Husky Australian Shepherd Mix: The Aussie Siberian Guide

When you mix a Siberian Husky with an Australian Shepherd, you get what’s commonly known as an “Aussie Husky” or some find Ausberian a little funnier!

The Husky Australian Shepherd mix is becoming increasingly popular and has been since they were bred around 20 years ago during the designer dog breed boom.

The Siberian Husky and the Australian Shepherd are ranked 16th and 12th most popular dog breed in the USA today by the AKC. No wonder this is an awesome crossbreed.

Appearance & Physical Traits Of The Husky Australian Shepherd Mix

The Aussie Serbian is perhaps my favorite husky mix breed today. One thing that instantly stands out is their beautiful facial markings. Although these markings can’t be seen every time, it’s an amazing combination of colors that certainly complement each other. Let’s take a complete look at the Aussie Husky

Size ⭐

Australian Shepherds are considered medium-sized dogs and so too is the Siberian Husky. With the Aussie Husky, you can expect a medium-sized dog with a similar build to each of the parents. In some cases, your crossbreed would have the more nimble, agile body of the Husky.

Weight & Height ⭐

Neither breed is much different from the other so the average weight and height are similar to that of the parents.

• The typical weight for the Aussie Husky is between 35-70 pounds.
• The typical height for the Aussie Husky is 20-25 inches.

Coat, Color, and Markings ⭐

The Australian Shepherd has a significantly longer coat than the Siberian Husky, which sometimes looks a bit like a lion’s mane. With the Aussie Husky Mix, it’s usual to see a balance between the two. So remember your grooming brush at all times!

The color and markings, especially on their face can be striking slashes and patches of brown, white, gray or black. With the Aussie Husky, you usually see a wonderful combination of both parent’s markings coming through.

Typical features:

• Striking markings, very visible on the face
• Likely coat colors will be brown, gray, white
• Medium length coat with a longer underbelly

Eyes ⭐

One of the classic features of the Husky is their amazing eyes. Heterochromia can certainly happen with a Husky Aussie mix, as the condition is found in both breeds.

Likely eye colors will be:

• Two dark eyes (most usual)
• Two brown, lighter hazel eyes
• Two blue eyes
• One brown and one blue eye

Personality & Temperament Of The Aussie Husky

Let’s take a look at how we rate the temperament of the Aussie Husky.

Remember that the personality and temperament of each of the parents can affect the offspring differently to how you may expect.

While we can roughly gauge how an Aussie Husky will be based on what the parents are typically like, there are always exceptions to the rule.

Important to remember:

• If the Aussie parent or the Husky parent have any behavioral issues, it could be passed down to the offspring

We can expect the Aussie Husky to be protective sometimes, but it’s more likely this will be caused by jealousy, rather than from guard dog qualities. Huskies do not make good guard dogs despite Australian shepherds sometimes showing these qualities

The Aussie Husky will be friendly, with little to medium suspicion towards strangers. Aussie Huskies will not be aggressive, but they will have a slightly high prey drive due to the husky’s hunting instinct. So you may have to think again if you have a small pet or cat.

The Aussie Husky comes with an independent mindset but this doesn’t suggest there will be a lack of affection. In fact, your Aussie Husky will likely crave your attention and would make a great, family-loving pet.

Protectiveness	Medium level of protectiveness, prone to get jealous
Friendliness	Naturally friendly
Stubbornness	Will likely be stubborn when they want something specific
Affection	Can be very loving and affectionate to family
Trainability	Can be trained to a high level but will be challenging
Sociability	Naturally sociable
Prey Drive	Medium prey drive, more coming from the Husky’s side
Attention Needs	Very attention-seeking and will desire a lot of your time
Aggressiveness	Not naturally aggressive

Origins of the Australian Shepherd

The Australian Shepherd is very similar in their appearance to the popular Border Collie and English Shepherd breeds. Research has actually shown that Australian Shepherds are very closely related to the Border Collie and were used for the same purposes.

This one’s a good one… despite the name, it’s believed the Australian Shepherd, simply known as the Aussie was actually bred in the United States during the 19th Century.

While exact history is unknown for the Aussie prior to this, it is known that Aussies were used on ranches in the states for herding purposes.

The Aussie breed had a boom in popularity once shepherds and stockmen started to discover and value their trainability and eagerness to please their owners. After this, Australian Shepherds are even liked as a family dog after becoming popular in horse shows, rodeos, and even Disney movies.

We also have articles on other amazing husky mixes:
Siberian Husky Chow Chow Mix
Siberian Husky Japanese Akita Mix

Origins of the Siberian Husky

The Siberian Husky perhaps has a more well-known history, originally being bred by a group of Nomadic Chukchi People in Eastern Siberia thousands of years ago.

Huskies were used to help the Chukchi People with their nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyles, moving around constantly, pulling heavy sleds across vast distances in extremely harsh weather.

Due to this Huskies become known for their extreme resilience and ability to work in harsh conditions for long periods of time. A fun fact of the Siberian Husky is that they are capable of running more than 100 miles per day.

In fact, due to this outstanding ability, Siberian Huskies were used to save a small Alaskan town called Nome in 1925. The town of Nome experienced a diphtheria epidemic that needed vital life-saving anti-toxin. The only way to get this here as quickly as possible was with an elite team of Siberian Huskies. The famous pack of huskies carried the anti-toxin 674 miles in only 6 days, in some of the worst weather for decades.

Related Articles You Might Like:
Miniature Husky | Photos, Price and Breeders
Choosing The Runt of The Litter

Should you get a Husky Australian Shepherd mix?

Are you thinking of getting a Husky Australian Shepherd Mix? Let’s take a look at whether or not this mix will be right for you.

Firstly, the Aussie Husky works great with families, but training will be paramount. You have to remember their need to work hard and receive firm training to be a well-behaved loving dog.

After firm training, the Aussie Husky would be a great companion for kids, playing and chasing balls for hours, at the same time being loyal and providing protection.

However, what comes with this crossbreed is a dog that needs a lot of time and attention. You will need to provide A LOT of exercise on a daily basis. Exercise for two 1 hour periods every day, consisting of high-intensity physical activity.

If you have other household pets, this mix will usually be ok. But you’ll need strict sociability training to help with the natural prey drive built-in from the Siberian Husky genes.

This is a dog that desires your attention, from exercise, training and general love and affection so to know if this is the dog for you you’ll need to ask yourself if you can give a lot of your time, all the time…

⭐ Popular Article: Husky German Shepherd Mix (Gerberian Shepsky!)

Does a Husky Australian Shepherd Mix Shed

Well, there’s only one answer here!

YES, the Aussie Husky will absolutely shed…

Both of these breeds individually have double-coats, which means they have an undercoat and a topcoat. The undercoat typically sheds twice per year before the warm and cold weather changes.

Along with these two significant shedding periods, you need to expect general shedding year-round .

If dog hair is an issue for you, the Aussie Husky is not recommended.

If this isn’t a problem, you’ll just need to arm yourself with a couple of dog hair brushes specifically designed for grooming double-coats, I took at a look many of the top grooming brushes and found out which ones were the best ones.

Exercise Requirements Of a Husky Australian Shepherd Mix

If you take a look at each individual breed we get a clear understanding of how much and what kind of exercise the Aussie husky will need.

The Australian Shepherd is a hard-working dog that is strongly stimulated by high-intensity exercise. Running and herding are what this dog was originally bred for.

With the Siberian Husky, you have the ultra-marathon runner of the dog world. Capable and happy to run 100 miles per day. Not a joke!

You will undoubtedly need to provide a minimum of 2 hours per day, an hour in the morning and another hour in the evening.

Physical activity should include things like:

• Running
• Hiking
• Herding
• Jumping
• Chasing
• Agility training
• Swimming
• Anything else high intensity!

What we find with Siberian Huskies is if adequate exercise is not provided this is usually followed by behavioral issues that can be hard to manage.

Best Diet for a Husky Australian Shepherd Mix

The best diet for a Husky Australian Shepherd Mix will be a blend of dry kibble and wet dog food specifically formulated for dogs with sensitive stomachs.

The Siberian Husky usually has digestive issues and a sensitive stomach, this can also sometimes be the same for Australian Shepherds.

Therefore, the Aussie Husky will be best using high-quality, limited-ingredient dog food without common irritants or allergens such as wheat, corn, soy, or artificial ingredients.

My Happy Husky has reviewed many different dog foods and we’ve found the following to be great options:

• Best dry kibble for sensitive stomachs: Blue Buffalo Wilderness High Protein Grain Free Natural Puppy Dry Dog Food
  
• Best wet dog food for sensitive stomachs: Purina ONE Smart Blend Natural Wet Puppy Dog Food

You may be asking why is it good to use a blend of dry and wet dog food?

The Siberian Husky and Australian Shepherd can be particularly fussy eaters. Using a mixture of wet and dry keeps mealtimes interesting and provides a range of nutrients.

A word on the RAW DIET…

Both the Australian Shepherd and Siberian Husky can eat a raw diet. Some dog owners swear by this as being the best diet, but this is more advanced and should be well-researched before undertaking. Your local veterinarian can help you with this change.

Common Health Issues for an Aussie Husky Mix

All dog breeds can develop health issues down the line as well as carrying them on from their parents. It’s very important before getting a new puppy to do your research on each of the parents to be aware of any health issues.

While you can’t fully prevent all health issues from happening, you can provide a healthy, active lifestyle to give your dog the best chance at avoiding future issues.

The following health issues you can find in a Husky Australian Shepherd Mix may include:

• Hip and elbow dysplasia
• Cataracts
• Colobomas
• Follicular dysplasia
• Hypothyroidism
• Progressive retinal atrophy
• Gastric torsion
• Autoimmune thyroiditis
• Zinc-responsive dermatosis (coming from the Husky genes)

It’s normal to see a wide range of potential health issues for all breeds, purebreds being even more susceptible, and this can’t be avoided.

If you are like many people looking to get a new puppy you’re likely trying to find a breed that “Isn’t prone to health issues” but the truth is that any breed can develop an illness. So try not to let this effect your decision too much.

You can also make sure you use a good pet insurance company like Embrace. This way you can be prepared for any health problems that may happen in your dog’s life.

Price of a Husky Australian Shepherd Mix

Despite the parents being individually popular, this particular mix is not as popular as some of the other Husky or Australian Shepherd mixes.

The Aussie Husky Puppy ranges from around $600 – $1200 USD which is a little less than other Husky or Aussie Mixes.

Top 20 Husky Mixes & How Much They Cost (Updated)

There are many different websites you can use, some of the more well known ones include:

One of the best ones is PuppySpot so we highly recommend checking them out.

USA websites:

PuppySpot
https://www.hoobly.com
https://www.americanlisted.com
https://puppyfinder.com
https://www.adpost.com

Canadian Websites: 

https://getapuppy.ca
https://canadapups.com
https://puppiesforsaleontario.com/

UK Websites:

https://www.pets4homes.co.uk
https://www.dogsandpuppies.co.uk/
https://www.puppies.co.uk/

One very important thing to mention when looking online for a puppy is to do proper research on the breeder.

It’s easy to get caught up in the hunt for a new cute puppy and when you find one, it’s easy to forget some important basics.

Unfortunately, there are many illegitimate breeders that are trying to make some quick cash.

Always make sure they have references and that they can provide full documentation of each of the parent’s history. As well as documentation saying they have been used to breed this particular mix.

Interesting Read: Is It Bad To Pick The Runt Of The Litter?

Summary

If you are looking to get a Husky Australian Shepherd mix then we encourage you to do so.

The Aussie Husky will be a beautiful addition to anyone’s family or life.

Just make sure you are capable of providing the high amount of care this mix desires. Lots of your time for training, exercising, grooming will be paramount for a well-behaved dog.

If you are someone that loves being outdoors and have previously had dogs in the past, this will be a great option for you.

Do you already have a Husky Australian Shepherd Mix at home? Let us know your feedback below!

Most Recommended For Huskies 🐶

Best Brushes For Husky Shedding ⭐

My two favorite brushes for a beautiful coat are a simple Undercoat Rake and a Slicker Brush. These brushes when used together will de-shed and maintain your husky’s coat better than anything else.

Best Online Training Program For Huskies⭐

Brain Training For Dogs has become increasingly popular with Siberian Huskies in the last few years. It’s now recognized as perhaps the best way to train a husky in the most stress-free, positive way.

Best Husky Puppy Book ⭐

If you would like to support My Happy Husky directly and have an easy to read and entertaining guide for training your husky puppy, check out my book The Husky Puppy Handbook on Amazon. All purchases are greatly appreciated.