But then, after doing some research, I realized there was no problem with our relationship. I just didn’t know a Pitbull Husky Mix breed well enough.
The key to having a successful relationship with your furry friend is knowing what type of dog he or she is. This article will tell you everything you should know about the great Pitbull Husky Mix dog breed.
What Type Of A Dog Is A Pitbull Husky Mix?
A Pitsky is not a purebred dog. It is an embodiment of two different worlds – it’s a cross of purebred American Pit Bull Terrier with purebred Siberian Husky.
I understand why this dog breed might sound unusual to you. One of the reasons might be because organizations like the American Kennel Club do not recognize its mixed-breed nature.
Bet, you might be wondering what a Pitbull Husky Mix dog breed might look like. Would it take more of its Husky parent or the Pitbull?
Well, one thing no one can dispute is that it is one unique and fascinating dog. Owing to their parental breeds, Pitskies take of each of their parent’s characteristics, giving you an experience of both a Pitbull and a Husky.
For this reason, they can be incredibly enthusiastic, loyal, obedient, friendly, and smart but also ferocious, apprehensive, and demanding.
Pitbull Husky Mix dog breed comes in white, brown, black, grey, brindle, or a combination of these colors. Now, let’s see where they take their characteristics.
American Pit Bull Terrier
Pit Bull Terriers were fighting dogs back in the day before this practice became illegal. Historically, Pit Bulls were a product of crossbreeding Bulldogs and Terrier breeds to harness the power of the Bulldog.
The enormous courage of the Pit Bulls made them good at a bull-baiting blood sport. Although they were relatively smaller in size, they had a mass of muscles, and their owners would train them to take down larger animals.
However, later on, the Pit Bull dog breeds accompanied their guardians to America, where they became farm dogs. They would start on new roles, such as becoming hunting dogs, watchdogs, and nanny dogs.
Because of their fighting ancestry, Pit Bulls hold a rough reputation and might possess a strong prey drive. This could be the reason why you know Pit Bulls as vicious, aggressive, dangerous, and intense.
However, Pit Bulls can be affectionate, loving, tenacious, and intelligent. They also get excessively attached to their owners and can be great companions and family dogs.
Pit Bulls have moderate energy levels, making them suitable house dogs and pets. However, they do not like to be alone and might develop separation anxiety as a result. They could end up chewing everything in the whole house-shoes, furniture, carpets.
To keep them from chewing things when you are not around, you should consider locking them up in their kennels before. Also, remember to give them a toy they can chew if you intend to go out for long hours.
Pit Bull’s fighting history requires that owners supervise the pups and carefully introduce them to other dogs, animals, and kids. These dogs’ energy levels aren’t high as such, but they are athletic and with a playful temperament.
They exercise their playfulness and athleticism in more joyous activities. This means that leaving Pit Bulls alone for long during the day might make them lonely and gloomy.
Therefore, it is advisable to take them out for a walk daily and to play with them as much as possible to help burn their excess energy. If your schedule can’t allow you to walk it, you can enlist the aid of a pet sitter.
And yes, they are still common in sporty grounds but with new roles like search and rescue. Pit Bulls are also excellent therapy dogs.
Averagely, these dogs can weigh up to 85 pounds and grow to a height of 17-21 inches. They can also live as long as 16 years.
Siberian Husky
The Siberian Huskies are recognizable as working dogs but with a plethora of personalities. As the name suggests, this dog breed is originally from Siberia and was initially a sled dog.
Years ago, the Chukchi Community in Siberia bred the dogs to pull their sleds over long distances. They focused on breeding dogs with serious endurance, could survive on less food, and tolerate a severe winter climate.
It is of medium size and is slightly longer with a height measuring from 20-23.5 inches and a weight of 35-60 pounds.
This graceful breed has signature wolf-like erect ears, multi-colored eyes, and a soft double coat with multiple colors and markings. It also has a straight neck and a beautifully-furred tail that is straight or curved up in a sickle.
They have a dense coat because they originally came from a region with sub-zero temperatures. The built-in soft winter-wear prepares it for severe winter by protecting its body against heat loss. I can’t ignore the fact this feature makes them adorable and huggable.
The Siberian Husky is a classic northern snow dog that loves to demonstrate its independence and intelligence. However, its playfulness and intensity might sometimes overcome its affection for its guardians.
Huskies are people-lovers, including kids.
The good thing about this hound is that it thrives in multi-dog homes because it relates well to other dogs. It is also gentle with kids and tends to be welcoming to everyone. Yes, it is a social pup that craves physical human contact.
For this reason, you can’t trust it as a watchdog because it lets in even intruders! And it is an annoying howler.
Although the Siberian Husky is a super-friendly dog breed, it has high-energy levels and can be intense if you don’t train or take care of them well. Its innate urge to work makes it a super-active hound that requires exercises and plenty of space to run.
You can not only use it for sledding and skijoring but also as a jogging partner. This breed can be a chewer and a digger if you leave it on its own for a long time.
It also has explorative tendencies and cannot stay without a leash because they wander off or run away while chasing other small animals. And they can live up to 15 years.
The History Of The Pit Bull Husky Mix Dog Breed
Pitsky’s unique heritage is a result of its interesting ancestry. The Pitsky is built from lots of exercises because it is a product of parents that boast of physical prowess.
As mentioned, the Pitbull Husky Mix is an offshoot of two dog breeds; the Siberian Husky that looks like an adorable workaholic wolf and the Pit Bull Terrier that is aggressive and dreadful.
To understand the history of the Pitbull Husky Mix dog breed, it is crucial to know more about its parents. The Pitbull heritage dates back to the 19th Century. England was their land of origin, where they served in spectator fighting sports.
The Pitbull Terrier would later come to America after their owners migrated from England and became cattle dogs. So, the American Kennel Club recognized the breed in the 1930s, but as the American Staffordshire Terrier.
Since then, the American Kennel Club doesn’t recognize the American Pit Bull Terrier breed.
On the other hand, its Husky traits started in Siberia. However, the Siberian Husky was brought to Alaska in 1908 to take part in sled racing. They continued to be exported into America up to 1930 when the Soviet governments closed the borders.
Although they couldn’t come into the country, the registry club recognized the breed in the same year because they were thriving.
But Pitsky wasn’t bred until much later despite its parent’s existence for a long time. Breeding designers only started to intentionally mix Siberian Huskies and the American Pit Bull Terriers in the late 20th Century.
They intended to combine the parent breeds to reduce the health concerns that are common with pure breeds.
Surprisingly, the demand for these mixed breeds only started rising in 2014. Apart from that, they can live up to 15 years.
What Is The Size Of A Pitsky?
One thing you should understand is, no one can warrant the size of a Pitbull Husky Mix. It may have the mass muscle of an American Pit Bull Terrier or the supple silhouette of a Siberian Husky.
A Pitsky’s size depends on its parent’s dominant traits. Therefore, they can take up after any of the parents. However, they are generally sturdy and with a compact body.
The American Pit Bull Terrier is not a tall and big dog. It mostly grows to a height of 17-21 inches and weighs 30-60 pounds, with the male weighing more.
On the other side, the Husky is bigger and can grow to a height of 20-24 inches. However, they can weigh just as much as a Pitbull or lighter.
Therefore, the Pitsky’s size ranges between either medium or large. So, we can say that a full-grown Pitbull Husky Mix is of medium-size. But do not be surprised if you see one that measures outside these ranges.
The Personality Of The Pitbull Husky Mix Dog Breed
A puppy coming from an offshoot of two dog breeds inherits a mix of its parent’s traits – and the Pitsky is no exception.
However, you might have to find to scrutinize your pup’s parents to determine its personality. The reason is, it is quite challenging to understand precisely its dominant traits.
The good thing is that it is easy to determine the parents’ personalities because there are many personality similarities between them. Therefore, mixing them is more likely to give a predictable outcome that mixing breeds with distinct traits.
For instance, both parent breeds are intelligent, athletic, brave, and affectionate. They are also stubborn, hard to train, have a low tolerance to loneliness, and require strong guardianship.
These parent traits boil down to those of the Pitbull Husky Mix. Pitskies are playful, intelligent, smart, and also require a physically active guardian.
Apart from that, these handsome hounds possess the same loyalty as their parents and can be affectionate and good-natured to their guardians.
They can also inherit the working dog attitude from its ancestry, giving them an innate desire to stay busy. This means one thing for the owner-stay on toes.
Although they might possess most of the positive traits, we can’t refute that they won’t claim the unpleasant ones from their ancestry.
Therefore, be sure to supervise their interaction with children because they could accidentally harm them. They won’t necessarily use their teeth or paws, but they might enforce their playfulness and robust ancestral strength unawares.
This hybrid dog also has a fair temper. However, the canine can portray its American Pit Bull Terrier heritage at times and become quite aggressive, especially with other dogs.
Its strong prey drive trait from both its parents might trigger it to start chasing small animals. The good thing is that we can always revive their agitation and aggression by training and carefully introducing them to other animals.
This pup can also portray intelligence, stubbornness, and independence from its Siberian Husky lineage. For this reason, it can be a hard one to train and can often disregard its owner’s presence.
But still, the guardian’s commitment to train can give it the discipline and obedience of a classic dog. And if the owner guides and trains it adequately, the Pitsky can be a highly social dog and get along with kids as well.
The Pitbull Husky Mix hound might fail to be a suitable watchdog due to its Siberian heritage. The reason is, Siberian Huskies are friendly dogs that might fail to recognize intruders even from close range.
Just like its parents, this breed suffers from separation anxiety. Therefore, it can turn into mischief and destruction if you aren’t around to give it company. This trait means one thing- it can be a fiercely loyal dog if its guardian gives it enough attention.
Health Issues Of A Pitbull Husky Mix Dog Breed
Being a hybrid and a new breed, it can be quite hard to predict the health patterns in a Pitbull Husky Mix. Unfortunately, they can get any health issue from any of their parents.
We can only determine the health concerns of a Pitsky by studying its parents. The health data you gather from its parents can help you know the disease it may develop.
However, the Pitsky tends to be a healthy breed thanks to its athletic nature and diverse breeding ancestry. These traits enable them to have an average lifespan of close to 15 years.
Working closely with your dog breeder is the best way to help determine the possible health concern of your Pitsky.
Now, what are some of the health issues that may affect a Pitbull Husky Mix? Let’s start by addressing the health concerns of its parents.
Diseases that affect the American Pit Bull Terrier include hip dysplasia, hypothyroidism, degenerative myopathy, knee dislocations, hereditary heart defects, hypersensitivity, and cataracts.
The Siberia Husky, on the other hand, is more likely to suffer from abnormal hair growth, hip dysplasia, eye diseases like cataracts, hypothyroidism, and zinc deficiency.
Knowing these diseases opens us up to diseases that can attack the offspring of the two dog breeds.
1. Hyperthyroidism
Thyroids are the chief producers of body hormones. These hormones are responsible for most of the body functions.
If your Pitsky develops hypothyroidism, it means that it is unable to produce thyroid hormones properly. Unfortunately, low levels of these hormones disrupt its system and slow down the metabolic rate. This condition also predisposes the handsome hound to other chronic diseases.
So, how can we detect and treat this condition? Unfortunately, guardians may miss the symptoms and confuse this condition with laziness and aging.
This is because the Pitsky might start developing a low-quality coat from flaky skin and fur loss. It is, therefore, crucial to take it to the vet for an early diagnosis.
2. Allergies
This breed is likely to suffer from hypersensitivity from allergens like a particular food, dust, or contact with specific materials. The dogs might suffer from skin conditions and severe reactions that can be deadly.
Sadly, this condition might affect the Pitsky for a lifetime – meaning; the dog will need careful management and attention for all of its life.
It is crucial to visit the vet for allergy-testing and follow up on your dog’s medical history to manage this condition.
3. Hip Dysplasia
Hip dysplasia is when hips fail to form as they should during the development stage of a giant dog breed. This can lead to mobility impairment in a Pitsky.
Apart from genetics, factors such as the type of exercise, body weight, and excessive growth can also cause this disease. The first symptom to manifest is usually a reduction of activity time.
4. Eye Problems
The Pitsky can get congenital eye defects from any of its parents. Although most of these eye problems might result from aging, guardians should still gather sufficient knowledge about the medical backgrounds in their dog’s long lineage.
Apart from aging and genetics, these conditions might result from accidents as well as trauma.
5. Heart Diseases
Pitbull Husky Mix breeds are more likely to suffer from heart failure, especially during their old age. The condition can be hereditary or due to improper diet and lack of exercise.
How To Take Care Of A Pitsky
Grooming
The grooming needs of this breed are dependant on the dominant trait they inherited. For instance, if it took more of the Husky genetics, then baths and grooming should be as frequent as possible.
This is because the Husky identifies with a dense undercoat. Long, wet, and unkempt coats tend to attract and breed ice balls, mold, and lice. Both coats require frequent grooming; however, the double undercoat demands more attention.
The guardian should also ensure the Pitsky’s nails and short. Long nails might affect its movement. And it can be painful when it breaks.
Exercise
Yes, we should commit to maintaining the breed’s athleticism by keeping it on toes as much as possible. This includes taking them for daily walks, playing with them, and giving them enough room to run and play.
Pitskies that do not get enough activity tend to be gloomy and howl excessively due to tension. Apart from strolls, we should consider other sporting activities such as jogging, skijoring, sled pulling, and strength-training.
Proper Diet
Pitskies are large and athletic dog breeds that require a diet to match. These pup’s activity levels demand that they eat lots of good food.
However, you should feed it according to their unique needs. For instance, give the correct amounts of food to the right age. The reason is, puppies, senior and adult pups all have varying energy requirements.
Feeding you Pitsky well does not mean overfeeding it. Its Husky background requires that you feed it the correct amounts because any excesses will easily lead to obesity.
Vet Checkups
Frequent medical checkups ensure that the medical personnel captures a diagnosis on time before it is too let. These visits should run from before breeding the parent dogs, during the pregnancy, birth, all the way to its last days.
Your vet should inform you of the dog’s vaccination schedules, deworming, and parasite control.
Develop A Connection
Like its parents, a Pitbull Husky Mix breed is a clingy pet requiring a fair share of attention. Yes, you should play with your dog, talk to it, and give it enough attention to get to know and understand him.
This type of bonding can also enable you to recognize and prevent undesirable behavior from your pup.
Provide Clean And Protective Shelter
Provide your dog with a place to live and rest. The shelter should be clean, with lots of fresh air, and free from hazardous elements.
Summary
The Pitbull Husky Mix is sure full of surprises. Even though the Pitskies are unfortunately known as a designer breed, they are lovely dogs.
If you are living a fast-paced lifestyle, this is the ideal dog breed for you. Adopt a Pitsky from a shelter or a rescue near you, and you will never regret it.
