AKC (SHCA) 1941 Siberian Husky Standard

​General Appearance - The Siberian Husky is an alert, gracefully built, medium sized dog, quick and light on his feet, and free and graceful in action. He has a strong, moderately compact body, a deep strong chest, well-muscled shoulders and hind-quarters, and straight strong legs of medium bone. His coat is dense and very soft and his brush tail is carried curved over his back when at attention and trailing when at repose. His head presents a finely chiseled and often fox-like appearance, and his eyes have a keen and friendly expression. His characteristic gait is tireless and almost effortless when free or on loose lead, but showing great strength when pulling; the trot is brisk and smooth and quite fast. Bitches are smaller than dogs, averaging up to 2 inches shorter and 10 pounds less in weight. Siberians range in build from moderately compact (but never "cobby") to moderately rangy; in all builds the bone must be medium, the back powerful (never slack from excessive length) and the shoulder height never exceeding 23 1/2 inches (any ranginess is merely a matter of proportion, not of actual height.)

Head - Skull: Of medium size in proportion to the body, width between the ears medium to narrow, gradually tapering to eyes, and moderately rounded. ​Muzzle of medium length, both the skull and muzzle are finely chiseled. Lips dark and close fitting; jaws and teeth strong, meeting with a scissors bite. Faults - head clumsy or heavy, muzzle bulky (like the Alaskan Malamute), skull to wide between the ears, snippy, coarse.

Ears: Of medium size, erect, closely fitting, set high on the head, and well arched with hair on the inside. There is an arch on the back of the ears. Ears are slightly taller than width at the base and moderately rounded at the tips. When the dog is at attention ears are usually carried practically parallel on top of the head with the inner edges quite close together at the base. Faults - Low set ears, ears too large, "flat ears", lop ears

Eyes: Either brown or blue ("watch" or "china") in color, or one blue and one brown eye permissible but not desirable. Set slightly obliquely in skull. Eyes have a keen friendly expression and the expression is distinctly "interested" ​​sometimes even mischievous.

​Nose:  Black for preference, with brown allowed in specimens of reddish colored coat: and flesh colored nose and eye rims allowed in white dogs. Some dogs, especially black and white, have what is often termed a "snow nose" or smudge nose, ie a nose normally solid black, but acquiring a pink streak in the winter. This is permissible but not desirable.

Coat: The Siberian Husky has a thick soft double coat consisting of a soft, dense downy undercoatof fur next to the skin and an outer coat of soft smooth texture giving a smooth full-furred appearance and a clear outline (in contrast to the harsh, coarse coat of the Alaskan Malamute or the bear-like Eskimo Dog coat). The coat is usually medium in length.
Faults: a rough and shaggy appearance (like the Samoyed, Alaskan Malamute or Eskimo Dog) absence of undercoat (except when actually shedding).

Tail: Well furred brush carried over back in a sickle curve when running or at attention, and trailing out behind when working or in repose. Tail should not snap flat to back. Hair on tail is usually medium in length varying somewhat with the length of the dog's coat.

Color: All colors and white are allowed and all markings. The commonest colors are various shades of wolf and silver greys, tan (a light sable) and black with white points. A large variety of markings, especially head markings are found in the Siberian - including many striking and unusual ones not found in any other breed. Frequently found are the caplike mask and spectable markings.

Chest: Ribs and Shoulders: Chest should be deep and strong but not too broad, ribs should be well-arched and deep. Shoulders well developed and powerful. Faults: Chest too broad (like the Alaskan Malamute) weak or flat chest; weak shoulders.

Back, Loins and Quarters: Back of medium length, not too long nor cobby (like the Elkhound) and strongly developed. Loin well-muscled and slightly arched, and should carry no excess weight or fat. Hindquarters powerful and shows good angulation. Faults: Weak or stack back, any weakness in hindquarters.

Legs: Straight and well-muscled, with good bone (but never heavy bone like the Alaskan Malamute or Eskimo Dog), stifles well bent. Dewclaws occasionally appear on the hind legs. They are not a sign of impure breeding, but as they do interfere with the dog's work, they should be removed, perferabley at birth. Faults: heavy bone, too light bone, lack of proper angulation in hind legs.

Feet: Oblong in shape, not so broad as Eskimo Dogs or Alaskan Malamutes, well-furred between pads, which are tough and thickly cushioned, compact, neighter too large (like the Alaskan Malamutes) nor too small (like many Samoyeds). The Siberian foot, like that of other true arctic dogs, is a "snow-shoe" foot, i.e. it is somewhat webbed between the toes like a retriever's foot. Good feet are very important and therefore feet should always be examined in the ring. Faults: soft or splayed feet, feet too large or clumsy, feet too small or delicate.

Height: Dogs from 21-23 1/2 inches at the shoulders, bitches from 20-22 inches.

Weight: Dogs from 45 to 60 pounds, bitches from 35 to 50 pounds. Disqualifications: weight over 60 pounds in a male or over 50 pounds in a female (anything over these weights indicated crossbreeding). Height and weight are very important, and the upper limit in each must be rigidly maintained.

Summary: The most important points in a Siberian Husky are medium size and bone, soft coat, high set ears, ease of action and good disposition. A clumsy, heavy or unwieldy appearance or gait should be penalized. In addition to the faults already noted, obvious structural faults common to all breeds, such as cow hocks for instance, are as undesirable in the Siberian Husky as in any other breed, even though they are not specifically mentioned here.