Husky - weight - 7 mos.

Question
Hi.  I've got a Siberian who is just a few days shy of 7 months old.  We got him at 11 weeks old and he was around 12-15 pounds.  He's in great health, but I am curious about his size.  He weighs just under 50 pounds, and from what I've read that seems like quite a bit at this age.  He is in great shape - not at all overweight.  He is supposedly "purebred" (we have all of his papers), but he was originally from a pet store (we got him from a family friend who had him for a week and wasn't prepared for a husky puppy) and I realize his pedigree could be less than reliable.  Do you think he is doing his growing early? Or, do I just have a big husky on my hands?

Answer
Often times pet stores get dogs from mills, and mills often try to "beef" up there dogs (bigger is better).  This actually is why dogs in the US such as German Shepherds are often bigger than their European counterparts.  So, you may just have a large Sibe.  On the other side, Sibes are generally approachiong 60-70% of their weight by this age, and usually are at about 80% by a year old.  While this would put the dog nearing 75+ lbs, you may have a dog that hit a growth spurt early.  Check his height (measured at the shoulders), which should be about 21-23 inches.  If he is bigger than that, you probably have a large Sibe, if not, you might just have a muscular one that hit an early growth spurt.