Husky head/body size

[OdinHusky]

Hey everyone,

My husky, Odin, is about 11 months now and I'm a little concerned about the size of his body/head compared to other huskies that I've seen around my neighbourhood and the dog parks. He stands about 22" tall, and weights about 52 pounds, numbers that I know fall within the breed standard but again, he seems much smaller than other huskies I've seen. He's been mainly on Blue Wilderness Chicken kibble, although he is a VERY picky eater. Some days he won't eat at all or he'll only have 1-2 cups. I've tried numerous things to get him to eat more, like blending in wet food with his kibble but it doesn't always work. 

I'm also mainly concerned about the size of his head, which seems disproportionate to the rest of his body, and hasn't seem to grow much in the past few months. People have been telling me he will continue to fill out but I haven't seen much of that. His parents, both of whom I met before adopting him, are bigger than he is. Any thoughts/opinions?

Thanks in advance!

[jmscott]

Just because the other dogs in the neighborhood are a certain size doesn't mean they should be. 

A responsible breeder breeds to the breed standard. Not for size or woollies or colors.

As for the food. 2 cups is actually a lot. Our dogs eat that much when working consistently.

You will see your dog at full maturity around 2-3 years old. 11 months is still a baby.

If you are really concerned, you can take some evaluation photos (it will probably take someone to put your pup into a stack and someone to man the camera). 
http://www.sue-eh.ca/page24/page40/

 

[Dan]

I don't think you'll really notice any filling out until after 2 years. At 11 months he still has a fair bit of growing to do. By close to 2 years he'll reach basically full height, then might put on some weight after that.

Huskies are meant to be lean dogs, 52lbs at 11 months is actually a very respectable weight, my Loki is a bit over 2 years now and wouldn't be much more than that. Buddy is a much larger build and is probably around 40kg, and Kian somewhere in between. There is quite a bit of variance. He looks healthy to me

Edited December 14, 2015 by Dan

[Emma]

Welcome to the forum.

 

like me the others have said, 11 months is still young, there's still a lot of growing left to do. 

A vague guideline I was taught is "growing up (height) for a year, then filling out for a year".   Of course there will be variation from one dog to the next.  But by three years of age you will see a fully grown adult.    

[jmscott]

This was Nana at 11 months, then 15-18, and 3 years.

 

[OdinHusky]

Thanks for the responses everyone! Good to know he's still got some growing to do...I was mainly concerned about why his head's so small relative to the rest of his body.

jmscott, she looks beautiful! did you notice a significant increase in her weight over that timeframe?

Another thing, he is due to be neutered next month...I've been hearing different things from different people about the best time to neuter a dog. Some say it stunts growth if you do it too early, others say the opposite. In your experience, is there a "best time" for neutering?

[jmscott]

It could also be just breeding. She has gained maybe 5 pounds. The biggest jump in weight has been in the last year, between muscling and temporarily feeding kibble.

I don't care for this photo - she is stacking like a trog - but you can see the difference.

As for neutering, I see it as a decision on your part at this age. Can you guarantee he wont be given the opportunity to reproduce? Can you take responsibility for any accidental litters? Do you understand the risks?

He will be fine if you neuter now. Personally I would keep a male i owned intact indefinitely or at least until 3. But that is through choice alone.

 

[Dan]

I think after at least a year is OK for neutering, "early" neutering usually refers to the people that have it done before the pups even go to their new homes, which I disagree with.

That said, all mine are still intact, and I really have no problems with them, so no real motivation to have it done. It's up to you really, but I'd probably wait another 6 months to a year if you could

[Jay]

Thanks for the responses everyone! Good to know he's still got some growing to do...I was mainly concerned about why his head's so small relative to the rest of his body.

jmscott, she looks beautiful! did you notice a significant increase in her weight over that timeframe?

Another thing, he is due to be neutered next month...I've been hearing different things from different people about the best time to neuter a dog. Some say it stunts growth if you do it too early, others say the opposite. In your experience, is there a "best time" for neutering?

You will find a lot of differing opinions about when to neuter. It's a decision only you and your vet can make. I had both of mine done at 4 months of age and it hasn't stunted their growth at all.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Emma]

Ice was neutered just before a year old and tbh he has gotten incredibly 'leggy.' I think his head is a little small too but I could be looking for things that aren't there and obviously I can't say for sure whether neutering had any effect whatsoever on it.

Current recommendations over here seem to be to neuter around 2-3 years of age which had changed significantly from when my first dog was a pup. They recommended to wait until after her first season which was just over six months.

It seems that opinion does vary among countries too.

At the end of the day there will be pros and cons no matter what you do, you just have to weigh them up and decide what will work best for you and your dog.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk