5 Top Lessons My Husky Taught Me

Are you ready for some crazy? Adopting a husky will bring it into your life. Along with one of the best friends you will ever have. Huskies are lively, silly, playful, highly intelligent dogs that will always surprise you. I learned a lot from my husky malamute Juneau, pictured above.

Snowdogs are a unique group of dogs that are bred to, you guessed it, live in the snow. They are energetic, athletic, and love to wander. Husky and Malamute breeds are two types of snow dogs that most people recognize instantly. They are gorgeous dogs that closely resemble wolves. They also teach you a lot!

Here are the five top lessons my husky/malamute taught me.

1. I want to run! I often wonder if my husky is part wolf, he seems so wild at times. His instinct is to run and run. When he was young, I would often take him for three to five walks a day, and he would have been happy to go for six or more. Ideally, you have a big field, such as a dog park to take your husky to. I didn’t always have that option so we settled for long walks in the park or the neighborhood. Having a large backyard is a must as well.

2. I can speak human. There are countless YouTube videos of huskies talking. I taught Juneau how to say, “I love you”, huskies truly speak. The key is to talk to them as if you are having a conversation, use certain words or phrases often so they get the hang of it. Most dogs know words like, walk, bone, bath, but huskies will learn a lot more if you practice it with them. One thing to watch out for, since Juneau knew the word walk, I started using the letter W as code, but he figured it out very quickly!

3. I’m smarter than you, accept it. Just like Juneau figured out W stood for a walk, huskies can figure out quite a bit, they are always watching and putting things together. They know where their treats are, their leash, your stash of beef jerky. Do you remember the scene in Jurassic Park when the raptors learned to open doors? That’s how it feels with huskies, they are problem-solving smart. This leads me to my next lesson.

4. I am Houdini. When it comes to keeping your dog in the yard or house you always have to be one step ahead of your Houdini. Juneau knows that if a new person comes to the house, they are unlikely to close the front door, and woosh, out he goes! He knows that if we move into a new home, there will be some weakness in the fence, he always finds it, and he’s out for a run.

Not every single husky is an escape artist but most are, it comes from their instinct to run. If you train them early and well, I have heard some of them can even be off-leash. Some will jump, others dig, and some like mine will squeeze themselves through the tiniest crack in the fence and will themselves through. Read here for some of our craziest escape moments

5. I may seem aloof but I do love you. Not all huskies will be aloof, some are family dogs, and most bond with at least one person. They can be aloof, independent, and headstrong. Yet they do enjoy your company, they love going for long walks with you, or just sitting together and watching the sunset. They love going places, take them for a car ride, a walk, outside while you garden so they can see the people passing by (as long as you have a fenced yard). They love you, don’t forget it, and they will give that love back to you a hundred-fold.