Siberian Huskies are affectionate dogs with a wolf-like appearance and they are famously known for being super fluffy and adorable but I have seen that many pet-parents are wondering why their Siberian Husky is not looking fluffy. Is it normal that your Husky is less fluffy or is something wrong with the dog?
Likely, Your Husky is not fluffy because it has bloodlines of working-line Huskies that have long legs with less fluffiness. You see, the purpose which a Husky is bred for, can change its appearance to suit that purpose the best. For example, being less fluffy and physically strong is to become a working-line dog whereas being beautiful and fluffy is to be a show-line dog. That means based on the intention for breeding such as for working, raising and even showcasing looks, the fluffiness of a Husky can change.
Secondary reasons as to why your husky is not so fluffy might be health conditions, incompetence of the breeder, an inefficient grooming routine and the diet.
Health conditions: Sometimes a disease can cause a dog to lose hair and damage it’s coats which can ultimately lead your husky to have less fluffiness.
Incompetence of the breeder: Some breeders are not certified but still try to breed Huskies without acquiring proper knowledge and equipment. So this basically can lead to a Husky puppy being born with abnormal conditions such as being less fluffy.
The diet: Not feeding a Husky with proper nutrition and potions for a healthy produce of skin and coats.
An inefficient grooming routine: Any dog with double-layered coats needs high maintenance since they constantly shed. So without the proper care such as brushing, the coat can be damaged.
Here is an in-detail explaination as to why your SIberian Hisky is not fluffy
The lineage of a Husky
Siberian Huskies are originally from Eastern Siberia where the weather gets harshly cold and as a rule of thumb in nature, most animals have to adapt to the weather conditions of the habitat they are living in. That means, the same thing applies to Siberian Huskies.
For surviving the freezing weather, Siberian Huskies are born with chunky double-layered coats that make their bodies thoroughly warm. The undercoat is quite fluffy and soft while being closest to the skin whereas the topcoat is much rougher to fight the harshness of the weather.
So you see, most dog breeds today, have certain phenomena like this happened to their ancestors and over time, generation by generation as the weather and the habitat change, the body of a dog also changes but some of the bloodlines tend to stay in the genetics opposing the changes. In this case, its the bloodlines of fluffiness.
But even since the origin of the Siberian Huskies, breeders have been making them for different purposes like for working or raising and that gave some of the Huskies a certain appearance based on the purposes. For example, the Huskies that were bred for working turned out looking less fluffy with long legs.
Which means the bloodlines of the Huskies that were made to work can still be found in the genetics of the modern day Siberian Huskies. So, if your Husky is less fluffy, that can likely mean he/she has genetics of working-line Huskies that were less fluffy with long legs.
In other words, the ancestors of your Husky may have been working-line dogs which is why your Husky looks similar to them.
The purpose of breeding
Originally, Siberian Huskies were bred by Chukchi people in Eastern Siberia and then, in 1908, these doggos were brought to Nome, Alaska to use as working-line dogs, especially as sled dogs but eventually, people started using them for sled-dog racing.
However, back in Eastern Siberia these dogs were firstly used for guarding and herding reindeer and hunting pray as big as polar bears. As you can imagine, initially, Huskies were bred for high endurance.
But today, these dogs are bred mainly to be house-pets, and therefore, the need for being extremely resilient is not needed but do not forget that some breeders still do make these dogs to be strong and as a result, some Huskies turn out looking less fluffy with long legs such as the ones bred in back in the history for working with high endurance.
So, maybe this could be the reason for your Husky’s less woolly appearance.
Health conditions
Siberian Huskies are prone to a number of diseases such as flea bites, skin infections, allergies and hormone imbalances. These diseases can cause hair loss or damage to the coats of a Husky but a common condition that dries and damages the skin and coat of a Husky along with hair loss is a condition called hypothyroidism. It is about the dog being unable to produce enough thyroid hormone.
That is to say, being less fluffy can also be one of these health conditions. So make sure to go to the vet’s office regularly and do examinations and checkups to prevent any bad consequence.
Incompetence of the breeder
A breeder is not considered as legitimate because of their certificate but the healthiness of the puppies, they breed. If a breeder prioritizes the looks over the health of a Siberian Husky, there can be many health issues with a puppy.
But it can get even worse if the breeder does not know what they are doing which is why negative consequences such as the dogs being less fluffy and low growth rate can be some of the outcomes of a breeder’s incompetency.
A poor diet
Having a good diet in general is healthy for a Siberian Husky but a poor diet can surely impact the healthiness of a Husky’s coat. Although, the fluffiness is not a determining sign whether a dog is healthy, it is always best to ensure whether the dog’s diet is good especially when he/she seems to look less fluffy than usual.
For a good diet for a Siberian Husky, there should be nutrients high in protein, medium in fat and fairly low in carbohydrates. Not only that, make sure to include foods that have micro-nutrients such as minerals, vitamins, antioxidants and omega 3 fatty acids.
And regardless whether your Husky has enough fluffiness or not, it will be a huge help for the doggo to efficiently and easily produce healthier coat and skin.
An inefficient grooming routine
Since Siberian Huskies have double-layered coats, they tend to shed constantly and that is exactly why you need to provide maintenance to it constantly as well. By maintaining, it means to brush your Husky’s coat. So that it helps to stimulate and produce healthier coat and skin. Plus, it gets rid of the dead and damaged hair from the coat.
However, the good thing is that although Huskies shed pretty often, you still do not have to brush and groom them every day. It is most optimal if brushing and grooming are done once or twice a week. Otherwise, too much brushing could harm the skin and the coat.
So, if your Husky does not have a good grooming routine, that could also be a reason for your Husky’s less woolly appearance.
What can you do to make your Siberian Husky more fluffy?
Any of the reasons I mentioned above can be the cause of your Husky’s less fluffiness but when it comes to the lineage, there is actually nothing that you possibly can do to change the condition since the dog is having that amount of fluffiness due its genetics.
But what can you possibly do if it is not due the lineage?
Well, let’s recall all the causes and the course of action you can get for each of them
the purpose of breeding:
All you can do for this cause is to communicate with the breeder before you buy your Siberian Husky and make sure what the purpose of its breeding is and then, ask specifically for a puppy that will grow into having more fluffiness.
But if you already got a puppy and it is now fully grown but not fluffy enough. Well then, there is no solution but to embrace and accept your four-legged friend as it is and love them regardless. After all, fluffiness is not everything that makes these doggos so adorable.
Less fluffiness due to health conditions:
I already mentioned the best course of action for this one above, and that is to go for regular visits to the vet’s office and do examinations to track any symptoms of a possible disease and treat it as soon as possible.
But if the doggo is already having one, well, the good news is that most diseases that cause damage to the coat and skin can be treatable and cured. So, hurry and seek veterinary help ASAP.
Less fluffiness due to the incompetence of the breeder:
You have to make sure the reputation of the breeder is quite well and they provide not only the certificate but the healthiness for the puppies as well. If you did not pay attention to this aspect when buying or adopting a dog, you are likely to get a dog with not only less fluffiness but also more health issues.
An unhealthy diet and an inefficient grooming routine:
However, even for a poor diet or an unfit or bad grooming routine, it is just a matter of properly providing the maintenance and care for the dog. So, first acquire knowledge of the basics when it comes to feeding a Siberian Husky or grooming a Siberian Husky. That way, you can do a better job of taking care of the your doggo because healthier the Husky, better and fluffier looking the coats of the dog also gets.
Final Thoughts
It is safe to say that what makes your Siberian Huskies not so fluffy is its genetics passed down by its ancestors who were working-line Huskies. The special physical traits of these working-line Huskies were their less fluffiness and long legs with a tremendous amount of endurance.
Anyway, with that said, I hope the answer to the question “Why is my Siberian Husky not fluffy?” was found helpful by you fellow hoomans and thank you for reading.
