Is Your Husky Mad? The Surprising Truth About Their ‘Angry’ Look

As a husky enthusiast, I’ve heard people ask countless times, why do huskies look angry? Looks can be deceiving.

In this article, I’ll break down these perceptions that people have about the physical appearance of huskies. We’ll uncover all the myths, lies, truths, and everything in between so that you only get the facts. 

Table of Contents

So, why do Huskies look angry?

A person that owns a husky would never consider their dog angry. But if you were to ask a stranger if they thought the dog was angry, their answer will be yes. 

As a person that’s interacted with countless huskies in my life, I would say that the perception of huskies as being mad or angry is somewhat misplaced.

According to me, these dogs are misjudged by people who have very little understanding of the breed. You see, it’s human nature for people to make their conclusions about things. 

What people think

The exact word that summarizes the public perception of huskies is “scary”. But it doesn’t just stop at that. Most people go ahead to link this perceived scary look to a negative image and behavior of the dog.

For example, there are people who think that just because the dog looks angry, then it’s definitely unfriendly. 

That’s one danger of assumptions; they give you reasons to think that you’re entitled to make conclusions as you see fit. But as I said, I’ll debunk all the lies, misconceptions, and falsehoods so that you only are left with facts.  

Siberian Husky markings

This breed has several markings on its body that distinguishes it from any other dog or animal. Unfortunately, some of these markings make huskies look like intimidating dogs, thus ruining their public image. But is there any truth in such beliefs? 

Let’s first look at some of these markings. 

On the left ear, most huskies have facial marking patterns. If you asked me, this mark doesn’t give the breed an intimidating look. If anything, this makes the dogs look even prettier and more appealing. 

On their right, there’s also a common facial pattern that many people claim makes it look like a vicious animal. The pattern makes the dog look as though it’s frowning.

However, if you look closer, you’ll realize that the dog isn’t frowning. It’s the pattern that gives it the impression of an eyebrow that’s turned inwards. 

And just like we’ve debunked these two misrepresentations of huskies, the other variations also follow the same pattern.

As soon as you understand this, you’ll stop fearing these beautiful animals. It might even surprise you to learn that huskies are quite friendly dogs. 

What is the personality of a Husky?

Many people have claimed that this breed doesn’t have a friendly attitude. Again, that’s not entirely true. Huskies are known to possess an extensive portfolio of expressions for every situation they find themselves in.

Most people who make this claim are not husky parents and so they don’t know what it feels like to have this dog for a pet. 

If you’re an owner of one of these dogs, you’ll without a doubt agree with me that they can give pretty big smiles and display their joy in a myriad of ways. That’s especially the case with people they are familiar with. 

If it’s meeting strangers, the dog can give quite a stern look that will make you think twice about moving close to it. However, that’s just about it. Besides the stern look, there’s nothing much the dog will do to intimidate or harm you. 

Perhaps one thing huskies don’t shy away from is letting you know their emotions. If they are sad, frustrated, or discontent, they’ll show that in their eyes. When you see that look in its eyes, you’ll know that your husky isn’t happy about something. 

Also, it’s true that huskies can become quite stubborn. As I’ve been writing in my previous posts, huskies are pack animals and so they thrive in a pack.

In their hierarchy of the pack, they’ve got an alpha male who commands and is respected by the rest of the pack. Even for domesticated huskies, the pack instinct is still strong within them. 

The good news is, huskies look up to their human owners as alpha males. The not-so-good news is that this breed can’t follow a weak leader. For them to follow and obey you, you’ll need to be a strong and firm leader.

The good news is that with proper training, the huskies will have no issue obeying and showing you affection most of the time.

Their piercing eyes

Another factor that adds to the intensity of their look is that most of the huskies have piercing and ice-cold blue eyes. Of course, when their bright blue eyes contrast with their black pupil, it makes a scary combination, especially for people that aren’t familiar with this breed. 

For me, the icy blue look in the eyes of my three huskies Laika, Nova, and Leki makes them even more gorgeous and stunning. It’s one of the things I admire the most about them. 

But even in this case, looks can be deceiving. It’s enough to conclude that the dogs aren’t friends just because of the look in their eyes. From my perspective, it’s only a matter of perceptions that we choose to have that matters. 

At one point, I decided to put this theory to the test. I showed 6 of my friend’s photos of huskies and asked them what they thought about the look of the huskies.

These six aren’t dog enthusiasts and so they had never come face to face with a husky in real life. To my amazement, four out of the six said that the breed looked quite scary. I couldn’t believe my ears but that’s the picture that’s out there. 

Here’s something interesting that happened afterward. When I was showing my friends the photos, I was getting ready to get my first huskies (Laika and Nova). These two are the parents of Leki.

So it happened that after I had brought them home, I introduced my friends to the dogs and gave them an opportunity to interact with them.

The three of my friends who were around by then were so surprised by the friendly disposition of the two dogs. 

As a matter of fact, they couldn’t help but respond to the playfulness of the dogs. That’s not all. Two of them actually went ahead to become husky owners. So as you can see, your perception matters. 

The truth about huskies’ personality

Contrary to the wrong opinions and twisted truths you might have heard about huskies, you’re probably now beginning to get the right picture. The fierceness in most dogs is often associated with guarding.

In other words, if you see a dog that’s fierce, then you’ll know that it’s definitely a guard dog. But you’ll be surprised to learn that huskies make terrible guard dogs. 

It’s not that easy for these dogs to become angry or mad. They might even befriend an intruder that’s trying to break into their home. If that’s the perfect definition of a terrible guard dog, then I don’t know how else to put it. 

I consider it an immense privilege to be a proud owner of three huskies. I came to truly appreciate huskies only after I adopted them. For me, I think it was a brave decision not to listen to the negative opinions flying around them.

If I had been intimidated by the many negative reviews I had read, I would have missed out on the opportunity of a lifetime. 

Please get me right here. I don’t mean to say that being a parent to this breed is an easy task. These dogs are highly energetic, intelligent, and strong-willed.

That means they might not be effective for a laid-back lifestyle. If you want to be a parent to the huskies, be prepared for a life full of activity and alertness.