Hello.
Just a few weeks ago we brought home the newest addition to our family, Ilya. We couldn't be happier with her. As we are new to owning a huskies, I had a couple questions about her appearance. We bought her from a local breeder who claims that she is pure bred ( although we didn't receive any paperwork, ect...). I'm not overly concerned about the validity of this to the point where I would want a DNA test. I've looked at hundreds of pictures of huskies and husky mixes and have yet to find one that looks exactly like Ilya.
Her markings are very husky, as are her mannerisms and size. Her ears are a little larger than most pictures of huskies I've seen and are just about all the way up at 12 weeks. I understand this is not uncommon. What I find the most baffling about her appearance is her coat. Although it has lengthened significantly over the past few weeks, particularly on her back, belly and neck, she still seems a lot more sleek and less fluffy than most huskies. Her tail seems to be developing a little more bushiness, but still skinny compared to most.
I guess my question would be has anyone seen/had a husky who started out looking like our Ilya and later developed into a more traditional looking husky? Do you think she will be fluffier? At what age do huskies develop their undercoat? Her fur seems long it just lays very flat against her body. Also, do you think her ears will remain in the same proportion to her body/head or do you think she will grow into them?

Thanks so much in advance!

Rachel

Photobucket album of Ilya.. including a trick video.

http://s1096.beta.photobucket.com/user/rachm408/library/Ilya

Welcome to the forum! She is very cute! I actually had a lot of the same questions when I first got my puppy Lycus. From the pictures I saw, she looks husky to me. As far as the fur goes, there are different lengths of husky fur. There are shorter haired ones as well as woolies which are really fluffy. My Lycus is also a shorter haired husky. He is fairly sleek except for his neck which is pretty fluffy and his tail is also skinnier than most. He is also just husky. She will get fluffier over time as she gets older. Lycus was really slick when I first got him and his fur grew out but definitely not as much as a traditional husky. As far as her ears, she's in the awkward look right now lol. She should grow into them like most dogs do. Although, I cannot fully say that she is a purebred husky, only a DNA test can give you the correct results. Good luck with your first husky! And we are excited to see her grow on this forum!

Well we when we got Balon his tail was very skinny lol, now its a bush!

the only reason I would think ur puppy is mixed is the floppy ears, Husky ears point straight up. If he is 12 weeks or older they should have stood up already.

Also Kristina's Mickey looks like you little girl, color wise. here is his scrap book
https://www.itsahuskything.com/t497-mickey-my-oldest-12-14?highlight=Mickey

Very true Ashley, about the floppy ears! Lycus' were already perked up at 6 weeks.

Yeah the ears are kind of funny, I don't think you'll be able to tell for a few more weeks if she's full husky or not. They all look the same as puppies haha.

Ashleymarie9807 wrote:

the only reason I would think ur puppy is mixed is the floppy ears, Husky ears point straight up. If he is 12 weeks or older they should have stood up already.

This is not necessarily true. My well bred male had issues with his ears until 16 weeks - now they are nice and perky.

Your pup looks to be a shepherd/husky mix. Did you see both parents? I would say mostly husky, but with the coat length, thinness of body, and large ears there is probably some shepherd in there.

Thank you for all the responses. Her ears have come up a lot since we took the picture to the left. Ill attach a picture of her I took earlier this week. I'm not worried that they won't come up, I just think they're a lot bigger than most husky pups and was wondering if they just grew faster and she'll grow into them. I know there's no way of really knowing. I just thought someone might have had a similar experience.

mheath0429, I only ever saw the mother since the breeder didn't own the father. We thought the same thing about the possibility of some shepherd in her. I guess time will tell.

Also, today Ilya played in the mud and while bathing her I noticed her fur was significantly thicker than the last time. I can definitely see where undercoat has developed in some areas.
Any then and now pictures would be awesome for people with similar experiences.

can you get a picture of her in a stack?

I'm not sure what "in a stack" means...but I'd be happy to if you could tell me.

i don't know about anything when it comess to husky ear orientation and such but i have to say those semi errect ears have got to be the cutest thing i've ever seen. omg just too cute.

her ears look really cute. a peculiar looking tail for a husky tho. pure husky or not, she's still really cute..

Stacking means standing like show dogs. It helps those who are trained in showing to look at conformation.

Thanks Brooke - sorry, gimme a sec I will fidn you a video. Just might help see if its in standard for a huskeroo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amfKNm7LWJ4&feature=related

Off topic comment: My girlfriend little sister was reading this thread last few post and she said people are talking about "Erect, stack and nice and perky " Everybody around me was laughing

LOL

The tails doesn't really look husky either, but she reminds me a lot of my youngest Ares, coat wise. He's 9 months and it still hasn't filled out, he has no undercoat, but he's purebred husky.

This is Ares at 5 months, closest to the camera by himself:

This is him stacked at 5 months:

how do you get them to stand like that Jennet lol

Megan, Sorry for the 12 week thing, i was repeating what I was told lol, still new to the husky thing but trying

She is SO cute! Now that her ears are standing up, I would definitely say she is a husky. My Juneau didn't fill out her undercoat for a while. She also had a skinny tail when we first got her.


7.5 weeks, first day.


~3.5 months.



Last week, 5.5 months!

Give it time. She'll fill out.

The coat color is what throws me. Most Sibes markings are quite symmetrical on each side. Socking on the foot, especially with it not matching the other side confuse me. I would say strong Husky mix.

AShley, don't apologize. You are fine.

Ashleymarie9807 wrote:

how do you get them to stand like that Jennet lol

he went to confirmation class a few times, so training and treats lol