How Much Should a Husky Puppy Eat? (Week By Week)

Siberian huskies are playful and robust dogs that have been trained to work and carry light loads. Despite being beautiful, they are super intelligent and are built for speed and power. Consequently, they have special diet requirements to help them keep fit and healthy. Even so, they don’t require a heavy diet like other dogs.

Feeding a husky puppy can be dauting especially to a new owner since they require age-appropriate food. These puppies have a fast metabolism and require tons of high-quality protein and other nutrients.

The feeding plan for a husky puppy changes as they get older and they will be needing fewer meals per day. This is due to a decrease in the metabolic rate as the pup gets older and heavier. You therefore need to adjust their portion based on age and weight.

Other than daily portion, your pup’s calorie need also changes as he ages. You need to control their calorie intake so that they don’t grow too fast as this could result in joint issues.

So, How Much Should A Husky Puppy Eat?

Oftentimes, a husky puppy can be highly active and needs to feed three times a day. However, he will automatically reduce the food intake to two times a day as he gets to the adult stage.

Unlike other dogs, huskies do not eat as much.  This is because they were bred to survive in harsh conditions where food was not easily accessible. Consequently, they have a high metabolism and utilize nutrients well. Huskies only indulge in a lot of food if they are active and exercising.

Here is a guideline for feeding your husky puppy as they grow.

(Have you ever wondered whether huskies get along with cats?)

2-Week-Old Husky Puppy

At two weeks, husky puppies are still reliant on their mother’s milk. At this stage, they are still inactive and not yet ready to be introduced to puppy food. However, you can complement the mother’s milk with formula if you notice that the puppies are underweight.

At 3-Weeks

At this age, your husky would have opened their eyes and he may start teetering about. Nonetheless, he may still not be ready to take puppy food. Therefore, you need to ensure that underweight puppies get adequate mother’s milk and supplement with formula if possible.

At 4-Weeks

At 4 weeks old, your husky puppy may start moving from their mother’s milk. This is a good time to start weaning and you can introduce him to his diet.

To feed them, try mixing a quarter of puppy food with three quarters of water. Observe him and see if he is ready to feed on the food. If they don’t, try giving them a small portion each day until they are ready to take it.

At 5 Weeks

At week 5, your puppy would have begun to get a little bit accustomed to the food. Try giving him the food mixture 3 to 4 times a day. If he still not interested, take the food away and do not force it on them.

At 6 Weeks

At this age, your puppy should be active and more interested in the food mixture. The puppy may not be very reliant on the mother’s milk, making it the ideal time to start weaning.

Once they start eating the puppy food mixture, reduce the amount of water to create a mixture with three quarters food and a quarter water.

At 7 Weeks

This is the time when your husky puppy will begin taking in more food. The mother dog will only the puppies to nurse briefly and this cause them to want more food. You want to ensure that they get limited milk from their mother and eat a large portion of food so they can get more calories. Give them the food and water mixture 3 to 4 times a day at this point.

At 8 Weeks

An 8-year-old husky puppy ought to feed 3 times a day and should be eating a quality of 2 cups each day. However, don’t be worried if they don’t finish the food since the right quantity of food varies from one puppy to another. This is also true for the weight of different husky breeds.

This is also a good time for him to move to a new home. If you are uncertain about the ideal weight of your puppy, do not hesitate to consult with your veterinarian.

At 9 Weeks

At this age, your puppy would be completely reliant on puppy food since he is not close to his mother. Here, he will need 3 to 4 meals a day which should equate to 2-2.5 cups of puppy food a day.

If you are giving a different food than the one you had earlier introduced, ensure that you do it gradually. Otherwise, you are likely to disrupt his digestive system. You may consider changing the diet if your dog is bored with the food that he eats regularly. Don’t change the entire meal at once; instead, add a few pieces of cheese or meat and slowly incorporate a new diet.

At 10 Weeks

At 10 weeks, continue splitting the food over three sessions to ensure a balanced nutrition, even as you encourage him to eat. This is the best time to be consistent with a specific feeding schedule so that your husky puppy will know when their feeding time is.

Maintaining a consistent feeding session and taking your puppy out after feeding will aid you with potty training. You should also watch out so that he doesn’t gain a lot of weight because huskies can have difficulty losing excess weight.

At 11 Weeks

Just like at week 10, measure your pup’s food in three equal portions. Your husky puppy will be getting more active and burning more calories at this age. He is also prone to adding weight since he wants to try everything he finds as their appetite increases. Therefore, you should stay on top his weight and ensure that he doesn’t get overweight.

At Week 12

At this age, your four-legged friend should be continually active and burning a lot of energy. Hence, they will need more nutrition.

However, teething can start at this age and your pup may not eat a lot of food since their teeth are aching. Continue feeding them three meals a day, but don’t force it if your dog can’t eat as much.

Once they attain 1 year, it is recommendable to reduce their food intake to 2 meals a day. This is because an adult husky requires twice as less calories per pound compared to husky puppy.

(Do huskies have red eyes? Find out why it happens and what it means.)

What Food to Give a Husky Puppy?

Basically, you should give your husky puppy high-quality food that has high nutritional value. You want to avoid low-quality foods that have fillers like corn since their nutritional value is low. Also, some puppies may be allergic to these foods.

You can decide to your puppy kibble, raw diet, wet food or homemade food, if only it is the best quality. If you opt for a homemade meal, consult with a vet first and do extensive research on your puppy’s specific dietary requirements.

Most importantly, you should ensure that the food contains meat like fish, lamb, and chicken. Ideally, it should be balanced with protein, vitamins, carbohydrates, and good fats. All these are essential for ensuring good immunity and overall growth of the dog.

Avoid foods like avocado, raw eggs, bones, grapes and raisins, raw or undercooked meat, sodas, coffee, chocolate, alcohol, onion, garlic, salty food and more.

How Often Should You Feed Your Husky… And When?

Other than determining what to feed your husky puppy, you should also consider when to and how often to feed them. It is important to maintain a consistent feeding schedule, especially when feeding him around his exercise schedule.

As mentioned above, husky puppies should feed three times from the weaning period up to 6 months. For a three meal feeding plan, you can give your puppy food at 7am, 1 pm and at 5 pm. Diving the meals into two or three equal servings helps to maintain a consistent feeding schedule and prevents your dog from getting bored with their food.

It is recommendable not to feed your puppy right before exercising or 30 minutes after exercising so that his body can cool down. You want to feed him at least two hours before exercising so that his stomach doesn’t twist or bloat with gas, a condition known as gastric torsion.

Interested In Training Your Husky The Right Way?

If you haven’t trained your Husky properly, then this is the perfect time to start. Whatever bad behavior your shepherd has, whether it’s barking at night or other bad behaviors, using the right training program is the key to having an obedient and happy pup.

The training program I love and highly recommend is Brain Training For Dogs.

With Brain Training For Dogs you’ll save yourself a ton of time and effort. Instead of banging your head against the wall trying to figure out why your dog won’t listen, you’ll follow a path that has been tried, tested, and most importantly, that’s given proven results. Not to mention the fact, you’ll be able to fit the course around your schedule, not fit your schedule around a trainer or obedience class.

So instead of worrying about whether they’re going to be well-behaved or not, you’ll only have to worry about how much fun you’ll have with them!

And in most cases it’s still going to be:

  • Cheaper than hiring a professional.
  • Cheaper than replacing everything they might break.
  • And definitely cheaper than a lawsuit against you, if they decide to bite someone.

Just imagine how great it will feel to finally be able to trust your Husky completely and never worry whether they’ll be naughty or not. Instead, you’ll have the peace of mind that you have a well-behaved pup, and the boundaries you set for them, will always be there, EVEN IF YOU’RE NOT. 

And the best part is it also has a 60-day money-back guarantee! So there’s no reason not to give Brain Training For Dogs a try!

So if you’re tired of your dog’s bad behavior, or how they react around other people and pooches, then give it a try! You’ll be amazed by the results!

(You can also check out a full review here, to learn exactly what the course has to offer!)

Conclusion

Ultimately, your husky puppy should eat about 2 cups of food each day divided into three portions. Nonetheless, you should always keep in mind that the quantity of food that you feed your puppy will depend on their age, weight, activity level and brand of food.

Whatever feeding schedule you choose, keep it consistent and take you dog to potty after eating. If you want to change their food, do it bit by bit since a fast change often results to digestive problems like upset stomach and diarrhea. 

You should also ensure that you give him plenty of water in a clean bowl.