How to Care for a Husky - Feeding and Grooming Your Husky

1. Feed your Husky high-quality dog food. Huskies were originally bred to survive on a small amount of food. Therefore, your Husky will not need to eat a lot of calories to be healthy and have the energy to play and exercise.[47]
- Feed your Husky either once or twice daily and avoid exercise for at least 90 minutes after eating.[48][49]
- Your Husky may need more or less food, depending on such factors as her size, age, and health status.[50]
- If you have a Husky puppy, begin by feeding her three times a day — early morning, early afternoon, and evening. When she is three to four months old, she will likely cut herself back to twice-daily meals.
- Human food and canned food may cause your Husky to become a finicky eater and/or develop diarrhea.[51]
- If you purchased your Husky from a breeder, he or she can recommend dog foods for your Husky to eat.[52] You can also ask your veterinarian and other Husky owners for food recommendations.

2. Brush your Husky’s coat. By nature, Huskies are very clean dogs. They have little to no dog odor and groom themselves frequently, so you will not need to do much extra grooming.[53] However, Huskies do shed quite a bit, particularly during the spring and fall when they blow their coats (complete shedding of the undercoat).[54][55]
- The "blowing coat" period lasts for at least three weeks.[56]
- Brush your Husky with a slicker brush at least once a week throughout the year to remove dead hair and keep his coat fresh and shiny.[57][58][59] Slicker brushes are available at your local pet store.
- Do not shave your Husky's coat in the summer. You may think that shaving his coat will help cool him off, but you are actually removing his protection from harmful ultraviolet rays.[60]

3. Bathe your Husky. Since Huskies do an excellent job of keeping themselves so clean, they rarely need baths. You will probably need to bathe your Husky only once a year.[61] If you are not able to bathe your Husky on your own, you may prefer to take her to a dog groomer.

4. Trim your Husky’s nails. Your Husky’s nails should be trimmed once every one to two weeks.[62] If your Husky’s energy and size make it difficult for you to trim his nails on your own, schedule a nail-trimming appointment with your veterinarian. Keep in mind that he may keep his nails naturally trimmed down with his exercise and play.[63]

5. Brush your Husky’s teeth. If you can manage it, brush your Husky’s teeth at least two to three times a week.[64] You can purchase veterinarian-approved toothpaste through your veterinarian.[65]
- Brushing your dog’s teeth will not only keep her breath fresh, but will also prevent plaque and tartar buildup, both of which can lead to serious dental and systemic diseases.[66]
- Consider talking with your veterinarian for extra guidance on brushing your Husky’s teeth.
- If you are not able to brush your dog’s teeth, you can schedule a dental cleaning with your veterinarian. However, this requires general anesthesia and can be very expensive.