Hi, I am new to this site. A bit about us We have 6 children age 4 months to 14 years. They are very well behaved, but they are children so have there moments. We are an English family living in germany and don`t speak German yet. We have wanted a dog of a couple of years now. We have lots of space in are house and a fab area to walk run and play not to far from us, for the dog. We as a family have been talking about and looking into (on the net) at lots of diffrent breeds and have settled on a Malamute. I am full time at home and would beable to comment a lot of time to him/her. I have found a English speaking obedience class and also I don`t know the word in English, but is like a mother and toddler group but for puppies, to help them get socialised with other dogs. They also have an obedience training class at the same place but will be fully in German, so not to sure about that one yet. I have read so much info about Malamutes that I am now dreaming about them too! As a family we have not had a dog but my husband and I were both brought up around dogs, myself- st bernards, mastiffis, and my hubby- terriers & Lurchers. I would love to find out more about showing and Sled or scootering but have not gone in to detail looking at this yet. We are going to the Dog show 31.10./01.11.2009 - Hannover where there will be Malamutes and there owners on show. Okay sorry I feel like I have gone on and on! What I would like is to talk to people who own one of these wonderful dogs and maybe who show there Malamutes. And get some info from a real person for a change instead off the internet, and other peoples web sites. Thank you for reading.
The only thing I would worry about would be that Mals can be clumsy oafs..and could accidentally knock over your younger children..and indeed your older ones..My boy knocked my son over earlier as he had been away and Cruiser was desperate to see him!!! No harm at all meant but they are big, powerful dogs..
Yes I bet they are LOL! My dads last bullmastiff jumped up at my hubby who is 6ft 3inch and knocked him on his back side once, he only wanted to say hello too, and drooled was all over him! lol! I was looking at your pics you have some stunners. I see you have a snake too, we have beared dragons and one leopard gecko. My son would love a snake but thats a no no! lol!
Kismet is a Husky Malamute cross and for the most part favours the Husky side of her parentage in looks and personality, but having seen her friend Ayla the 6 month old Malamute knock her owner's boy flying while playing zoomies with Kismet. I would agree with the clumsy. Ayla meant no harm, she didn't even slow down to see what she had done, but where Kismet dodged out of the way of the oncoming boy, Ayla just barrelled straight through! No serious harm was caused.. a few tears a bit of shock, and a couple of new bruises to add to the usual array of boy's climbing, biking, running, bruises, but I would seriously consider looking at an older maybe more settled dog with small children in the house. Or be prepared for a few tears before bedtime anyway Welcome to Dogsey
I have a Malamute They are fantastic fun dogs to have - as long as you are aware of the potential downsides of the breed which may or may not be an issue - my girlie is angelic so we are very lucky but when we got her we were aware that she may well not be keen on other dogs or safe off lead - but she is I do show, not a vast amount as Noobie prefers to be busy - she enjoys obedience and agility over the showring, I go to plenty of the shows though and she always sends me with a shopping list Well done on finding your local classes They are great fun for dogs and owners. The language barrier won't be a big deal in the obedience class at all and you will meet some lovely people! Malamutes should be tested for eye problems and hip x rayed before breeding so do check any potential breeders that you find are doing this. Are you interested in possibly showing? Its good fun and a great way to meet people - and scootering and working your dog is fantastic fun too - we attend as many rallies as we can through the season and I am sure there must be races there too
Hi Muddiwarx I think i have read everything that could be bad and then more, I now think i will have no furniture and the kids will be going to school with holes in there shoes and we will all be eating dog hair for the next few years LOL! am I some where on the right track? But seriously we are not looking in to this lightly. We are makeing the choice as a family. As for him/her not being able to go off the lead or likeing other dogs I am prepared for that and I am hoping the socialiseing classes may help with that. I would love to getting into showing and working, but he/she ( I am thinking she as maybe a few years down the line we could get another one, and I have read that females get on better.?) would be a family pet first. The breeders I have been looking at all say that they hip and eye check, also some I have found check for the long the hair gene, as this undesirable in the show ring. I am sure they must do rallys over here but have not found any yet, but would like to go and see one. I am sure you must have loads of fun, what got you in to keeping malamutes?
Hi magpye I have been looking at Malamute rescues, but even though I know that they have been tested to make sure there safe, I am still worried about not really knowing there past and my hubby agrees. We are going to get a pup, one that has been breed for temperment as well looks and health. I have spoken to the children about the ins and outs and hopefully when we find the right breeder, i will be able to take the kids with me to meet the mum and dad first. I understand that there will be a few mishaps, and hopefully will be prepared, the children know they need to respect the dog and that it will only be young and learning to. Thanks for the welcome.
OH and I are both German Shepherd people but we both suffered years of heartache of our GSD being so poorly that we wanted a sturdy healthy dog - but that we could do plenty with ..... I wanted a Belgian Shepherd but the epilepsy put us off - and he wanted a Mally and won! One became two and life was wonderful but sadly we lost our boy 11 months ago. They are fantastic wonderful companions
Hi Tikka, I'm the owner of Ayla the clumsy pup! She is already 30kg and when playing zoomies she can knock my boys (aged 2 and 6) over although she doesnt mean it she just has no brakes! I can let Ayla off lead and she is great especially when playing with her buddy Kismit. and she is fantastic with other dogs but only if they are the same size or bigger than her, she seems to think smaller dogs toys so we have to call her back and put her on lead if a smaller dog is about or if its busy then she will stay on lead. We had a few problems with her a little while ago where she started to nip my children but this has now stopped with training and she has just had her first season and has calmed down alot. Ayla is a fluff ball too and we're forever hoovering and brush her once a day to prevent matting. She doesnt really bark but likes to howl I think that Mals and children can get along great but be ready for tears if the pup knocks over the children by accident, although Ayla now sees our youngest as her puppy (or she just loves him the most! ) and is protective of him and if he falls over so runs over and nudges him with her nose and gives him lots of slobber kisses! Just before she came into season she became very grumpy about 2 weeks before and did not want to be touched but she is now back to her normal cuddly self. Oh and she seems to think she is a lap dog and will squeeze into the smallest of places to curl up and sleep, we did get her a dog bed but she destroyed that the first night Good luck with the search Becky and Ayla
Something like that Over here, a lot of breeders would be reluctant to sell to a family who have young children, for the reasons mentioned previously. Some do, but you might have more trouble finding a reputable breeder. When you get to 20 posts i'll send you the link to a couple of reputable breeders in Germany, even if they aren't planning a litter they will still point you in the right direction The vast majority of Mals are well socialised and trained, but still can't always be trusted off lead or with other dogs, it sounds as though you are prepared for this though. You will often find they are good as pups, but as they get older their selective deafness can start to creep in ... When you say females get on better, are you considering getting 2 females in time? Most would recommend one of each sex as that is the combination least likely to cause any problems. In Germany they have to adhere to stricter regulations than we do over here (which is a good thing!). Just make sure they are happy to show you copies of the certificates Good luck in your search! They are a wonderful breed but not for everyone
