Known for their unique and beautiful appearance, a Siberian Husky is a sought-after breed that originated from the Chukchi Tribe of Siberia, hence, the name. Formerly sled dogs, they’re now commonly found in most pet lovers’ homes.
This medium-sized workaholic, like most breeds, is prone to certain illnesses if they are not fed properly by their owner. The importance of knowing the right amount of food for your Siberian Husky will be felt during their adulthood. They’ll easily fight illnesses and handle weight issues if you feed them properly.
With that said, how exactly do you feed your Siberian Husky puppy properly? How much should you feed them and how often? We will answer your Husky-related questions in this article.
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How much to feed a Siberian Husky puppy?
A set of 3 meals a day (with 2 cups of food a day, divided into these meals) will be sufficient for a Siberian Husky puppy, on average. However, this number will change depending on various factors, such as:
- age (in months or weeks)
- physical activity
- food brand
- food ingredients
- any known food allergies
- hunger levels
- metabolism
- growth spurts
Usually, it’s not too difficult for a Siberian Husky puppy to maintain weight since they tend to be picky eaters. They will not voraciously gobble everything on their plate since they are a working breed, by nature. When taken care of properly, any pet owner won’t likely have an overweight Husky.
Feeding Schedule
Scheduled meals are important to avoid overfeeding your Siberian Husky. With that said, the Husky isn’t a gobbler so they won’t be a problem, but we’d like to list down a common feeding schedule that’s recommended per age milestone of your Siberian Husky:
Birth to 4 weeks old
Nursing is the only food of your Siberian Husky puppy during the early stages of life. They cannot be weaned just yet because they need all of the nutrition that they can get from their mom. With that said, they could also begin some small physical activities by 3 weeks of age.
At 4 weeks old, you can start introducing your Siberian Husky pup to solid food. Mix 1/4 puppy food (preferably wet or canned) and 3/4 water, which should be free-fed to your Siberian Husky puppy.
They will still be nursed during this time but keep in mind that early training results in a faster weaning process. However, don’t force them to eat early as every Siberian Husky pup develops differently in their way.
5 to 6 weeks old
The weaning process continues with your Siberian Husky puppy by the 5th week. Offer the food mixture around 3 to 4 times a day but take it out after 20 minutes of inactivity. This limited amount of time has two benefits:
- You’re training your puppy to eat only when they are hungry
- You’re developing habits for your puppy to eat in schedules
- You’re keeping the food from going bad
This period of puppyhood still revolves around nursing so it’s okay if your Siberian Husky pup doesn’t eat much of the food mixture. Always remember that the weaning process is not a walk in the park. At 6 weeks old, you can reduce the water content to only 1/4 and make the food 3/4 of the mixture.
7 to 8 weeks old
During this time, your Siberian Husky pup will still be nursed, but not like before. Offer the mixture at least 3 to 4 times a day and maintain at least 2 cups of food, portioned into separate meals.
The mother will most likely nurse her litter while standing up, which indicates the end of the weaning process and the separation from the pups. By 8 weeks of age, the Siberian Husky is ready for adoption, by which the new owner should feed their pup 3 times a day.
To know your puppy’s ideal food intake per day, you can consult our growth chart below to see if your puppy is either too heavy or too thin for its age.
9 to 10 weeks old
By the 9th week, try increasing the daily food intake of your Siberian Husky puppy from 2 to 2.5 cups, especially if they are usually active or sporty. By this time, they should be completely eating solid food, whether you want to go for wet/canned or dry/kibble (be sure to look for puppy-appropriate food).
At 10 weeks old, continue to give your Siberian Husky puppy their daily rations in 3 separate meals, ensuring that each portion is equal to the others.
11 to 12 weeks old
This is the period of puppyhood where your Siberian Husky pup could get a little destructive in terms of behavior and eating habits. Make sure you feel your puppy’s waist for extra fat and determine whether or not they should cut down on the food and/or treats.
At 12 weeks old, the Siberian Husky puppy will lose their milk teeth, which means they’ll need tooth-friendly food, such as canned or moist meals. Keep the portions to 3 meals a day for your Siberian Husky puppy but reduce it to 2 meals once your pup turns 1 year old.
Growth Chart
Knowing the weight of your Siberian Husky puppy is crucial to let you know whether they are overweight, underweight, or just right for their age. To help you determine this, here’s a growth chart that has different weight ranges per gender of the Siberian Husky puppy, their corresponding age, and recommended weight.
Age (months) | Male Siberian Husky puppy weight | |
Minimum weight | Maximum weight | |
2 | 10 lbs. | 15 lbs. |
3 | 23 lbs. | 30 lbs. |
6 | 33 lbs. | 43 lbs. |
9 | 40 lbs. | 53 lbs. |
12 | 43 lbs. | 57 lbs. |
15 | 45 lbs. | 60 lbs. |
Age (months) | Female Siberian Husky puppy weight | |
Minimum weight | Maximum weight | |
2 | 8 lbs. | 12 lbs. |
3 | 18 lbs. | 30 lbs. |
6 | 26 lbs. | 36 lbs. |
9 | 33 lbs. | 46 lbs. |
12 | 34 lbs. | 49 lbs. |
15 | 35 lbs. | 50 lbs. |
FAQs on Feeding a Siberian Husky Puppy
Here are the most commonly asked questions on feeding a Siberian Husky puppy:
What kind of food is best for Siberian Husky puppies?
Siberian Husky puppies best work with canned, kibble, or raw/cooked food. Here are the benefits and drawbacks of each food types:
1. Wet or canned food
You can serve various meat products to your Siberian Husky puppy because, in nature, they’ve descended from the wolves that often feast on prey.
Consider canned food for your Siberian Husky that contains not just meat, but also other veggies and plants. That’s because in nature, most wild animals, including wolves and jungle cats, might pick up a little bit of grass to balance their digestive system.
Wet food is a little pricier than kibble but it has fewer carbohydrates, which means more protein content for your puppy, resulting in stronger muscles and fewer weight issues. Wet foods are the best for Siberian Husky puppies due to their picky eater nature.
2. Kibble or dry food
Many pet owners find kibble as the cheapest option, especially if you live in a multi-dog home. At the same time, if you live near the ocean or in a humid place where food gets spoiled very fast, kibble is your best choice as compared to wet food that goes bad quickly.
However, when choosing kibble for your Siberian Husky, consider a brand that doesn’t put fillers or preservatives in its ingredients. Look for at least 20% to 40% of meat on the kibble’s composition.
3. Raw/cooked food
If you want to steer clear of preservatives and fillers, why not try raw and/or cooked meals at home? Just be sure to get your vet’s advice because buying and preparing your food for your puppy manually means that you have to balance out the nutrient content to keep your pup healthy.
My Siberian Husky puppy won’t eat. What should I do?
Siberian Husky puppies are notorious for being picky eaters and becoming quickly disinterested in food. For example, if they’ve eaten something and either it tasted bad or it gave them stomach problems, they’ll probably quickly stay away from it, regardless of the brand.
With that said, if your Siberian Husky doesn’t eat for a while, you can consult your vet right away to rule out any underlying causes as to why your pup has a poor appetite.
While people often worry that their puppy could be sick, which causes the lack of appetite, there are cases when it’s simply their dental problems surging in. In other cases, a Siberian Husky puppy could also be stressed with their environment and refuses to eat until they’ve calmed down and gotten used to their new home.
However, when all of the serious troubles have been ruled out, it may simply be the common case of a picky eater. A simple remedy to this is to add kibble to your wet/canned food or your moist food (cooked or raw). This will help their taste buds to tingle a little bit, especially with the flavorful juices of wet food, especially if they’ve always been on a kibble diet.