Weight

Question
Hello. I have a 3 month old female husky and 2 month old male. i just want to ask what's the ideal weight. Their weight as of the moment is about 11 lbs. Are they underweight? i am just afraid that i didn't get a pure breed husky. Thanks

Answer
Mark - this is tough to say, but here's a copy of a previous answer on someone concerned about a 6 month old husky's weight:

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This is actually impossible to answer because there are too many factors to consider.  First, if the dog is bred to the "standard" there is at least a starting point.  Generally, an adult female husky should weigh about 35-50 lbs.  Siberians usually are full grown and developed around 14-18 months of age.  If the dog is not bred to the SHCA standard, then it's really tough to guage.

Now, the other, more important problem is that dogs, much like humans, grow at different rates.  You may have a 6 month old husky that has hit a growth spurt and weighs more than a 7 month old that hasn't.  It's all just how the dog grows individually.

However, to answer your question a little better, there are a few things you can do:

1) Rib test - you should be able to feel the dog's ribs without much trouble (once you get past the fur).  You should not be able to see them.  This gives you a good idea of how healthy and lean the dog is.

2) Waist - you should see a pronounced slope from the rib cage to the hips in the dog.  This, coupled with the rib test, helps you keep an eye on the weight of the dog in relation to their body frame.

3) Weight - as a puppy, you should see a steady increase in weight from week to week.  Plateaus and even an occasional loss are ok, but overall, the weight should be steadily increasing.

4) Feeding - puppies usually require more and more food until about 6-8 months of age, and then they slowly require less and less - usually ending up on a regular schedule somewhere around 12-14 months of age.  My dogs ate four times as much around 7 months old than they do now to give you an idea of the amount of feeding difference.

5) Stool consistency.  Dog digestive systems are rather sensitive at times, and you can keep an eye on the dog's intake somewhat by what she leaves behind.  Loose or runny stools is often a sign of over-feeding.

6) Activity level.  A 6 month old Sibe should be fairly active, and food is in direct correlation to that activity level.  Lethargic, tired puppies are sometimes the result of under-feeding.

7) Hunger - most dogs will let you know if they are still hungry.  And, as a whole, Sibes are pretty good at self-regulation.  If the dog is asking for more food at this age, chances are she may need it.

Between those 7 things, hopefully that gives you an idea of where to go with feeding.  Unfortunately, there are just too many differences in development to give you a good idea overall.  However, my female dog was around 25-30 lbs. at this age.  As an adult, she is on the larger side of the standard, weighing in right at about 50 lbs.  Hope that helps some and feel free to write back with more questions.
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Males are generally in the 45-60 lbs. range, but sounds like right now at 11 lbs. or so they are in the right range.  As for being a pure bred, I don't think that's anything you can really tell from weight unless they were huge at this age.

Hope that helps some, but feel free to write back with more questions.