Huskies are very social dogs that love to be part of a pack by nature, but do huskies bond with one person, or do they form close bonds with everyone?
Huskies can bond with one person, but more in the sense of who they view as the leader or alpha of the pack. If you’re primarily involved with feeding, exercising, and training your husky, it’s likely that you are this person.
Huskies aren’t prone to becoming defensive or possessive over one person, though, as they are typical independent Spitz dogs.
Stay tuned to learn why huskies are not a typical one-person dog in the traditional sense.
Contents
What Is A One-Person Dog?
A one-person dog is a dog that bonds very closely to one person in particular.
Border Collies and Australian Cattle dogs are great examples of this type of dog, and it is a trait often seen in working breeds that learn to follow the commands of one person in particular.
Potential Problems With One-Person Dogs
Dogs that are prone to bonding with one person can face some challenges, especially if they are not socialized properly from a young age.
These include issues like being suspicious towards strangers and developing a possessive nature over their owners.
They can become defensive if other dogs try to get near to their owners, but in most cases, it isn’t a problem if the dog is properly socialized.
Not that we’re on the same page about what a one-person dog actually is, let’s see how huskies meet these criteria.
Huskies And Their Pack Mentalities
So, huskies do tend to bond with one person, but they are not exactly what you would call a one-person dog.
This may sound confusing at first, but let me explain.
Huskies are a one-person dog in the sense that they will view one person as an alpha or leader of the pack.
This comes from their pack mentality, which stems from a history of being used as working dogs pulling sleds over long distances with several other huskies.
However, huskies are also stubborn and independent, so even if they view one person as the alpha, it doesn’t mean they will always listen to or follow them around.
It also means that they aren’t going to become defensive or possessive of you either, which is a good thing.
How To Tell If Your Husky Is Attached To You
Given their nature, it can be hard to tell if your husky is attached to you, so here are some things to look out for.
Follows You Around
One easy way to tell if your husky is attached to you is to see how much they follow you around.
If your husky is constantly following you around and looking up to you for instruction, they are very attached to you and likely view you as the alpha of the pack.
Listen To (More) Commands
Another easy way to check if your husky is attached to you is to see how much they listen to you when you give commands.
Remember here that huskies are not very interested in learning commands to start with, so any indication that they are trying to listen to you is a good sign.
Try not to use food as a reward when you test this, as they might simply be following the commands to get the reward.
Interact With Your More Than Others
Lastly, check how much your husky interacts with you versus others in the house.
If they come to you the most for attention or playtime, they likely view you as the alpha of the pack.
What To Do If Your Husky Doesn’t Seem Attached To You
If your husky doesn’t seem attached to you, it’s a lot more common than you might expect.
Here are some things to keep in mind and tips you can implement to strengthen the bond between you and your husky.
Firstly, Don’t Worry
Before we dive into the tips, you shouldn’t worry if your husky doesn’t seem very attached to you, especially if multiple people live in your house.
Huskies can be very stubborn and independent by nature, and some huskies refuse to see anyone else as the alpha other than themselves.
Others may have chosen another person who they view as their alpha. For example, if somebody else is in charge of exercising your husky, they might form a closer bond with them through the time spent during this activity.
Another common thing I see often is huskies forming closer bonds with those who feed them regularly, which makes perfect sense.
When the Chukchi people of Siberia originally domesticated huskies, they relied on food to survive and would pull sleds in exchange.
This exchange meant that the people of the tribe became the alphas, and this trait remains today.
Tips For Strengthening The Bond Between You And Your Husky
Here are some easy things you can do to help strengthen the bond between you and your husky.
- Take them for exercise more often, and try to vary the types of exercise that you give them. Try taking them for hikes or even runs.
- Take charge of obedience training. If your husky learns to listen to you, it’s a big step towards them seeing you as the alpha.
- Be in charge of feeding time, and get them to perform a basic command like sit before you give them their food.
Spending more time with your husky will help to improve the bond between you two, but don’t force it.
What If This Still Doesn’t Work?
Depending on the personality of your husky, they might not be interested in becoming very close to one person in particular.
This isn’t something to worry about. Huskies are sometimes like this due to their Spitz-like personalities, and they might just be more independent than the typical husky.
It doesn’t mean they love you any less; it is just how some huskies can be.
Do Huskies Challenge Their Owners?
Huskies can challenge their owners, especially those they don’t view as the alpha or leader of the pack.
This can be in the form of not listening to basic commands, refusing to go out for exercise, taking part in obedience training, and more.
It’s one of the main reasons why huskies are so much work; not only do they require a lot of exercise every day, but they also need committed owners who can meet their other needs and not let them walk all over them.
Be Wary Of Separation Anxiety
Huskies are prone to separation anxiety (learn all about it here).
This is a condition where they display destructive behaviors if left alone for periods.
This condition can worsen if your husky develops a close bond with you. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to bond with your husky, but you should be aware of this if they already suffer from separation anxiety.
Even if your husky is closely bonded to you, you need to ensure they are comfortable on their own for long periods to prevent these harmful habits from forming.
This can be done by providing them with lots of toys and gradually increasing the time they spend alone so that they are comfortable without you being around.
Even if somebody is around most of the time, you never know when you might need to go out in an emergency and leave your husky alone, so it is better to be safe than sorry.
In Summary
Huskies tend to bond closer to one person they view as the alpha over others.
However, given the nature of huskies, this might not seem like a close bond compared to other traditional one-person dogs like a Border Collie.
If your husky doesn’t seem very close to you, I highly recommend spending more time with them and making an effort with obedience training to work on your relationship.
Your husky probably won’t learn many new tricks, but the bond between you will strengthen over time.