Alaskan Malamute - Advice and Questions Welcome!

[Juliana 10]

We are getting an Alaskan Malamute in mid August They were born on 17th June. Going to visit the puppies on 16th July!!

 

We are so excited about owning this fantastic breed and can't wait!

 

I thought I'd start this thread for people to ask questions/share information about the breed/ share any pictures of their Mals and just to talk to other people who love this breed!

 

I started some pages for our soon to be pup to share all the cute photos

 

Here is the litter: http://www.champdogs.co.uk/litter/21667

Here is our breeders site check her out: http://www.jaydonspire.co.uk

Here is the mother of our puppy who we have met on a few occasions! http://www.champdogs.co.uk/dog/7032

Here is UK champ daddy http://www.champdogs.co.uk/dog/8945

 

Also check out some of my pages for our pup:

http://www.facebook.com/HudsonMalamute

http://www.hudsonmalamute.tumblr.com

http://www.twitter.com/HudsonMalamute

and for when we get some footage http://www.youtube.com/user/HudsonRiverMalamutes

 

Please like, subscribe and follow if you wish

 

Juliana

Edited July 14, 2011 by Juliana

[Elizabeth13 10]

Like the breed a lot - but not for me.

 

They tend to be veeery social, and thus very prone to separation anxiety.

So usually need 24/7 attention or at least another buddy for company.

Also, they are escape artists and like to wander off, and I do love a dog with recall and the breed is renowned for not having it! (Of course, there's always exceptions to the rule).

 

I probably would get quite annoyed at the malting, the tendency to be very vocal, and the boisterousness of the breed generally. They are working dogs, and should be respected as one, and working dogs (though i love them!) I know I don't have the time for.

 

Edit: Oh, I've looked after a husky before, so I do have a fairly good idea on the breed which is why I say the above.

One of my favourite breeds along with B.Collies, but I understand the breed and accept it is not a breed I can currently have - and may not ever have. But this doesn't stop my admiration!

Another negative against them is they are a big dog, and you really need another for company and size (not a small dog that may be hurt by the play) and most homes around me (and mine!) are too small for two big dogs of this size!

Edited July 4, 2011 by Elizabeth13

[medusa 16]

I looked at malamutes before getting Molly too- again, lovely breed, beautiful dogs, but not my sort of dog.

 

Lots of sources mention the lack of recall, and that's one of my major things with dogs- I want to be able to let them off for a run and a mooch about.

 

I obviously don't have problems with the moulting (since I have a very long haired German Shepherd!) and the vocal nature (again, see above) but they're too high energy for me, especially bearing in mind that every inch they cover in exercise is an inch that you have to cover too.

 

I hope your little one fits your family and needs fabulously

[vwkittie 10]

They are adorable! I met a puppy like this out walking a couple of months ago, it was one of the cutest pups I've ever seen!

 

They're so beautiful, I'd never be brave enough to take one on though, good luck and we definitely need cute puppy pics when you get him or her

 

What made you pick this breed? Personally I went for a lazy dog that sleeps most of the time (she's had a 30 min crazy off lead run today and has racked up at least 5 hours of napping so far), suits me lol!

[pink fairy 10]

Hi

I have a husky x mal. They hard work but very rewarding. I met a few mals and husky owners. Mal are meant to be more chilled out then husky. Our dog is pretty chilled but we had major issue with separation anxiety. Which I believe is quite common in these breeds. You need work on this from day one. They pull as well. Our is only 22kg and she got some right strength she got husky size. Mal are a lot heavy I have no tips for lead training we still try to get our madam to heel. Some days she really good on lead and some times she a nightmare. Any tips welcome. As above very high energy need lots of walks. I been told by mals, husky and husky x mals owners they have no recall. We have managed to train ours to recall and she can go off lead not sure if it cause she not pure breed. I glad we can cause she wear herself out.

 

Good luck with puppy feel free to ask me question and try help. I want to see pics x

[Gemima 10]

I have only a couple of experiences of Malamutes. The first one I saw lived down south and was quite shorthaired a bit like an Akita's double coat and didn't appear to suffer any problems. I have a regular client a long haired Malamute that comes to me for grooming and what a state she is in. She has an extremely heavy undercoat, heavier than any other breed I have come across including Newfies but hers will not come out (I have had two groomers working on her for four hours to try and relieve her of the heavy coat, to no avail) Newfoundlands coats,albiet waterproof don't even come near it. She suffers terribly all year round and is only happy sat outside in snow, she is a family pet so the owners are not keen on keeping her outside, so they live without any heating on for the sake of the dog. Both myself and her owners have both said that she shouldn't live in this country and they feel cruel keeping her here as she is constantly miserable in fact they have said they wish they had never bought her now. She has been completely shaved off for 10 months of the year otherwise the poor dog would collapse particularly in this heat. If you do go a ahead then make sure she is groomed early on to avoid the undercoat setting in and then hopefully you can keep on top of it and your dog shouldnt suffer too much in the UK climate.

 

I hope I don't sound too negative, but you did ask (They are stunning dogs to look at though aren't they?)

[Elizabeth13 10]

Juliana, I must ask out of curiousity..

You were contemplating this last year, but then this year decided huskies weren't the breed for you and were doing the best thing by going to another breed, possibly the newfoundland who seemed to fit the bill. Whatever made you change your mind? As they are quite different in terms of energy levels and general character (but both bigger dogs with thick coats!)

So, how come a couple of months later you decided a malamute was the way to go, when you thought a husky wasn't?

 

Just genuine curiosity, nothing nasty intended at all.

[Ruffles 10]

The best advice I can give you is expect worse case scenario and treat anything better as a bonus.

 

I'm sure that you've researched the breed and come across the 'downsides' of owning Malamutes. A lot of people make the mistake of thinking that their little bundle of fluff will be the exception to the rule. They get lured into a false sense of security when they are pups, then wonder what has hit them when their obedient, responsive puppy suddenly turns into the teenager from hell.

 

During the teenage years and sometimes beyond, they will normally push their boundaries to the limits.

 

They can aquire selective deafness which can make re-call very iffy.

They can be possessive around food, toys, beds, sofas etc.

Same sex aggression or sometimes all out dog aggression isn't uncommon.

Mouthing at people can be fairly common too.

 

Mal's do not respond at all well to harsh handling. A badly handled Mal normally results in an aggressive Mal.

 

They are stupidly intelligent which is often labelled as stubborn. In truth, they are bred to be independent and free thinkers. If there is no incentive to do something (food/toys/praise) they don't see the point in doing it. The secret to training is firstly making it worth their while and secondly making them think that they made the descision. Everyone in the household needs to be singing off the same sheet when it comes to training because if they pick up on a 'weak link' they will exploit it to their full advantage.

 

They mature mentally somewhere between 2-2 1/2. If you have put the work in through the teenage years, at this stage you will see all of your hard work paying off.

 

They moult continuously. They drop their coats fully twice a year and shed bits all year round. If you own anything black, you might as well shove it to the back of your wardrobe now.

 

They can be very vocal. Ice cream vans and police sirens can trigger a good old sing song so it's best to give the neighbours a heads up.

 

While they are growing, care really needs to be taken with their joints. As a rule, 5 minutes of exercise per month of age until they are around a year old.

 

Once fully mature and dependant on weather, an adult Mal will take as much exercise as you can give them. Please do bare in mind that you might not be able to let your dog off lead, so you need to be willing to put the miles in.

 

There are lots of organised events up and down the country that KC registered Mals can enter- Rallies, backpacking (for the WPD title) and weight pull events give the dogs the chance to do what they are bred for.

 

Mentally tiring them out is as important as physically tiring them out. If they don't have an outlet for their mental energy, they can invent their own games which can result in parts of your house getting re-aranged. I would strongly advise taking your new pup to training classess. It would also be good for socialisation too.

 

Where are you getting your puppy from? I know quite a few Mal people.

 

Sadly over recent years, there has been an explosion in people breeding Moots for money over health and temperament. Some dogs as young as 10 months old have had to be pts because of major aggression problems.

 

The parents should be KC registered and the breeder should be a member of the breed club-they adhere to breed to higher standards than those set by the KC. They also agree to take responsibility for any pups they breed for life and will take them back if the owners circumstances change.

 

Health tests for the breed are eyes (should have a clear eye certificate from the last 12 months), Hips (the lower the better and with even scores) and there is a DNA test to check for the long coat gene (which should be clear). Epilepsy is also common in some lines so I would expect the breeder to have traced the lines back as far as possible.

 

Breeders should be breeding to better the breed. The parents should be shown/worked or preferably both so you know that you're getting a dog fit for function.

[Tess 10]

Do we always have to widdle on each others bonfires people? I know its in the owners best interests and all that but can't we have the "yaaaaaay puppies" bit and THEN the interrogations just for a change? I always know exactly where a thread like this is going to go

[Elizabeth13 10]

Hope you are not referring to my post, Tess!

As I stated, nothing nasty intended - the OP can rest easy, I am just interested to what changed their mind.

 

I don't think anyone has interrogated the OP in this thread as of yet..

The OP said advice and questions welcomed - a lot have offered advice, I have asked a question, and a few have asked for photos and done the 'yay puppies' part you want.

 

I think we can still relax for the time being

 

Edit: I must admit though, that Husky in the pound (was from December I believe?) was very, very tempting to me.

Such a gorgeous, stunning and intelligent looking boy! Was so happy to see him finally move to rescue though and rehomed very quickly. Now, if he had stayed much longer in the Pound I may have broken my rule of not taking on a Husky!

Edited July 5, 2011 by Elizabeth13

[Tess 10]

Nooo not at all I just meant that everyone seems to be "ohhh you got one of those, heres a huge list of reasons I didnt" lets not try and put her off before shes got the (ridiculously gorgeous) puppy!

[Elizabeth13 10]

Nooo not at all I just meant that everyone seems to be "ohhh you got one of those, heres a huge list of reasons I didnt" lets not try and put her off before shes got the (ridiculously gorgeous) puppy!

 

Well, if she manages it I will be totally jealous myself

Would love a Husky, as said before (used to have a husky teddy as a baby, Nikki haha!) but don't think it'd suit my lifestyle. I'm jealous of anyone who can have one and bring it up to be such a lovely pet!

Especially if it has recall - then it tempts me into the possibility of "maybe I could do that too.."