Puppy Evaluation

One of the toughest things in the world to do is to look at a litter of bright, adorable, naughty Siberian puppies and not take one home with you. But the first rule of adding a new puppy to your home is to take your time, do your homework, and don’t bring home the first puppy that steals your heart. In every litter, there will be at least one puppy that seems irresistible, but your job is to get your puppy from the right breeder, so you’ll have the best chance at a healthy, happy, long life with your new Siberian Husky.

There are people who feel that they’re “only getting a pet” so why should they bother to try to get it from a good breeder? And there’s lots of confusion about just what AKC papers mean. Some people believe that if it’s got papers, then it’s good quality, right? Wrong. AKC is a registry, and as such, the papers from the registry only attest to the fact that the dog is a pure-bred Siberian, not that it is a quality, pure-bred Siberian. There are backyard breeders and puppy mills that produce mountains of pure-bred Siberian Huskies, but they don’t pay attention to which dog gets bred to whom, and smaller outfits often breed close relatives generation after generation, never once checking to see if they are producing devastating hereditary defects. If you’re looking to add a family member to your life for the next 12-15 years, you’ll do well to spend a bit of extra time now, before you buy the puppy, to find a breeder who is doing everything possible to produce mentally, physically and genetically sound Siberians.

One of the most wonderful things about this breed is the incredible variety of markings, colors and eye color combinations that are not just available, but equally correct. Often you’ll see in the classified ads that a litter has “perfect neck markings.” Only one problem…there’s no such thing! Sometimes “rare reds” show up in the litter, but red isn’t a rare color in Siberians, it’s actually quite common. “Ice blue eyes” is something that’s mentioned with almost a reverential quality in the voice, but in truth, eye color is completely unimportant in this breed. Any time you see claims like these, or any time you feel the breeder is making the cosmetic aspect of the dog more important than the temperament and genetic health, then you know you’re not dealing with a knowledgeable breeder and you should be looking elsewhere.

Siberians come in every color from solid white to solid black, with every shade and marking in between being allowable. Eyes can be blue, brown, one of each, gold and green in red dogs, and parti-colored in any color of dog. Parti eyes are eyes with bits of blue in a brown eye, or vice versa. The colors and markings are not important to the function of the breed, so the founders of our breed recognized that by not giving any preference to anything that’s purely cosmetic. Good breeders understand that the size and shape of eyes and ears are more important than their color. Good breeders understand that physical and mental soundness are a much more important goal in their breeding program than whatever the current rage in color might be. And you, as a good Siberian owner, should understand that the dog you’re bringing home is much more than just it’s coloration. You might start out thinking you want a red and white girl with blue eyes, and end up taking home a grey and white, brown eyed boy. As you become more knowledgeable, more options open up to you, and that’s good for both you and your dog!

Just as a good breeder will ask hard questions of you, you should ask questions of the breeder before you decide to buy one of their puppies. The breeder will ask if you intend to keep the puppy in the house, if you wish to show or do obedience, agility, backpacking, sledding or any of a number of other fun things that Siberians excel at, and many other seemingly intrusive questions. Understand that the breeder only wants to find the best possible homes for the puppies they’re responsible for bringing into the world. If you find yourself looking at a litter and you get the feeling that the “breeder” is only concerned with whether or not your check will clear, you’re looking for a puppy in the wrong place. You need to find a breeder who will not only question you, but will welcome your questions. Some of the things you might want to know:

1. Have the parents done anything to prove their worthiness for breeding? There are pure-bred Siberians everywhere, and most shouldn’t be reproducing. How is it determined whether a dog should be bred or not? First, does it fit the Standard for the breed? Each breed has a written blueprint, describing the “perfect” specimen of the breed. The Standard for the Siberian Husky describes a medium sized athlete, and goes into some detail about the correct temperament, proportions and structure. Before being bred, both parents should have proven themselves worthy, either by virtue of show ring wins, time in front of a sled, obedience and/or agility prowess, or have been evaluated by a person who’s knowledge of the breed runs deep. Pedigree evaluation of both parents should be undertaken, because the goal of a good breeding program is to produce animals better than either of their parents.

2. Are the sire and dam up to date on genetic screenings? Siberians have a few hereditary diseases, and thankfully most have screening tests to weed out affected animals from a breeding program. Both parents of your prospective puppy should have up-to-date eye exams and hip screenings, and you know you’re dealing with a really good breeder if they have also done the thyroid screening tests. Ask to see the certificates on both parents. If you’re told “I’ve never had any problems, so there’s no need to test,” RUN, don’t walk, away from that litter. That is the hallmark of an irresponsible breeding program. Hip exams need to be done once in the dog’s life, after the age of 2 years. Eye exams should be done annually. Thyroid screenings are generally done every 2 years up until the age of 8. If the breeder can’t produce the paperwork on these tests, you should be looking elsewhere.

3. Can I meet the parents? Often, the sire won’t be available, as he may be owned by someone else. In that event, ask for contact info for the owner of the sire, and go to meet him if possible. You should certainly be able to meet the dam, or mother, of the litter, and she should be friendly. Even when watching over a litter, most Siberian moms like company, and like to meet strangers. If she seems wary or shy, ask to see her away from her puppies. Siberians should be friendly, so if there’s any growling or snapping or tucked-tail posturing, you would do well to pass on this litter and keep looking. Temperament is both nature and nurture…each parent passes along it’s genetic material to form the temperaments in the litter, but the dam has a stronger influence, as the puppies are with her for their first 8 weeks of life, at least. Things she’s fearful of, the puppies will be, too. If she’s willing to snarl and bite, chances are the puppies will be, too. Look for parents with even, happy temperaments as they will be most likely to produce puppies like them.

4. When will the puppy be available to take home? If the answer is anything less than 8 weeks, seriously question whether or not to buy a puppy from this breeder. The puppy learns so much between weeks 5 and 9 from its littermates that it is vital that it remain in the litter until at least 8 weeks. You’ve probably had experience with a dog that “doesn’t know it’s a dog.” That’s generally a dog that has been taken from it’s litter too early, doesn’t know how to read dog body language, so is fearful of other dogs. That’s not what you want from your Siberian puppy…Siberians are by nature gregarious with people and other dogs, so let the puppy stay in the litter at least 8 weeks to maximize that potential.

5. Will any shots have been given, and will you give me a shot schedule? By 8 weeks, the puppy should have been dewormed at least once and have at least one set of shots in it. Puppies need a series of shots in the first 4 months of life, so while the breeder will start the shots, you’ll need to know the schedule in order to give the rest of them properly. Some breeders give their own puppy shots, and if that’s the case, you should ask for the peel-off label from the vial for your records. That way, your vet will know what’s been given already. The breeder should give you the name of the veterinarian they use, just in case your vet has any questions.

6. Do you require a contract? If the answer is no, you’re probably not looking in the right litter. Most good breeders require a contract between buyer and seller, not only to protect both parties to the contract but also to protect the puppy. If the breeder does use a contract, ask for a copy early in the litter-scouting process, so you can read it and ask any questions you might have. There should be a clause in the contract about what happens to the puppy in the event you can’t keep it. If the breeder offers to take back the puppy at any time, for any reason, you know you’re dealing with someone who cares about the welfare of the dogs they produce.

7. What will the puppies know when they’re ready to take home? Puppies raised well will know how to walk on several different surfaces without being afraid, will have started learning how to stand on a table, will allow their feet to be handled because their nails have been routinely trimmed, will have crate-training and leash-training started already, and will have some experience riding in a car. They might have learned how to climb steps, fetch a ball, play on baby agility equipment, and all sorts of fun things that puppies can learn in order to grow into well-adjusted adults. Look for a breeder who raises their puppies well, and you’ll be on your way to getting the best puppy.

When visiting litters, look around. It’s hard to take your eyes off the cute little fur-balls, but look around at their environment. Is there a strong smell of puppy-poopies? Worse yet, are there droppings littering the puppy play area that no one is bothering to clean up? Be careful…puppies raised in a dirty environment are tougher to house train. Are the puppies stinky and oily-feeling or are they clean and sweet-smelling? Don’t expect the dam to look her best, as whelping and nursing a litter take a lot out of the poor girl. Do expect her to look cared-for. Is there plenty of fresh water that she can easily reach? Is there food available to her, and does it look clean and wholesome? Watch how the breeder interacts with the puppies…is there lots of holding and touching and cuddling, or does it seem like just more livestock? Are the puppies in the house, or in a special puppy area, or just outside in a doghouse or barn? If there’s no interaction inside the house, then those puppies will have a steeper learning curve when they go to their new homes. In general, the more things a puppy is positively exposed to in it’s early life, the more well-adjusted the grown dog will be. This will be covered in the training chapter in more depth.

You’ve narrowed down your choices, and have decided on the breeder you want to get your new family member from. Now, how do you pick the puppy? Honestly, sometimes you don’t and often that’s the better choice. A good breeder has spent many hours watching the litter grow and change, and knows which puppy will be a good match for your family. In your answers to their questions, they’ll get a good feeling for your lifestyle, what you expect to do with the dog, how you would like the dog to behave, etc. and they can pick the puppy with the best chance to succeed in your home.

If you’re given the choice of two or three puppies, here are some tips to help you narrow your choice down to the one that’s best for you.

1. Generally speaking, you don’t want the puppy that tries to hide from visitors. That puppy will be shy, and will take a lot of work to help it come out of its shell. Often, you can’t “brave up” a shy puppy, and if you’re not careful, could easily help create a fear biter.

2. Unless you have lots of experience with Siberians, you don’t want the one that comes dashing over to you and climbs all over you, either. The first puppy in a litter to go exploring and to meet new people is the boldest, which can be very good if you want a lead dog on a sled team or a fabulous show dog, but can be hard to live with if you just want a calm family member.

3. When holding the puppies, turn each one upside down and cradle it like a baby in your arms. Does it look calmly at you, right in the eye? That’s a puppy that cares what you think but isn’t afraid of you, and that’s a very nice temperament to live with and to train. Do you see the whites of it’s eyes as it clutches onto your arm, trembling? Too shy. Does it fight to turn itself upright, maybe looking you in the eye a bit harshly? Too outgoing for a first-time Siberian owner.

4. If the breeder will allow it, pick up the hindquarters of each puppy carefully, leaving the front feet planted firmly on the ground. Try to hold the puppy there for 30 seconds. A well-tempered, trusting puppy shouldn’t struggle very much, if at all. It should be a new game to them. Praise to the skies when you finish with each puppy, whether or not it passed the test.

5. Again if the breeder will allow it, take each puppy to a quiet place, play with it a bit, and then introduce a loud, sharp noise. The puppy should startle but recover quickly. You don’t want a puppy that runs and hides or that submissively urinates when startled. And again, praise and play with the puppy when the test is done…one loud noise for each puppy will tell you what you need to know.

In conclusion, while you can find Siberians in most major cities most days of the week, you’re not looking for just any Siberian Husky, you’re looking for your new family member. You’re looking for a dog that will bring joy to your life for the next 12-15 years, and who won’t deplete your pocketbook at the vet’s office. You’re looking for a well-bred dog, so take the time to find a good breeder. Visit the Siberian Husky Club of America website or the AKC website for breeder referral help.

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