Field Guide to Husky Nests

Field Guide to Husky Nests

We’ve had huskies and husky mixes for a long time, and one thing they have all had in common is nest building. Our first husky/Sheppard mix, Lucky Dog had nest building down to a fine art with her patented “Spaghetti Twirl”. She’d hook her claws in to the blankets and then turn around several times winding them around her. Fast, neat, and efficient.

The two we have now aren’t as polished, but they do exhibit the same nest building tendencies. This guide will allow you to identify a husky nest at a glance and be able to tell what type of nest it is.

The first is the Classic nest. Usually on a bed, though they can be found on sofas as well. You can tell it is a husky nest even without a husky in residence by the circular outline, carefully arranged pillows, and the blankets you careful smoothed out upon waking are now in a rough semi-circle on the bed. Sheets and mattress pad may be included as nesting materials. You can tell if a male or female husky prepared the nest by checking the sheets and mattress pad. If there are obvious signs of digging, such as shredded sheets or gouges out of the mattress pad, it was a male.

Classic















Blown up futon variant















Impromptu nests. Though covered with thick soft fur huskies seem to have a need to lay on something soft. Little or no arranging may go into the nesting process. These nests can be and are found almost everywhere, from the dirty laundry:















To towels placed to soak up the water the sloshed out of the dog dish that I tripped over.















The final category is more of a paw-rest than an actual nest. There is the Speed Bump:















And the Tiger Trap














Husky paws dangle over the edge of the hole/bump and apparently this is quite comfortable. The tiger trap has the added advantage o0f scattering cooler earth over the cement patio as well as the neighbor’s yard. This cool layer is a husky spa treatment; it cools, refreshes, and improves that lingering odor they love so much. I was told once that huskies don’t smell. Whoever came up with that one is either olfactory challenged or a liar.

This certainly isn’t an all inclusive guide as there are may other variants we know of and some that have probably yet to be seen. Always look for telltale rumpling and long black and white strands of fur left behind. Large dirty paw prints on the sheets are also a dead giveaway.