If you're preparing for your Siberian husky's blessed event, you may wonder how many puppies to prepare for. A healthy Siberian husky averages between four and six puppies in a litter; however, that's a guideline. Your girl may have fewer than four or more than six; if you don't want to be surprised, ask the vet to estimate litter size.
Factors Influencing Litter Size
A variety of factors determine the size of a dog's litter. If your Siberian husky's mother had large litters, don't count on that for your girl; litter size is not an inherited trait. Physical condition is more influential. For example, an obese dog is more likely to have a small litter size. Litters are smaller when females are younger and when they're older than when they're 3 to 5 years old range tend to have more puppies. A bitch's physical size influences litter size; small dogs tend to have small litters and large breeds tend to have larger litters. Good nutrition is important to maximizing litter size -- but according Dr. Carmen L. Battaglia in the article "Litter Size and Singleton" on KennelSpotlight.com, adding supplements to a high-quality diet can actually decrease litter size. Your vet can give your Siberian an ultrasound after her first three weeks of pregnancy, or the vet can conduct a less-accurate count by hand as the gestation progresses.