Functional Structure And How It Applies To My Pet

[HuskyMom09]

I can't tell you how many times I have heard the phrase, "Function doesn't matter my dog is just a pet".  I know I've been in those exact same shoes, and when we purchased our first Siberian there would have been no way I could have known I would have ended up where I am in the dog world today.  Now, looking back, I wish I would have known half of what I do today when we were ready to buy.  I'm not talking about the basic Siberian 'know how' when it comes to energy levels, containment, etc...but how the structural soundness of my dog would affect his daily life.

 

Now, I do not regret for a moment bringing that first Siberian into our lives.  Never for a moment will I regret or forget that day.  Now knowing just how much his breeder had failed him in their indiscriminate breeding that created a Siberian's heart and working drive in a body that fails him infuriates me.  The excitement in his eyes when the harnesses come out, and the pain in my heart to have to tell him 'not this time buddy' as we take the team out for a run.  His body, however much his heart desires, fails painfully just a couple miles down the trail.  He's the dog that has so much heart he tries to push himself further than his body can bare.  As a responsible pet parent it is our job to know their limitations and not push them past those limitations.  Whether it's playing in the yard, chasing squirrels and rabbits in the garden, or those long walks or jogs you enjoy with your companion.  After all we want to see years of enjoyment with our pets.  Sound structure is important be it 'just a pet', a show dog, or a working sled dog.  After all part of a healthy life, is an active life.

 

So what do you do if your pal has a structural issue that limits them?  Simple- you love them, you spoil them rotten, you participate in life with them...keeping in mind their limitations and play within those bounds set by his body.

 

Let us start with the overall general appearance of the breed.  Since, in the case of our breed, the Siberian Husky is the product in large of natural selection and function for which this breed was designed.   The littlest details (like the shape of the eye, the set of the ears, the design of the foot, etc) made this breed successful in their extremes, but also shape how we recognize this breed apart from any other.  The Siberian Husky is an athlete, light on their feet, agile, and graceful...even if it's just used to jump from floor to the couch or bed.  Function has shaped the type of our breed.  

 

Balance is where we will start our discussion.  Without balance you have a lack of efficiency, without efficiency you will have a dog that tires easier even in the most basic tasks.  A dog who's rear angulation is greater than its front angulation will have a wide movement in the rear and poor tracking gait.  Swinging the rear wide wastes movement, wasted movement is wasted energy.  Eventually we would likely see arthritis develop in the hips and a general breaking down in the rear over time.  

 

What Balance looks like vs. unbalanced.

[goingsolo]

Interesting reading

[HuskyMom09]

Proportions of the Siberian Husky also play a large part in how we recognize the breed and how the individual dog may perform in harness.  We wouldn't expect our Siberians to look like a corgi, nor be square.  They should be slightly longer than they are tall, the key word there is slightly.  The silhouette of the Siberian is a pleasing form- A Siberian who's body is too long will have a very 'flashy' movement, almost appearing to 'fly' while in a fast gait...however these dogs often develop weak top lines.  A weak top line in later years will be seen in a sway back, which often is accompanied with arthritis of the spine.  A Siberian who's body is too square will compensate by crabbing or sidewinding as they gait.  Again we see an inefficient gait, which leads to lacking endurance-  As a pet parent we may see this shortening our long hikes or runs with our companion.

 

[Marc]

Can honestly say it makes a change for someone to post something like this without the "better the lines" and "what they were bred for" in a way people can relate to. Careful Lani with posts like this, I might start to like ya (jk, dont shoot me lol)

[HuskyMom09]

Can honestly say it makes a change for someone to post something like this without the "better the lines" and "what they were bred for" in a way people can relate to. Careful Lani with posts like this, I might start to like ya (jk, dont shoot me lol)

Well I'm shocked    (not necessarily in a bad way either)- I am pleased the post has been received well so far.

[Emma]

Great post Lani. The rear end sloping on the first pic reminds me of the way gsd dogs have been looking in recent years. I heard that this sloping can give them joint and bone problems later on. Too much pressure on the hind quarters perhaps?

[HuskyMom09]

GSDs and Siberian Huskies have completely different rear assemblies- Will be posting more about the structure of the rear when we get there  GSDs, even the 'low slung' ones often OFA with Excellent hips as frequently as the Siberian Huskies do.  The difference is the differing bone lengths and overall assembly.  Depending on where the slope comes from (is it over angulated rear?  Or is is a straight front?  Is it a cobby body?) would result in differing potential issues.  As mentioned with the cobby body or over angulated rear, the rear legs are thrown unnaturally out to the side to gain forward momentum creating an unnatural wear on the hip socket- which is where you will see your hip problems.

[Mazz]

I feel I have learned valuable information today. Thanks for posting Lani.

[mydiamond]

OK I know this post is not intended to be a scary story in any way, but I'm freaking out. My boy is crazily short and tiny. Do you think he'd develop arthritis later in his years? How do I accommodate a dog with arthritis? I probably should include a pic to determine how offset he is... although his thick coat makes it impossible to see where the shoulder lines are

 

 

Oh and please note that I believe this post is very helpful and informational. I'm just freaking out because that's what I do every day since I lived 9000+ miles away from my boy. Don't blame your article.

[HuskyMom09]

Expression is keen, but friendly; interested and even mischievous. Eyes almond shaped, moderately spaced and set a trifle obliquely. Eyes may be brown or blue in color; one of each or parti-colored are acceptable. Faults-Eyes set too obliquely; set too close together.

 

Let us now discuss the head.  Though some of this may not affect the day to day life of the companion, it is one of my favorite areas of study.  We all know the striking beauty that is the face/head of the Siberian.  That mischievous grin is almost unique to the breed.  The intelligence in the eyes almost unmatched.  But how or what shaped one of the most striking features of the breed?  Simply put- the climate in which these dogs were built to survive in.

 

Eye Shape calls for almond shape and oblique set.  This is shown in arctic phenotyping to be the most successful way to protect the eye from freezing in the extreme temperatures as there is less eye tissue exposed to the cold.  Eyes that are too round tend to protrude out of the eye socket more than the almond eye, and are far more susceptible to suffering eye injury in day to day life.   There is even a seasonal oil deposit found under the eyebrow that disperses when he shakes his head to prevent freezing while he sleeps.  What we do need to be aware of with the eyes is Siberians eyes should be annually health cleared if considering breeding as Juvenile (or heritable) cataracts, glaucoma, progressive renal atrophy, and corneal dystrophy are all very common within the breed.  The consequences of these diseases can range from no effect on daily life, to daily pain, to surgery to remove the affected eye.

 

      Eyes Too Round                                Almond Shaped but Non-Oblique              Oblique set and Almond Shape

       
 

 

The eye shape is largely formed by the overall structure of the muzzle length, stop, and back skull.  Muzzle length and stop are important features as these provide the sinus passage.  This is the area that warms the arctic air before it reaches the lungs to prevent the lungs from receiving frostbite.

 

As for eye color, we are blessed to really have no eye color 'standard' they are all acceptable!  However you may see more brown and amber eyes in the show ring simply because the brown/amber eye tends to appear less round than the blue eyes do.  This is purely an optical illusion in many cases.

 

 

 

Ears should be proportional to head size, well shaped, thick, and well furred.  All of these features aid in freeze prevention!

 

 

 

[HuskyMom09]

OK I know this post is not intended to be a scary story in any way, but I'm freaking out. My boy is crazily short and tiny. Do you think he'd develop arthritis later in his years? How do I accommodate a dog with arthritis? I probably should include a pic to determine how offset he is... although his thick coat makes it impossible to see where the shoulder lines are

 

Dime and furball.jpg

 

Oh and please note that I believe this post is very helpful and informational. I'm just freaking out because that's what I do every day since I lived 9000+ miles away from my boy. Don't blame your article.

I'm going to PM you-

[Dunc]

Cool read

[Jase]

...one of my peeves is when people make a distinction between working and show lines 

 

My understanding is that a husky should be able to fit both 'categories'.

I was talking to our breeder the other day and she was dismayed about a growing trend of shorter legged huskies that seems to be favoured in many show circles. Our breeder successfully shows and races her huskies. 

 

In my opinion a husky is the ultimate in function and form, why mess with perfection 

[Clare70]

Interesting read but honestly I don't care

 

I only have one pure Siberian the other two are Malamute and gsd x husky. I'm not interested in how they look, just how healthy and happy they are.

 

This is not a slant on your post, I could have just ignored the thread but didn't

[robke]

Interesting read indeed...would love to compete and show with my 2 but cause I have no papers to proof that they are "pure" (both rescues) so now I just run for their condition and fun and make sure they are healthy and happy...

[Nikknoo]

My husky is a rescue, we know nothing of her breeding & background. She's very petite and very beautiful! I don't really understand or see the difference in ears, eyes, sizes & shapes but I think my husky is just perfect!!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Elyse]

Great post! A breeder I know posted the same pictures recently. If I was going to buy a Siberian pup, it would definitely be from her...or atleast from her lines. They are working lines. She says its really unfortunate that the 'show Siberians' are starting to look very similar to each other (proportions, colours, etc). So she says we will eventually end up with a look-alike breed that has lost its function (due to the shorter legs, etc). I've learnt a LOT of things from her.





 

[jmscott]

Deleted 

[wolfpup]

Thanks for bumping this Jamie  -  very informative and interesting.