How much exercise does a Husky need!

The Siberian Husky looks mysterious to most people. The look of a wolf makes the Husky interesting for many people. But before you decide to get a Siberian Husky, realize what responsibility this dog breed brings with it. The Husky needs a lot of exercise – how much we will clarify in this article.

You must be able to provide a Siberian Husky with between 2 and 4 hours of intense exercise daily and additionally some mental work. It is important that there are enough intense sessions like cycling, jogging or even sled pulling. The Siberian Husky was bred for physical work and needs it. He is much more capable than just about any other dog breed. Especially in winter, when it gets cold and you might prefer to be in the warm, you have to get out into nature with your Husky, because then he really turns on.   

Does a Husky need a lot of exercise?

Yes, a Siberian Husky needs a lot of exercise. They need more exercise than just about any other dog breed. The Husky is bred for physical work like pulling sleds.

They are simply more efficient than other dog breeds. You can’t compare a Husky in terms of exercise and activity to a Golden Retriever, which also needs a lot of exercise. That’s a whole other league.

If you get a Husky, it is not enough to take him for a long walk. Of course, a long walk is good, but in order to exercise a Husky, you have to be out for a really long time.

How much exercise does a Husky need?

A Husky needs on average 3 hours of quality exercise per day. 

However, your Siberian Husky needs its exercise more ideally in the form of sled pulling or alternatively running sessions or bike rides.

You can roughly compare the duration of your sessions to a Golden Retriever or Labrador, but the intensity is different.

The Labrador and Husky each need about 3 hours of exercise a day.

With a Labrador you go for a walk and occasionally jogging or biking, with a Husky you go jogging, biking, sled pulling and occasionally walking. With a husky you don’t have only intensive exercise, but the ratio is already different.

If you mainly want to go for a walk, you will probably have to extend the units considerably. You also can’t let a marathon runner run only 5-10 km all the time.

With enough exercise and physical activity, the Husky is also a great family dog as they are very fond of children.

Walks with a Husky

When you take your Husky for a walk in the woods, make it interesting and varied.

Offer your Husky different routes. Do not always walk the same route.

Let your Husky sniff and explore the surroundings during the walk. During the walk you should keep your Husky, or any dog in general, busy in parallel.

Retrieval work with a food dummy is perfect to keep your Husky busy on the walk.

But a little cross-country running over fallen logs or balancing on them can also be an interesting way to keep your Husky busy on a walk.  

Husky and the seasons

The Husky really turns on during the colder months. You need to realize that in the fall and winter, when it gets colder and more uncomfortable, the Husky gets really active.

So if you are more of a summer type, and prefer to be in the warm house in the winter, a Husky is not for you. In So if you are more of a summer type and prefer to stay indoors in the warmth of winter, a Husky is not for you. In summer it is often too warm for the Husky to be really active, but in winter, when it is cold, he unleashes all his power.

How much exercise does a Husky puppy need?

It is important with a Husky puppy, just like with other dog breeds, that you take it easy in the beginning. You should not accustom him from the beginning, to this extreme load.

Try to keep your Husky puppy busy with normal walks and head work. Usually this is sufficient in the beginning.

However, if you exercise your puppy extremely from the beginning, you will end up with a high-performance athlete

Keeping your Husky mentally active

In addition to essential physical exercise, it’s also important to keep your Siberian Husky mentally exercised.

Especially in summer, when your Husky is less active because it is too warm, or on days when it rains a lot, you can do a lot of mental work with your Husky.

You have the following possibilities to exercise your Husky mentally:

Train commands.

When you’re home, you can practice basic commands with your Husky like “sit,” “down,” or even a “high five.”

Frustration Tolerance

A great exercise to completely challenge your dog is frustration tolerance training. Simply place a treat directly in front of your dog. He is not allowed to take it until you give the ok. The longer you make him wait, the harder it is for him to resist the treat.

Search games

Hide treats around the house or use a sniffing carpet. For dogs, sniffing is very exhausting and serves to exercise them from the head.

There are no limits to your creativity. The main thing is to actively engage with your dog.

Consequences of too little exercise with the Husky

If you get a Husky in spite of all the information available and you do not give it enough exercise, it tends to destroy objects.

Pictures of houses ravaged by a husky are not uncommon. On the one hand, this is often due to the fact that a husky does not like to be left alone, but on the other hand, it is simply that he is not exhausted and could not get rid of his excess energy.

Other symptoms of too little activity can be excessive barking or howling or that your dog pees on the couch or generally back in the apartment.

Conclusion: How much exercise does a Husky need?

The Husky is the high-performance athlete among dogs. With an average of 3 hours of exercise, sometimes more, sometimes less, you have a good foundation for your dog to get enough exercise.

However, the intensity with which a Husky must be trained is different from many other breeds. The Husky is made for physical work, and you as a Husky owner should live up to that. This means more frequent jogging or cycling than other dogs and less relaxed walks.

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