If you’re wondering if your friendly and energetic husky is going to be good with your kids, regardless of age, it’s a great question!
Huskies are good family dogs, including households with young children. However, it’s essential to make sure that your children know how to interact with dogs safely. You’ll also want to make sure your husky has socialization training with kids and other animals.
Why and how are huskies good with children?
Huskies are such large and energetic dogs, after all. How are they going to be good with children that are so fragile and unpredictable themselves? There are a lot of reasons, actually, and they’re all equal parts heartwarming and exciting!
Great temperament
Temperament has a lot to do with it, as you can probably guess. As a breed, huskies are good-natured, loving, affectionate, and friendly.
Since they tend to be relatively easy-going around humans, this means that kids are a natural choice as far as your dog enjoying their time with them.
Intelligence and intuition
Huskies are incredibly smart, as you likely already have found out. If not, you’re in for a treat! Due to the way that they were bred originally, they are brilliant and very intuitive in situations.
By paying attention to your non-verbal cues and paying attention to your child’s the same way, Huskies will understand that they are dealing with children and adjust their behavior automatically.
Huskies are giant kids themselves
Well, sort of. Huskies enjoy many of the same activities that kids do, such as fetch, obedience training, and the classic “running at the beach” or “running through sprinklers” activity. Huskies, in most cases, love water and will happily play with your kids in the water.
As a side bonus, their interaction with water also tires both out at the same time, so you’ll be able to enjoy a pretty quiet house after some playtime together.
Huskies are companion dogs rather than guard dogs
While some huskies can protect their food, most huskies won’t be of much use as guard dogs when it comes to an intruder. While that’s not a great thing when it comes to your fancy jewelry, it is reassuring to know that you won’t have to worry about your dog turning on your children if they’re perceived as a threat.
Huskies are more likely to become instant besties with anyone they meet. While this can include intruders, it also means your kids, even if they are still learning the proper way to behave around dogs (more on that in a bit).
They are loyal dogs
Similarly, huskies were bred as companion dogs, like mentioned. It means that they are incredibly loyal and will bond with their humans so that no one will ever be without a buddy. It can often help many parents feel good about dogs and mini-humans growing up together!
Are Huskies good around babies?
Yes, typically, huskies are very good around babies. That being said, huskies are very mouthy and use their mouth to communicate naturally. They may accidentally injure your fragile baby as a result.
Always make sure that you are present with your baby and husky together, just to be safe.
Raising huskies around kids: what should I know?
Many people will intentionally bring a husky home when their children grow up, specifically because huskies are great dogs for families. That being said, there are some essential parts to making sure that everyone stays healthy and happy.
- Proper socialization
- Proper training
- Time and patience
If you’ve owned dogs before, you likely already know that you must bring your puppy to socialization classes. Your puppy needs to learn how to interact with other animals and humans. It’s a core part of puppyhood that results in confident, comfortable adult dogs!
It will be vital in huskies, especially since their prey drive can be stronger than some dog breeds. Having them socialized will mean that this prey drive is conditioned and can keep other household pets and smaller children safe from those natural instincts.
However, you’re also going to have to spend some time properly socializing your kids, too! Children need to understand dogs and their natural behaviors to learn how to react to them when it comes to your dog.
Just like humans get socialization classes with fellow humans, they should also get time around dogs and other animals so that they aren’t foreign.
Proper training
Training is crucial for your husky. These are particularly stubborn dogs, and they will need a strong person to train them since they often will fight the training.
However, training your dog to act correctly around infants, toddlers, kids, and even teenagers, is essential. Huskies are exceptionally smart and will pick up on the proper behavior when it’s taught.
Some examples of things for them to learn would be how to get “gentle” if they nip or bite when playing—learning how to only use soft blows when rough-housing (or perhaps not roughhousing at all).
Other training could include being careful not to run over the children if they get excited at the beach and start running around, etc. The point of training your dog on how to act around kids is to help them understand what is suitable and not when it comes to interacting with your kids at their various ages.
Similarly, your kids will also need training! Infants, toddlers, and young children don’t understand how to pet dogs softly or not to pull on their tails, ears, etc. They often don’t know why they can’t take a dog’s food.
Ensure that your children understand how to safely and respectfully interact with your dog so that everyone’s rights and comfort are respected.
Time and patience
Ensure that everyone in your family is patient and gives time for everyone else to get used to each other. Kids will take time to adjust to treating dogs fairly, and dogs will also take time and adjustments to learn how to play appropriately with children.
It is just part of the process for everyone settling in together. It may happen quickly, or it may take your husky some time to get used to it all. It takes as long as it takes.
When the environment stays happy and comfortable and productive, learning and adjustment are much easier all around — including for you!
Things to remember with huskies and kids
There are a few last-minute pointers to keep in mind when it comes to the idea of pairing huskies with kids. They will help keep every interaction safe and fun.
Huskies can hurt without trying
They don’t mean to, of course, but it happens very easily — especially if you have an infant or a newborn.
Even if you know that your husky is the friendliest, kindest dog and cherishes your child, they can get over-excited and hurt them.
Make sure you’re aware of this, and you prepare for it as much as possible by overseeing all of their time together — just to be on the safe side!
There will be many who only give socializing and training to either dogs or kids, rather than both.
However, healthy and safe relationships come from both canine and human understanding of safely and correctly interacting with each other.
Prioritize both socializing and training for everyone, and you’ll see just what a positive difference it makes for safety and comfort. Not to mention stress level!
Alone time is never a good idea
As well as your dog and children getting along, you may not want to leave them alone. Especially if your dog is a puppy, still, and your children are young. Accidents happen, and injuries can complicate many things, including their relationship to each other.
You’ll want to avoid leaving your husky and kids totally alone together at least until your husky is full-grown and/or your children are older or even teenagers.
In Conclusion
Huskies are great family dogs and can have many great qualities when it comes to living with kids, including infants, but both your husky and children will require socializing, training, time, and patience to make the relationship healthy and safe.
Know a proud husky parent? Please share it with them! Or, if you know someone who is considering what they should do about adding a dog to their family, who might want to know this, too!
