Siberian Husky is a medium-sized and very charming dog. Dog lovers who want to own a Husky are curious about its size, growth, and weight. It is essential to have such knowledge so they can plan better the diet of the dog.
A medium-sized male Siberian Husky can weigh between 44 to 65 pounds and 21 to 24 inches tall. A female Husky can weigh between 35 to 50 pounds and 20 to 22 inches tall. However, there are exceptions, and this breed can grow to large and giant sizes.
In this article, I will guide everything you need to know about the size, growth, and weights of the Siberian Husky. So, you can make better decisions on whether this breed is for you or not. Or it can help you to better plan for their dietary needs.
Typical Growth Curve of Siberian Huskies
The typical growth curve of Siberian Huskies is shown in the table below. It will help the Husky owners to track the expected growth of their dog.
Siberian Huskies Growth Curve
This table should be considered as only a guideline. Every dog is different and Siberian Huskies have a wide variation in their weight.
In general, male Siberian Huskies grew for around 24 months can achieve a weight of about 65 pounds for a medium-sized dog. However, female Huskies are lighter than male Huskies and weigh about 50 pounds.
Average Height of Siberian Huskies
Siberian Huskies are medium-sized dogs. The large and giant sizes are occasionally observed. Therefore, do not expect them to grow to massive heights.
However, despite their medium size, this breed possesses a high amount of energy and can match the energy levels of any big dog.
The height of the Siberian Huskies depends on the quality of the food you are feeding. The height range of the male Husky is around 54 to 60 cm and the female Husky around 50 to 56 cm.
Obesity in Siberian Huskies
You will not come across an obese Siberian Husky in your daily routine. Because this breed is very active. They possess high energy levels and can play for a whole day. However, this breed can become obese.
The biggest reasons for the obesity issue in Siberian Huskies are:
Ignorance by the dog owner
Improper diet
No space for playing
Boredom factor
Not enough toys
Ignorance by the dog owner
When dog owners indulge too much in their busy routines, they are not able to give the required time to their pups. Siberian Huskies are the attention grabbers and require at least 2 hours a day with their owners.
This breed required assistance from the owners for many tasks, like going for a walk, playing Frisbee and football, etc. However, when the owners failed to fulfill this requirement, the dog is unable to release its energy.
The energy storage accumulates a lot of energy in the body, which can create frustration in the dog. As a consequence of this frustration, the dog is unable to perform other tasks as well. This results in an inactive Husky, which becomes obese overtime.
Improper diet
Siberian Huskies require a very premium diet because they eat very less. This premium diet should be rich in nutrients so that it can provide maximum energy to the dog. The digestive system of the Husky is designed to process the high quality of diet.
If you are not feeding the premium food, the digestive system fails to process the food in time. It makes the dog slower, and they are unable to perform the essential exercise to keep them fit.
The consistency of the improper diet can cause your dog to become inactive. They become a couch potato and ultimately get fat.
No space for playing
Siberian Huskies require very little space to play. These dogs can adjust in small apartments and can manage the activities in even small areas. However, it does not mean that you should not provide them any space at all and leave the Husky on its own to find a paly area.
Many people who are living in small apartments or houses do not care for the exercise need of their Husky. This dog requires some amount of space to perform the daily task. For example, in a big house, they can manage in the backyard and a small house they can even play in the small room.
You should consider this factor and provide at least some space to your Siberian Husky to release their energy if you are not providing a sufficient place for the play. This dog can easily become inactive, which leads to the obesity issue, which is not suitable for their health.
Boredom factor
This breed can quickly get bored with repetitive activities. Running is the only activity that remains evergreen for Huskies. And everything else should be innovative over time.
If the dog owner is unable to take Husky out for a walk, it can cause boredom in the Huskies. This breed was born to live outdoors, and spending all the time indoors can have adverse effects on its health. The indoor activates must be innovative with time to keep your Husky entertained.
If that is not the case, the dog might stop taking part in those activities. This can lead to an inactive dog, which causes obesity problems in Siberian Huskies.
Not enough toys
Just like physical activities, mental activities are also an essential part of a dog’s grooming. Siberian Husky is a very smart breed, and it can quickly solve the puzzles and mind games.
Based on their mental capabilities, it is recommended to provide them as many toys as possible. Because once the game is solved, it might not attract the Husky again. It can make them bore to play the same game over and over again.
Toys and mental games help Huskies to burn the calories indoors. However, dog owners do not pay attention to it, which causes the dog to become inactive. It can lead to the obesity issue.
4 Easy Tips to Help a Siberian Husky to Lose Weight
Siberian Huskies were bred to face freezing climatic conditions. They required fitness to cover long distances at such harsh temperatures. They require the right amount of diet along with regular exercise to remain healthy and keep their fitness.
The best way to check whether your Husky is fit or not is to run your hands over its sides. If you feel you cannot feel the rib easily, then your Husky is overweight. Check if the waistline of the dog is visible or not. If you cannot see it, then your dog is obese.
In such cases, you must help your dog to lose some weight to live a healthy life. You can use the following techniques to make your Siberian Husky fit again:
Provide them a healthy diet
Reevaluate the treats
Keep track of food intake
Dog food chart
Provide them a healthy diet
Siberian Huskies require a meager amount of food; however, they require premium food quality. This food must provide the correct amount of nutrients to maintain their physical stamina. This breed requires a high amount of amino acids and proteins.
Therefore, meat and plant foods should be an essential part of their diet. You also have to add vitamins, minerals, and fats to provide a well-balanced diet. Whenever you are purchasing food for your Husky, check the labels yourself, whether it contains the essential nutrients required for your dog or not.
Always purchase from a reputable vendor. Many food brands provide food for the specific stages of a dog like pregnant, puppies, and overweight. These categories make your decision even easier because the brand itself takes care of which nutrients to be provided to an overweight dog.
Therefore, Husky owners should take out some time to focus on the diet of their dog. This can lead to the dramatic transition of an obese dog to a fit one.
Reevaluate the treats
Giving treats to your dog is the easiest way to train your dog and make them obey you. However, it can also be disastrous for your dog if you are feeding them the wrong kind of treats. Remove the treats from the diet of your overweight Husky as soon as possible.
If your Husky only agrees to train if you treat him, then you can use the dog’s kibble as a substitute for the treat. This way, you can reduce the amount of calorie intake. You must plan the diet in such a way that some portion of daily food intake becomes part of the treat.
In this way, you can control the diet without spoiling the mood of the dog. This dog breed was bred as a working dog. So, it is their temperament to earn food. You can capitalize on it by making a habit of getting the food only after they perform exercise or work.
Keep track of food intake
It is crucial to track your dog’s daily food intake. If you use to free feed your Husky, then probably it would have become obese. Try to lower the amount of food gradually, i.e., ½ cup increments.
Keep lowering the amount until your Husky starts losing weight. In this way, you will get to know the right amount of food to feed so that your Husky can lose weight. Do not feed the daily meal in one go. Divide it into 2 to 3 chunks for a whole day.
Dividing the meal gives relief to their stomach, and it does not put pressure on it. It allows your Husky to get hungry. Once your Husky achieves the desired weight, keep the diet consistent.
It is essential to track the weight and the amount of intake afterward because it can again become obese at a much faster rate.
Therefore, reaching an ideal weight is half success. Maintaining weight is also an equally challenging task, which is achievable through consistent feeding and tracking the health of your dog.
Dog food chart
Just like humans, Husky’s food intake depends on the amount of exercise. Therefore, it is recommended to feed the Husky based on its weight as well as daily activity levels.
It is recommended to use dog food charts, which are specially designed for each dog breed. You can find the dog food chart for Huskies on the internet or from the pet food stores.
You can consult with the vet before following the dog food chart. Because the dog food chart provides you rough estimates, if your dog is old and cannot do any exercise, then you should avoid following such charts and consult with the vet to change the dog food.
Underweight Siberian Huskies
Just like overweight in Huskies is a problem, being underweight is also not acceptable. Low weight is a common problem in dogs, and Siberian Huskies are also prone to it.
If the dog is facing such drastic weight loss, then there are some severe problems related to its diet and daily routine, which you must look after.
An underweight dog is more noticeable if they are performing tasks equal to standard weight dogs. Such a situation is alarming for the dog owner because the dog is consuming more energy as compared to calorie intake.
Therefore, in such cases, dog owners should take some essential steps to keep their Huskies healthy and fit.
There are several reasons for a Siberian Huskey being underweight:
Poor Diet
Excess Physical Activities
Diseases
Parasites
Although a low-quality diet can make your Husky lazy, and they are prone to become obese. However, there are some exceptions where the dog does not accept to sit idle and keeps its daily exercise routine.
They do not receive essential nutrients to balance the exercise. This results in loss of muscles, and the dog becomes underweight. This situation of dog is very alarming because it can become prone to many diseases with such low weight.
They do not have the energy to keep themselves fighting against possible dog diseases. Because the immune system of the dog also becomes weak with weight loss.
Stomach diseases are common in many dog breeds. Siberian Huskies are prone to it because they have a very sensitive digestive system. If you provide an excess amount of low quality of food, Huskies cannot process it in their digestive system.
This ultimately results in many stomach diseases. The Husky is unable to eat any more food and perform any physical activity. Hence, they lose weight drastically.
You need to monitor the weight of your dog carefully. If the weight is below the normal range of the consult with the vet, he can advise the essential nutrients which should be part of Husky’s diet.
You should closely observe the activity level of your Husky. Being a highly energetic dog, Husky can play all day. However, excess play can negatively affect their health, and they can lose weight drastically. So, a balanced diet, along with a balanced exercise, is essential for a healthy Husky.
My Final Thoughts
Siberian Husky is a medium-sized dog, and the weight range is between 50 to 65 pounds. Despite being a medium-sized dog, this breed can easily match the energy levels of larger dogs. However, the energy level also brings some challenges related to their weight and health.
Dog owners usually do not pay much attention to the weight of their dog until it becomes very noticeable. An obese Husky does not mean a healthy one. It can cause many health problems for your dog. The negligence of their owners mostly causes obesity in Siberian Huskies.
This breed requires the premium quality of the food, which can provide the right amount of nutrients. The poor quality of food can cause problems in the digestive system because it is difficult for the dog to process it.
You have to pay attention to your dog by taking them out for a walk and providing them enough toys, so they do not get bored.
Help your Husky to obtain an ideal weight by making changes in their diet and physical activities. You must keep track of their daily calorie intake and the level of activities they perform. Both the under and overweight Siberian Huskies are unfit to perform different tasks.
This can cause many health problems for the dog. The best way is to consult with the vet to better evaluate the situation of your dog.
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