Hi, my name’s Irena and I live on the beautiful island of Crete in Greece with my crazy dog, Sherlock and 3 cats, Hamlet, Dimitris and Ebony.
Today I’m going to talk about Agouti Huskies which will hopefully help you to decide if they are the right dogs for you.
Agouti Huskies: The Basics
Perhaps you are wondering what Agouti Huskies are? Well, Agouti refers to their coloring and their wolf-like appearance.
They are generally darker than other types of Huskies. Agouti is in fact one of the oldest color genes in mammals.
Other animals with this coloring include wild rabbits and rodents. However, although they look tough, they are very loving as most Siberian Huskies are.
Agouti Huskies were originally bred to pull sleds and they are strong dogs with plenty of energy. They are in fact, stronger than other Huskies.
You need to have the time to spend with them playing and taking them out for long walks.
They can be destructive around the house, so they need different methods of expending their energy.
They don’t like to be left alone for long periods of time, so they won’t suit a family who is out most of the day.
How Big Do Agouti Huskies Get?
Agouti Huskies are medium-sized dogs.
Females grow to between 19 – 22 inches and weigh between 35 – 50 pounds.
The height of males is between 21 – 23.6 inches and they weigh between 44 – 60 pounds.
Agouti Husky Temperament
In their behavior, Agouti Huskies are no different from standard Huskies.
They have plenty of energy, are very intelligent and they are friendly and affectionate towards people.
They need to have their mind exercised to stop them from getting bored and teaching them commands from an early age is a good idea.
In addition, they love to play, the more energetic the game the better. A good activity to play with your Agouti Huskies is Canicross.
This is a running exercise which attaches people to their dogs. You tie one end of an elastic bungee cord on the person’s waist band and the other to the dog who wears a special harness.
Then you run with your dogs. This activity was created as practice for mushing, but now it is a sport in its own right, particularly in the UK.
Agouti Husky Life Expectancy
The average Agouti Husky lifespan is 12 – 15 years which is good compared to other dogs of their size.
Golden Retrievers and Labradors generally don’t live quite as long.
Agouti Huskies have a longer lifespan because they are hardy dogs. They can easily live in sub-zero temperatures.
Of course, you will have to accept that this is a guide and some dogs live longer and others shorter.
There are things that you can do to help your Agouti Huskies live longer.
The first is to keep them active, the second is not to overfeed them so that they get fat and generally unhealthy.
Slimmer dogs tend to live around 2 – 3 years longer than fat dogs.
In addition, make sure that they get their vaccinations annually and treat them for fleas, worms and ticks. Spay the female Agouti Huskies as this does give them a tendency to live longer.
Agouti Husky General Health
Hip dysplasia is ahereditary illness and causes pain in the hips leading to difficulty in walking. If the pain becomes very severe, your dogs may need a hip replacement.
Furthermore, Agouti Huskies unfortunately do have a chance of getting a variety of different eye problems.
The first is hereditary cataracts. Cataracts mean that the lens of the eye becomes cloudy. It can lead to total blindness which is not good for such active dogs.
Unfortunately, it’s not only older Agouti Huskies that can develop this condition.
They can develop junior hereditary cataracts which can affect them from as young as a year old. However, the good news is that surgery is an option.
Another eye condition that Agouti Huskies can experience is progressive retinal atrophy. This eventually causes blindness.
It is also a hereditary disease and even puppies from a few months old can start developing it. The retina thins and withers causing the dog to go blind.
Unfortunately, there is no cure, but you can slow the disease down by making sure that your dogs get enough vitamins and antioxidants.
The third eye condition which Agouti Huskies can suffer from is glaucoma. Pressure builds up in the eyeball causing it to expand and stretch.
It is very painful, causes headaches and eventually blindness. There are two types of glaucoma, primary and secondary.
The first is inherited and the second is caused by something else like a wound to the eye, tumors, advanced cataracts or inflammations.
Primary glaucoma can’t be prevented, but secondary can by keeping your dog safe. It is not curable, and treatment just lessens the pain.
Most breeds will suffer from some predisposed health risks, and usually purebred dogs tend to suffer from more ailments than mixed breeds.
So if you want to reduce the health risks then mix up the genetics with another breed and get a mongrel.
What do Agouti Huskies Look Like?
Agouti Huskies vary a great deal from standard Siberian Huskies.
They are more wolf-like and have darker faces, with a heavy and dark nose bar. They generally have dark eyes, not blue like most Siberian Huskies.
The coats of Agouti Huskies have alternating bands along each hair shaft. Their fur is tipped with black, with another color down the hair shaft.
Their coats can look speckled as quite often the individual hairs have more than one color. Agouti Huskies have two coats and the undercoat is usually a charcoal color.
Interestingly, their coats can change color as the puppies grow up. They can be born gray and white and as they mature, the coats can turn to pale gray. Then as grown dogs they can become a darker gray.
Agouti Husky Grooming
Agouti Huskies have two coats and like most dogs with an undercoat, they shed twice a year, usually the spring and the fall.
You will have to be prepared to do a lot of sweeping up at these times. If you live in a warm or hot climate, you may find that your Agouti Huskies shed all year long.
The undercoat should never be removed as it’s very important in regulating the temperature of these dogs.
When it’s hot it cools them down and when it’s cold it keeps them warm. The undercoat also means that your Agouti Huskies don’t need much cleaning.
It contains natural oils which keeps dirt at bay and also protects the dogs from UV rays. The topcoat is waxy and waterproof.
It’s not essential to wash your Agouti Huskies more than once a month. Less is even better, unless of course they get very smelly and dirty on their walks.
They are good at self-cleaning like cats are. Too much bathing will dry out the topcoat which in turn will thin the hair.
If your Agouti Huskies have a tendency to get dirty, don’t use shampoo all the time.
Showering them with just water is usually enough. Too much shampooing can also take away the natural oils in their coats.
If you do decide to bathe your Agouti Huskies, you need to use quality products.
Don’t use human shampoos as they can be drying to the hair, causing dermatological problems like dandruff and itchiness. You should use a shampoo specially made for dogs.
Bathing Your Agouti Husky
So, how do you bathe your Agouti Huskies? Well, the first thing to do is to be prepared.
Get towels, shampoo and treats ready before you start washing your dogs. You need to be generous with treats and praise as not all dogs enjoy being bathed.
Before washing, you need to brush your dogs. Mats in their fur can get worse with bathing and you will struggle to get them out.
Put cotton wool balls in their ears so that water doesn’t get in. Vaseline around their eyes can help to repel water.
Before you put your dogs in the bath, make sure that the water is lukewarm. You don’t want them to get burned.
If you are shampooing them, make sure that you rinse out all the residue. If you don’t the coat will look dull and their skin could be irritated.
Once the bath is over, let your dogs air-dry or invest in a special dog hair dryer. A human dryer is too small and it can also get too hot.
Even if you don’t bathe your Agouti Huskies, you will need to brush them every few days.
When they are blowing their coats, it is best to use an undercoat rake. This goes deep into the coat without being harsh.
If the coats of your dogs look dull and you haven’t been using harsh shampoos, you should go to the vet.
It could be caused by stress, a skin allergy or a nutritional deficiency. If your dog starts itching, check for fleas or ticks and then treat them accordingly.
Agouti Husky Training
Agouti Huskies are friendly and intelligent, but they are headstrong and if left to their own devices could cause chaos.
You need to establish yourself as head of the pack as soon as you get your puppies.
You will have to be consistent, calm and firm. They will lose respect for you if you keep shouting at them when they do something wrong.
Lead Walks
The first thing you need to do is buy them the right collar. A Martingale collar could be a good idea.
It’s loose and comfortable, but if your puppies do something wrong, you can correct them with a quick tug of the leash and the collar will tighten up.
They will then know that they have to stop whatever they are doing.
Don’t put shock collars, pinch collars or choke collars on them as they can cause unnecessary pain and your dogs won’t respect you for doing this.
You will then have to teach your puppies how to walk on a lead. They shouldn’t lag behind nor should they tug.
As Agouti Husky puppies are going to grow up to be strong dogs, it is essential that they are taught this at an early age so that they don’t pull you over.
Tricks and Treats
You will need to train your Agouti Huskies to obey certain commands like sit and stay. When you are doing this reward them with treats.
They will soon learn that obeying leads to a treat. You need to only give treats when they have done something to earn them.
If you give them treats for doing nothing, they will just come to expect treats at any time and probably won’t take any notice of your commands.
This is what’s known as positive reinforcement. Your dogs will feel more settled if they know how to get what they want.
Potty Training
You may not be looking forward to this, but you will have to train your Agouti Huskies to go to the toilet outside.
This is not my favorite aspect of training as it’s always been difficult especially with Sherlock.
You have to spend a lot of time with your pups watching for signs that they want to eliminate. They can start pacing, sniffing and squatting.
Take them outside when they do this and take them to the same place in the garden. When they’ve been, praise them and give them a treat.
Crate Training
You can’t leave Agouti Husky puppies running loose in your house if you’re out as they can be destructive and chew everything to pieces.
They really aren’t a dog to have if you are gone for much of the day. However, if you are in and out, you can crate train them for when you’re not there.
It’s not cruel unless you keep them in a crate for hours on end. Training them to go in the crate can be a slow process, but it can be done.
I managed when Sherlock was a puppy. To get the puppies into the crate, drop some treats in first. When they start to go in the crate, start feeding them in there.
In this way they will associate the crate as something where nice things happen.
Puppies under 6 months old shouldn’t stay in their crate for more than 3 or 4 hours at a time as they can’t control their bladder and bowels for any longer.
With consistency and time spent every day on training, your Agouti Husky puppies will grow up to be well- mannered members of your family.
You should also socialize them with other people from a young age so that they behave accordingly when you have visitors.
Are Agouti Huskies Good with Families?
Agouti Huskies are affectionate and good-natured dogs. Generally, they do well with children although young children shouldn’t be left alone with dogs of any sort.
However, they don’t suit a home where everybody is out a lot of the time. They need companionship otherwise they could become destructive.
Agouti Huskies should do well in homes with other dogs, although they might chase cats. They don’t do well as guard dogs as they are too friendly and not that suspicious of strangers.
Final Thoughts
Agouti Huskies are great to have as pets for people with the time and energy, as well as good training skills.
They probably won’t suit first-time dog owners as Agouti Huskies can be stubborn and difficult to train if you haven’t had experience with other dogs.
If you do decide to adopt one of these wolf-like dogs, you will be assured of a friend for life.
