Princess, typical Husky, has never behaved like a typical petting dog. I'm told this is normal and common for her breed. They show their affection by gently biting you -as if to say "you see I could hurt you, but I won't"- and keeping track of you. But they do not tend to come up for cuddles.
The way you show your love back is by having them run, taking them walking, running, chasing rabbits and all sorts of activities. Then, training them to work with you, using positive reinforcement of course. Princess loves it, and once tired, she'll accept some petting. Always on her own terms, and it is not rare for her to leave after a few seconds. I am a pack leader to her, not a petting machine. Let's not confuse the roles!
Many husky owners compare this behavior to that of cats. We definitely see Princess being cat-like in her petting preferences. She'll even bob her head down to avoid pets if she doesn't feel like it.
Eventually, older huskys tend to mellow out, but I've been told by other owners that tends to happen much later in life, and Princess is still much too energetic and young for that.
Enter Rob and Yuki. They are our friends and dock neighbors at the beginning of the dock here in Blaine. First time Princess met Yuki, she just fell in love and sought endless pets and rubs. They became friends and Yuki comes down to Enfin daily to visit with Princess, sits down on the dock and pets her for ages. Princess appears to be in heaven, and just melts away, ears down, totally relaxed. It's a pleasure to watch.
We also all go walking together, and Princess will always pull me hard towards Rob and Yuki's boat to check on them.
As a result Princess has become more mellow, and is seeking our company more often. Where she'd happily spend all day outside, she now comes in and seeks my company and pets. Basically she's becoming a dog!
Great thanks to Yuki for her magical touch with Princess. I know we'll all miss both of you when we leave, but we will always remember how we now have a dog!