Coat, Ears & Tail

AKC Working Group · No. 30 in 2025

How to identify a Siberian Husky

The Siberian Husky is a medium-sized sled dog, ranked No. 30 by the AKC in 2025. Look for strongly erect triangular ears, almond eyes that may be brown, blue or one of each, and a fox-brush tail carried in a sickle curve. Colors run from black to pure white, but never merle or brindle.

Photo of a Siberian Husky
Photo: xJaM (talk · contribs) · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Field marks

These four marks are the ones the game gives you as clues. They paraphrase or briefly quote the AKC Siberian Husky standard.

  1. Triangular ears, “strongly erect” and set high
  2. Almond eyes that are brown, blue, one of each, or parti-colored
  3. “Fox-brush” tail carried in “a graceful sickle curve” when alert
  4. Medium-sized and never “heavy or coarse”; colors from black to pure white, never merle or brindle

Tell them apart

Siberian Husky or German Shepherd Dog?

Check the tail and the topline. A Siberian Husky carries its fox-brush tail in a sickle curve when alert, and its eyes may be blue or one of each. A German Shepherd’s bushy tail hangs low in a saber curve, and its back slopes down from the withers. An all-white dog is a Husky; the Shepherd standard never allows white.

Siberian Husky

Siberian Husky

  1. Triangular ears, “strongly erect” and set high
  2. Almond eyes that are brown, blue, one of each, or parti-colored
  3. “Fox-brush” tail carried in “a graceful sickle curve” when alert
  4. Medium-sized and never “heavy or coarse”; colors from black to pure white, never merle or brindle
German Shepherd Dog

German Shepherd Dog

  1. “Moderately pointed” ears “carried erect when at attention”
  2. Longer than tall; withers “higher than and sloping into the level back”
  3. Bushy tail that hangs “in a slight curve like a saber” at rest
  4. Long, wedge-shaped muzzle; most colors allowed, but never white

Siberian Husky or Alaskan Malamute?

Check the eyes and the tail. A Malamute’s eyes are always brown, and its tail is carried over the back as a waving plume. A Husky may have blue or mixed eyes and carries a fox-brush tail in a sickle curve. A Husky is never heavy or coarse, while a Malamute is built to haul freight.

Siberian Husky

Siberian Husky

  1. Triangular ears, “strongly erect” and set high
  2. Almond eyes that are brown, blue, one of each, or parti-colored
  3. “Fox-brush” tail carried in “a graceful sickle curve” when alert
  4. Medium-sized and never “heavy or coarse”; colors from black to pure white, never merle or brindle
Alaskan Malamute

Alaskan Malamute

  1. Well-furred tail carried over the back with “the appearance of a waving plume”
  2. Light gray to black, sable or red, with white on the underbody, legs and face; the only solid color is white
  3. Triangular ears with slightly rounded tips, set wide so they stand off from the skull
  4. Brown, almond-shaped eyes (blue eyes disqualify); thick, coarse guard coat

Test your eye

One photo, four names, ten dogs a day. Free, no sign-up.

Play today’s Daily

More Working & Herding breeds

Sources