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A couple questions about my husky puppy

20 9:11:58

Question
I have a few questions about my husky puppy.  I rescued him from the local shelter after a breeder abandoned his litter and his parents.  

1.  How big will he get.  I know the average size for a male is 35-60lbs or there so.  He is 19 weeks old and currently weighs 30 pounds.  He isn't over weight and like most huskys doesn't eat unless he is hungry. Can anyone give me an idea on how big he may get and when huskys are considered mature.

2.  He has an extremely sensitive stomach. Has anyone had any kind of experience with this in huskys.    I rescued him from the shelter when he was eight weeks old and the next day at the vet he tested positive for parvo.  Thankfully he made a full recovery after almost 8 days of intensive care by my vet. I'm not sure if the parvo is to blame although the vet said dogs that survive parvo make a full recovery with no side effects, or if it is his diet. I have tried several premium puppy foods and currently the vet and myself are at a lose.  He is currently being fed Blue Buffalo Lamb and Rice puppy.

3. Final question I promise.  He likes to bite, a lot! Although he is playing he is getting bigger and now its starting to hurt and occasionally he is breaking the skin.  We are currently taking obedience classes but he still hasn't learned to stop biting.  Will he grow out of this?  My boxer puppy was never this bad about biting.  

Sorry for all the questions. Any help you could give me on these questions would be greatly appreciated.

Answer
1)  It sounds like the dog is on the large size, but telling size as an adult is tough because dogs, just like humans, go through different growth spurts and a 19 week old dog might have already gone through a big jump, and another might not have hit a "spurt" at all.  My guess is that you will have a dog that is going to end up somewhere around 75 lbs or so, but that's completely a guess.  As for his eating, sounds like he's fine.  And usually Siberians finish growing in height around 9 months old and fill out their bodies at around 12 months.  At one year they are considered "adults" usually.

2) Unfortunately this is tough one to say, but not uncommon, especially with dogs who have experienced medical problems as a pup.  Interestingly enough, I've heard several cases of Siberians having sensitive stomachs that can be cured with higher fat/protein contents in their diets.  You might want to see how he does with some meat supplements (ground beef is usually a good and cheap supplement).  Is he throwing up or is it causing diarrhea?  If it is him throwing up, is it actual kibble or just bile?

3) As for biting - here's a response that should help that I've written before:

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First, it is important to understand that dogs bite for two reasons: play and defense/aggression.  Nipping and leaving red marks (and possibly breaking the skin now and then) is a normal sign of play.  Siberians are well known for being an extremely playful breed, and also are well known for being very rambunctious when they play.  This nipping is typical.

So, now that you understand that the dog is "playing" it should help you redirect the behavior.  I personally encourage the playful interaction.  Since dogs associate with their world through their mouths, and is the main way that they play, I think it shows a strong bond that the dog wants to play with an owner.  So, rather than stop it, you have to set-up rules around the play.  Once those rules are established, dogs generally have pretty quick time understanding and following the rules.  Here's what I suggest:

First, get a pair of thick leather gloves.  Ray Allen Manufacturing makes some, but you can also go to a hardware store and look for some really thick ones.  I've also had luck finding leather welding gloves.  They aren't cheap, but they last a long time and it's worth it for the dog.  Next, put the gloves on and wrestle and play with your dog.  The bites won't go through the gloves, and if the dog bites too hard and the pressure hurts, correct the dog.  When play time is over (your decision), take the gloves off and put them away.  If the dog tries to continue to bite/play, correct the dog.  Soon, the dog will understand that gloves on equals playtime, gloves off means no.

As for the correction, it's a simple strong "NO!" and removing yourself from the situation.  If the dog persists, a quick grab of the neck can also be effective.  For the first few weeks, if the dog nips at you, immediately go get the gloves.  This will also help teach the dog that means play.  To this day, my dog (at 3 years old, and we started this method with her at 11 weeks old) will come up and bite my hand gently.  I then go get the gloves and we wrestle.
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Feel free to write back with more information or you have additional questions.