You guys know that we’re a community of mini husky lovers (the clue’s in our website name!), but what we love more than anything are mini husky puppies.
Is there anything cuter than a tiny Siberian husky patting you awake in the morning? Cantering after a fetch stick from half a mile away? Pooping on your lawn?
Er, anyway…
These pups are the diamonds of the canine world: beautiful, prized and rare.
We’ve brought all our knowledge together to bring you this ultimate guide to mini husky puppies.
Enjoy!
The Origin of Mini Husky Puppies
You might be wondering, what exactly *is* a mini husky puppy?
Some people incorrectly assume that they must be the runt of the husky litter or some weird mongrel mix between a large and a small breed.
Actually, they’re simply a size variation on the standard Siberian husky. A companion size, if you will.
Like all dogs, huskies share some ancestry with the gray wolf, and Siberians are known to be reasonably genetically similar to the Taimyr wolf of North Asia, which is now extinct. So, your mini husky puppy will have a clear genetic link to this wolf breed too.
See more: Husky vs Wolf – the key differences
Minis were first bred back in the 90s and have been a hit with dog lovers ever since.
As they’re just a size variation, mini huskies are the same as huskies in every other respect: including behavior, temperament, look and lifespan.
What Do They Look Like?
Essentially, just smaller huskies!
Mini Husky Puppy Colors and Markings
Huskies are known for their unusual face and body markings, and mini huskies are no different.
Some will have very white faces with black-haired rings around their eyes, while others will be the complete opposite. Husky markings are like snowflakes: each one is different!
While black and white are the most common colors seen in mini husky puppies, there are a variety of other colors also accepted, including:
- Gray
- Copper
- Red
Husky Eyes
One feature that often makes huskies so distinct is their eye color: while many have the usual dark brown eyes seen in most dogs, some are blessed with a piercing blue, green or even yellow.
Some mini huskies will have what is called heterochromia — essentially, eyes of different colors.
With this condition, they can be either bi-eyed (each eye a different color) or parti-eyed (each eye has a mix of two colors).
How Big Are Mini Husky Puppies?
The size of a mini husky puppy will vary hugely between individual dogs and it can be impossible to predict their size at birth.
The Miniature Siberian Husky Club of America advise that they will reach somewhere between 12 to 16 inches in height, and between 18 to 35 lbs in weight at full growth.
Alaskan Klee Kais — similar, yet different small sized huskies — are often much smaller than mini huskies, and are bred to be either Toy, Medium or Standard size.
For the smallest of the bunch, there is the famous ‘teacup husky‘.
Puppy Personality
More important than what they look like and how cute they are, is the personality and temperament of your mini husky puppy.
Will they fit in with your family in your home?
Mini husky puppies make great family pets. They’re loveable, friendly, good with kids and really intelligent — that means training can be easy, as long as you commit to regular sessions.
They’re not known for being barkers and shouldn’t get too territorial — although they have been known to let out a howl or two when talking to other pups and ambulance sirens!
You should be aware, however, that mini huskies need plenty of exercise.
Huskies were initially bred to be super active, pulling heavy sleds across the snow all day long.
While your mini husky is not quite as strong as their larger counterparts, they’ve still inherited the energetic genes that guarantee they needs lots of attention and interaction.
We’re talking at least one long walk a day and plenty of training. Ideally you’ll have a home with a yard or lawn, and won’t have to leave your dog at home for many hours during the day.
Without enough exercise, you’ll find it difficult to keep your mini husky’s behavior in check. They could become depressed, destructive — chewing everything in their path — or start using the toilet inside.
A happy mini husky is one who has plenty of exercise and loving attention!
Do I Need to Train My Mini Husky Puppy?
In a word: yes.
While huskies are very intelligent compared to many other breeds, they need to channel that intelligence in a direction that only you can guide them in.
As with any type of training, the best way to train your mini husky puppy is consistently.
We’re talking 5 to 15 minutes every. single. day.
Don’t worry — they’ll likely pick up commands and behaviors quickly — all you need to ensure is that you’re conditioning them to train better every time.
Check out our tips for mini husky training, and a collection of the best treats to use during training.
When Should I Start Training?
Experts continually disagree on the best age to start training puppies, but we believe that you’ll get the best results if you start training immediately — as soon as you bring them home from the breeder. They should be at least 8 weeks old at this point.
If you start training your mini husky puppy early, they won’t have had time to pick up any bad habits that you’ll have to correct.
Starting as soon as you get them home will mean that your new pup will know exactly what to expect from his new home right from the get-go, instead of having to learn new things a few months down the line.
Remember that puppies have much shorter attention spans than adult dogs so training sessions should be short and sweet. At the most, we’d recommend 5 minute increments, 3 times a day.
It’s best to experiment, then you can see what your pup responds best to and ensure that you always work at their pace.
Puppy Grooming
Mini huskies have double coats of thick hair that help them to survive and thrive in all different weather types. This double coat means that they shed hair moderately throughout the year and then perhaps intensely once or twice a year as new coats grow in for summer and winter.
There’s no way to stop the classic husky shedding, although you can manage it by brushing your dog every single day. This will release any dead hair and catch it before it starts getting tangled up in your carpets and clothes!
Some owners like to use de-shedding tools like the FURminator to thoroughly get rid of their husky’s shedding hair. Remember to restrict your use of this to just once per week.
Mini huskies are super adept at self-cleaning so very rarely will they require a bath. If you shampoo them too often (more than once a month), you’re putting them at risk of dry skin and hair, which can be uncomfortable for them and will only encourage more shedding.
When they do need a bath, however, make sure that you use a high quality, all-natural shampoo. This will moisturize their skin and hair while ensuring the removal of any dirt.
Puppy Diet
It’s very easy to overfeed a mini husky as they don’t require a huge amount of food to thrive. They can put on weight relatively easily so it’s imperative that you feed them a balanced diet and give them plenty of exercise.
A quality kibble, high in nutrients and with no fillers, additives or preservatives, should form the backbone of their diet.
You can then supplement this with glucosamine or fish oil supplements as necessary.
Treat portions should be kept bite-sized and healthy, while any ‘human’ food they eat should be restricted to plain chicken, ham or vegetables. They shouldn’t eat any processed foods, dairy or grains.
Mini Husky Lifespan
For a healthy mini husky, the average lifespan is between 12 to 14 years. Mixed breeds are likely to live even longer still.
Although they’re generally a healthy breed, it’s worth noting that mini huskies can inherit the same genetic disorders that standard sized huskies are subject to.
Hip dysplasia is thankfully rare, but eye problems like glaucoma and progressive retinal atrophy are present in the breed.
A dog is for life, folks; not just for Christmas!
Miniature Husky Mixes
We all know that mini husky puppies are cute.
But they can get even cuter, if you can believe it.
Some breeders have experimented with breeding mini huskies with other breeds for some truly unusual mixes.
You can read our full run-down of mix types (complete with photos).
Here are some of the most popular mixes:
- Pomsky (X Pomeranian)
- Hug (X Pug)
- Dachshusky (X Dachshund)
- Goldusky (X Golden Retriever)
- Horgi (X Corgi)
- Siberpoo (X Poodle)
Where Can I Buy a Mini Husky Puppy?
You can buy verified mini huskies in the USA through the Mini Huskies website, authorized by the Miniature Siberian Husky Club of America.
You will need to sign up to the members’ wait list, which requires a non-refundable fee of US$150. Puppies are then placed with owners on this list, with wait times estimated to be at least 9 months.
There are currently 8 authorized breeders who each have between 4 and 6 dogs in the breeding program. Breeders are based in North Carolina, although shipping is available all over the US and Canada.
You may be able to buy mini huskies through other online avenues, although we cannot vouch for authenticity and reliability.
Mini husky mixes and Alaskan Klee Kai breeders are much easier to come by, however. We have compiled a list of breeders in the US, Canada and Europe.
Videos of Mini Huskies
There’s nothing better than seeing mini huskies in action — here are a few of our favourite YouTube stars.
An Alaskan Klee Kai in training
Are you tempted to add a mini husky puppy to your family?
I wanted to know if there is a wait list for an adult and if so how long.