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antler creek
we are a small family breeder who has owned & been passionate about siberian huskies for 25+ years.
antler creek siberians finds it's home on thirteen secluded acres located in west central minnesota.
insistent not to be a ‘run of the mill’ breeder we have passionately pursued show quality & champion lines to be incorporated into our breeding program. the pure & simple love of the breed runs deep in who we are and all that we do. the time & attention placed into each of our adults & pups is evident. we love what we do.
most importantly, they are a part of our “pack” and placing them in the appropriate home is our top priority.
the one that started it all
there is always a season in one’s life that when you look back & reflect, you think to yourself, “what were we thinking?!” for us, we were newlyweds, 1996. we returned from our honeymoon to our first home we had just purchased in the lake nakomis area of southeast minneapolis by minnehaha parkway. we were gifted a 4 week old siberian husky puppy as a house warming gift by our parents. we both worked 40 hours a week. for some reason we both thought this would be a good idea. ha! for starters, we were newlyweds, enough said. to follow that up, we had done zero research into the breed of siberian huskies, um’ the puppy was only 4 weeks old, we both worked full time jobs plus a commute, we had a house, which was a positive thing, but no fenced in yard in a very active & busy neighborhood. we did EVERYTHING we tell our potential buyers NOT to do. let me tell you, baptism by FIRE with our first siberian, shana. she was everything and more that this breed offers. our lack of due diligence contributed to the more. we quickly learned & educated ourselves of the do’s & don'ts of life with a siberian. hard work & tenacity kicked in and we eventually had an amazing dog that not only impacted our lives but also the lives of our children that followed with our first in 2000. shana was our baby before babies. she was and will be our hardest loss, due to that fact. our children learned to walk by pulling themselves up on her, she packed in with them every night from the moment we brought them home from the hospital. she was a true mama even though she never had any of her own. the amazing and unbelievable bond and relationship siberians have with children and a family is what birthed the passion in us to want to breed & raise quality siberians for families. shana was truly a gift in our young marriage & family, we wanted to be able to offer that same gift we found in her and the breed with others. our “young & dumb” season is also why we are so passionate about appropriately placing our pups and educating our buyers in hopes that they will not make the same mistakes we made. when understanding the breed, siberians can truly bless & impact your life, as they have ours. our story & experience also allows us to truly understand our buyers & families at whatever season of life they are in. in every sense, we have truly been there & understand.
our program
antler creek siberians was established in 2009, after many years of owning & loving siberians. we strive & desire to offer high quality, breed standard siberian huskies for family home settings. we believe our dogs are members of our family and raised in our home alongside us. since we are a small family breeder this means we are not producing litters as often as other breeders. this allows us to invest more time, attention, and training into all our dogs & pups. this is evident & reflective in each of our pups and throughout our entire program.
our program is founded in quality, not quantity. health & temperament is top on our list. each of our adults have wonderful temperaments & personalities. all are excellent examples of the breed. each of our pups are temperament tested and appropriately matched to homes & families based on our findings.
our dogs are fully tested and have passing certifications in hips, elbows, & eyes prior to breeding. full-panel genetic testing is also completed for the breeding members of our pack.
we pride ourselves in basic training & socializing our puppies. our pups are handled from the moment they are born and are continually introduced to the daily rituals of country life. our goal is to present a well-adjusted pup for a smooth transition into your home & lifestyle. pups have been raised with kid and other pet exposure. our entire adult pack has full access to our litters to help with the upbringing & training of each pup. we like to say “school is in session” from five to eight weeks old, this is an ideal time for pups to learn from all the members of our pack.
our foundation lines, although retired, are still on-site and part of our pack. we believe it is important that visiting potential buyers see the depth and generations of our lines & program. our home is always open and we welcome past, present, & potential buyers to come for a visit anytime. we feel it is important for families & buyers to meet us and see our program and the pack for themselves.
as previously mentioned, we strive for quality in our program, and part of the quality comes from us remaining a small breeder. if we have raised one of our dogs from a pup, or if one has reached senior status and has been retired, they remain part of our pack & family. if we find ourselves with an adult dog that we acquired to build our program, but is not currently a working part of our program, we feel it is best to place them in a loving home where they can live their best life.
we are committed to producing healthy, beautiful, good tempered, and well socialized pups. how the time is spent & utilized during a pups first eight weeks of life is an important foundation laid moving forward for the rest of their life. we are dedicated to introducing our pups to methods that will enrich their development from the moment they are born. human interaction, touch, & noise desensitization are the backbone of socialization life here at antler creek. we continue development with emphasis’ in stranger, household, and other animal socialization. finally, we focus on grooming & kennel familiarity, as well as basic manners such as; down, no biting/chewing, sit, quiet, and come. we feel it is important to introduce pad training around 4 weeks old to learn the basics of potty-training and some bell method training to follow as time allows. school is in full session once they are almost completely weaned and our full adult pack steps in while mom has a well deserved time off from the pups. during this time pups learn their place in the pack amongst other adult dogs and obtain pack manners, they will carry these important life skills with them throughout their life.
we will keep in touch with our deposit holders throughout the entire process. beginning when pregnancy is confirmed and labor starts to weekly pictures & updates. we want all future puppy families to feel a part of this exciting time. we are always available for any questions that one may have and welcome visits anytime for those who want to see their pup in person. once gotcha day (eight weeks old) arrives you will be very well acquainted with your pup.
the basics
our puppies are appropriately vaccinated, dewormed, microchipped, and examined by a veterinarian. we offer a written two-year health guarantee. included in our education & paperwork that buyers receive during gotcha day will be copies of passing hip/elbow & eye certifications for both parents.
one can be placed on our waiting list by simply reaching out & contacting us. at that time, we will proceed with a phone interview to ensure that a siberian is a good match for your lifestyle and a good fit for your family. siberians make wonderful family pets and life-long companions, but they are not the breed for everyone. many wish to own a siberian for their beauty & sense of adventure, but PLEASE educate yourself to fully understand the breed before deciding to proceed with this step. once you are placed on our wait list this simply means we will contact you before announcing upcoming litters on our website or social media. this gives you the opportunity to place a deposit (non-refundable, but transferrable) towards an expectant litter and ensures your picking order for that litter. after a phone interview is completed, one can skip the wait list if they desire and go directly to placing a deposit which ensures current picking order availability on upcoming litters.
once your deposit is received, we ask what preferences are desired. we cannot guarantee the outcome of each litter in the regard to what they will look like, but we will do our best with the knowledge we have obtained over the years. we take deposits based on whether you are looking for a male or female, we will ask what coat & eye color you generally prefer, but again there are no guarantees. each pup is created & suited exactly the way the Lord intended them to be, however, if we are unable to supply you with a puppy you had your heart set on, your deposit can roll over to the next available litter.
as breeders we always have first pick/picks of each litter if we wish to do so. we also reserve the right to not sell to any persons at any time if we feel a siberian is not the right fit for you. all puppies placed are on a return contract, if for any reason you are not able to keep your puppy/dog at any age we ask that they be returned to antler creek siberians so that we can find an appropriate home for them meeting our qualifications & standards.
all our puppies are placed with limited AKC registration, and a spay/neuter contract. limited AKC registration is non-breeding, it simply means they cannot be bred. spay/neuter contract means, once the spay or neuter has taken place, then buyers will receive AKC registration papers for their pup after proof of the procedure has been submitted to us. proof of AKC litter registration is included in our education & paperwork portion of our puppy pack received on gotcha day.
good to know
breeding programs & breeders differ based on character, passion, & convictions held. as we are passionate & convicted about a great many things when it comes to siberians and our program there are a few we would like to highlight.
food/nutrition and spay/neuter are linked and woven together with your dog’s overall health. we feel strongly about these two topics and how they are connected to each other and a siberian living their best life. starting your siberian husky puppy down the right path from the beginning and continuing it into adulthood is one of the most important things you can do for them.
food & nutrition: understanding & providing your siberian husky’s dietary need is vital to their health. there are a few layers to understanding this. first, your puppy is considered a large breed puppy. that being said, we feel it is important to provide them with a large breed puppy food. understanding how your puppy’s diet plays into health issues is VERY important. excessive growth rate in your puppy can magnify genetic predispositions in the breed. a large breed puppy food is specially formulated to help prevent excessive growth and help prevent potential skeletal disorders. slowing down growth allows their joints to develop properly & fully without putting too much strain on them. feeding your puppy an appropriate diet will give them a head start on healthy bone & joint development and prevent the excessive growth that can contribute to health issues in your siberian. your puppy will stop growing around 18-24 months. the most important slow growth window for your puppy is 3-8 months old. choosing the appropriate adult dog food when transitioning from puppy food is just as important for a health and longevity of your siberian striving for minimal health issues. we go into this topic extensively in the education & paperwork portion of our puppy pack on gotcha day. we require that all puppies out of our program stay on a large breed puppy food until fully grown per our health guarantee.
spay & neuter: we strongly advise against early spay or neuter. per our health guarantee, all pups must not be spayed or neutered until growth plates have completely closed. some growth plates can take up to 17 months to close. we require that all puppies out of our program not to be spayed or neutered no earlier than 12-15 months old. again, we go into this topic extensively and discuss the science behind how spaying or neutering your dog too early can affect the health, growth, and quality of life of your dog in the education & paperwork portion of our puppy pack on gotcha day.
dew claws: we passionately believe siberians should keep their front dew claws intact and not be removed. many breeders remove dew claws shortly after pups are born. for years it was believed they were unnecessary, unsightly, and could cause health problems if not trimmed. the function of the dew claws is to prevent torque or twisting on the leg each time the foot lands on the ground. if a dog needs to stop and turn, the dew claw digs into the ground and supports the lower leg to prevent torque or twisting. after a lifetime of movement without dew claws the result can be arthritis or perhaps injury. we believe it is best for this adventurous, active, high-energy breed to leave the dew claws in place and lower the risk of injury and possible arthritis later in life. most of our pups are placed in a non-working family settings, but we never know when mushing and skijoring will be a part of their lives and to have dew claws intact is then imperative.
puppy pack
we thoroughly enjoy and are so very passionate about what we do and our puppy pack reflects that as well. we understand the excitement of bringing home a new addition to your family. for many this is their first “baby”. we want to ensure this experience is positive for both you and pup.
•collar & leash with personalized antler creek tag
•toys (chew, rope, squeaky)
•siberian husky reference book
•stuffed animal that smells like the litter
•blanket that smells like mom
•dirty paw towel
•micro-chip tags & information
•antler creek bandana
•puppy vaccinations/deworming record
•upcoming vaccinations schedule
•copies of parents’ health certifications (OFA & CERF)
•copies of parents’ pedigree, AKC registration, & show champion certificates (if applicable)
•copy of AKC litter registration
•written health guarantee
•education paperwork discussing: pet health, spay & neuter, food & nutrition, helpful hints & recommendations in raising your siberian husky, bell method potty training, first night home
•lifetime breeder support! we are always just a phone call, text or email away. please feel free to contact us with any question you may have.
(style, colors and patterns may differ but quality & content remains consistent)
last thoughts
if one will invest the time, energy, patience, consistency, and dedication into a siberian, your life will be changed and blessed beyond measure by this truly amazing breed. we believe investing in people is just as important as investing in our program & pups. we are passionate about helping others learn more about this breed. we are happy to share all that we have gleaned & learned throughout the years.
if you are thinking of expanding your pack, feel free to contact us to discuss details of the possibility of one of our pups joining your home.
better yet, come visit in person!
trish & marc
siberian•husky
[sahy-beer-ee-uhn•huhs-kee]
noun
siberian breed of medium-size dogs having a thick, soft coat, raised originally as sled dogs; siberians get on well with other dogs; their innate friendliness render them useless as watchdogs; physical and mental stimulation is a must with this breed, they are active & very intelligent; siberians are independent & opinionated; they can also be stubborn. they make wonderful family pets, as born pack dogs, they enjoy family life and will “pack-in” with their family members; they will insistent being where their people are; each will have different personalities, strengths, & weaknesses when it comes to training & incorporating them into your lives; spending time with your siberian is the true desire of their heart and it strengthens the bond between dog & owner; siberians are very social, and regularly need the company of their people or other dogs; siberians are inclined to use their intelligence in clever ways that suit their own purposes
you will find us often saying and words to live by;
“if you are not in charge of your siberian, they will be in charge of you”.
