The Husky Lab Mix is a cross of a Siberian Husky and a Labrador Retriever, also known as Labsky or Huskador. The Husky Lab Mix is a medium dog at about 20 to 25 inches tall, weighing between 40 to 60 pounds. The lifespan of this crossbreed is around 10 to 15 years.
I’ve put together a list of interesting facts about the Husky Lab Mix, to help you understand if you’re the right owner for such a dog.
Husky & Labrador Mix Photos
Are You Ready to Go for A Walk?
Several times a day, every day, including weekends, and those mornings when you don’t want to go out of bed? A Husky Lab Mix has high energy levels, and she needs to be exercised properly to stay fit. If you’re more into watching TV than into playing sport, maybe you should look for another dog.
You’ll have to take her outside for a long walk twice a day. She also enjoys swimming, running in the park, and playing Frisbee, or any other interactive game. These dogs are suitable for active families, where running, jogging, camping trips, or hiking are common activities.
The lack of exercise can cause obesity, especially if your dog has inherited the Labrador’s gene mutation. I think having a yard where your dog can run freely is essential when dealing with this breed. Make sure you have a strong fence before bringing your future dog home, to prevent her from escaping. A Lab Husky Mix also loves to dig holes, so take all precautions if you have plants.
You Should Be Ready for Unpredictable Things
When buying a designer dog, you don’t actually know what you’re going to get, and the Labrador Husky Mix is no exception. This mixed breed is new, and there’s little data about how these dogs evolve as adults.
Based on the information about her parents, the Labrador Retriever and the Siberian Husky, your future dog should inherit some of these characteristics:
- coat: it’s generally double-layered, silky and short. It can be white, black, brown, golden, or any combination of these colors.
- size: as mentioned above they’re generally medium-sized dogs, weighing between 40 and 60 pounds (18-27 kg) and being around 20 to 25 inches tall (50.8 – 63.5 cm).
- eyes: puppies in the same litter can have different eye colors. Some have blue eyes, while others have eyes of different colors.
- health issues: Siberian Retrievers can inherit some genetic conditions from their parents. The most common are eye and skin diseases, degenerative myelopathy, arthritis, hip dysplasia, and cancer.
Obedience Training Is A Must
When you’re dealing with a Lab Husky Mix, you need to start training as soon as you bring your puppy home. Besides potty training, obedience lessons can also help you bond easier with your dog while giving you the chance to remain in charge.
This dog is very intelligent and in most cases you can train her yourself, especially if you start at an early age. However, because she has a Husky parent, your dog can sometimes be stubborn, so you’ll need to be patient and repeat training sessions several times before obtaining a positive response.
Always use positive reinforcement and never punish your dog for not following your commands.
You’ll learn to Appreciate the Vacuum Cleaner
A Labrador Husky Mix sheds all year, with higher intensity in spring and autumn. To minimize the mess, you’ll have to brush your dog’s coat three to five times a week during these seasons. You’ll also have to use the vacuum cleaner quite often to keep your house clean.
Outside the shedding season, your dog needs to be brushed twice a week, to keep her coat beautiful and to reduce the amount of lost hair. Besides this activity, you should also find time for:
- bathing your dog once a month or whenever she’s dirty;
- trimming her nails when needed;
- cleaning her ears twice a month;
- brushing her teeth twice a week.
Siberian Retrievers Don’t Like to Be Alone
One of the best things about these dogs is their love and affection towards their human families. This makes them great family dogs and nice play companions for kids of all ages, but it also means they don’t like being left by themselves.
Keeping your dog alone for too long can cause separation anxiety, sometimes also found in Huskies, but more common when it comes to Labradors. So, when you have to leave your dog home alone, make sure she stays busy until you’re back.
Get her some resistant dog toys to chew, and free access to the yard where she can play, run, and move freely. Make sure she always has a place to go in case of bad weather. These dogs don’t like rain or getting wet.
If you work all day, ask a friend or a pet walker to take her to the park and make sure you also spend enough time with her when you get home.
Conclusion
As you can see, a Labrador Husky Mix is a great dog. She’s suitable for all types of owners, including families with small children, and loves to be with you all the time. But you’ll have to be there for her and also include her in all your activities, which can be hard if you’re a busy person.
