
Have you heard of a Goberian?
Odds are that you’re not familiar with this cross breed or you’ve just heard about the Goberian mix and you want to learn more.
Goberians are a cross between a Golden Retriever and a Siberian Husky to create a popular hybrid dog.
Although the Golden Retriever and the Siberian Husky are recognised by the American Kennel Club, the Goberian hasn’t been granted status by the organization.
Ranging from 20-24 inches in height and between 45 and 90 pounds in weight, the Golden Retriever Husky mix is a medium-sized cross breed.
In this article, we’ll hear about some of the pros and cons of Goberians from current owners.
The feature will include insights from Hudson (@hudson_the_goberian), Kona (@konathegoldenhusky) and Sully (@sully_the_goberian).
Pros

Hudson the Goberian (Photo: hudson_the_goberian / Instagram)
Mix Of Two Popular Breeds
If you love both Golden Retrievers and Siberian Huskies and you’re looking for a dog that encompasses traits of both breeds, Goberians could be the pooch for you. They’ll inherit both physical and personality characteristics from both Golden Retrievers and Siberian Huskies.
Hudson (@hudson_the_goberian) looks more like a Husky but has a Golden Retriever’s personality.
Hudson’s appearance is certainly more Husky. He has piercing blue eyes, a long curly tail, black and white coat, and thick tough paws. It is only when I see him standing next to a Golden that I realize the similarity in body type. Also, he is always smiling and has floppy ears, which he certainly gets from his golden half. As far as temperament, it’s almost all Golden. I’ve had Huskies in the past, and they are typical introverts and prefer personal space. Hudson has to be near humans at all time and loves to shove a tennis ball in your lap until you submit to play fetch. He is a social chameleon though. When playing with a Husky, he adapts to their mouthy neck biting play style, and with Goldens he flops around on the ground and lays belly up!
While being a relatively well-balanced mix between Golden Retrievers and Siberian Huskies, Kona (@konathegoldenhusky) has slightly more Golden Retriever characteristics.
I think most of the time we see a pretty even mix between the two breeds, but at times she might show more Golden traits. She is a very social, gentle, and affectionate dog and will always seek out attention from anybody around, which probably comes from the Golden Retriever side of her. However, she can also be very stubborn at times, especially when we want her to do something she doesn’t want to. This probably comes from her Husky side.
Sociable

Sully the Goberian (Photo: @sully_the_goberian / Instagram)
Goberians are usually social dogs that enjoy receiving affection and attention from family members and even strangers. It’s a well-known fact that Golden Retrievers are social dogs that enjoy being around people. Siberian Huskies can be a little more aloof but they can be outgoing once they’ve become acclimatised to situations. Based upon the Goberian owners that we spoke to for this feature, they tend to be more like Goldens than Huskies where social skills are concerned.
Sully’s owners joked that their Goberian wouldn’t make a great guard dog!
He certainly wouldn’t challenge a burglar….We’ve said many times he would make a great therapy dog as he thrives on attention and is gentle with strangers. Because he’s a bit different-looking people often stop to chat and he knows he can command attention by being cute and handsome, a winning combination!
Intelligent
Golden Retrievers are one of the smartest dog breeds in the world alongside the Poodle and the German Shepherd. While you won’t find Siberian Huskies in the top three, they’re still in the top 20 for the most-intelligent dogs in the world. Therefore Goberians are likely to be smart dogs, although there can be an underlying stubborn streak to keep their owners on their toes.
Sully is quick to learn new commands but can be stubborn at times.
He is smart. Super smart. And equally as stubborn! Teaching all the early basics was straight forward and he was potty trained in the first week at home. We opted to use crate training for sleep/ time-out as a pup and he was happy in there, but we graduated away from it at around 8 months as he proved himself to be a good boy if we left him alone for any length of time. He has a good recognition of lots of vocabulary and if he’s feeling compliant, he will do anything to please, but conversely if he’s not in the mood his hearing suddenly becomes selective and he will avoid eye contact. I think with the right training method and lots of patience you could teach them almost anything.
Adaptable And Loyal
As a cross breed, it’s no surprise that Goberians can be adaptable thanks to their versatile personalities. Golden Retrievers and Siberian Huskies are both adaptable and loyal dog breeds so Goberians will usually display these traits too. Both Hudson’s owners and Sully’s owners referenced the Goberian’s adaptability and loyalty in their interview for this article. Here’s more from Sully’s owners.
Their intuition as a medium-large breed means they are moulded by human behaviour and so a calm, structured household with good boundaries will bring a well-balanced dog over time, one who will fit perfectly given consistent guidance. He has displayed loyalty to us as his pack, with dad as his human of choice, and we are always amused at his tall, alert stance if he’s feeling a little unsure when out and about.
Family-Friendly Dogs

Hudson the Goberian (Photo: hudson_the_goberian / Instagram)
If you have kids or extended family with children, you’ll probably want to know whether Goberians can excel around younger members of the home. Golden Retrievers have a stellar reputation for being great family pets, while Siberian Huskies are loyal and protective of their fellow family members.
Hudson is gentle with children so makes an excellent family pet.
Extremely [family friendly]. Loves children and babies and is very delicate. He once passed a toddler and made sure to give them a gentle kiss on the face as he passed by. I don’t have children yet but I can promise he would be a fantastic family dog.
Kona has inherited excellent traits from the Golden Retriever and Siberian Husky.
Definitely! Kona is a very loving and social dog, but is also extremely loyal and protective. I think the Golden Husky breed combines excellent traits from both breeds that can lead to a great family dog. She’s also great with little kids!
Cons

Kona the Golden Husky (Photo: @konathegoldenhusky / Instagram)
Prey Drive/Recall
While Goberian are quick to learn new commands and intelligent dogs, there is one area of training that appears to be an Achilles heel for all Goberian owners – recall training. Siberian Huskies have a high prey drive and it’s a characteristic that Goberians can inherit. Therefore, it’s vital that Goberian owners work on recall so they can trust their dogs off leash.
Sully shed more light on this problem that most Goberian owners have experienced.
Prey-drive seems to be a hottest topic amongst Goberian owners and we’re prepared that he may never be fully trusted off leash around animal distractions, but is something we continue to work on while he’s young.
Effective recall is our only sticking point (the husky in him) and although we do sometimes let him off-leash, we are very selective about this and make sure there’s minimum likely distractions, though we don’t always get it right!
Hudson’s owners admitted that their dog’s recall is unpredictable.
He loves to be offleash in Central Park. His recall is temperamental. He displays the husky stubbornness every now and then.
Shedding

Sully the Goberian (Photo: @sully_the_goberian / Instagram)
It shouldn’t come as a surprise to learn that Goberians shed a lot considering both of their parents are big shedders. They’ve got a double coat that will shed to some degree all year round but the hair situation gets crazy during shedding season.
Sully’s owner gave her unique perspective of what she called Goberian Glitter.
Affectionately known as Goberian Glitter. Shedding didn’t start until he was six months, not too bad at first but then we had the first proper blow-out from March which lasted two months. I wasn’t mentally prepared for this and neither was my hoover. It’s a never-ending snowstorm at this point and even with daily brushing we had dust-bunnies of hair in every corner. I hoover the house 2-3 times a day and it’s full every time. Dinner isn’t dinner unless we have a couple of Sully hairs in it. They blow their coats twice a year so it’s a real consideration if you are houseproud, and shed to some degree all year round. That said, not all Goberians are seasonal heavy shedders, it’s the luck of the genetic draw.
Require Lots Of Exercise
This is probably another Goberian characteristic that won’t come as a surprise if you know anything at all about Golden Retriever and Siberian Husky parent breeds. Goberians require around 60 minutes of exercise a day as well as lots of mental stimulation to prevent destructive behaviours that are the result of boredom.
Kona will go a little stir-crazy without regular exercise.
We try to take her, at the very minimum, on a walk every day. If she doesn’t exercise for a day and is cooped up inside, she can get a little stir-crazy and will pace around the house. We love taking her outdoors on hikes, trips to the beach, and playdates with other dogs. These activities are crucial to her health and well-being.
Long Waiting Lists
While you’ll easily locate a Golden Retriever or a Siberian Husky breeder, Goberian breeders are a little tougher to find. You could start by checking your local rescue shelter for a Golden Retriever Husky mix before you start your search for a specific Goberian breeder.
Find a reputable breeder early, only a couple recognised to date in the UK that I’m aware of, and build up a relationship with them if you’re sure this breed is a good fit. Most likely you will need to go on a waitlist and be super patient. A good breeder will screen potential buyers thoroughly and prepare you for welcoming a Gobie pup into your life.
Separation Anxiety

Hudson the Goberian (Photo: hudson_the_goberian / Instagram)
Goberians can be prone to some separation anxiety with all three of our owners referencing this chronic canine disorder. Here’s Sully’s owner to share more about their experience.
I have to say yes, they can to some extent, but we attribute this to the early ‘working from home’ environment created by the pandemic and he therefore didn’t really know anything else. He appeared anxious when mum left the house for short periods as she’s the one that’s been home all of the time, whereas he’s used to the rest of the family coming and going. He would fret a little and just sit waiting at the window, it didn’t manifest into destructive or extreme behaviour, and we’ve overcome this more recently by leaving him for up to 4 hours alone on a few occasions to make it less stressful in the future. We have a doggy cam and he now just snoozes.