com/asp/showProfile.asp?memid=18655]Mausi[/link]  my purebred husky did the same thing.  When we got babydoo at 2months of age she was a very dark black and white.  2 months later she turned a lite gray and white in color.  Then again around 1year she went back to a dark black and white.  What you're husky is going through is normal,  I would give he/her a couple months before possible changeing the Reg paper.  Also welcome to I-dog everone here Loves to see pictures of your animals.
 
 
Here is a picture of babydoo at a little over 2months

 
Here is a more current picture of her now.
 

Huskies come in a variety of colors and shades, from almost all white to varying shades of black, gray, red, and brown. The eyes can be brown, blue, one of each, or parti-colored. I think the reason for this variation in looks is because the Siberian Husky is a relatively newcomer to conformation standards. Until then, even during most of the 20th Century, they were bred for their original purpose, to pull hard and run fast, regardless of looks. That is, workability and temperment came first. Also, coloration changes with age. When Shadow was a little puppy, he looked like a lab. When he was 1.5, he looked a bit like alaskan husky and chinook, or eurodog. As he has aged (he'll be 3 in July), the presence of his different colors has increased in prominence and he is developing the siberian mask in his face with all four colors, though it is subtle. Shadow's colors appear to change in the fall but that is only because his undercoat, white and gray, is growing in then.
 
I would say, without seeing a pic, that your dog is still piebald. I am not aware of hair changing color depending on temperature but I don't know everything and that would be interesting to research.

Sid is magnificent.
 
My biggest problem with Shadow is keeping him cool in the summer. I'll put out more than one bowl of water and block ice I can make in my chest freezer. One of these days, I'm going to design a solar powered chill water a/c to give him a spot that's blowing cool air. His idea of heaven is somewhere below freezing, preferrably with white stuff on the ground.
 
This was two Christmases ago.
 

Ron they have cooling pads for dogs to lay on in the summer.  And they also have ambient temperature fans that mist an area to lower the amebient temp.  Its no replacement for winter in the eyes of a husky but it helps.  I also keep a kiddy pool full of water in the back yard for the dogs in the summer.

Knock me over, I didn't have a clue. Where can I find them? Petco? Or online, say, our host and benefactor, dog.com? I also get emails from Drs. Foster and Smith.
 

Here you go Ron....
[linkhttp://www.dog.com/itemdy00.asp?T1=020625+XS&Cat]http://www.dog.com/itemdy00.asp?T1=020625+XS&Cat[/link]=

Thank you very much, Jaime. I tried to find it and couldn't. we're expecting highs in the 80's today. I have errands to run but we will be getting him a mat. I've also seen batt-op fans. If I get one of these and a plastic basket to set block ice in, I can definitely creat a cool spot on the back patio. My wife and I both work, so, there are times he will be alone in the yard from 8:30 in the morning until 4:00 in the afternoon, depending on our schedules. So, one of us is getting home just as the day's temp is starting to spike. I also leave out 2 or more water bowls in the summer. The walks get shorter.

I have two cool down mats, one I bought at a dog show and the one I just linked you..I haven't used the second one yet to give you any info but the first one I took to Westminster and it stayed cool for two days once soaked in the water. I love it and so do the dogs!
 I also use the battery operated fans when the weather gets up there and we are showing, we carry one but I prefer one from another company...that comes with an ice insert...I have tried to get the same one for us, we'll see how that goes []

Thanks again, Jaime. I just finished ordering one over the phone (call me old-fashioned) and had great conversation.
 
Next, I'm going to design a solar-powered box fan with a large bucket for block ice, patent it, retire from digging ditches, and then you'll never get rid of me.
 

Hi new here ,i have 3 siberian huskies , they are
suka     10 yrs
wolfy   13.5 yrs
mishka  20 mnths
wolfy & mishka are red/cream/white & suka is grey/white ,i have had sibes for 13 yrs now a lovely breed , can be demanding but i haven't had many problems with mine , will post some pics when i figure out how to do it!!!!!!!!!![]

Welcome to the dog forum. Posting pics is a must around here.
 
You might be interested in the thread in "Photos for Sharing" of what does everyone here look like. That's where we put up our mug shots, er, um, photos.

Temperment.
 
Siberian Huskies are extremely intelligent and independent. In this behavior, they are similar to wolves. There are a couple of reasons for this. First, blind obedience and hunting recall were not the first needs of the chukchi. What they needed was a dog smart enough not to pull them onto thin ice or into a ravine. For example, with better hearing than ours, a dog can hear sounds from an upcoming ravine better than we can. They can hear the sound of water under ice better than we can. So, if the musher has made a command to go ahead and the husky detects danger, he or she may likely balk and not do as asked, thereby saving the team, including the mistaken musher. The desire to run great distances was preserved rather than bred out. It is what makes them great sled dogs and also what makes them independent. Left off leash, there is a good chance they will take off after the first thing that interests them more than your obedience command. And they can run fast enough to get a speeding ticket in a school zone.
 
Because of the history, the training is different than other dogs. Authentic sled dog training usually requires placing the dog in an already accomplished team and they learn, thanks to the other dogs, what it is they are supposed to do. Since they are intelligent, there will sometimes be struggles to see who is alpha. The independent streak gives them the desire to be alpha. That is why they are rank-conscious. The lead dog doesn't have to be alpha and it may easier for a musher to command a dog that is not alpha. The alpha will keep the other dogs in line to follow the leader. Most of these behaviors and traits are antithetical to most pet dog training.

The Sibe is also a very social animal. It lives best in the company of other pets. Sibes have been described at times as having separation anxiety if the can't be with the pack. This stress, and boredom, can lead to destructive behavior, such as shredding things in the house, digging in the flower bed, chewing on things. I have learned that anything you leave in the backyard can become a chew toy. If you only have one, try to limit the amount of time the dog will be alone. That's easier said than done. My wife and I both work and our dog may be alone in the backyard for up to 8 hours.
 
One thing to help the dog is to exercise. Shadow goes nuts for a walk. He gets to do his job which is to "drag" me around town or the corn fields. We walk 1 to 2 miles everyday, though the walks are shorter in the summer. You don't have to walk your dog that far to keep them healthy but they were bred for long distance running and pulling under load. Whatever play or exercise you can devise and manage somewhat consistently will suffice. As little as 3 walks a week around a block or two can suffice. They love to play hard. So, they can knock over your little kid in the midst of all that love and play.
 
Sibes can be obedience-trained and one of the calendar pages on my Husky calendar shows on clearing an A-frame in an agility trial. It takes patience without making the training tedious or boring and always remembering that there is that independent streak. Though they don't have a strong homing instinct that bond of the pack makes up for that. They are good around children, provided you supervise, train, and show them you are alpha. That goes for the dog and the children.

Siberian Husky is a hearty healthy breed of dog, suffering from relatively few defects, which usually show up in geriatric age.

They live, on average, 12 to 14 years, though I've read of some living to 15 1/2 years. Generally, males get to 24 inches to the whithers and are not prone to hip dysplasia. HD, in a species prone to it, such as labs, will show up around 2 years, usually. In fact, it is recommended to wait until 2 years to test a lab for HD, especially if you are interested in breeding. If not, the point is moot. Shadow, being part lab, has yet to show any outward signs of HD and he will be 3 in July of this year. Sibes, the other and main part of Shadow's heritage, are known to suffer from eye problems, especially in old age. But who doesn't? They can suffer from juvenile cataracts, coroneal dystrophy, and retinal atrophy. I read of one american line of siberians (a show line, BTW) that were suffering blindness by age 3. Shadow has yet to show any symptoms and his eyes are clear and his vision is extremely acute.

Though they were bred to survive extreme cold, they can survive in any climate, including, say, Florida. However, if it is possible to keep them in the ac or have a cooler mat it will do wonders to keep them comfortable. I have just ordered, from our host Dog.com, a 2xl cooler mat and it should be delivered in the next day or two. In the summer, I will leave out 2 or 3 bowls of water and some block ice.

After a walk during warm times, Shadow will often lay down on the linoleum in the ac for 30 minutes before he has cooled down enough to eat. This is perfectly normal.
 
 

Feeding.
 
The siberian husky metabolism is slow. It is designed to get the maximum amount of nutrition possible out of a little bit of food. The appetite is often directly linked to exercise or work. They also don't eat a lot at one time. It is not uncommon to eat just a cup or two at a time. When working, they may eat small meals several times a day. If yours is a house pet with some walking and/or play, a regular food of maintenance formula will do fine. If you work them, especially in sledding, carting, or skijoring, it may be advisable to switch to a working dog formula. A sled dog in competition can require over 2,000 kcals a day. Some of the name brands, such as Nutro and Eagle Pack have come out with working dog formulas. They are high in protein and fat, numbers that mushers live by. For example, Nutro has High Energy, which has 30/20 protein and fat. Another brand from whom I've gotten timely and excellent answers is Momentum, with their popular 35/27. It was designed by a vet that races sled dogs. OTOH, if you go into off-season or are not working as hard, you will want to monitor and reduce the protein/fat ratio. Dogs can get obese when fed too much protein and fat. In racing, many mushers will feed their dogs a combination of performance kibble and meat, either raw or cooked.
 
Huskies are lean, though you can't see it under all the fur. It is normal to feel ribs, with a supple, small layer of fat over them, though you'd think the dog was too skinny.
 
They are self-grooming dogs that don't have that typical "dog" smell. So, don't assume that your dog is having an allergic reaction just because he is licking or pulling something out of his fur. Sometimes, he's just cleaning.