Ok. So I was told Shadow was an "Alaskan Husky". So I've done plenty of research on it, turns out its not really a breed, more of a term for dogs that were bred specifically for dog racing. I dont know anything really about her previous owners. All I know is that when I got her, she was 9 months old. Her previous owner locked her in a crate for 20 hours a day, and only fed her 1 measuring cup of food a day. She was so skinny and malnourished, and very skittish. Well, almost 5 years later, she has filled out tons, and is a happy, loving, playful girl....And suprisingly calm and laid back. However, she is still very long. She is so tall, and looks so much less "Fluffy" than many other huskies I have seen. Yest, her coloring and personality are husky completely. When I rescued her, her papers said she purebred, Alaskan Husky.
There are lots of things about her, that seem almost wolfdog to me, the more I look in to that. She has very strong prey instincts. And yet, she is very agreeable, very obedient. I have, however, NEVER been able to have her off-leash. She just runs and runs. Probably once a week at least, one of my kids will accidentally let her out. She runs around the neighbourhood for a good 20 minues. Shes so fast even dog catchers cant catch her. She ALWAYS comes back though.

So. Thoughts? Opinions?

I'm curious about this too. My pup is a Siberian Husky, but she isn't as fluffy as other Husky pups that I've seen.

She definitely loves to dig, run, howl and etc. Easy to train but acts stubborn.

Maybe her parents/grand parents have lived in a hotter climate and they adjusted accordingly? That would take a long time though. I'm actually glad that she doesn't have super thick fur, it gets really hot in Texas during summer.

I'm interested in this as well. Hopefully someone can answer for us!

Shadow's owner: from your one pic she looks husky to me, could have just been a poor breed husky, hence her being to tall and long. many people think Alaskan Husky is a breed and if she was the result of BYB they could have just put that on the papers not knowing any better.

Jackie: huskies coats come in all lengths just like their colors. some have short hair, are fluffy or wooly. depends on how they were breed. the coat will change as they grow, your girl is still young and working on her under coat.

Im pretty sure she was from a BYB. I cant imagine a professionally bred dog being treated so badly. She is absolutely beautiful though. She is tall, but her markings are perfect.

Also to Jackie, she has filled out tons, since I first got her. She is still long and tall, but her face is all fluffy. And honestly, it almost seems like this last year that she has gotten completely filled out.

Many shelters and rehomed are mistakenly labeled "Alaskan Huskies"

Rodeo was labeled an Alaskan Husky from animal control. As you've found out, it's not a breed... But more of a generalized term. Huskies coats differ a lot from one to the other. Melissa's Asia and Kody have 2 totally different coats. Kody is more flat while Asia is thick and fluffy. Mishka is fluffy while Rodeo is flatter.

Puppy coats are also a lot different from adult coats.

From what the OP is describing... She sounds like a very normal Sibe to me lol

Oh thanks guys/gals! I feel more reassured that she is a husky. BYB as well. Her fur is definitely really soft and wooly right now. Maybe she'll fill out later. Thank you for the help. I hope I didn't threadjack.

I agree with everyone else. Alaskan Husky is a fancy word for mutt or mix. The word "husky" actually means native.

Most mushers don't race with malamutes or Siberians they will just say "husky". Their dogs are mixed with several different breeds.

ThereseZ wrote:

Im pretty sure she was from a BYB. I cant imagine a professionally bred dog being treated so badly. She is absolutely beautiful though. She is tall, but her markings are perfect.

Actually, you'd be surprised how many "professionally bred" or ethically bred dogs end up in bad situations and/or in the shelters. It happens all the time. It even can happen that they buy 2 dogs from two different kennels and start breeding. It's amazing what you will find in a shelter.

VintageJeans wrote:

I'm curious about this too. My pup is a Siberian Husky, but she isn't as fluffy as other Husky pups that I've seen.

I think there are different coat types. There's the wooly and the "short coat". Both of mine are the "short coat", but Hayden seems much fluffier than Nicky, her's is more smooth.

http://siberianhuskies.jimdo.com/types-of-huskies/coat-colours-type/

Hayden_69 wrote:

VintageJeans wrote:

I'm curious about this too. My pup is a Siberian Husky, but she isn't as fluffy as other Husky pups that I've seen.

I think there are different coat types. There's the wooly and the "short coat". Both of mine are the "short coat", but Hayden seems much fluffier than Nicky, her's is more smooth.

http://siberianhuskies.jimdo.com/types-of-huskies/coat-colours-type/

Cool! Thank you! Looks like I have a short-haired too.

my friend has a more smooth quote husky like yours, however her's is a racing Siberian. Her breeder was a musher.

There is regular husky fur or really smooth coat.

and then there is.....

and this dog is malibu, a wooly husky. He is pure bred. He doesn't have an under coat thick like most siberians.

Tiff this is the wooly husky I was talking about. They are in the meet up group in southern california.

OOOOH PRETTY!!

I sometimes think people use Alaskan Husky instead of Siberian so people don't think they are Russian sympathizers.

I agree with Erica, the Alaskan Husky is just a mutt.

Bella's a smooth short coat Siberian. After speaking with several breeders regarding her conformation and pedigree she has some racing lines throughout (her parents directly) so she has a very short coat with no undercoat - which is why the coat lies flat instead of poofing out.

Siberians (any northern/spitz breed) are notoriously stubborn and have high prey drives - that isn't distinctive of the dog being a mix between a dog and wolf - most Siberians shouldn't be let off leash (again, not signs of a wolf/dog mix).

Dogs who live in a warmer climate will usually tend to have slightly less coat than their counterparts that live in a cooler climate. Just like dogs who are primarily indoor dogs tend to have less coat than dogs who are primarily outdoor.

Im in Western Canada, and its generally pretty cold here. We get maybe 3-4 months of hot weather, rest of the year its generally very cold. Im thinking she is just a short hair. I dont know many local Husky owners around here, but one neighbour down the street has a male Husky, and he is so round and fluffy, but quite short.

...

ThereseZ wrote:

Im in Western Canada, and its generally pretty cold here. We get maybe 3-4 months of hot weather, rest of the year its generally very cold. Im thinking she is just a short hair. I dont know many local Husky owners around here, but one neighbour down the street has a male Husky, and he is so round and fluffy, but quite short.

She looks like my Delilah to be honest.

mheath0429 wrote:

ThereseZ wrote:

Im in Western Canada, and its generally pretty cold here. We get maybe 3-4 months of hot weather, rest of the year its generally very cold. Im thinking she is just a short hair. I dont know many local Husky owners around here, but one neighbour down the street has a male Husky, and he is so round and fluffy, but quite short.

She looks like my Delilah to be honest.

Totally looks like her! They could be sisters! LOL

I actually got pics done last night with her, so I will post some when I get them!

The fluffiness comes from how much undercoat the dog has. A dog that doesn't have a great deal of undercoat will not be as poofy and the hair will lie flat if they have little to no undercoat-and dogs with excess of undercoat will be extremely poofy.

Niraya wrote:

The fluffiness comes from how much undercoat the dog has. A dog that doesn't have a great deal of undercoat will not be as poofy and the hair will lie flat if they have little to no undercoat-and dogs with excess of undercoat will be extremely poofy.

She doesnt have a very thick undercoat.
I was actually at the pet store last night. There was a couple there with their BEAUTIFUL 6 yr old Husky girl, and she was soooo much smaller than Shadow!

mheath0429 wrote:

Racing quality vs. Show quality - neither is necessarily wrong, and neither is more beautiful. But, from an ethical breeder, you will get show quality.

Please stop saying things like this. This is incredibly misleading and really quite wrong.

By definition and standards, a show quality husky SHOULD be a racing-capable husky. Breed standards are based on the best example of the breed to perform their intended purpose. For a Siberian, that's race. However, clearly show lines and racing lines appear and have evolved slightly differently over time. NEITHER is wrong. BOTH are correct. However, BOTH LINES have several quality ethical breeders. Just because there are more showing breeders out there, does not mean that only show quality comes from ethical breeding.

I find that funny because, if you follow German Shepherd breeder fads, the concept of "ethical breeding" seems almost like an oxymoron. Show quality standards used to be about emphasizing the traits required for the species, but they are increasingly just about aesthetics.

True. But that doesn't make the existence of ethical breeding solely in the show quality lines If anything, it's more of a support for the opposite!

Well, that's what I meant. I meant to say "ethical show breeding" instead of "ethical breeding." AKC's gradual decline into aesthetic-based standards has left me very disillusioned with them, as though their ridiculous Little Rascals-esque admission policies didn't already.

Ah. I see where you were going now And I definitely can agree.