Unrecognized
23-30 kg
56-61 cm
10-13 years
Are you currently looking for a new furry friend that is loyal and has boundless energy to complete your (family) home? Then you might find the paw-fect fit in a Huskita puppy!
Our breed guide will provide you with an extensive overview of this breed and take you through the origins of these animals to how the training and grooming requirements of this highly intelligent breed!
At the end of this article, you will have fallen in love with their strong personalities and know whether you have found your new companion in this breed.
Likely originating in North America, starting in the early 1990s, breeders chose the Husky and the Akita, who is native to South Korea and Japan, as parent breeds.
This mixed breed was bred d as a working dog due to its high intelligence and eagerness to perform tasks. This trait has made them favoured to be used as police dogs, mainly in North America.
Being a designer breed, they haven’t been recognised by the American Kennel Club but are popular among dog owners that are looking for the right dog with some extra amounts of personality and energy.
Huskitas are a mixed breed between the Siberian Husky and Akita and bear both their parents’ character traits and combine their looks very evenly. They get their size from their Siberian Husky parental side, as Akitas are smaller dogs.
They get their heavily muscled bodies, with a wide chest and strong back legs from their Siberian Husky parent side and a long bushy tail from their Akita side. Their ears are very pointy and triangular and sit on the high top of their head.
This dog breed has a dense double coat that can come in a wide variety of colour combinations from solid (with or without markings) to multi-coloured white, black, brown, grey, tan, silver and many more.
Huskitas will be a great fit for everybody that lives an active lifestyle and has plenty of time to commit to their puppy as these dogs don’t just require enough exercise but also lots of attention and plenty of training at a young age, to overcome their somewhat stubborn streak.
If you already have a dog, it might take some extra socialisation to get your Huskita used to it as well. Therefore you should rather not plan on having two dogs or more at that time, just to make it a little easier for you.
On top of that, if you have small children, you should potentially wait until they are a bit older and more grown before you get yourself a dog such as this breed.
Due to their protective and loyal nature, they are excellent family guard dogs and are happiest in a home with a fenced yard to get some of their exercise requirements out of their system. With that being said, they can adapt to apartment living if given at least 90 minutes of physical exercise a day.
Like most dogs with thick coats, Huskitas have certain maintenance requirements. You will have to brush their double coats, which are perfect for cold weather, at least once a week.
Like other dogs with similar coats, they tend to shed quite a bit and therefore, you might want to make sure your dog does not leave their hair everywhere on your furniture or clothes.
You should only bathe them if they start to get smelly, as they need their skin’s essential oils to keep their coat healthy and shiny.
These dogs do not tend to bark much but rather communicate using whining or howling, which can sometimes sound very much like speaking.
If being left alone for too long, this howling behaviour will intensify and can become excessive, which might be an issue for neighbours.
These are medium to large-sized, muscular dogs which can be between 56 to 61 cm tall and normally weigh between 23 to 30 kg.
With a high level of intelligence can sometimes come a stubborn streak, which may require a bit more patience and consistency when it comes to training this breed.
Starting at a young age with sufficient positive reinforcement and obedience training is important. Early socialisation with other dogs and humans is also recommended.
This breed requires a lot of physical and emotional stimulation as they can get quite vocal and turn towards destructive behaviour if they are feeling bored.
Once properly trained and grown out of their difficult age, these dogs mainly portray good manners and are very eager to please; therefore, teaching them some tricks through games can be lots of fun, thanks to their close relation to other retriever breeds.
Huskitas are extremely loyal and affectionate dogs towards their owners, similar to a Siberian Husky.
They bring very high activity levels to your household and always require something to do to keep them busy and mentally stimulated.
Unfortunately, some Huskita owners have reported some aggressive tendencies in these dogs, which is why it is recommended that you always supervise interactions with small children and other small dogs. With that being said, no matter what dog breed you own, you should never leave them unsupervised with kids or strangers.
Most Huskitas will also try and test their boundaries within their new pack, so be aware of this and set the hierarchies straight from a young age.
Due to their high-energy and high-intelligence levels, it is best to not leave your Huskita alone for too long and especially not without mental stimulation or a purpose, as this boredom will quickly turn into destructive behaviour and excessive howling or barking.
The Huskita can be prone to some of the similar health issues that their parent breeds struggle with, which are:
Despite them being high-energy dogs, they can struggle with obesity if not fed adequately.
This mixed breed has an average lifespan of 10 to 13 years.
Always make sure you feed your dog a high-quality and well-balanced diet to avoid weight gain and related health problems.
To ensure your dog keeps a healthy weight, chat to your local vet about the right diet for your pup and stick to a feeding schedule with little snacks in between.
Even though this breed is highly energetic, your dog can be prone to weight gain; therefore, you should make sure that you always meet their exercise requirements.
When purchased directly from a breeder, puppies will cost, on average, between $500 and $1500. Even though they are a designer breed, they can end up in shelters; therefore, you should also check in with your local shelter and see if it is not a possibility to adopt Huskita puppies from there or even get an adult dog.
As they are high-energy and highly intelligent dogs, quite strong-willed and will cause trouble if they are understimulated, these dogs are probably more well suited for experienced dog owners.
As a novice, you might not be prepared for how to react if this breed reacts negatively to other canines, cats or other pets.
Yes, Huskitas do tend to suffer from separation anxiety, but they will more commonly experience anxiety if they are not mentally stimulated or exercised enough. They will generally be fine on their own for a few hours, but you will need to make another plan if you need to be away from home for longer than that.
Being bored can lead to destructive behaviour, such as chewing furniture or shoes and a lot of howling, as these dogs stem from Siberian Huskies, who are known to be quite vocal dogs.
Huskitas have very thick coats and do shed a bit; therefore, they are not ideal for people that are prone to pet hair allergies.
No, even though they have a dense coat, they won’t have to go to the professional groomer, and you should only give them a wash if they are dirty or smelly.
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