Husky Novice

Question
I'm new to the husky world... my wife and I just got one because we were looking for a kind, big dog for our first one and we found one that needed a new home. I have a couple of concerns. One is that he is pretty skinny, even though he's only a year old... but we think maybe he's the runt of his litter. He doesn't eat much but we feel we should beef him up. What is the best food to feed a husky, and how often? We've been giving him wet and dry food twice a day.

Second, his previous owner gave us an 8 foot tall cage that is about 10 feet long, and he has broken out of it twice. I saw another answer that said this is normal... but does that mean it's unnecessary? We bought him a good sized dog house and I hate to see it go to waste. Please inform me.

Thanks!

Answer
Weight issues are tough to deal with over email, but here's the general guideline - it depends on his height.  According to the AKC standard, males should be 21-23.5 inches in height (measured at the shoulder) and about 45-60 lbs.  If your dog was bred to the standard, this is a good guideline.  But keep in mind, each dog is different, and muscle tone, bone structure, and age are all factors.  Also, a dog at 12 months of age is coming out of his "teenage" years and will sometimes, much like humans, be a little gawky looking at times when his body has grown, but his muscle mass hasn't caught up.

Some good guidelines:

1) You should be able to easily feel the ribs and spine, but not see them.

2) The dog's stools should be consistent and firm - over-feeding (and underfeeding for that matter) can cause loose stools.

3) Keep in mind that Siberians thrive on high protein (and high fat) diets.  But they don't need a lot.

To give you an example, my dogs are both 4 years of age and receive 1 cup (yes, one measuring cup) of food per day plus a small supplement of meat 3-4 times per week.  The food however, is super-premium puppy food with higher fat and protein content.  They don't need much, so keep that in mind.  If you are really concerned, feel free to send a picture.  How often to feed is personal preference plus dog preference.  As an adult dog (1 year+) they only NEED to be fed once per day, but I find that my dogs do better with twice a day.  In any case, just divide up the meals as it works best for you and your dog.  Look for high quality kibbles with protein and fat analysis of 20-30%, and feel free to add in some meat as well for special treats.

As for the cage . . . well . . . Siberians are master escape artists and can be trouble in this regard.  I have a 6 foot wood privacy fence with an electric "hot" wire at the bottom to prevent digging.  The thing is, if the dog WANTS to get out, they are ingenious at finding ways to do so.  Neutering the dog can help, but it doesn't fix the desire to run and play.  And when you have a dog that was bred to run 100 miles a day . . . it's tough to keep them confined.  Unfortuantely, some dogs just don't like the cage (or dog houses for that mattter).  If you feel that it is best to use it, find the escape routes and start fixing them.  Then, when he finds another one, fix that one too!  :)  The key is, anytime a Siberian is outside, he either needs to be secured or on lead . . . they will run off otherwise in many cases.

Hope that helps some and feel free to write back if you have any more concerns or would like to send a picture.