First, and perhaps most important, Siberian huskies are working dogs and are bred and live to RUN. They are escape artists that even Houdini would be proud of; they can figure out microscopic faults in your fencing system - if not just jump over it, or how to unlock the door to your house or the latch on their crate. They have no fear of cars or roads and will cross even the busiest of streets to get to that squirrel they saw or that dog on leash 500 yards away. For this reason, your husky must be securely confined (in the backyard) or on lead at all times, unless of course you are at a fenced in dog park. We refer to our backyard as a "compound" for this reason. Even if your backyard is considered a compound, your husky may, and most likely will, figure a way out of it (ours have) - their interest in the cat next door and/or their strong instinct to run and wander are just too powerful. And once they start running, they keep running. They are nomads by nature, and love to sniff out what's beyond that next hill or street. Your husky will need lots of excersize, a good rule of thumb is about 30 minutes of highly active excersize or play every other day - but this is just a minimum. Our dogs run us on our skates 4-miles a day, and still have energy to play with eachother when we all get home. Remember - a tired husky is a happy husky.
Because of their "wolf-like" appearance, many fall under the impression that Siberians are good watch and/or guard dogs. This is couldn't be FURTHER from the truth. Sure, they will guard a tree with a squirrel in it, a raw-hide they dug up, or perhaps a young child, but never to be trusted to guard your home. If you left your Siberian in charge you would most likely come home to a house rid of all food on the counter (from him countersurfing right after you left), rid of all of your beloved jewelry and belongings (from the burglar), and missing one husky who took the oppertunity to bolt when the burglar left the door open on the way out. They are more likely to show the stranger where all your valuables are in exchange for a treat or a belly rub than to guard your house. They are friendly with all people, and greet most anybody with the enthusiasm of a long lost friend they haven't seen in years. This overeggagerated greeting from your husky, with the combination of his appearance - especially if you have multiple huskies - would perhaps be the only detterant. If you are looking for a guard dog or a watch dog - a Siberian Husky is not for you.
Siberian Huskies, like all dogs, are pack animals. Their pack dynamics and instincts are stong, and you must do your research first and be willing to become your husky's confident and trustworthy ALPHA. If you don't, your husky will take over the alpha position, and will make your life miserable. Just like humans have a language to communicate, so do dogs, and you must definetly think like your husky and use language and actions he understands to communicate successfully. A good idea is to read up on how to become your dogs Alpha, and by using Alpha training techniques described here. On a side note, huskies also thrive in the company of other dogs, so if you are looking for just one dog - perhaps the Siberian Husky is not for you. They need to be a part of your family, and will simply not tolerate being left outside while their "pack" is inside having fun. They need their pack to live, to trust, to be with, and to love and be loved, and must be an important member of the family.
Huskies are extremely intelligent. At an early age your husky will recognize 500-1000 words, and will understand body language better than any human possibly could. Mushers throughout time have put their life's trust in their lead dog, who would purposefully disobey in order to steer clear of breaking ice, or go the opposite way to avoid sailing off a cliff the musher does not see. Although their intelligence is high, they are also very free-spirited and have a strong will. It is because of this free-spirited intelligence that huskies are known to not excel in obedience (though I have known many that have!). If your husky does not see a need to sit or to come, he simply wont. They, like us humans, need motivation to do good. Obedience training is absolutely necessary with this breed. Not only will it reinforce your position as alpha, but it will make both of your lives easier.
Siberian Huskies DIG. And they are really good at it, too. I have heard many people who have shared their lives with huskies for years describe their backyards as picture perfect landscapes of the moon. After 3-years with my huskies I have to admit my crater filled yard is exactly the same. It is their instinct to dig, and although some have succesfully curbed the digging to an extent, it can never be fully eliminated. It is just like their instinct to run, the need to dig is bred right into them, as their survival on cold nights would depend on digging themselves snow caves and resting inside from the harsh weather conditions. Just like some take pride in their backyard landscaping, a Siberian Husky takes great pride in his - and his landscaping ideas might be extremely different from yours. If you are a landscape fanatic, and are not willing to give your husky a place for him to do his own landscaping, then a husky is not for you.
UNDER CONTRUCTION!!