Husky Lab Mix (A.K.A Siberian Retriever) – An Overview

The Husky Lab Mix dog, also known as the Siberian Retriever, is a cross-breed dog that’s an offspring of two parents, the Siberian Husky and the Labrador Retriever.

The Husky Lab Mix designer breed is thought to have first been cross-bred sometime in the 1990’s.

Other Names The Labrador-Husky Mix Goes By

Some of the names the Husky Lab Mix is also known by are:

  • Siberian Retriever
  • Lab Husky Mix
  • Labrador Retriever Husky Mix
  • Huskador
  • Husky Labrador
  • Lab Husky

Husky Lab Mix Appearance

The appearance of the Husky Lab Mix can differ between one dog to the other, because it all depends on whether the Husky Lab Mix offspring is born to look more like its Siberian Husky parent or its Labrador Retriever parent.

Size

The Husky Lab Mix is a tall, medium to large sized dog that weighs anywhere from 40-60 lbs and stands at around 25 inches tall.

Coat

The Siberian Retriever’s coat is of medium length, and some of the most common colors that the Husky Lab Mix’s coat comes in are black, chocolate, brown, copper, tan and white.

Lab Husky Mix Temperament

Affection And Time

The Husky Lab Mix is a very affectionate dog that loves to spend quality time with the people it loves and CRAVES on being the center of attention.

This means that you have to be careful about not being able to commit enough time and effort to spend a decent amount of your time with them day in, day out.

Not being able to spend as much time with the Husky Lab Mix isn’t the end of the world, and as long as you’re able to spend reasonable amounts of quality time with them, they’ll be more than fine.

The situation becomes serious when someone brings home a Husky Lab Mix and just leaves them alone and unattended for long periods of time, in which case the Siberian Retriever will surely develop separation anxiety and exhibit various behavioral problems to let you know that they feel ignored and unimportant.

So, if you don’t have enough time to spend with this cross-breed or lack the enthusiasm required to keep up with keeping this dog happy, then please save both yourself the time and save them the emotional pain, and don’t add one to the family in the first place.

Exercise & Activity Levels

The Husky Lab Mix is one of the most active dogs that love to play around and stay active all day long.

You’d be surprised about the high energy levels that this dog has!

So, be sure that you’re able to supply the with all the necessary physical activity and mental stimulation they need to remain healthy and happy.

Tying this in with the section above where we talked about how affectionate and loving this dog really is, it would be ideal if you (its owner) are physically active yourself and have a daily exercise routine already set.

In such a case, you can spend that much needed quality time we talked about by exercising together, be it on a walk, a jog, a run, playing catch, whatever floats your boat!

One of the favorite things the Husky Lab Mix likes to do for physical exercise is to run leash-free somewhere where there’s a large, open space.

Now, of-course that’s not always an option for you to do in a dog-park since many dog parks require you to have your dog on a leash, but try to find somewhere where this is allowed and just look at how happy they become when running around freely.

The bare minimum when it comes to exercising this cross-breed is taking them on at least 2 walks a day.

One unique aspect that the Husky Lab Mix enjoys, which is not very commonly found among other dog breeds, is the fact that they absolutely LOVE to play in water.

And this isn’t too strange if we think about it, since their Labrador Retriever parent is known to be one of the dog breeds that love playing around in water and swimming most.

So, if you’re anything of a water person and love a good swim, you two can have a blast!

Training

The Husky Lab Mix is a fairly intelligent dog that’s really good when it comes to following instructions and learning new tricks you teach it, as many other owners will attest to this when telling you how their experience training this cross-breed wasn’t as hard as they thought it would be.

The Husky Lab Mix gets its intelligence and very good ability to follow instructions from its Labrador parent, which itself offers people one of the most enjoyable and memorable training experiences ever.

Sometimes, their Siberian Husky side will prevail and supress their Labrador Retriever side when it comes to ease of training, where the Husky Lab Mix will give you a bit of a hard time and slack off on following your instructions.

It could be because they’re tired and need a break, but many times it’s because their stubborn Husky side got the better of them.

Don’t worry though, as with positive reinforcement methods, rewards in place and consistency during training, this is easily overcome.

As with any other dog breed we talk about, it’s just as advised that you make sure your Husky Lab Mix has been properly trained and socialized at a young age, which is when they develop behavioral traits that are very hard to change after they grow up.

If not properly socialized from a young age, the Husky Lab Mix (just like any other dog breed) can mistake other household pets and nearby animals as prey, and other household members as a threat.

It’s not just all about properly training and socializing our dogs as well, it’s also about properly training and educating whoever wants to interact with this dog (and others) about the right ways to do so and the wrong ways that should be avoided, especially when it comes to children that interact with dogs.

Watchdog

In general, the Husky Lab Mix has fairly good watchdog abilities, and will alert you when they smell something fishy going on.

However, you have to be wary of the fact that this cross-breed can be a fairly annoying chronic barker that can easily cause you problems with your neighbors, or just give you a mean headache every day, if they develop the habit of barking at anything and everything they see during the day.

That greatly depends on whether or not they get their annoying barking tendency from their Husky parent, or their more calm demeanor from their Labrador Retriever parent.

This shouldn’t be much of an issue either way, as most of the times the Siberian Husky gets its calm demeanor from its Labrador Retriever parent and isn’t much of a chronic barker. However, exceptions do exist.

Lab And Husky Mix Health

When it comes to health problems the Husky Lab Mix is prone to suffering from, we’re going to have to take a look at the health problems their Siberian Husky and Labrador Retriever parents are known to suffer from.

Because the Husky Lab Mix isn’t known to have any particular health issues in and of itself, but can inherit certain health problems from either/both its parents.

Some of the most common health problems that the Siberian Retriever could potentially inherit from its parents are:

  • Eye disease
  • Epilepsy
  • Cardiovascular disease
  • Bloat
  • Hip and elbow dysplasia
  • Arthritis
  • Skin problems
  • Ear infections (due to certain parasites that are attracted to the Siberian Retriever for some reason)

As always, and to make sure that your Husky Lab Mix isn’t doomed to suffer from devastating health problems, only bring one home from a reputable dog breeder that can show you the medical history of both its parents.

In general and if properly cared for and given everything they need to properly thrive in life and life, the Husky Lab Mix is expected to live for around for a happy 10-15 years.

Labrador Husky Mix Grooming

First off, you should know that the Husky Lab Mix is definitely not a low-shedding dog, they are in fact considered to be moderate-high shedding dogs.

In order to best control their shedding and make sure that it doesn’t become an excessive problem, make sure to brush them at least once per day, as this will promote their coat’s health and improve its overall quality.

The shedding will become excessive during seasons such as spring and summer, where the Husky Lab Mix loses its undercoat.

During these times, you’ll need to brush them more frequently (up to 2 times a day) to keep the shedding under control.

As far as bathing them is concerned, Husky Lab Mix dogs don’t need to be given baths very often the same way other dog breeds may have to.

A Husky Lab Mix dog usually only needs a bath every now and then when their coat becomes dirty.

Brushing and cleaning your Husky Lab Mix dog’s teeth should also be done around 2-3 times every week.

As for the rest of the grooming procedures, such as ear cleaning and nail clipping/trimming, these tasks are best left for a professional groomer to take up on whenever the need arises.

Husky And Lab Mix Living Conditions

The Husky Lab Mix, and just like its Siberian Husky parent, usually thrives in living places where the temperature is relatively colder.

However, they can indeed fit very well in places where the temperature is relatively warmer, which is a trait they took from their Labrador Retriever parent.

It’s just that between the two options, colder temperatures almost always wins when it comes to the Husky Lab Mix.

With that being said, and even though the Husky Lab Mix can perfectly fit in cold climates, please note that they’re not the biggest fan of rain and prefer to be indoors when it’s raining.

All in all, if you’re getting this dog home to somewhere with a large space (such as a large backyard) and are able to spend a good amount of time playing and interacting with them during the day, this is a very cross breed choice for you to go with.

If you don’t have a large space in your house such as a backyard or are not able to spend some quality time with them on a daily basis because of work and life commitments that mean you have to leave them alone most of the time, then you’re probably better off looking for another dog breed as they’ll end up miserable and unhappy.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

I accept the Privacy Policy