Hey everyone! 3 days ago I got a beautiful 6 week old Alaskan Malamute named Piper. She is a big ball of energy and the sweetest best friend I could have. I do have a few questions/concerns and would love to hear from people more experienced than I am! First of all, this is my first mal and I researched the breed extensively before making the decision to get Piper. But I am still super nervous about making sure I give her a happy life! I felt totally prepared before I got her and then my first night I was like "ohhh man. I don't know what I'm doing" 1) I know she is super young and could have used a couple more weeks before her forever home. However, the other pup was gone and her momma was not super interested. I'm sure this is going to give me some new challenges and was wondering if anyone else has had experience with a younger pup? 2) I'm trying to find ways to tire her out since she won't have her second round of shots until Feb. 5th so that limits the things we can do outside of the house. 3) How long did it take for your mal to get used to crate training? 4) The first night I had her I discovered she had worms. Really really bad round worms. She was throwing up piles of them and pooping out even more. It was pretty horrific. I got her treated first thing in the morning and shes much better now thankfully. Is it normal for this to happen? I've had a lab who got worms once out of the blue, but I'm not used to seeing it on such a small pup. 5) Potty training has been pretty hard. I'm attempting to train her to use the bell but it's not sticking at all. Any tips? 6) She is a FARTING MACHINE. Oh man. It's constant and smells so bad. lol You can also hear it. Totally sounds like a people fart which is hilarious. Could I be concerned that she is so gassy? Could this be from the deworming and vaccs? I know it's only been 3 days and she is super young, but I want to make sure I do the right things! Thanks everyone!! Can't wait to be a part of this group!
Hi there & welcome! I too have a Mal Mila is 1yr old & is a great dog I have 4 kids so she is always doing something here! I didn't have her when she was a wee pup...I bought her 2mos ago. My advice is handle ur pup as often as u can. Touch her paws, ears...everything! Get her used to being handled. The young girl I bought Mila off of never did that & it made it extremely difficult to brush Mila at first & clip her nails. After ALOT of work tho shes come full circle! Mila hated being brushed & hates her paws being touched. But shes ok now after working with her I bought a harness for pulling so since we got tons of snow here in western PA Mila pulls the kids around in the sled! she loves it! I'm assuming ur pup has gas due to the worm medicine? Again I'm no expert on that but I'm sure someone on here will be happy to answer those questions this is a very helpful site! puppies tend to wear out quickly so just simply playing with her with her toys & running around when shes outside will wear her out quickly! Mila poops out after a good run around outside. Lol she really loves getting her baths tho...thankfully! I like to give her a bath once a week sometimes every other week. Keeps her smelling good & her coat looking good too! thats about all I gotta say for owning a Mal. It maybe tough now cuz ur Mal is so little but hang in there! It wont last forever! just like with my kids, the newborn stage was tough (getting up every 1-2 hrs at night lol) but now I miss that stage! lol. They grow fast! enjoy ur new Mal!
Six weeks is far too young. ,,,[SNIP]... 4) The first night I had her I discovered she had worms. Really really bad round worms. She was throwing up piles of them and pooping out even more. It was pretty horrific. I got her treated first thing in the morning and shes much better now thankfully. Is it normal for this to happen? I've had a lab who got worms once out of the blue, but I'm not used to seeing it on such a small pup./QUOTE] So you bought a beautiful, albeit far too young, cute Alaskan Mal. From a registered breeder? And the puppy was stuffed full of worms? No, it is normal to buy a puppy whose dam had not been treated for worms, nor a young puppy that has not been treated for worms. Did you buy this puppy from a puppy mill/farm or from an online seller? Because it does not sound right to me. I do hope your puppy will be OK but it sounds like she has not come from a registered breeder.
Potty training? You have had a six week puppy for three days and say that 'it's not sticking at all' in learning to use a housetraining bell. You are very welcome on this site, and the people are kind, and will give you a lot of help, but please do get hold of a basic puppy training book so you know how much to expect from Piper at this age. Farting? This baby has been sold underage, was full of worms, has had a change of home, vaccination and a dose of wormer - no wonder she has wind! You are leaping ahead by wanting to tire her outside. She will need to be worm free and have her stomach settled on a decent diet first.
1) I dont have any experience in this area beyond knowing that good practice suggests separating a fair bit older but given you have her now, i can only assume that she will require whatever a mother would have traditionally given, warmth, comfort, opportunity to explore a safe and small environment, security and affection. beyond that i wouldnt be to fussed about anything else. 2) mistake i made with our new pup was assuming they need some vigorous running about to tire them out, when in reality, and what was much more productie was to be told "nope, nap time" and allowing for tons of sleep, then 4 hours more than i thought. with tiny 20 min gentle exercises and play between. No leashed walks at all. 3) Ours took to it fairly well, over a period of days we left treats etc in the cage, under blankets etc, rewarded any sign she might enter, double rewards for going inside, plenty praise, never punishment, put an old jumper/and a breeder supplied old worn blanket from her pen in there for scent. just made it a wee safe haven and didnt capitulate at all on any fuss to get out. any time we had to put her in was done matter of fact, no fuss, no fight either, its just a place she goes for a spell. 4) No ideas here, seek proper treatment and advice from a Vet. Promptly, and continue as needed. 5) personally, and i am theorising a bit i would absolutely dispense with potty training at all for at least the next 2 weeks, if you had got her "at the appropriate time" of 8+ weeks she would have had no training of any sort other than from her litter and mother on what to do, trying to train her at this point i would guess would be futile at best and harmful at worst. 6) Again, no idea, probably/possibly due to all the changes. Overall, my advice would be think about what she would get from a good mother at this point, (she wouldnt be with a new owner if things had played out well) and give her that, once she is 8-10 weeks i would start having expectations. Early lessons from Everest: Promote Sleep, lots of it, and then add more. Short PLAY sessions, mental stimulation, tons of treats (her food allowance spread out worked well for us), Dont try and physically tire her out, wont work, shell get like a hyper child and the only solution is appropriate sleep. Consistancy is king, dont try something new when you think the last thing isnt working unless you have tried it for a minimum of 3-4 days. Ask lots of questions on here. its a great resource. Have in mind now, what you would like 80 lb of furry muscle and sharpness to do in 18 months, if you dont want bouncing and play biting, dont promote it now and try and extinguish later. Promote more sleep They are a great breed to own, and will have you questioning what you expected but it all makes sense in the end,
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