AboutMarcus Doyle Expertise Questions about the general breed and temperament of Siberian Huskies. Also, I have had great experience in training them to be, well, a little less crazy. Nothing is a substitute for good research and training, but Husky owners are a special breed, and I can help in passing along some of that information.
I do not breed my dogs, they are just companion animals. I encourage that breeding be left to professionals and members of the SHCA. The SHCA can provide great information in helping fellow breeders and I am unable to answer all but the most basic of questions regarding breeding.
Experience Own two pure-bred Siberian Huskies (Karnovanda). Casual owner, but a love and understanding of the breed can be helpful in getting to the right resources.
Expert: Marcus Doyle Date: 6/29/2008 Subject: Husky pup
Question Hi,
My family recently bought a 15 month old male Siberian Husky with little or no house training. My prmiary concern was over its diet as I have read conflicting articles about commercial food and raw food such as chicken and pork. Could you please advise me on what type of diet you reccommend and how much to give him each day.
Answer I would start with commercial food and if you decide to move into raw feeding, keep doing some research and make that decision for yourself. Raw feeding is rather involved, and while I see its benefits, I don't feel that the alternative (commercial dog food) is that detrimental, so I stick with commercial. To me, however, its a personal decision and I have nothing against either method.
For commercial dog food, you want a kibble that is high in protein (around 30%) and high in fat (around 20%) and a food with main ingredients that are meat based and not just filler grains. When you look at the ingredient list, you should see a majority of the first five ingredients or so being meats, oils, poultry, etc. A grain in there isn't a problem, but you probably don't want it to be the first ingredient, or more than one or two in that opening list.
I recommend going to the pet store and looking at some labels and going from there. I feed mine a performance puppy mix because it has the high protein and fat that they need (although they are far from puppies, one is almost five). As for amounts, it's tough to say because a lot depends on the caloric content of the food. However, my food is right at that 30/20 protein/fat measurement and they receive 1 cup of food per day. Your best bet, feed what the dog will eat in about 5 minutes or so twice a day. Keep this up for a week and watch the dog and monitor weight. You should adjust feeding then based on these things:
1) A 15 month old Sibe should be relatively done growing, so weight shouldn't fluctuate much.
2) You should be able to see a waistline and feel ribs relatively easily under the fur.
3) Stools should be firm - loose stools can be a sign of over feeding.
4) Activity level should be consistent.
Based on those factors, you may find that your dog needs a little more food, or maybe a little less.
Hope that helps some. Oh - and treats aren't a problem - mine love chicken jerky (dog style), peanut butter bones, and then the occasional piece of cheese or tidbit of yogurt.
