The Siberian Husky is a popular dog throughout the world. It has a wolf-like appearance that may seem intimidating to some people. But are Huskies aggressive?
Huskies are not inherently aggressive dogs. They are very friendly and loving dogs that fit any family. But that doesn’t mean that they won’t get aggressive if you or someone else provoke them. And there are a few different ways you can provoke a Husky.
- The Temperament Of A Husky
- Types Of Aggression In A Husky
- What Are The Signs Of Aggression In Huskies?
- Preventing Aggressive Behavior In Huskies
The Temperament Of A Husky
The Siberian Husky is a medium-sized dog bred in the cold outskirts of Siberia. In time, the breed spread all around the world and became quite popular.
It is a friendly dog that fits well in all families and wants to meet new people. This makes the Husky a bad guard dog. Whenever an intruder comes into your house, you are less likely to see the Husky attacking and more likely just making a new friend.
It is an intelligent dog that can learn commands very quickly. The problem is that it is very independent and stubborn so you will have to be persistent.
The Husky has a high prey drive and will chase all smaller pets and animals. It is very high-energy and demands a lot of exercise. But in the end, it is a sweet, loyal, and affectionate dog.
Types Of Aggression In A Husky
Even though Huskies aren’t aggressive by nature, there are a few things that can cause aggression.
Food-Related Aggression
We all know how grumpy we can get when we’re hungry. But dogs take this to another level. Getting food is a way of survival and if you endanger the food of the Husky it might react aggressively. Whether it’s another dog, person, or pet like a cat messing with its food, the Husky will get mad.
To prevent this Siberian Husky aggression, ensure that all of your pets have separate bowls to eat out of. Also, train your Husky to wait before it gets its food. This puts you in charge and control.
Possession Aggression And Leash-Related Aggression
Just like little kids are, if you take the favorite toy out of your Husky, it might start getting aggressive. The same goes for any other item your Husky thinks belongs to it.
You can notice the same thing happening if someone is lying in its dog bed. The Husky considers that the bed belongs to it so taking it away will cause anger.
Leash-related aggression occurs when you put a leash on your Husky to take it out for a walk. It might feel like there is no way to escape if it feels threatened by another dog or person so it will get angry.
Territorial Aggression
Huskies can become dangerous if they start getting aggressive over their “territory”. Some dogs simply want to protect their homes and will get very angry at anyone going into their territory.
Huskies are usually not very protective, but some may learn this trait. To prevent this from happening, you need to socialize your dog from an early age. If it gets used to meeting new people and animals it won’t get aggressive when any of the enter its territory.
You also need to teach it that whatever its territory is, belongs to its owner and that is you. Pose yourself as the leader and your Husky will follow you.
Dominance Aggression
The Husky can become aggressive if it feels like it is the dominant one in the household. Being dominant, this dog will start showing pushy behavior to anyone it deems lesser than itself. This behavior includes your dog jumping on people and other dogs and mounting them. The aggressive Husky will even bite and growl whenever it wants something.
This behavior starts from a young age and should be stopped there. If you don’t stop it, it will only get worse. Show your dog that you are the dominant one and that it should listen to you. Hire an obedience trainer to help.
Predatory Aggression
Like many other working dogs, Siberian Huskies are known to have a high prey drive. This means that they will chase anything that is smaller than them. This includes all sorts of critters around the house, other house pets, as well as small children. This is why you should keep an eye on your children playing with a Husky.
To prevent any accidents from happening because of this behavior, you need to know how to stop it on time. Find the signs in your Husky whenever it gets ready to attack and issue a firm “no” so it stops immediately.
What Are The Signs Of Aggression In Huskies?
Siberian Husky aggression can manifest in a few noticeable signs of aggression. These include:
- Becoming still and rigid
- Erect tail and ears with the raising of the hair
- Growling, snarling, or excessive barking
- Lunging without biting
- Muzzle punch – hitting the victim with its muzzle
- Bites ranging from snaps, and nips, to deep dog bites
These symptoms can appear altogether, or just one or two at certain times. It is important to notice the signs early so you can prevent an attack from happening.
Preventing Aggressive Behavior In Huskies
If you worry about your Husky being aggressive, there are many ways to prevent that aggression from happening.
Don’t Ignore The Aggression
Some Huskies will show signs of aggression from their puppy age. You should never ignore the Husky puppies biting and showing aggressive behavior, as in time it will only get worse.
The puppy is small and won’t cause any serious damage. Once that puppy grows up and reaches adult Husky size, the problems can get much bigger.
If the puppy knows that you won’t do anything because of its bad behavior, it will only repeat it. That is why you should address it early on and stop it while the Husky is small enough to control.
Obedience Training
Obedience training is an important practice that is good for every dog. The point is to teach the dog certain commands that help you control its actions.
Most people know the popular commands of “sit”, “stay”, and “no”. All of these can help you with controlling an aggressive or impulsive dog.
If you teach your Husky properly, as soon as you notice dangerous Husky behavior, you can just say the command and it will stop.
A little bump in the road when teaching commands to your Husky is the fact that it is quite a stubborn dog. Proper training may take a bit more time compared to other dogs.
Socialize More
The best thing you can do for any dog from an early age is to start socializing it with other people and animals. Socializing should start at 3 weeks of age, and then continue throughout your dog’s life.
By socializing, your Husky will learn how to interact with other people and animals. This will stop it from becoming protective and aggressive with strangers once it gets older.
You can socialize wherever you want to. Dog parks are great places to meet new people and dogs. You can also organize hanging out sessions with a friend that has a dog. You can also take your dog to doggy daycare.
Exercise Accordingly
Siberian Huskies are aggressive if they don’t get enough exercise. They are high-energy dogs and need a lot of exercises, or they become destructive and aggressive.
The PDSA recommends Huskies get around 2 hours of exercise every day. That is quite a lot of time, so you should consider this before getting a Husky as a pet.
Take your Husky for a walk every day. You can even commit to some heavier exercise like running, hiking, or swimming. Having a big enclosed yard can help as you can let your Husky run around and entertain itself for a while.
Do Mental Stimulation
Besides being stimulated by exercise and training, Huskies need to exercise their minds as well. They are intelligent dogs and can use that intelligence to learn something new.
Huskies are aggressive dogs if they don’t find ways to spend their energy. Not giving enough mental stimulation can attribute to that as well.
Mental stimulation can be done in a few ways. Obedience training is a way of doing mental stimulation. Another way you can do this is to get your Husky a dog puzzle or some smart toys. You can also play hide and seek or do word recognition training.
Talk To A Vet Or A Dog Trainer
Sometimes, your Husky will become aggressive because it is in pain. Illnesses that cause pain can aggravate the dog and cause aggression. The best option if your dog suddenly becomes aggressive is to take it to the vet. The vet will do an exam and see if there is any health problem responsible for the change in behavior.
If your Huskies are mean dogs and you simply can not train them yourself, you should hire a professional dog trainer. The dog trainer is an expert in dog behavior and will be able to train your dog properly. And they will teach you tricks for how to deal with your Husky.
Final Thoughts – Are Huskies Aggressive?
Siberian Huskies are popular dogs that are part of many families around the world. They are loving family dogs that love to meet new people and animals. They are intelligent, yet quite independent and stubborn. They are also high-energy dogs and need a lot of exercise throughout the day.
That said, Huskies can become aggressive if they are provoked. There are different types of aggression depending on the source. Possession aggression and food aggression are big problems in Huskies that are not properly trained. The same is with territorial aggression and dominance aggression. Huskies also have a high prey drive so predatory aggression is very possible.
To prevent Husky aggression you need to notice the signs of aggression. You also need to do obedience training, proper socialization, and enough physical and mental exercise. You should never ignore the aggression and contact a professional dog trainer or vet for help.
FAQ
Are Huskies safe around kids?
Huskies are great around kids. They are very friendly and will enjoy meeting new kids and just playing around. But Huskies are big dogs and accidents happen so you should always be on the lookout.
Are Huskies aggressive toward other dogs?
If trained properly, a Husky will be friendly to other dogs. If you don’t socialize your Husky, it might react aggressively whenever it sees other dogs. Huskies are big dogs so they will show dominance over the smaller dog breeds.
How strong is the Siberian Husky bite force?
The average bite force of a Husky will range around 320-400 PSI. This is quite a strong bite, even though it is not in the top 10. It is higher than the Belgian Malinois bite force for example.
Should you punish a Husky for biting?
Never punish any dog for biting. Punishing the dog will only put more stress on the dog and make it even more aggressive in the situation. If you punish it when it growls, the next time it is angry it won’t gnarl but directly go for the bite.