45-65 lbs
23-25"
United States
The Belusky is a hybrid comprised of the Belgian Malinois and the Siberian Husky and, as such, can live in cooler to colder temperatures. The Belusky has a strong, compact body with energy levels that require daily exercise levels of a minimum of 1 to 2 hours (preferably more). Beyond their energy levels, they are fiercely loyal to their human family members and their natural protective instincts will kick in when and if necessary. This makes it important to avoid emphasis, while training young Belusky pups, on the protective aspects of the parent breeds. This will help to prevent “inappropriate” protective situations as your pup matures. Your Belusky is generally people friendly and will be an excellent family companion for many years, having an average lifespan of 8 to 10 years. He will require grooming maintenance of brushing about twice a week and bathing when necessary.
The Belusky hybrid emanates from two pure breeds: the Belgian Malinois and the Siberian Husky. The Belgian Malinois breed was initially developed in Malines, Belgium, being one of four varieties of Belgian sheepdogs developed in the 1800’s. The breed was developed for the purpose of shepherding and their strength, energy levels and work ethic make them perfect for this, as well as, many other working type tasks. The Belgian Malinois is an intelligent and sensitive canine who, today, has become quite the popular family dog. He is loyal to his human family and is quite the protector. The Belgian Malinois brings aggression, alertness, intelligence and protectiveness into the gene pool of the Belusky. On the other side of the equation, the Siberian Husky is a breed which was developed in Russia to be used as sled dogs. As one might expect, their breeding development has provided a coat which is ideal for colder temperatures and, surprisingly, allows them to tolerate some hotter temperatures as well. While this breed is powerful and athletic, the Siberian Husky is also affectionate, sensitive, loyal and non-aggressive. They are intelligent and independent, which basically means that you don’t have to keep reminding and reinforcing the fact that they are loved. They are good in homes with multiple dogs and exceptionally good with children -- in fact they are so good with people that they’ll let anyone into the home. Yes, that means even those who aren’t supposed to be there. They are very intelligent but this doesn’t help when it comes to training them. Ranking high in the “I could care less about learning this task” category, the breed is difficult to train as they aren’t really motivated to please their handlers. The Siberian Husky parent brings alertness, friendliness, gentleness, independence, intelligence, lovingness, outgoingness, socialness and, yes, stubbornness into the genetic pool of the Belusky hybrid. The Belusky hybrid originated in the United States.
The Belusky is a medium sized canine whose body is compact and strong, having a height of 23 to 25 inches at the shoulders and weighing in at 45 to 65 pounds. The Belusky coat is short to medium in length, water resistant, with layers of soft, rough and harsh hair, creating a dense double layer coat. They can come in virtually any color with either black or white markings. The ears are erect, may be darker or black and, depending upon the dominant parental genes, may be larger like the Belgian Malinois or smaller and more rounded like the Siberian Husky. The tail is brush-like and long and the hair may be longer on the hindquarters if the Belgian Malinois is dominant. The head can be more like the thicker and more round Siberian Husky or may resemble the flatter, finer boned structure and longer snout of the Belgian Malinois, depending on which parent’s genes are dominant. The eyes may take on the slightly almond shaped Belgian chocolate color contributed by the Belgian Malinois parent or the almond shaped brown or blue of the Siberian Husky parent, presenting an alert, intelligent and questioning expression contributed by the Malinois parent or the keen, friendly or mischievous expression from the Husky parent. Both parent breeds boast of a scissor bite without the appearance of pink gums. The paws may take on the neat, compact paws of the Husky parent or the medium length, strong metatarsi of the Malinois parent.
The Belusky hybrid canine is relatively low maintenance, requiring brushing once or twice weekly, especially during their normal shedding seasons which may require more frequent brushing to control the hair being shed. This is especially important for those homes having family members who are sensitive to dog hair or who have breathing or asthmatic conditions as they are not hypoallergenic. Bathing is done only as needed. They generally don’t get that “dog” smell. As with all canine breeds, routine teeth cleaning and examinations will protect against periodontal disease and tooth loss. Weekly ear checks should be practiced to keep the ears clean and free from infections.
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The Belusky temperament can be a melding of the personality traits from the Malinois, providing the aggression and herding tendencies and from the Husky side, the gentle, independent and loving tendencies. The end result of this blending of breeds is a friendly, extremely active, intelligent canine who is easier to train due to the Belgian Malinois genes as opposed to the stubbornness and lackadaisical attitude of the Siberian Husky, making the latter breed much harder to train. The Husky side loves everyone, regardless of age or purpose, and is good with other dogs. The Malinois side is a herding dog at heart, loyal to his human family and quite protective. The aggressiveness of the herding and the protective tendencies require that puppies be introduced to all types of people as early in life as possible to avoid “inappropriate” protective issues as they mature. This also makes it important to discourage the “herding” behaviors, like nipping at the heels of other animals and humans to keep them in line, as early in life as possible and continuing with consistency as they mature. Both of the parent breeds are extremely active canines and require a great deal of exercise, most likely 1 to 2 hours a day at a minimum with appropriate opportunity to run on a daily basis.
Your Belusky will need 1 to 2 hours at a minimum of exercise every day. This can include walking, running and chasing Frisbees. They love to chase and play with various types of toys, with running and jumping being high on their list of favored activities. To keep your Belusky healthy, fit and happy, exercise him at least 1 to 2 hours per day. Due to their need for lots of exercise, the hybrid is not well suited to apartment living. He will be his happiest in a home with a large fenced in yard, but be sure to get the fence high enough and dig it in because both parent breeds are jumpers and the Husky breed parent contributes some impressive digging skills, enabling them to tunnel under fences and barriers to satisfy the wanderlust inherent in the breed. Keeping these things in mind, your Belusky can live in urban or rural communities as long there is ample opportunity for exercise available for him. Your Belusky can live in almost any climate, having a multi-layered dense coat which repels water and protects them in colder environments and in hotter ones as well.
Written by Darlene Stott
Published: 10/05/2017, edited: 06/30/2022
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