There are many potential pitfalls when it comes to buying a Siberian husky puppy. The following 5 guidelines will ensure that you purchase a quality puppy that will provide you with a lifetime of happiness and husky love!
1. Buying from an ethical Siberian Husky breeder
Unfortunately, the dog breeding industry is plagued with irresponsible and unethical practices. In the United States alone, there are some 4,000 “puppy mill” operations that cram thousands of breeding dogs into small crates for their entire lives, for the sole purpose of breeding puppies.
Due to their poor breeding practices, these puppy mills often produce puppies that have all kinds of hereditary diseases and temperament issues. The general rule is NOT to buy your puppy from pet stores or unverified classified ads. One estimate suggests that 90% of puppies sold in pet stores come from puppy mills, while “home-delivered” puppies advertised in classifieds often come from the same unethical breeders.
Make sure you buy your Siberian Husky from a responsible and ethical breeder, especially those who have a specific breeding program with championship dogs.
2. Make sure the puppy comes with a health guarantee
Always make sure you get a health guarantee when buying your puppy. Such a guarantee will ensure that your new Siberian Husky is in good condition and free from hereditary diseases. You will find that puppies that come with a health guarantee and/or health clearances are more expensive, but can potentially save you a lot of heartache. If you do NOT buy your puppy with a health guarantee, your puppy may end up costing you $1000 in unjustified vet bills. Many unwanted dogs ended up in kennels simply because the owners could not afford such costs.
There are numerous health clearances that your new puppy must come with. These include an OFA hip dysplasia clearance and a CERF eye health clearance. These releases are by no means a guarantee that your dog is free of all hereditary diseases, but they will give you the best chance of purchasing a healthy dog.
3. Check the pedigree of the breeders
Make sure you understand what dog pedigrees were used to breed the puppy you want to buy. When it comes to Siberian Huskies, there needs to be a champion dog within 4 generations of a puppy’s pedigree or else the puppy most likely came from an irresponsible puppy mill operation that does NOT care about the quality of the dogs produced.
You should expect certain championship titles or high production kennel names within the puppy’s pedigree to ensure you are purchasing a quality puppy. Titles may include Ch. (champion) or SD (sled dog). More specifically, you can expect sled dogs, show dogs, or working dogs within the Siberian Husky puppy pedigree.
4. Make sure the Siberian Husky comes with the proper industry registration
Each country has an equivalent organization that is in charge of registering dogs in the country. Make sure your new puppy comes with said registration. Within the United States, the official registrant is the American Kennel Club (AKC), while in Canada it is the Canadian Kennel Club (CKC).
One thing to note is that, especially in the United States, the official registrar (AKC) has deregistered certain breeders due to their poor breeding practices. Such irresponsible breeders continue to breed dogs but instead register their substandard puppies with an alternative dog registrar like the Continental Kennel Club because these registrars have been known to register ANY dog simply for profit. Make sure you are NOT buying a registered dog with an alternate dog registry.
5. Have you thought about adoption?
Last but now least, have you thought about adopting a Siberian husky instead of buying one?
Unfortunately, numerous Siberian Huskies are available for adoption due to the fact that they are the most frequently lost breed of dog, while also harboring certain desired characteristics that some owners cannot handle.
There are Siberian Husky adoption centers all over the world and especially in the United States, so it shouldn’t be too much of a problem to get an adoptable Husky. Especially for someone new to dog ownership, adopting an already house-trained Siberian husky puppy or older dog is recommended.