Whether you’re an owner interested in breeding your husky or your husky is already pregnant, knowing how many puppies huskies usually have in their litter is important.
This article will explain everything you need to know.
Huskies normally have 4-6 puppies in a litter first time around. This can change, however, and some huskies have had smaller or larger litters depending on certain factors.
I’ll explain everything below.
Why Do Huskies Have Small Litters?
You might think that a litter size of 4-6 is small for a reasonably large dog. And that’s kinda true!
This is actually a fairly common litter size for younger female huskies, and in some cases, if the female is bred before 18 months, the litter size can be even fewer.
Generally speaking, the older the female husky, the larger the litter size will likely be until a certain point.
Can Huskies Have More Than 6 In a Litter?
Siberian Huskies can definitely have more than 6 in a litter.
For female huskies that are bred at around 3-4 years, litter sizes can even be up to 10 puppies. Although this is somewhat rare.
What Factors Changing Litter Size In Huskies?
So what determines how many puppies a husky will have?
1. Age
As we just discussed, the age of your husky will determine how many pups the will have. Huskies bred young will have fewer puppies, increasing with age in subsequent litters.
If a husky is bred young and they only have 3-4 in a litter, it’s still possible they have a larger litter of over 6 if they’re bred again when they are older.
2. Physical size
Of course, their physical size also has an impact on litter sizes.
If your female husky is particularly large, then she’ll have a greater capacity for several puppies. Again, this coincides with older huskies having larger litters.
3. Health
Although a small litter does not indicate bad health, having good health increases the chances of a larger litter.
Of course, no one should be breeding unhealthy huskies anyway, and full health check-ups are crucial before considering breeding.
4. Genetics
Sometimes it’s just down to genetics.
If your female husky comes from a blood lineage where larger litters are common, it increases her chances of having a large litter.
This works the other way too!
Husky Pregnancy: What To Expect (Complete Guide)
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Is It Normal For a Husky To Have Only 2 Puppies?
The normal litter size for a husky is 4-6, so it would be considered uncommon if a husky has only 2 puppies.
Still, this does not mean anything is wrong with the husky or their litter, assuming she was in good health before.
How Many Puppies Will a Husky Have The Second Time?
Huskies generally have larger litters the second time around. Depending on her age when she has the second litter, anywhere from 6-10 puppies is considered normal.
How Old Do Huskies Have To Be To Breed?
Technically, a husky can be bred from the first heat cycle they have, which could be as young as 6 months.
However, the recommended age to breed a husky is 2-3 years old, or whenever they have had 3 heat cycles.
Why?…
Waiting allows your husky to mature both physically and mentally before taking on such a demanding task.
It’s common for dogs to have behavioral issues if they are bred too young.
In addition to this, it’s important to screen for health issues before breeding, and some issues take a couple of years to show.
Extra resources:
AKC Average litter sizes
What changes litter sizes in dogs OVRS
Disclaimer
The advice given in this article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice in any context. Before making any decisions that may affect the health and/or safety of your dog, you should always consult a trained veterinarian in your local area. For the FULL disclaimer Visit HereCopyright Notice: The content produced and published on My Happy Husky is unique and original. My Happy Husky makes an active effort to search for plagiarized content using plagiarism detection software. If plagiarized content is found, action will be taken.