Even though a quiet husky might seem good on the surface it can still be worrying for the owner especially when the husky is normally active. There could also be a number of reasons for your husky being quiet.
So, why is your husky quiet? There could be a number of reasons but the main ones are a quiet personality, it’s not comfortable with its environment (yet), previous experiences, age, illness or injury, previous training, and boredom or sometimes depression.
Diagnosing why your husky is being quiet can be a difficult thing to do since there are actually a number of things that could be causing it. There are also a number of things that you can do to correct its behavior that will be much easier once you have figured out the root cause.
Reasons Why Your Husky Is Quiet
As already mentioned there are a number of reasons that your husky might be being quiet that I will mention below.
Personality
If you have had your husky for a while and it has always been quiet then it is likely that it has a quiet personality. This isn’t such a bad thing since it means that it won’t cause you too much stress by constantly misbehaving. It also means that when it is loud you will know that it is something important and you will be more likely to help your husky when it really needs it. If it does have a quiet personality then there are a number of training tips that you can use to change its behavior that I will mention in the section below.
Related: Why doesn’t my husky howl?
It’s not comfortable (yet)
If you only had your husky for a short time period then it could just be that it hasn’t gotten used to its new environment. If this is the case then it might not feel comfortable being noisy since it doesn’t know what will happen. This causes it to stay quieter. In this case, it’s likely that, with time, it will begin to be louder once it becomes more comfortable.
Related: Why doesn’t my dog make any noise?
Previous experiences
It could be that your husky has had previous experiences that have taught it to be quiet. If your husky is a rescue husky then this will be more likely. If, in the past, it was made to be quiet when it was loud or it was punished then it will associate being loud with bad consequences. If this is something that you suspect then you should take measures to allow your husky to become more comfortable with your presence, to train it to become more vocal and you might even want to get help from a certified dog behaviorist.
Related: Why doesn’t my husky bark?
Age
As your husky gets older its hearing will gradually get worse this will cause your husky to be less responsive to noises that it did in the past since they aren’t as noticeable as they once were.
Too much noise
It could be that your husky has been very loud recently and that it has caused its throat to become sore. If this has happened then it will cause the husky to become temporarily quiet.
Past Training
It could be that previous training that the husky has had is what’s causing it to be quiet. If it has been taught, in the past, that being quiet will get it what it wants then it will behave in a more quiet manner. If you think that this might have happened then you could take measures to teach it to be a bit more vocal.
Illness or Injury
It could be that the husky is ill or injured and that it doesn’t have the energy to be loud. If this is the case then it is recommended that you take your husky to a vet where they will be better able to diagnose any issues. If your husky is normally a vocal dog but it’s been quiet lately then this could be the case. Other signs would include a lack of appetite or not being very active.
Boredom
Huskies were bred to drag sleighs in harsh conditions for hours daily. This means that huskies are naturally used to getting a lot of exercise. If your husky isn’t getting lots of exercise and it is quiet then it could be that the husky is bored. If this is the case then you’ll want to spend more time doing things with your husky and to let it get more exercise.
Depression
In some cases, it could even be that the husky is depressed. It can be difficult to diagnose when this is the case but other symptoms would include changes in appetite, spending more time sleeping, a loss of interest in doing things, excessive paw licking and avoidance or hiding. If you think that this is what is causing your husky to be quiet then you should get help from a vet.
What To Do About It Being Quiet
Once you know why your husky is being quiet getting it to be more vocal will become easier. Depending on the cause of its quietness there are a number of different things that you can do.
Allow it to adjust
If you have recently introduced your husky to a new environment then giving it some more time to adjust to its new environment should be enough to allow it to become comfortable enough to express itself more. If it doesn’t start to get louder then you should consider using one of the other methods below.
Help it to become comfortable
If you do think that your husky isn’t comfortable with its new environment then you should take measures to allow it to become more comfortable. This can include showing it around the area, giving it more attention, giving it toys to chew on and allowing it to get lots of exercise in the new area.
Ensure that there is not an illness or injury
If your husky is showing other unusual signs alongside being unusually quiet then before anything else you should take it to a vet for a checkup to make sure that nothing is wrong with it.
Give it exercise
Since huskies are designed to be very active if it is not getting lots of exercise then it will be more likely to behave in an unusual way. This means that it’s very important to make sure that your husky is getting lots of exercise. This means that you should take it for walks as much as you can or you could get help from a dog walker if your schedule doesn’t allow it.
Give it training
One option is to train your husky to become louder.
To do this you’ll want to get a treat or a toy that it really likes, give it a piece of it so that it knows you have it, then keep the rest in its sight but only give it pieces when it makes noise. If your husky doesn’t naturally make noise then you’ll find that it will start to do other things such as rolling over, laying down or sitting in hopes of getting the treat before making any noise. You’ll also find that it won’t just start barking right away instead it will just give a little grumble. When it first makes a noise you’ll want to reward it straight away and then to gradually require more and more noise in order to get more treats.
When you’re doing this it’s important to make sure that you only reward it when it is loud when you tell it to be loud. If you just give it treats whenever it is loud then it will teach it that being loud will result in treats but you only want it to be loud when you want it to be. So, it’s important to make sure to reward loudness on command.
You can watch the video below to see how it is done.
Take it to a behaviorist
If everything else has failed then you should consider getting help from a certified animal behaviorist who will be able to better diagnose the root cause of its quietness and how to correct it.
Things to consider
When you’re trying to encourage your husky to become louder there are a number of things that you should consider.
Avoid physical interventions
Punishing your husky physically for being quiet is not something that is likely to pan out well. You’ll have a high chance of making the husky become aggressive, scared of your presence and it will not enjoy your company. This also goes for things such as electric collars as well which have been shown to have bad consequences on dogs behavior.
It could just be a more subdued husky
Your husky might just be more naturally inclined to be quieter. If this is the case then there isn’t really anything to worry about. You can try training it to be louder or you can just be thankful that your dog is more naturally peaceful.
Train it to be loud only when it should be
If you’re going to train your husky to be louder then remember to only reward it for being loud when you tell/want it to be. Otherwise, you risk creating the opposite problem where it is constantly being loud when you don’t want it to be.
Give it a wide variety of ways to communicate
If your husky is more naturally inclined to be quiet then you might want to give it other ways to communicate such. This could include things such as putting bells on the patio door attached to a string that your husky can tap when it wants to come in.
Related Questions
Why doesn’t my husky bark? The reasons that your husky doesn’t bark will be largely the same as the reasons for it being quiet. These include previous training, its nature, illness, boredom, needing time to get comfortable or old age.
Why doesn’t my husky howl? Huskies are more prone to howl than other dogs but sometimes they might not howl which can cause concern for the owner. But, again the causes of it not howling are largely the same as above. If you’re very concerned about a lack of howling then get help from a certified behaviorist.