Life with Siberian Huskies

In the essence of our Siberian People, each one or pack has a trail to break or follow in life. It might be an easy trail, or full of danger and hardship. That is something we share with them in our own lives. There are good times of plenty, and there are times of famine and struggle.

I don’t think anyone deals with this better than the Siberians. They live life to the fullest no matter what they have been given as we do. The only difference is they rely on us to help them through the rough times if we can.

I have many friends with Siberian children. They fret and worry about them just as much as their own children, and I totally understand it. I know that they struggle to make it in life, as I did when I was younger. I’ve fought those same hard trails that many of you now endure. It’s called life and I can’t remember anyone ever telling me it would be easy.

I have been fortunate to come out of some dark times into the light. A better person for having endured it and survived intact. I’ve seen that perseverance in the Husky. And it’s obvious to me that they pass that on to us. They also seem to know when we need a friend. Even without asking… they know. And they offer up what they can to help us feel better.

It’s another life lesson taught by these Siberians. And that is to recognize and help someone when you see the need.

It doesn’t matter how much you can help, as much as if you try. Whether it be advice, support, or even money if you have a spare dollar or two. A little bit can make a huge difference in someone else’s life, and the life of their Husky that they love as much as you love yours.

I admit I have been selfish in my life, only thinking of my own survival at times. But then, during those times… that is what I needed to ensure that my own family endured. Some folks helped me at times when I needed it most, and I am forever grateful. I couldn’t repay them then, but I can repay the debt by helping others now when I can.

I can’t do it all, but at times I can do something. It might only take a few words of encouragement, or showing some compassion for somebody having hard times. Those of us who have been blessed with the love of these dogs can learn so much about the trail of life from our Siberian People if we just listen to them. They don’t talk our language but the lessons are there if you look for them.

I would like to think that all of us husky owners are family in a way. It takes a unique person, or persons to live with these four-legged souls. They have much to teach about leading a good life. Being kind until it’s time not to be. Working hard, because it is good for the soul and leads to better things. Being compassionate because all of us are living beings just trying to make it in this world.

Pay it forward, when you are able, because that voice in the dark wanting help… might be you or me in the future. The trail of life has many twist and turns, and a pack is stronger than any one individual. The Siberian People know that better than anyone. Never turn your back on a member of the pack.

Siberian Huskies have been around and survived for thousands of years. That is proof enough for me to listen when they speak without words. The lessons are right there in front of us every day. They are more than dogs, they are a race of people… The Siberian People.

Simple needs, pure of heart, and completely honest.

How many humans can say that?

TJ Wolf

Some unabashed promotion of my new book. The kindle version will be out before the printed copies. You can pre-order now (Amazon link below) if you have a spare $7.99 US. It will be available worldwide.

“The Siberian Husky” is a continuation of my first book “Behind Blue Eyes.” This book contains all of the first book plus double the original pages of information. My insight into the mind of the Husky comes from several years of observations. And more importantly, living with them as members of my family. I want to share that information with prospective owners, and also those who already live with one or more of these amazing dogs. For there is so much more than meets the eye.

I’ve never had anything like this happen before with any of the dogs who have shared my life over the years. I want to pass along this telling of how Mr. Cooper Lee saved the basement.

Cooper is a strapping lad for a husky. As big as he is (27Inches at the whithers, and 63 lbs.) He is a dog of his own convictions. Sometimes aloof, and occasionally needy of ear rubs and being close to me. He prefers to be outside most of the time, and rarely comes inside our house unless its raining. He truly hates the rain but loves the cold.

Last night just before bed, I went out the back door to call Queen Nikki. She is a much different husky in size and attitude. She enjoys a good snuggle and the softness of my bed.

I holler out the door…Nikki comes running and so does Cooper?

I had to admit that I was a bit shocked that Cooper wanted inside. I’m fine with that and let him in. He immediately goes into the laundry room. I’m sure there are more people than us with a room like this. It’s tucked away in my basement, full of things we don’t know exactly what to do with. Many of them are slowly going through the process of being wanted/needed to eventual disposal if I can get my wife to let go.

Also, in this room is heater/AC unit, and so many ducts and pipes it would make the inside of a submarine jealous. Cooper goes into the room and at first, I think he’s after a mouse that was dumb enough to sneak into a house with three cats and three huskies.

He is worming his way back to the corner. The very back corner where the pressure tank for our well is located. I call him and he ignores me which isn’t so unusual. I want to know what’s the deal? and bring him out by his collar. He is protesting this move by laying down like a little kid who doesn’t want to do something.

I drag him out from all the junk pilled out, and then strategically stack some more junk so that he can’t go back there again. It makes no difference, he is determined to get back there for some reason I can’t figure out. He is a husky and no amount of junk is going to stop him from his mission.

Cooper was in fact trying to tell me something… but I’m not hearing it! He doesn’t talk, but his actions that are so unusual, make me eventually find out what the hell is the problem back in that corner. It’s winter and so it can’t be a snake. I’m wondering if its a mouse or some other vermin caught in the corner?

I work my way back there weaving through our junk, to this corner where he has put himself. It’s then that I notice the floor under the well pressure tank is wet. As soon as the flash light comes on I see the wall is wet as well. Water is dripping down from someplace and that is never a good thing!

With some inspecting I finally find a pin hole in a copper water pipe. The well water has finally succeeded in eating away enough of it… that its sprung a leak. A very tiny leak, with just a small little jet of water spraying out at the wall behind it.

Somehow, Cooper knew something was wrong. Even from outside the house he knew it! This tiny leak makes no noise I can hear, but I’m sure with his hearing it was obvious. I feel bad now that I was scolding him for insisting to clamor back into that corner.

I shut off the water to that pipe and that will be todays project to repair. But I have to stop and write this as a lesson to all.

I pride myself on knowing my dogs as well as two separate species can. And I have to admit after being awake since 4AM and finding this behavior at 10PM made me a bit cranky towards his actions. But he didn’t back down at all. He knew something was wrong, and tried to tell me about it. Eventually I figured it out, inspite the  mental fog of being tired from a long day. It wasn’t a life threating event, but had I gone to bed it very well would have flooded a couple of rooms in my basement.

Cooper didn’t hold it against me. He knows I’m a dumb human and don’t have his well-tuned senses. Even when the leak was shut off he maintained guard for a few more hours before deciding it was okay to come out of that room for some well-deserved rubs and cashews (his favorite treats.)

I’m very impressed with his actions! And it served me a lesson as well. A reminder to listen to my dogs when they talk. They may not use words, but they converse in the only way they have. Body language and behaviors.

There is a reason for every way that they act. As leaders of the pack it is our duty to try and understand what our furry charges mean.

That is the difference between having a family member, or a slave out on a chain in the backyard. Dogs speak volumes, but we have to learn how to listen.

If you pick up any publications about huskies you will find “Exercise” many times over. It seems even on-line that no matter what problem or behavior you are trying to solve, “Exercise” will be the answer given.

Now I agree exercise is very important to the well-being of the husky, but it is not the answer to everything. The trick is understanding your husky well enough to know when exercise is the root cause of whatever is troubling you.

Take for instance this week of mine. I was so busy with work that I didn’t have time to do morning runs. Not such a big problem with an acre of fenced in ground for them to run on. Even so, after 5 days I can see the signs that they needed a run.

They acted like they didn’t want to run but I knew better. Cooper knew something was up and kept avoiding me when I wanted to catch him. He seems to have some kind of 6^th sense and can read my mind even when I try to hide it.

There was no destruction of material items, but I could tell they both were getting edgy. Nikki going after him over an old bone that really wouldn’t have bothered her if she was tired. I would describe both of their attitudes to be like some people when they are tired and/or stressed out….” Snappy.”

When I finally snatched Cooper and led him to the garage to get ready. He pulled back and wanted to lay down. With a little coaxing he went in the garage and I harnessed him.

Once the harness was on his attitude changed completely. He started shaking his coat, running around at a prance and kept looking at me like, “Okay lets GO!”

He had to wait as I went and got Queen Nikki out of the yard. She also had been running away but this time she was waiting patiently at the gate. She was ready to go once she knew Cooper and I would go without her.

Having hooked them to the trike I spent a few minutes getting my gloves helmet etc. ready to go. Cooper was looking back at me and started to whine. The whine was not of sadness but of having to wait for me. He wanted to go and go now.

I guess for him it is like most people. The idea of getting ready to go to the gym is the worst part. Once there you are fine. Cooper is fine once he’s hooked up, and he actually enjoys his runs.

They ran 2.65 miles in 18 minutes. That’s 7.1 minutes per mile pace pulling 240 pounds. Pretty fast considering they had 5 days to get out of shape. The reason I know they got a good workout today is in the picture.

No more snapping at each other, and just lounging around the rest of the day.

So, exercise is a good thing… but it doesn’t fix everything. I have to change-up our routes because boredom also affects these dogs. Nothing is ever constant for huskies, they change daily.

TJ

“Nobility is a social class, normally ranked immediately under royalty, that possesses more acknowledged privileges, and higher social status than most other classes in a society, and with membership thereof typically being hereditary.”

If you own a husky you will immediately know how much that definition above applies to them.

Like all dog’s huskies are social animals, they are also family orientated (The pack), and much like us humans they have varying degrees of status. Their status is two-fold as well. Again, like us they have family status, and for the working breeds they also have career status.

Every husky has hereditary status as well. DNA from those first dogs bred by Leonhard Seppala, and the same ones who saved the town of Nome during the outbreak of diphtheria so long ago.

What other breed of dog can claim such noble ancestors?

This breed was forged in the ice and snow. A trait that has not been forgotten by any husky. If a husky has never seen snow before…that first time they do you will be able to see it in how they act. The connection to cold and snow has never left them. They didn’t just survive, they flourished in conditions that would kill many other breeds.

Through divine planning or just plain circumstance, this breed is one of the purest and oldest lines known. Their work ethic is legend, as well as their stubborn steadfast will’s. They were mentored by men of iron. Where both husky and man fought to survive the elements, and carve out a place the harsh frozen lands.

Some part of this past remains in every husky. If you live with them for a few years you will see it come out. You can nurture it, or try to suppress it, but it is there in them and I doubt it will ever go away completely.

In my own journey I’ve chosen to embrace what they are inside. To let them be what they were meant to be. More than just a dog…they are what one musher told me…Siberian People. A term I’ve borrowed and totally agree with.

They are a cut above most breeds. I don’t say that lightly or without knowledge of several breeds I have owned over the course of 50 years. There is something different about the Siberian people that makes them “Noble.”

They are not for everyone, because it takes a strong will to deal with the many traits they possess. They demand much time and effort on our part to be truly happy. To be even a little bit what they were bred to be.

That doesn’t mean they have to pull a sled. But it does mean that they have to work in some capacity. Intelligent beings need to have a purpose, they need to have challenges, and of course love. Love that will be returned 10-fold if you do your part.

I’ve observed the difference working my dogs has made in our relationship. It’s like night and day from when I just took them for a walk. Now they run, and they pull a cart not a sled, but the effect is the same. It made them even more attached to me in many ways.

We are a partnership and a family at the same time. We each do our part and the rewards are many for both.

Truly noble, and they also have some noble faults. Like some arrogance, high demands, and stubbornness about them. These same faults infect humans as well. It’s how you… as the mentor turn those faults into something positive. For those same traits can be a blessing not a curse when properly directed and controlled.

That is why you need to learn how to train them, or have it done for you. To do less is not acceptable to them, and they will make you pay dearly for not keeping up your end of this partnership you’ve joined into.

The Siberian People: Nobility in fur coats.

I’ll leave you with this poem I’ve written.

Masters of the Trail:

For thousands of years, we lived up north,
in the lands of Ice and snow.
Living in the freezing cold,
where other’s fear to go.

We share a common bond with man,
that bond will never die.
It was forged upon this frozen land,
when we struggled to survive.

I’ll lead you through the darkest night,
and across the harshest lands.
We know you’ll keep us safe at night,
and feed us when you can.

Our hearts are true and given to,
those that understand.
The perfect bond between,
the husky and the Man.

Our bones are scattered along the trail,
as we blazed a path for you.
We lived, we died, we gave our all,
for that’s what Huskies do.

The storm is fierce, in dark of night,
the winds a blowing gale.
We will lead you home again,
the Masters of the trail.

So today I had to pay for my sins. Past, present, and future. The commute was horrible as always on Fridays. It was a particularly bad week at work with impossible deadlines to meet, and no current end in sight.

For the most part it’s probably not much different from most folks. We all have our battles to fight regardless of our lot in life. But there is salvation for me. And it comes in the form of a simple beautiful creature that can erase my painful day.

It seems that people are destined to struggle for some reason. We are not perfect, we have our faults, and according to my ex I have more than anybody. But that’s another story long past.

All of us do our best and I won’t fault anyone who tries. I do fault those of you who don’t try, those that give up and hope someone else will save you.

To do that is a cardinal sin in my book. You have to fight every day no matter how tired or sick you are. And that’s what I’ve found in these dogs called “Huskies.” They never quit, they will run and run, until they drop over dead. There is a lesson in this for all of us. If you take the time to think about it.

Everyday I’m happy to have survived the gauntlet of I-95. I’m sure that most of the idiots I do battle with received their driver’s licenses by sending in three box-tops from Fruit-Loops. Well at least that’s how they drive in my opinion. You see, you have drivers, and then you have the aimers. Some folks just aim and go. I give the Flying Dutchman’s plenty of space and hope for the best.

The point is this. There is more to life than politics, super bowls, and work.

My dogs don’t care about my day other than when I get home. They wait patiently for me to get home. They recognize the sound of my truck, and race up the yard to greet me after I park.

Sometimes I’m too tired and stressed out to take them on a run. They don’t cry and tell me I’m a bad dad. Instead they relax with me, happy to be close to someone who means so much to them.

When we do go for a run or a walk, they enjoy that as well. No expectations, no judgement, just a man and his best friends spending some time in the fresh air. We enjoy our time together. A man and his dogs. And even though I’m dead tired, I feel refreshed by their youth and exuberance.
When I awoke at 4AM my Huskies were sleeping on the bedroom floor as I stumbled by them careful not to step on my best friends. Nikki waits patiently until I’ve had my shower, and have gotten dressed for work before I let her out to do her business.

When it gets dark they come inside from their day of doing husky stuff without me. They get on my bed and spin many times around before laying down with me as close as possible.

Every day when I look at my dogs, I think about this:

Only 24 hours have passed in my life, but it was 7 days in their short life span. I try to remember that I have such a short time to enjoy their company and love. I don’t care how bad of a day I lived through, or if my car broke down, or anything else.

I go to work to provide the care they need. Just like I do for the rest of my family.

Johnny Cash said it in a song, “Because You’re Mine…I Walk the Line.”

TJ

To me there is nothing more aggravating than being in the middle of two warring factions. It seems society has become one of extremes. There used to be a time when common sense ruled most actions instead of misguided ideals. This divide seems to be infecting almost every level of society. Call it trickle down or trickle up, either way it’s impacted almost every action we are involved in. The middle class, the ones who listen and use common sense is a vanishing breed.

Pick anything involving dogs and you will find extremism has taken root as well. Show, work, or pet? Rescue or buy? Breed or not breed? Leashed or free run?

These are just a few examples of topic’s that will quickly bring out the haters from both sides. It’s due to lack of education and work ethics. Education in the dog world means actually listening to experience of those who came before. And being able to comprehend what you are told without pre-conceived bias brought on by a paragraph or headline these people read.

The work ethic is where you actually study some history of your breed to find out if what you hear makes sense or not. There seems to be a lot of dog owners that have very limited real knowledge and a lot of fanatical ideals learned from papers written by even less knowledgeable people with some kind of paper/degree that makes them an expert.

Now that I’ve set the stage, let’s see how this has filtered down to dog training.

Currently there are three factions. The left believes that there are ways to train dogs without any need for discipline. In rare cases with a small weak-willed animal this may in fact be true. Not so much with a breed that is large and strong in will and body.

They will tell you that any method that involves discipline will create a dangerous dog. I don’t believe this at all. In fact, I believe letting a dog do what it wants will get you the same results as letting kids do what they want. You will be creating a dangerous dog, just like you created a dangerous adult when they do not respect authority.

The right-side extremist believes in forcing a dog to do what they want, even if it involves using medieval methods of corporal punishment. Beatings, starving, tossing etc. Of course, neither one is acceptable and should not be done. This method will also create a dangerous dog.

The third faction: This is where common sense must prevail. Many things depend on the dog in question. What works for a strong-willed dog is not necessary for a weak-willed one.

There is no set rule for every dog! This is why you study and understand what it is you are trying to train.

Discipline is key, the dog must understand what you want. But also, you must not break their spirit as that is not what training is about.

Training is a test of wills. In many cases this is what training is all about.

You want the dog to go outside and relive themselves. They want to go in the house or where ever they please. It’s the trainers (maybe you) job to figure out how to make the dog understand what it is that they want.

Horses don’t want to be broken, but they are. A rider show’s the horse that no matter how many times he gets bucked off or bitten he will not stop. The horse eventually accepts the rider because the one with the stronger will, has prevailed. Is this cruel? The left extremist will tell you it is. “All animals should be free to just roam around and do whatever. Even if it gets them killed because they are free!”

This type of thinking is just as cruel as beating the horse with a club. The results will be the same…bad.

Lack of common sense, and sticking human ideals on an animal is courting disaster. An example would be letting a puppy bite you without stopping it. Particularly if this dog will grow up to be a powerful and strong-willed dog like a German Shepherd. Left uncontrolled the owners will live in fear and the potential for this animal not getting its way can mean serious injury to a child or human.

You must have a stronger will than the dog. You cannot reason with them like a misbehaving toddler. They are dogs…not people. They don’t have the same mental capacity as we do. The stronger the will the stronger the trainer/methods have to be to overcome it.

These days you are considered an evil person if you give your kid a smack on the butt at Wal-Mart. Now it includes our pets. Do you really think it hurts a dog to give them a smack on the snout or butt because they ignored all your other methods to curtail this behavior? If you do, you don’t understand that sometimes you have to “reasonably” increase your will. Some dogs do not respond to any other method you may have read about.

The type of correction depends on the dog and his will power. Some corrections are easy and just as effective. I was taught to pick a German Shepherd up off the ground and spin around several times when they act up. This breaks their focus on being bad. Dogs do not like to be off the ground and the spinning makes them even more uncomfortable. A few repeats of this and the dog learns to behave.

This knowledge comes from experience, not a book. It’s passed on by those who actually have trained dogs. Not some propaganda to make humans feel better about themselves.

The do good-ers are fueled by the few dog owners that are evil. Because a few humans miss treat their dogs does not mean everyone does. Don’t go to extremes… like banning the Iditarod because of a few bad mushers. That’s like saying horse racing should be banned because a few people drugged or beat their horses.

Attack the bad apples, not the tree!

In summary, do your homework and learn about your dog. If you can’t bear to be firm with your dog, get yourself get a trainer. Look for real trainers, not someone with a paper they paid for on-line. Check with previous customers and see if that trainer actually helped. Check them out like you would a babysitter or day care you are considering.

The proof of good training is in the results. A well-mannered dog that does not cower in fear of people or objects. He is still a dog but also a member of the family.

I have no use for either extreme. I prefer to use common sense when training my own dogs. Each one is different just like each one of my kids were.

There is no magic wand (method) that fixes all problems.

Like in all things, try to use some common sense and reasoning. Remember a dog is still an animal, and not a human no matter how hard we try to make them that way.

There are a few things in life that cannot be duplicated by computers or anything else. One of those is to have a relationship with one or more of the Siberian People.

Yes, they are dogs, but they are also like no other dog you have ever seen. I could type all day the words that come to mind, but not even that would not do justice to them.

Furry and full of old world knowledge, they are ambassadors of a better life for you and them. They do not speak our language, but they speak volumes of information if you learn how to see it. It is subtle and requires work on your part. It takes time to understand what they are trying to tell you. But believe me, they have much to show you if you study them.

You have to know them as you would your spouse. You have to live with them to have this intimate knowledge of how they run, and how they act in any given situation. I watch the gait and I can tell if it is normal, or if pain is involved. I know my dogs so well that I can tell if they are having a bad day or if it is something physical.

They may not speak words, but they speak in body language and attitude. They give signs of their current status and health. They talk with facial expressions and their eyes. But you cannot know this unless you study them. You have to immerse yourself into the husky. That’s when you begin to understand them, as more than a dog.

For all this trouble what do you get? You get a partnership that equals no other. You get undying trust and affection if you bother to do your part. You see they are not objects that you own, they are huskies and that encompasses so much more than a paper that shows you own them.

They are family, workers, lovers of life, and lovers of their masters or should I say partners. They are unique in the dog world. A long history of surviving what should not have been survived. They did it because they had to, and found ways to overcome hardships. That is the “indomitable Spirit” of the husky.

This is the essence of a husky, this is what they are, but few ever spend the time to find that out.

That beautiful exterior hides many secrets to be unlocked. And you must find the key however you can.

A true team or partnership between man and dog is the run. To run with the huskies is something that cannot be put into words. It is the culmination of work, struggle, and determination. When it all comes together it is beautiful. It is the payoff for keeping the faith. It is another world that few ever get to experience.

There is freedom from life’s pressures, there is nature, there is power and poetry in motion. Silence except for the occasional clink from harness and sledge or bike.

It’s real, not some virtual reality. They let us into their world if we are worthy. Once you find that you will forever be changed. And then you will never want to be without it again.

TJ

From day one with both of my pups I began walking them. Immediately they wanted to pull as I was just too slow for them. It’s surprising how hard an 8-week-old puppy can pull when they want to. It was built into their DNA and I didn’t have to “teach them” how to pull.

I’ve seen a lot of post on the urban mushing site asking, “How do I teach my dog to pull?” I’m sure there is a way but I don’t know what that is. Its something I’ve never had to deal with because its built-in with a husky or so I thought.

This led me to think a lot about this problem. And there is only one conclusion I can come up with why a husky doesn’t want to pull. And that is, it has been bred out of them. Maybe not intentionally but as huskies have been overbred the outcome seems pretty predictable.

No longer do these dogs live in the great white north only. They have spread far and wide to all corners of the earth. If they have been conditioned to live in a closed environment with nothing more than a walk around the block once a day. They will in time become accustomed to it. Then this dog is bred and the pulling genes are once again diluted.

So, after several generations the desire is in fact gone. This working breed has lost the desire to work due to generations of city dwelling life style. The single most important trait of a husky is to pull. To work because that is what he was in fact bred for. He was not bred to look good. This they do naturally without any help.

You might want to keep this in mind if you are looking to purchase a husky. Take the pup for a walk and see what he does. Does he pull…or not? If you don’t want a working dog find one that just looks good because they are quickly becoming the norm. If you want a working husky make sure you get one from the start.

It’s much easier to train a husky to behave when not pulling…than trying to teach him to pull when the desire has been bred out of him. You won’t ever have the unbridled enthusiasm of a dog like in the picture. This makes a huge difference if you want a dog pulling you up a hill on a sled or bike.

The true workers are becoming more and more rare. Look carefully before you snatch up the first pup that strikes your fancy. Pick one that fits your life-style and needs. A Volkswagen bug and a 4WD truck are both vehicles, but they are made for two completely different jobs. Keep that in mind when looking for a dog as well.

I’m not happy the working ethic is being lost, but there is not much I can do about it.

TJ