So at the moment I have 3 huskies. 2 of which were one year old when we got them and one that is a month and a half old and thats what I wanted to talk to you about. So one of my huskies is male and I stumbled upon a post on facebook of a woman who urgently needed a male husky to breed her dog with. I immediately went down to her house and took my dog with me. When I saw her dog I thought that she was very cute and was definitely purebred, but she was a little bit smaller than usual. My dog weighed 50 lbs so I would have to guess that she weighed around 35-40. The point is that she defenitely was not normal size. I asked the owner about this and she was told that it could have been caused by malnutrition. A month and a half ago, the puppies were born. This sunday I went down to get my puppy and I had no worries that she was going to be small. When I got there I saw that she was actually the smallest of all the puppies. The next day we took her to the vet and she weighed in at about 4 lbs. She was born on January 29 so by now she is about a month and a half old. I have never raised a husky puppy before, should I be worried about her size?

I wouldn't be too worried about her weight, as long as your Puppy is tested free of worms and eats a healthy diet she should gain a healthy amount of weight.

Err I don't really know how to say this... But just so you know you'll probably receive quite a bit of heat for breeding your male... Breeding your dogs is generally frowned upon here (or at least it's a very controversial topic at best) as it's usually done irresponsibly, unless you're super dedicated to breeding dogs responsibly and do health tests among other things, which I doubt that either of you guys did. I would do some research into the breed and whatnot if I were you. There's also a real possibility that your puppy could develop some major health problems down the road if you guys didn't get the parents health tested. I don't know the details of your story of course, but I don't find anything responsible or ethical about breeding your dog with some stranger's dog on Facebook... :/

Also 35-40 lbs is within breed standard for an adult female Husky, just so you know.

You should be worried about so many things! Why would you take your dog to breed with hers in the first place? There could be a slew of health issues because you facilitated a breeding of 2 dogs you know nothing about...as well as behavior problems since you took the puppy so young from its littermates and mother. Small size should honestly be the least of your concerns. This is why so many puppies/dogs end up in shelters. "Cute" is not a reason to breed.

I agree with Jill and Aidan. You'll probably get many more folks on here who also agree. Dare I say it was a mistake to contact the person on Facebook and breed your dogs together? If you don't know the history of the health of the dog and do not intend anything for the litter (i.e. showing or participating in breed-related activities such as dogsledding), and neither party has had their dogs undergo at least eye and hip testing and you know for a fact your dogs' parents had the same done to them, you have no business breeding your dog(s). If you do not intend to breed your dogs and want to avoid unintended pregnancies, please spay or neuter your dogs. We do not need more dogs ending up in shelters because of irresponsible breeding.

This may come off as harsh and attacking, but I don't mean it that way. I and others who have replied thus far are very passionate about this breed and want to make sure that any puppies that are produced are healthy (i.e. with no underlying genetic issues) and are owned by responsible people who do their research, know the breed well and are willing to deal with the quirks of the breed so we don't have more dogs in shelters.

I'm not saying you're one of those people because, frankly, I don't know you personally, but from what I do know it sounds like the puppies that were produced in this litter are from irresponsible back-yard breeders. And I'm not saying your dogs are poorly bred and "bad" dogs, because I personally don't know them and, for all I know, you HAVE done health tests on your male and you know his detailed pedigree and genetic health history, but breeding your dogs because they are "cute" should NOT be a reason to breed. You may not consider yourself a breeder, neither may the person whose dog you bred yours with, but once you produce a litter, you ARE a breeder and now carry all the heavy responsibilities that come with being a "breeder."

Though you have already produced a litter, I would suggest you please do a little more research on the subject to inform your future decisions. Here's a very informative thread that highlights some of the pitfalls and responsibilities that come with being a breeder: https://www.itsahuskything.com/t1043-so-you-want-to-be-a-breeder

As to your original question, both your male and the female he was bred to sound like they are within the normal weight ranges of the Siberian Husky breed standard; however, red flags went off in my head that the owner of the female told you she may be skinny because of "malnutrition." If I heard that from her, I would've run far, far away. Why would someone allow their dog to get that way in the first place, especially one they intend to breed?! And if you're saying that one of the pups at six weeks weighs four pounds, that is a little concerning. At this age it's impossible to tell how big they will get, so please don't even worry about that right now. What you should be worrying about is making sure the pup is healthy, eating properly, getting proper nutrition, and is regularly checked on by a vet and dewormed. I'm also concerned that at six weeks the pup was taken from its mother and littermates too early. Science shows more and more that pups need to be with their mother and littermates until at least eight weeks, as this is the period of life when they socialize and learn vital lessons about how to be a dog and how to interact with dogs and people. Take them away from their litter any time before eight weeks and you may have a fearful, mouthy, potentially aggressive dog on your hands. In fact, in some states in the U.S. it is illegal to take a pup away from its mother and litter before at least eight weeks of age.

If you've read this far, I applaud you. Again, by no means am I trying to be confrontational or rude. I and many others on this forum are highly passionate about this subject and have spent countless hours educating ourselves on it. Please feel free to ask us any more questions you may have.

What was your motivation for breeding your dog? Why did you feel the need to help this woman out with her female?

I'm genuinely curious.

Let me explain myself. I live in Nicaragua. To this day, I have not found a breeder that is completely dedicated to breeding dogs, and I have also found that not being completely dedicated to breeding dogs has not cause any health problems for my puppies so far. I do not see why they would end up in shelters. Huskies have a high demand in Nicaragua and I am always sure that I am giving them away to responsible owners. I have recieved this same feedback in this forum various times and I guess my response is that this is just the way it works in Nicaragua. The most official kind of breeding that you will find here is a website that looks for purebred huskies to breed. As far as I know, a puppy is ready to leave its mother when they stop drinking their milk. I have made sure that the puppy is completely healthy. She eats ALOT and is very happy. I want to say sorry if you feel ofended or disturbed by this. Thank you

Different cultures believe differently about dogs, how to incorporate them into their lives, and how to breed them. I think a lot of us here in the US, me included, just have a certain reaction when we hear that someone (other than our accepted definition of a reputable breeder). Personally, I don't judge you for breeding, this forum has members all over the world, and I refuse to think less of you for your cultural norm. There are so many just awful breeders here in the US that it's just our go to reaction when discussing breeding.

As for the pup, she sounds fine, eating, drinking, pooping, peeing, and energy level are the best indicators for her health. If she's doing all of the above it sounds like she's fine.

Something you should take into consideration is that you may want to get her altered (sterilized) when she gets older so that she and her father don't end up with an accidental litter.

I wouldn't say I'm offended or disturbed, just curious and passionate and eager to educate. Now that I know a little more about your background it's easier for me to understand. The reason huskies and so many other purebred dogs end up in shelters here is because of puppy mills, or large breeding operations that have lots of dogs that are only used for breeding to make money for the breeder. The dogs are often kept in horrible conditions and given to buyers without screening them beforehand to make sure they are going to care for the pup they buy through its entire life. There are also smaller breeding operations, which we often call back-yard breeders, who have fewer dogs and may care for them very well but still their only goal is to make money from breeding them. They, too, do not health-test their dogs and don't care who buys their puppies. For this reason, there is a lot of poor breeding of purebred dogs and they end up with genetic disorders that you cannot see outwardly and that only show up later in life.

People here don't always educate themselves on what they're buying and support these kinds of breeders. Then when genetic issues develop or when the dog grows into an adult and exhibits the natural "quirks" of the breed that the buyer did not educate themselves on beforehand (such as digging, howling, mouthiness, etc.), the breeder will not take the dog back and will not help the buyer at all (a reputable breeder here would offer a guarantee through the lifetime of the dog and would take it back at any time), so the dog ends up in a shelter.

I'm not sure how things are in Nicaragua, but from what you explained, it doesn't seem like there would be that many purebred Huskies there, so the overpopulation problem may not be as grave as it is here. In many areas of the U.S., cat and dog overpopulation is a huge problem, and breeders go largely unregulated here, so we try to do what we can on an individual level to educate people and hopefully reduce the overpopulation problem by refusing to support irresponsible breeders by buying their puppies so that they will cease their operation -- the "power of the purse," as they say. We also try to educate the public so they also realize they need to research what they are buying before they buy because it really does matter here.

Hope that brings all of us a little more clarity.

Just as a side note, you said the female was not normal size. From what I know of breed standards for huskies, it sounds like she was right about where she should be assuming her height was in range (her weight is in range). Males are larger then females and your male is also within normal range. If you got a female pup, she will likely be smaller, but again I would think within the breed standard as at least defined in the US. As long as she is healthy, I would think she should be fine.

I'm not offended in any way, shape, or form; and it may very well be that it's "just the way it works" where you live. But to put it bluntly irresponsible breeding is still irresponsible no matter who you are, where you live, or what your intentions may be. I'm not going to judge you for breeding your dog or anything like that, but I've always had a big pet-peeve with irresponsibility. If it is encouraged then it will become just as big of a problem where you are as it is here in the US if given time. Of course no one here can or should force you to stop as that would defeat the purpose of free will. I'm not trying to be mean or rude, it's just a fact and facts cannot be changed.

I sympathize with you when you say that there is no truly responsible breeders around; from my personal experience a lot of reputable breeders didn't even want to respond to my emails because I'm a minor, which made it seem like there was no reputable breeders around. However if you insist on breeding in the future then please at least do your research and get health tests done on your dogs. I know you said that "I have also found that not being completely dedicated to breeding dogs has not cause any health problems for my puppies so far" but that doesn't mean that they wont develop problems a couple years down the road. Health testing is the only way to be 100% sure that you're not passing on any health defects to the next generation, otherwise you're just gambling with disaster.

Again I'm not trying to be rude or mean, but I just still don't find anything responsible or ethical about breeding your dog with a stranger on Facebook. Even if you're in another country...

Pewis wrote:

As far as I know, a puppy is ready to leave its mother when they stop drinking their milk.

You are misinformed and 4 1/2 weeks is way too young to take a pup.

My concern is the health and well being of the dogs no matter where they live. If I remember correctly, the OP has also bred his original male and female. Based on his comments and questions here about the breed and puppies in general -I can't just say "it's ok" because it's the norm in Nicaragua. In my opinion, anyone who even considers breeding better KNOW what they are doing and what is best for the animals. I don't think it's ever acceptable to let 2 dogs mate because people want dogs.

Ok my problems with this is that in previous post you said that hatchi almost killed your other dog twice, has shown agression towards your gardener and is always escaping. First off, i dont feel he has a good temperment to be breed, 2nd with those problems are you sure you want to bring a 3rd husky into the house?

Also it really bothers me you just answered a FB out of no where to breed your dog. I understand ur from a different country with a different culture, but this just completly shocks me. Before breeding any of your dogs again please do some research on ethics of breeding dogs. I hope things work out for you and your dogs though.

I wouldnt be to worries about ur puppys size, she was the runt thats all. And plus females will be smaller. The female dog you breed with wasnt out of breed standard soo she was fine.

It is very sad that the Pewis don't seem even know the basic before breed the dog. I were you, I would be feeling guilty if any of these puppies has found DNA related health issues later in their live, that could simply avoid it at the first place.

You may have misinterpreted my description of Hatchi. Hatchi is a playful dog, always happy, and always loving. My parents raised my other dog poorly, and when the other (dashchund) dog saw that a new dog was coming, he became very territorial. In all the fights that they have had, Hatchi was never the one to start a fight. I do not find it irregular for a dog to fight a dog that is threatening him. Hatchi has been EXTREMELY playful with the puppy and I can see that they will have a great relationship. We later found out that the gardener was very abusive with hatchi and demanded things from him whilst never showing him love or care. As for me and my breeding situation. I understand all of your concerns and I first would inform you that I always go through the routine of making sure my puppies are as healthy as can be before leaving my hands. My goal as a "backyard" breeder is to increase the low population of huskies in Nicaragua. I do not do this for money, considering that I give them away to relatives or people I know. My hatchi is purebred, and there is nothing I can do to ensure that Hatchi's mates are purebred apart from the way they look. Here in Nicaragua a husky is considered purebred by the way they look. Going back to a commnt someone made about me making a big mistake because I had hatchi mate with a husky that was malnutritioned, I personally saw the dog and it was clear that the dog was completely healthy. The owner of the dog accompanied me to my most trustworthy vet to ensure that this dog was 100% healthy and 100% capable of having puppies. I come to this forum to seek help. If you have anything to say about my breeding situation being "unethical" then please keep your comments to yourself. I would much rather have a country with huskies that may not be 100% purebred than having a country that has no huskies at all.

Why do you want to increase the number of Huskies in Nicaragua?  Is there a sledding demand there now that would require you to have these dogs?

Is there any reason other than that you like them?

I'm not going to get into the nitty gritty of this but I do want to say that the female husky is in breed standard weight....

According to the Siberian Husky Club of America and American Kennel Club the breed standard for siberian huskies is 35-50 for female and 45 to 60 for male. Siberian huskies are medium-sized dogs. Poor breeding has led to a misconception that siberian huskies are large dogs.

Wow.... Increase population of huskies.. Im speechless.

John,

please understand that nobody is trying to pick on you but the your major reason to breed dog under this circumstance are defiantly torn many our hearts.

I believe most of the members would be supportive if both sire and dam have done the basic examinations before mating (Like you said "I do not do this for money", why don't you get your dog in the tests at the least)

As you have a true heart to love your dog, please pass this love to their puppies as well, ensure their health and reduce chances of getting any genetic health issues.

All the best

If you want people to keep their comments to themselves than don't post on a public forum where you have previously experienced strong opinions regarding breeding. You could simply have asked a question relating to the health of a puppy without even bringing up that fact that you bred the puppy.

I accept cultural differences, however you need to understand that the majority of the culture on this forum has strong opinions regarding breeding and that because you solicited advice, you will receive the advice and opinions of other forum members. This forum has members from all over the world, and even among cultural differences regarding dog ownership and breeding I'd be hard pressed to find very many that agree with your philosophy. I am not saying that you shouldn't post, or ask for help, I am saying that when you bring up the topic of breeding you will encounter strong opinions.