Why Is My Husky So Quiet? Non-Vocal Huskies Explained

I quiet husky can worry many owners, especially considering huskies are known for being vocal and making plenty of noise. This article explains everything you’ll want to know.

There are several reasons why your husky isn’t very vocal. This includes having a unique personality, changes in the environment, age, health issues, depression, or past experiences.

6 Reasons Your Husky Isn’t Vocal or Just Quiet

Whether you are looking to resolve this unusual quietness, or you just want to find out why: at least one of the following points is likely to be the reason. Let’s take a look!

1. Individual Personality

All huskies are different, and despite being known as a breed that’s usually very vocal, there are always exceptions to the rule!

Most huskies are very vocal, they howl, talk, whine, cry, and are not afraid to air their opinion! In fact, the majority of husky owners are trying to find ways to make their husky quieter, so you may consider yourself lucky.

As long as your husky appears playful, energetic, and engaged throughout his day, it doesn’t suggest that being quiet is anything to worry about.

A bonus of having a naturally quiet personality isn’t just a more peaceful life for you (and your neighbors) but when they finally do make a noise, you know it’s important. Other huskies love to play “the boy who called wolf” a little too much.

2. He’s Not Comfortable In His Environment

When a change in his environment happens, it takes a little while for him to adjust and feel comfortable again. During this, his behavior can drastically change. But again, this varies from husky to husky.

A change in environment can cover many different scenarios, let’s take a look:

• You’ve moved house
• You’ve only just got your husky (puppy or adult)
• Your daily schedule has changed and it’s affected his too
• An additional person now lives in your home
• Someone no longer lives in your home
• New outside noises (building works)
• New neighbors (perhaps with new pets)

As you can see, a change in his environment can mean many different things. Some of them you can control, and others you aren’t.

All of these scenarios can make dogs feel different and can temporarily change their behavior and temperament. It’s usually just a matter of time before they become comfortable “and back to normal” again.

Try to think about what’s changed in your close environment. Are there new neighbors, have you moved house? Maybe you are now waking up and returning home from work at different times?

Routines are very important for dogs to feel comfortable and be themselves. The moment routines are disrupted, your husky can behave very differently, and this may be what’s causing him to be extra quiet.

3. Your Husky’s Age

Huskies are not able to howl straight away. But it doesn’t take them long. Husky puppies usually begin howling from 4-8 weeks, albeit a small high-pitched howl.

Old huskies will typically howl less because they can’t hear as much and this will make them less responsive to external sounds.

Age is a legitimate reason, but it only accounts for very young husky puppies or old huskies in their senior years.

4. Health Issues or Injuries

Health issues can affect dogs in so many different ways and even just making your husky feel worse, could be enough to stop him from being so vocal.

If your husky was once vocal and has gradually stopped (or suddenly stopped) it could be a sign that an underlying health issue is causing it.

Health issues, depending on what it is, will usually come with other noticeable changes in behavior and temperament. If you suspect a health issue could be the cause, schedule an appointment with your veterinarian as soon as possible.

5. Depression

Depression can happen in dogs too, and the effects are usually noticeable.

I won’t go into the full explanation of how and why depression happens, as I already have another article about that. But in general, depression will significantly change your husky’s overall behavior and temperament. Which can certainly affect how vocal he chooses to be.

If you think your husky is depressed, I strongly recommend checking out my article explaining everything you’ll need to know.

6. Previous Experiences or Training

There may have been times in the past where you’ve consciously or unconsciously rewarded him when he’s been quiet.

Or, he has learned that he gets what he wants when he’s quiet.

This is more common than you may think.

Think about all the times in the past you’ve made your husky sit and wait for something good. This could be anything from having him wait “politely” before receiving his food, or treats, or even toys. The chances are you wouldn’t have given him what he wanted if he’s howling, so he’s recognized that being quiet, is what you want.

It’s a long shot, but it is still possible that this is one of the reasons. Especially if you’ve engaged in training him to be quiet.

Recommended Read: Can Huskies Get Along With Pomeranians?

Can You Make Your Husky More Vocal?

Whether or not you can make your husky more vocal depends on the cause.

If it’s a changeable issue like depression or feeling comfortable in his environment, then there’s a chance your husky will resume his vocal ways after the problem has been resolved.

It’s important to rule out health issues first. If you aren’t 100% sure your husky doesn’t have an underlying condition, it’s best to visit your veterinarian before doing anything else.

What’s Your Husky’s Life Like?

Huskies love your time and attention, they also need a lot of exercise, both physically and mentally. Consider your husky’s daily routine and be honest about the quality of their day-to-day.

The essentials for a happy husky:

• 2 hours of intensive exercise per day
• Providing mental stimulation in the form of training, activities, and interactive toys
• Not leaving him alone for long periods of the day
• Ensuring he has a diet that works well for him and is high quality
• Having adequate time to bond with him

It doesn’t seem like a lot, but the Siberian husky is one of the most demanding breeds to look after, and if he isn’t a big part of your life, it’s likely he isn’t going to be satisfied.

This could affect his behavior and temperament negatively, and a quiet husky could be the result.

The best thing you can do is to give your husky, everything a husky needs. This way he will feel his best, and if he’s destined to be a vocal husky, then he’ll be one.

Positively Reinforce Vocal Behavior

I would be careful with this one, but it’s still an option.

Positive reinforcement is the best way to teach and train huskies. It’s simple, yet very powerful.

Positive reinforcement is about rewarding your husky after he complies with a command, or even just after having done something you like and want to encourage more of.

So, as you can imagine, whenever your husky does howl or become vocal, immediately rewarding him will soon build a strong mental link for him, that being vocal is what you want, and is what earns him a treat.

The problem with this is that your husky may start taking advantage of it, and you’ve gone from having a husky that never howls, to one that just won’t stop howling.

So it’s important to be careful with the behavior that you reward. (this is a valuable lesson for all other aspects of their life and behavior too!)

Give Your Husky Time to Adjust

If you have realized there has been a change to his environment or daily routine, then it’s likely he just needs time to adjust.

Always give your husky time and understand that he needs to adjust to anything new in his environment.

Some huskies may adjust to changes in their environment in a matter of days, and for others, it could take months.

Popular Articles on My Happy Husky:
13 Signs That Your Husky Loves You
How To Completely Train a Husky Puppy

Are Huskies Supposed To Be Vocal?

Not really, although the majority of huskies are fairly vocal, it’s not something that “must” be in order to be considered normal. There are plenty of quiet huskies out there and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Last Thoughts

So there you have it! You now have some good reasons as to why your husky isn’t very vocal, and you should have an idea of what can be changed (if anything needs to be changed).

Remember, it’s entirely possible there isn’t anything wrong with your husky. Some huskies are just quiet.

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