Husky Puppy feeding

Question
Hey im picking up a 7 week old puppy this weekend and i was wondering how
much and when to feed the puppy through out the day.  Do you recomend raw
food, or dog food.  If raw food, what should i be feeding him and how much and
often.   
thanks
jack

Answer
I personally recommend high quality kibble with meat supplements, but that's what I've found works best for my dogs.  Amounts will increase as they age, and then taper off and decline as they approach a year.  You're general guidelines are as follows:

1) Feed the dog 2 or 3 times per day (3 is best for young pups, but they can get by on 2 - although I recommend 3 until they are about 12 weeks)

2) Feed only as much as the dog will eat in about 5 minutes

3) Monitor stool consistency - loose stools can be a sign of over-feeding.  Although with puppies, it's common for them to have a little problem now and then, but if it is always runny, and the dog is up to date on shots and worming, you are probably feeding a little much.

4) Maintain the "rib test" (should feel ribs without much difficulty)

With all that, you should have a guideline.  Keep in mind that Siberians have very efficient metabolisms and shouldn't need near what the "bag" recommends.  I feed my dogs a total of one cup of food per day now (as adults), although as puppies they slowly increased from about one cup to 3-4 cups at around 6 months, and then back down to one by about 12 months (bell curve).

The amount of food is dependent on quality though, and to give you an idea, one writer asked if 6 cups of food per day was too much for her 6 month old Sibe.  However, the number of calories from the food I fed my dogs at that age was actually more - and they only had 4 cups.  So, keep an eye on the dog and activity level, and that should be your best guide.  If you are completely lost, your breeder is a good start as well, and the bag's recommendations, while high, will show you the idea of how to increase food . . . just keep in mind that they are often about twice as much as the dog really needs.

Hope that helps some and feel free to write back if you have more questions.  If you are interested in raw feeding, there are several groups out there that can help out - Google raw or BARF (bones and raw food).