The defining characteristics of the breed are its natural, primitive appearance, its highly developed work ethic, and its affectionate, cooperative, and highly bonded nature. They are highly efficient in their use of food, eating relatively little but requiring very high-quality nutrition that is rich in animal protein, animal fat, and fish oil. Health issues for the breed are those common to all northern breeds, such as allergies, cancer and eye problems. They are generally robust and healthy, living twelve to sixteen years, usually working well in harness up to ten or eleven years of age. Like other northern breeds, they shed their coats hugely once or twice a year, cannot safely be allowed to run free off leash, and love to hunt small game. They are capable racing sled dogs, particularly in mid-distance events, although perhaps not as speedy as world-class Alaskan huskies or pointer-crossed hybrids. Although they appear to the inexperienced eye to be rather small and lightly built for sled dogs, actually they are far more efficient pullers than some larger northern breeds. Seppalas are known for their extremely smooth and well-coordinated gait and for the consistency and strength with which they pull in harness. Agouti "wild type" coloration and piebald spotting are common. “Sable” reds with black-tipped guard hairs and black noses occur, but the liver-nosed “copper” phase seen in other lines of Siberian Huskies is unknown in pure Seppalas. There are many varied shades of grey, brownish grey, and blue-grey. Others are very dark, black, or charcoal grey with dark faces and white only on the feet and tail tip. Many Seppalas are pure white or buff and white. The tail is held high in a sickle curve over the back when alert, never "snapped" flat to the back or curling down the flank. Their ears are taller, set close together and strongly erect, the "stop" of the head less well-defined than that of Siberian Huskies.
Pure-strain Seppalas have dense, smooth coats of medium length with an undercoat nearly as long as the guard hairs. Seppalas of today differ markedly from many other Siberian Husky bloodlines in physical appearance, being in general less flashily marked, longer in leg and body length, and lighter in weight and physical build than most Siberian Husky show dog lines.
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