Feeding your Siberian Husky

Many young Siberian Huskies come in to Welfare because they are “out of control.” There are a variety of reasons for this behaviour – some due to lack of training, some to incorrect temperament and commonly, due to incorrect diet.

The Siberian Husky has one of the most efficient metabolisms in the dog world. It can survive and prosper on less food than almost any other breed. Unfortunately, one of the abiding myths around feeding Siberians, is that because they are working dogs, they need a high protein, working dog food. This would be all well and good if the dogs were actually working hard – pulling sleds in arctic conditions for 30 miles+ each day. Here in the UK however, this is extremely unlikely to be the case (chance would be a fine thing). So, unless our dogs are training hard, day after day, not only do they not need high protein, high energy food, it can actually cause serious problems. A dog on such food is producing prodigious amounts of energy, but without the outlet of hard running sled work in cold conditions, the energy tends to make the dog hyper and uncontrollable.

It is the equivalent of dosing yourself with amphetamine for a quiet day at home. Unless your dogs are working hard in harness, they will be very adequately nourished on any good “adult maintenance” quality food.  The proof of this is in the pudding (or the kibble) – many of the “uncontrollable” dogs we have taken in, have become perfectly “controllable” once their energy levels have been balanced to their activity levels by feeding them a lower protein food.