The Siberian Husky (detailed introduction) is a double-coated breed, and maintaining its coat in good condition is always a challenging task.

　　The AKC standard’s statement on the Husky coat describes the texture characteristics of the outer and inner hairs, which determine that Huskies require special grooming methods, differing from the silky Afghan Hound and also unlike the harsh coat breeds.

　　Coat

　　The Siberian Husky has a double coat of medium length, giving a dense appearance without being so long as to obscure the dog's clear outline. The undercoat is soft, dense, and long enough to support the outer coat. The outer coat is straight, smooth, and lies close without harshness or stand-up hair. Note that it is normal to have no undercoat during molting. Whiskers and hair between and around toes can be trimmed to make the appearance neater. Trimming hair in other areas is not allowed and strictly penalized. Defects include long, coarse, and tousled coat; coat that is too harsh or too silky; and trimming hair outside the allowed areas.

　　Besides, we should understand physiological differences between females and males. Females typically molt twice a year, while most males do not shed much throughout the year. With careful care, molting cycles can extend to 18 months or longer as the dog ages.

　　The Husky’s coat condition can be divided into three stages:

　　(1) Old hair has completely shed, new hair not yet grown, the "bare" stage;

　　(2) New hair fully grown, coat at its fullest stage;

　　(3) Old hair has not completely shed, covered by many dead hairs.

　　Since Huskies shed seasonally, grooming becomes more challenging. Generally, their coat is mostly at stage one or three, making it luck-based to have a perfect condition during shows. Therefore, grooming methods should differ based on the coat stage.

　　As mentioned above, you can easily identify your dog’s coat growth stage, and then choose the most suitable care method accordingly.

　　In stage one, you should use Plush Puppy Wheat Essence Styling Shampoo to make the coat appear fuller. Avoid conditioners at this stage as they flatten the hair. A better way is to dilute Deep Nourishing Repair Oil with warm water at a 1:20 ratio, and after shampooing, gently wipe it on with a sea sponge while massaging. Then blow-dry the dog with this mixture applied to make the coat feel moist and voluminous. For regular brushing care, use moisturizing products such as high-hydration mousse.

　　In stage two, when the coat is at its best and easiest to manage, maintain health and shine by mixing Henna All-Purpose Shine Shampoo with Wheat Essence Styling Shampoo. The styling shampoo maximizes fluffiness of the undercoat, while the all-purpose shampoo brings out the excellent texture of the guard hairs.

　　In stage three, dilute the wheat essence styling shampoo at 1:10 ratio. For dry old hair, use Evening Primrose Extract or a strong conditioner at the same ratio. If the coat is sunburned, faded, or has yellow-brown patches, dilute Ginseng Essence Whitening Shampoo at 1:3 ratio to remove unwanted discoloration. Then apply Deep Sea Repair Coat Oil as described above. For regular brushing care, use products that facilitate shedding and dematting, such as Plush Puppy’s Daily Detangling and Shedding Spray (O.M.G), which helps your dog shed dead hair quickly and shortens molting cycles.

　　If a major dog show is near, and your dog is in heavy shedding, do not bathe or use conditioner. Simply rinse once with a low-foam shampoo such as Plush Puppy’s Freshwater Essence Sebum Control Shampoo, or if not very dirty, wipe down the whole body with a warm, damp towel. For white areas especially on legs, face, and under the abdomen, partially clean with PP Ginseng Whitening Shampoo or PP Seaweed Green Tea Deep Clean Shampoo, then dry carefully. If excessive shedding begins, stop immediately and let the coat air dry naturally. Remove loose hairs by hand if needed.

　　Husky coats become coarse and seriously bleached by oxidation when exposed to strong sunlight.

　　It is notable that hair weight is 35% water, and without enough moisture, the skin, coat, and keratinous tissues become fragile. Daily care should focus on moisture retention for the coat and avoid prolonged exposure to intense sunlight, especially avoid sun-drying the dog after a bath. For Huskies that swim frequently, apply a sunscreen protective spray after swimming to prevent coat burns and discoloration.

　　For already damaged hair, solutions focus on moisturizing, repairing, and oil replacement.

　　First, bathe with PP Grass Ginseng Essence to reduce yellowing and redness caused by sun exposure. Dilute shampoo at a ratio of 1:5 and apply to the coat. If discoloration is severe, use it undiluted. Use this every bath until new hair grows fully.

　　Next, treat dry, split hair with PP strong conditioner. Finally, spray the whole body with highly moisturizing mousse or diluted deep nourishing repair oil (1 tablespoon:300 ml warm water) to prevent excessive loss of water and oil from the outer coat.

　　I bathe my dog weekly and then thoroughly blow-dry with a powerful dryer. This promotes hair metabolism and prevents tangles. Using such a turbo dryer also allows visibility to the skin to check for mites, lice, and other conditions.

　　Weekly blow-drying also helps keep the coat breathable and avoids terrible hair holes during molting. Regular blow-drying keeps your dog looking clean and tidy, easing show preparation. This method is especially useful for older dogs, whose shed hair curls instead of flying everywhere. Even during shedding, they do not lose all hair, and new hair can last up to two years.

　　When blow-drying, blow against the hair from tail to head. Carefully comb the hair under the base of the tail to avoid unpleasant appearance when the dog lifts its tail. Don’t forget the genital area.

　　Use a PP oval pin cushion brush (more about combs below) during drying. Avoid using pin combs on wet hair as they can damage it. The pin cushion brush detangles hair thoroughly down to the skin. After completely drying, use a wooden handled comb from roots to tips for thorough grooming. Don’t just brush the coat surface. During drying, coordinate brushing with lifting hair by hand and reverse blow-drying from tail to head to maximize uplift. Overnight, hair relaxes to a characteristic Husky fluffy yet textured look.

　　Husky grooming primarily uses large pin combs, oval pin cushion brushes (without large pin heads - available from Plush Puppy), half-bristle half-plastic bristle brushes (available from Plush Puppy), wooden handled combs, and a wide-toothed one-inch metal comb. Finally, use a flea comb to groom fine hair in and around ears, face, and legs.

a metal one inch toothed comb- metal toothed comb

flea comb- flea comb

wooden handled poodle comb- wooden handled comb

oval pin cushion brush- oval pin cushion brush

wooden comb

　　After washing, blow-dry while section-combing with the oval pin cushion brush until the coat is completely dry. Then use the wooden comb for longer hair, the metal comb for shorter hair, and the flea comb to groom fine feathers on ears, face, and legs. Comb from skin root along hair growth direction toward the tips, always from tail to head.

　　Next, comb often-neglected areas such as the inner rear legs upward, genital area, and armpits. The interior of ears must be thoroughly dried to avoid redness. Applying some drying powder in the ears is a good option. Also, don’t forget to dry between the toes.

　　At shows, to make hair stand, use the wooden comb to gently backcomb flattened parts. Use the metal comb on other areas. Finally, brush all over with a half-bristle half-plastic pig bristle brush, and gently comb inside and outside ears with the flea comb.

　　Remember, Huskies do not require trimming except for trimming messy hair between toes for neatness; otherwise, any trimming is strictly forbidden during shows. Some dogs dislike this, as well as nail clipping and removing dewclaws. Here’s a simple effective trick: cover the dog's eyes, which also helps dogs afraid of blood tests. I recommend guillotine-style clippers for nails, holding paws from behind. Use rounded scissors to trim excess foot hair to create an oval "cat paw" shape. If necessary, trim whiskers, although this is not required before shows.

　　Let me introduce PP’s Cool Dog Styling Mousse, a strong-hold mousse that does not harden the hair, allowing perfect styling. You can first use voluminizing cream to increase hair volume, then style with this mousse. I usually apply styling mousse on the following areas:

　　(1) Face: Apply styling mousse to cheek fur beside the face, making it stand for a round face effect.

　　(2) Neck: According to AKC standards, the Husky neck is of moderate length and arched, held upright when standing. At trot, it extends with the head slightly thrust forward. Defects include neck too short, too thick, or too long. For neck grooming, I choose different combing methods based on neck length: for short necks, style hair along growth direction with mousse to visually elongate the neck line; normally, style hair upward for a fluffy, erect effect.

　　(3) Tail: The AKC standard describes tail hair as medium length, with uniform length top, sides, and bottom, appearing like a rounded fox tail. Recently at Westminster and US specialty shows, pups often show a cylindrical stick-shaped tail. Usually, Huskies have shorter top tail hair and longer bottom hair. Style mousse will smooth the bottom hair along the direction while making the top hair stand upright to form the stick effect.

　　(4) Legs: Make the leg feathering stand up; strong limbs are essential for a working dog.

　　(5) Back: Use styling mousse to keep the topline straight, creating a perfect backline.

　　(6) Chest: Use styling mousse combined with voluminizing cream to create a visually deeper chest.

　　For double-coated breeds, a rich and gorgeous coat makes them stand out in shows and is favored by many judges. If your Husky begins heavy shedding before a show, it is not good. Usually, the following methods can improve the situation:

　　Dilute Wheat Essence Styling Shampoo at 1:5 ratio for bathing to make the hair fluffy while maintaining the overall outline, avoiding roughness or unnatural appearance.

　　Mix extra voluminizing cream with warm water, apply with a sponge all over the dog while massaging until fully absorbed. Then blow-dry from tail forward, blowing against hair growth to straighten the coat. When fully dry, the hair that was erected by drying will settle into ideal positions but with visibly increased volume.

　　On show day, spray diluted voluminizing cream thoroughly on the dog’s whole body, ensuring full coverage, not just a light spray. Then blow-dry.

　　After this care, although the coat may not match pre-shedding condition, it can still keep the coat and body balanced enough for competition, making it easier to sculpt a perfect silhouette. Judges will notice that while the coat volume is imperfect, the body shape and outline are superior, increasing chances of winning. On show day, use PP Whitening Concealer with a damp sponge to lightly pat on legs, face, inner ears, elbows, etc. When dry, if weather is humid, apply a layer of loose powder on top to speed drying, then blow or brush off excess powder.

　　Some judges dislike powder residue on coats, so avoid this. The powder puff works well for face and inside ears, and for legs use PP Styling Foundation Dual-Purpose Balm so the loose powder adheres better. Use PP Highlight Powder sparingly on areas needing brighten, like the topline. Finally, blow off excess powder.

　　Red elbow is common in many large breeds due to frequent lying on damp surfaces or concrete. If severe, normal washing may not reduce it, so directly apply Ginseng Essence Whitening Shampoo undiluted to elbows and massage until absorbed. Another method is to cover red elbows with PP Whitening Concealer by lightly patting a moistened sponge with powder until fully dry. Use gentle tapping motions and avoid rubbing.

　　A. Use Quick Cleaner to clean dirty parts on feet or body.

　　B. First step: apply several dollops of high-moisture mousse on coat while blow-drying and combing.

　　C. Scoop out voluminizing cream (about 2-3 finger scoops for an adult Husky) into a spray bottle, dilute with water, and spray all over until coat is fully moist (not dripping wet), then comb and blow-dry.

　　D. Use a small towel to apply a little dog concealer on white areas on four legs, elbows, mouth, or any areas needing coverage. Use a towel, not fingers, for even application.

　　E. Scoop a small amount of dual-purpose styling foundation balm, rub evenly in hands, then apply to limbs as a base to help powder adhere firmly.

　　F. Highlight powder contains sparkles unlike any other powder. Use a brush to apply on limbs prepped with styling product, underside of tail, hind legs, and any white areas. You can also scatter a little powder on the body for a glowing overall look. After powdering, blow off excess.

　　G. Dog styling mousse fixes uneven back hair, creating sharp, clear toplines. Also style hair on both sides of the face forward for a cute round-face effect.

　　H. Spraying deodorizing fragrance can win favor with judges.

　　I. After finishing all styling, spray a suitable amount of Quick Shine Spray all over the dog. It acts as a setting spray and makes the coat shine quickly, especially under lights and sunlight, making your dog the focus of attention.

　　OK~! Now all work is done. Leave the rest to the handler and judges. Your dog looks great, knows what awaits, and you have done your utmost to help it stride toward victory. Grooming your dog weekly like this is no easy task and has no shortcuts — ask those who groom Poodles or Afghan Hounds! Huskies are naturally beautiful dogs needing no special grooming, yet they have a noble temperament and deserve beauty like any breed. Their elegant appearance and hardworking attitude exude irresistible charm. Finally, I wish all your Huskies become more and more beautiful~~~~~~~

　　Products used ~ pre-show bath and care for Danny

Hope everyone likes this effect. There are still some areas I’m not satisfied with; I will keep working on it.