This page includes a list of helpful and useful accessories and gear you can use to make your life easier.
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Best Brushes for Huskies
As explained in this guide on Shedding Huskies, a Husky has a double coat that sheds heavily twice per year.
Managing this phase (known as blowing their coat) might be frustrating, but the right gear can make a big difference.
For the best results, I recommend using a combination of two types of brushes to effectively manage a Husky’s shedding phase.
A rake-like brush like this one is the first tool to use and will give you a quick way to remove loose long fur without the brush clogging up.
As you can see, the thick rake-like design is enough to grab on to the loose fur, but not so tightly packed that it will instantly clog up.
When I brush my Husky, I start with a rake-like brush like this one and go over her completely with it.
Once it stops removing loose fur (you’ll notice it running through freely without picking up anything extra), it’s a good idea to switch to something else to pick up the rest of the loose fur.
The FURminator is an incredibly popular option that works extremely well at removing a Husky’s undercoat.
While the rake will do a great job at removing the loose fur in the top coat, the FURminator does a great job with the undercoat.
To get the best results: use the rake first, then use the FURminator. Trying to start with a fine brush like the FURminator will take you a lot longer than it needs to.
Find out more about a Husky’s double coat and how to deal with their shedding in this guide.
Best Toys for Huskies
Toys are a great way to give your Husky important mental stimulation. A toy could mean the difference between a perfectly well-behaved Husky and one that tears up furniture, digs holes, or attempts to escape.
Tip: instead of always having a toy available to your Husky, only bring it out as a reward for good behavior. This reinforces good behaviors as well as prevents your Husky from getting bored with the toys.
Here are some of the most effective toys I’ve used with my Huskies over the years.
Kong
The most tried and tested toy for Huskies (and all other dogs) is the classic Kong. It’s an incredibly simple toy, yet works so well.
The basic idea is that you stuff the inside of the Kong with food and your Husky has to chew the toy to work the food out.
Tip: keep things interesting by alternating between soft and hard foods. Smear some dog-safe peanut butter on the inside one day, then jam in some hard treats another day to keep challenging your Husky.
There are different versions of the Kong available to suit different sized dogs and even a softer version suitable for puppies.
Check out the different Kong options here.
Rope Toys
Compared to all of the squeak toys I’ve given my Huskies over the years, nothing has compared to a simple rope toy.
There’s something about a big knotted rope that seems to fascinate a Husky.
What I love about rope toys is how durable they are.
Sasha will tear apart most toys within a couple of days, yet happily chew on her knotted rope without doing any damage to it.
Tip: Some rope toys have frayed ends, while others are knotted in different ways. Mix things up by having a few different types of rope toys and only let your Husky have one at a time.
Check out this bundle of various rope toys here. Purchasing this pack supports a non-profit dog rescue in California.
Food Mazes
Some Huskies aren’t interested in toys unless they also involve food.
We found out about food mazes when we stuffed some hard treats in our Husky’s Kong toy. It didn’t take long for her to figure out that all she had to do was throw the toy and treats would fall out.
Food mazes take this to a higher level by adding a maze in the ball to make it a bit more challenging to get the treats out.
While stuffing hard treats in a Kong was too simple for our Husky, a food maze like the one above gave her a great challenge.
Check out this food maze to learn more. This one comes in two sizes and I recommend the larger one for Huskies.
A popular alternative to having another ball toy is to use a food bowl maze.
As you can see, the ridges in the maze stop your Husky from being able to easily grab the food. The food needs to be worked around the maze, which provides a lot of mental stimulation.
This is also a handy device if your Husky eats too fast. If your Husky scoffs down their food, it can cause indigestion. One of these bowls forces your Husky to slow down.
Check out this slow feed bowl here for a popular option.
Collars, Leads, and Harnesses for Huskies
Regularly walking or running with your Husky is an important way to ensure your Husky gets adequate exercise.
Retractable Leash
One type of leash I highly recommend is a retractable one as shown below.
A retractable leash gives you great control over the distance your Husky has to run and explore.
You can set it to a short length while walking in populated areas or nearby traffic, or you can easily extend it to give your Husky room to run around and explore.
I regularly use a retractable leash when taking my Husky to the beach or to the park for some sprints.
Check out this popular retractable leash here to learn more.
Dog Harness
Harnesses are incredibly popular with Husky owners as it removes any pressure against your Husky’s windpipe.
It should be no surprise that Huskies love to pull on the leash while walking. Unless you train your Husky not to pull on the leash while walking, the pressure of the collar can cause breathing issues that will tire your Husky early.
Using a harness is a simple way to allow your Husky to walk without having a collar press against their neck.
Even if you want to train your Husky to walk alongside you, a harness seems to be more comfortable than a leash to the collar.
There are many different types of harnesses that strap to your Husky in different ways and offer different levels of padding.
Check out this harness for an idea of what is available.
If you want to teach your Husky to swim, I talk about a specific type of harness to help timid Huskies or puppies to learn to swim in my guide on Husky swimming.
Check out the guide to learn how to correctly introduce your Husky to water so they learn to enjoy swimming.
Training Collar
For most of my life, I was against training or shock collars for dogs. I thought it was barbaric and thought any trainer that used one was being lazy.
It wasn’t until I had a long conversation with a seriously impressive dog trainer that I realized how wrong I was.
Training collars aren’t about shocking or hurting your dog. They simply provide you with a way of signaling or redirecting your Husky.
Since I opened my mind to what all the experts were telling me, I’ve read a lot of books and talked to many professionals who explained how most people think about training collars in the wrong way.
The book Everything you need to know about E Collar Training by Larry Krohn is a good starting point if you’re interested about how effective (and humane) these training tools can be.
The below training collar has three modes: beep, vibration, and shock.
I have a friend who has had incredible success with training her Husky with this collar and if I ever get another Husky I intend to use it to aid my training.
While it is very possible to train a well-behaved Husky without an E collar, it is an incredibly useful tool that can improve your training effectiveness.
Find out more about this dog training collar here.
More recommendations will be added to this page over time as more guides are written.
