Staffy and Husky — The Husky cross Staffy is a loyal, active and amazing family dog.
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All about the Husky cross Staffy

By Alice Lang Copywriter

Updated on the 03/05/2022

Are you considering adopting a Husky cross Staffy? This crossbreed isn’t a recognised breed and generally, breeding a Husky with a Staffordshire Bull Terrier isn’t recommended.

But, sometimes accidents happen - and we truly believe all dogs, no matter what breed, deserve a loving family and a good home. Sure, a Husky cross Staffy isn’t exactly a well-known or sought after breed. Maybe you’ve been to your local shelter and discovered a litter are looking for their first home, or you’re considering adopting an adult Husky x Staffy pooch?

The good news is that this mix breed can become a loving and loyal family pet if training and socialisation are taking seriously from the get-go. A Husky cross Staffy would be best placed with an experienced dog owner who has a big garden and lots of time to dedicate to training and intense exercise. Let’s get to know the two parents breed of this crossbreed.

The Husky cross Staffy parents breed

Husky

We all know how beautiful Huskies are, with their striking blue and brown eyes, gloriously thick coat and wolf-like appearance. When their needs are met, Huskies are very outgoing, affectionate and love being around their families. “The purebred Siberian Husky of today is not wild wolf hybrid, but a beautiful, friendly, tractable, wonderful dog in both pet and working capacities,” says Lorna Winslette in Siberian Husky: A Comprehensive Guide to Owning and Caring for your Dog. “

Siberian Huskies are known all over the world as being friendly, playful dogs who make great family pets. A Husky will want to be an integral part of your family.” It’s important to note that Huskies have a lot of energy and require significant amounts of exercise. If they’re placed in a small home and only make it outside for short walks, they’ll easily become destructive, bored and depressed.

This comes as no surprise considering they were originally bred as sledge dogs, designed to pull sledges for hundreds of miles across snowy and icy ground. If you can commit to more than two hours of exercise a day without fail, a Siberian Husky pooch would love living with you.

Staffy

Alison Smith describes the Staffordshire Bull Terrier as “Smooth-coated, well balanced, of great strength for his size. Muscular, active and agile.” in her book Staffordshire Bull Terrier. In terms of temperament, she explains that generally, a Staffy is “Traditionally of courage and tenacity. Highly intelligent and affectionate, especially with children”. Many people assume that the Staffy is an aggressive dog, but that’s not actually true.

When a Staffordshire Bull Terrier is part of a happy home and has been trained, they’re known to be calm, kind and loyal with a strong family bond. In fact, they’re so personable that Staffy’s don’t make a good guard dog - which will come as a surprise to most people!

Similarly to Huskies, Staffies really need an owner who can provide plenty of daily exercise. Otherwise, they could become destructive. Due to their strong jaws, they’ll also need lots of good chew toys to stop them chewing furniture, shoes and other household objects.

The Husky cross Staffy

Because the Husky cross Staffy is a relatively rare breed, it’s hard to know exactly what this mix will look and behave like. As with all mixed breed dogs, there’s no consistency as it depends entirely on which traits they inherit from either side. However, one of the most common comments about this mix is that they have a huge amount of energy - but coming from two active dog breeds, that’s no surprise!

Perhaps the most important thing to note is that they’ll need access to a garden and plenty (and we mean plenty) of exercise. Generally, you can expect a Staffy cross Husky to be an extremely strong, agile and powerful pooch. Properly exercised, trained and socialised, they’re likely to be sociable, loving and attached to their family.

Physical characteristics of a Husky cross Staffy

As an unusual breed, average height and weight information on the Husky cross Staffy hasn't been recorded. We’ll go by the measurements of the parents - generally, you can expect this mix to fall somewhere in between the two.

Husky height: 51-60cm
Staffy height: 36-41cm

Husky weight: 16-27kg
Staffy weight: 11-17kg

If your pooch inherits more of the Husky side, you could certainly end up with a rather large dog. Even if it’s more on the smaller Staffy side, this mix is pretty much guaranteed to be extremely strong and often muscular. Females will be smaller than males. Coats could be short or long and vary in colour.

Huskies and Staffies don’t exactly look similar - so this mix could certainly be eye-catching! We’ve seen a few Husky cross Staffy’s with a Husky’s dazzling blue eyes with a body similar to a Staffy, but looks really will vary from puppy to puppy. We’ve also seen a few which we could only describe as a more muscular looking, slightly smaller husky!

Husky cross Staffy temperament

A Husky cross Staffy’s temperament depends entirely on their training and socialisation. This is true with most Husky Staffy cross puppies - but with two energetic, powerful and smart breeds on your hands, it’s even more important. At their best, this mix will be smart, playful, happy, affectionate, energetic and cuddly. At their worst, they might be disobedient, hyperactive and destructive. It’s likely that a Staffy cross Husky won’t do well spending too much time on its own - and may even try to escape over a bench or by digging. Huskies have a very strong prey drive, so you’ll need a secure back garden - but more importantly, you’ll need to provide the attention that this mix needs.

How much exercise does the Husky cross Staffy needs

We’re just going to get straight to the point. Don’t adopt a Husky cross Staffy unless you have plenty of time every single day - without fail - for exercise. Coming from two energetic and active breeds, this mix breed will certainly keep you in good shape! They’ve got tons of energy to burn. This is great until they’ve got no way to burn it off and they become destructive, depressed and disobedient.

You’ll need to provide two, or ideally multiple, good walks every day. They’ll also need a garden to run around in - they absolutely will not suit apartment style living. A good way to tire them out even further is investing in a doggy backpack or other weight made for dog walking. Huskies love pulling things and enjoy feeling like they’re doing a job, so this mix breed is likely to enjoy it too.

You can be creative in the exercises, too - if you enjoy cycling, can you find a quiet cycle path where your pooch can run alongside you? This is good when you don’t have as much time for a long walk. Remember that mental stimulation is important too! Consider implementing dog games and scatter feeding into your Husky cross Staffy’s routine to keep them happy, fulfilled and healthy.

Training and socialisation

No matter which temperament your Husky cross Staffy inherits, they’ll need consistent training and socialisation from an early age. Without this, your pooch is likely to be hard to handle. If you're not experienced with dogs, obedience classes or professional training might be something to consider.

Teach simple commands using positive reinforcement - starting at around 7 weeks old. Both parent breeds have strong and sometimes stubborn personalities, so it’s important to be consistent and firm in your training. Always end training on a positive note with a reward so they’ll look forward to doing it again.

There are a high number of Staffy mixes in shelters around the world - including Huffy cross Staffy pups! If you're experienced with dogs and have the time to exercise and train your new pup, you could give this mix breed a loving forever home.

Want to read more about different dog mixed breeds? Look here: