We've decided we're either going with a Malamute or NI and we're starting to make lists of things to buy for our potential new doggy (not that we're in a position to have one yet!) and I'm quite interested in training it to pull a rig on the idea that it will enable me to go on walks with my OH and the dogs. I just have a few questions... 1. At what age can a dog be trained to use a rig? 2. Where can these be obtained without enormous expense? Is it possible to have one "converted" to have a seat? (I cannot stand for long periods of time) 3. Do I need to check which areas I would be allowed to use it in? Are there are there any areas that are normally "off limits"? 4. Anything else I haven't considered!
I just found the Culpeppers website and had a chat with Phil. He thinks that a passenger rig might be the way to go. Does anyone have any pictures of passenger rigs? I can't seem to find anything on google. Also, I expect that such a rig will be fairly expensive, so I have an odd question:- in the same vein that there are family days out at rally driving, falconry centres and the like, is there any such organisations that give rig training days that could give us a taste of what it's like? I wouldn't like to fork out potentially thousands of pounds on a passenger rig, only to find that one or both of us didn't enjoy it, or that it was no good for my disability.
Thousands of pounds???!! THey aren't gold plated!!! I got OH to build ours and it cost us £24!! Dogs can be trained the commands from the day they come home.. They can be trained to wearing a harness from the same day BUT with nothing attached to it..at around 6 months you could tie a twig to a peice of string and get the pup used to the noise and the feeling of something behind it..at around 9 months they could be pulling tyres along behind them..buiilding it up.. They can't compete until they are a year old and personally I wouldn't have them pulling anything heavy before then.. (at least not for a far distance) yes you can buy rigs with seats but they are few and far between 2nd hand.. (as are normal rigs).. it wouldn't be hard to adapt one.. They can sell 2nd hand for around £200..have a look on ebay.. You would have to check with your local council and query their permits etc for where you can use it.. I am not sure of what disability you have but be warned Malamutes are STRONG dogs and get very excitable with harnesses on.. so you would HAVE to have someone to help you harness them and put it on the gangline..or you might find the rig and dog are gone whilst you are still where you were.. There are "workshops" run by the AMWA etc where people will lend you a rig.. BUT they may not have one with a seat..I don't live anywhere near you but there may be someone who does who will let you meet their dogs and try out their rig.. Have you ever met a Mal in the flesh>> It might be a good idea to do so..before you decide they are for you..
It is not allowed to use a rig on most places one may wish to walk - ie parks and trails .... in fact it is quite difficult to find somewhere to use one Not to put you off but my dogs have trouble pulling the rig at a walk - they usually go at a trot which is faster than I would want to walk!!
Have to agree with Julie... when they are harnessed they want to GO.. and quickly.. and they don't care if they pull you over if they go before you want them to Unless you mean you sitting and your OH standing on the rig too and I wouldn't ask 1 dog to pull 2 people..
Thanks for your replies. I've had a chat with some lovely folks who are "in the know" and they felt that even three dogs would find a passenger rig hard to pull. We're not in a position to own a team of Mals, and it's not like we want to start competing or anything, so it looks like, unfortunately it's a no go. Shame really - it would have been lovely to have been able to go along with them on walks, and my wheelchair really can't handle any terrain other than a decent pavement! I was told by Culpeppers that if we wanted one made for us, we'd probably be looking at a price range of £1-2k.... I possibly misheard but I was certain that was what he said! I hadn't even thought of trying e-bay for one Louise, we did manage to meet some gorgeous Mals a couple of weeks ago, which was what has started to swing the decision for us! The owners were all very upfront about any and all issues that they had and how they dealt with them, which was very refreshing! I was told to remember that "no matter how much research we do, or how many Malamutes we meet, we will never have prepared enough!" I'm hoping that we will have the opportunity to go and meet with a few breeders for a chat as well. We're actually hoping to have a rescue that I came across, but I need to wait and see if my OH gets this job first (we find out next week) so I don't want to waste the rescue's time by counting my chickens and contacting them now. If the job falls through, it could well be another six months or longer before we can even seriously consider bringing a new dog home, which gives me plenty of time to ask questions and coo over photographs
Here you go, and as far as I know, it's not yet sold http://www.dogsey.com/showthread.php?t=79525 If you go for a rescue, you would more than likely get a fairly young dog, as there sadly seems to be a flood of young dogs going through at the moment ! (under a year old) Rigs don't come up that often, so I would definitely get onto the above link and ask, as half an hour ago, it still wasnt sold at £280 which is a steal for a Rig, and it's a good one too.
Is the dog you have just now only young?? (I thought I saw a post that she was only 6 months old?? It would be advisable to wait until that dog is around 18 months before bringing in a malamute.. Most good breeders would advise this and I would HOPE rescue would too
"even three dogs would find a passenger rig hard to pull" I'm not too sure about that. We have Siberian Huskies, which are much, much smaller and lighter than Malamutes, and two of those will pull my 15 stone quite happily (I have to help them up the hills though!). Malamutes are bred to pull heavy loads, so I don't think they would find it a problem at all. I think you probably heard Phil correctly when he quoted for a purpose-built passenger rig £1-2,000 sounds about right. Unfortunately passenger rigs are quite rare in the UK and it is unlikely that you would find many on the second hand market. Mick
None of the breeders I've spoken to have said anything about Amberella being too young, but that's not to say that you aren't correct. In that case, maybe a Mal isn't for us then. :-( I don't want to come across as a child saying "now, now, now", but I'm not prepared to wait, as it will mean Amber is on her own again after Sam has gone, and obviously my mum wants him back as soon as she can, which will probably be in the next four months or so. We got Amber with the intention that she would be a single dog, but it was after we offered to take on Sam for a few months for my mum that we realised how incredible it was to see her bond with a friend of her own species. Realistically, if she has to be on her own for potentially six months upwards, then there's no point in getting another dog at all, as she will be forced to get used to it and we might as well go back to having her as a single dog.
I waited 18yrs to get a mal.. 3 of them on a waiting list for a good puppy.. Its the now now now attitude that ends up with the puppy being in rescue.. And that same attitude that ends you up with a dog with possible temprement issues and from a not so reputable breeder.. GOOD Malamutes are not a breed that you can get NOW, you have to put in the time the research and wait patiently for the right one
I'm sorry? As I said above it's not a case of "now, now, now" attitude... I've been researching possible breeds for a couple of months now, have contacted several breeders, met the breed we are interested (and plan to meet more) and I'm prepared to sit on a waiting list for the right dog but I have always said that we were doing this to prevent Amber being alone. I think I have done this properly and have no interest in going to a BYB for our next dog. However, given that we are not interested in breeding or showing, we are happy to get a rescue dog as well, and although I agree that there is a necessity to hang on for the right dog. However, since you have said I am sensibly thinking about whether this sort of dog would suit us if that is the case. My partner and I have carefully considered the implications of having two young dogs at home. We don't have any children and our dogs are like family. We are both equally committed to them, so it is not a case of one person doing all the work, training etc. However, if it is recommended (and nowhere, as yet, have I seen any such recommendation) that Amber is eighteen months old before we have another dog, especially a Mal, then perhaps it is pointless to add another dog - afterall, Amber will have to adjust to being a single dog again while we wait. Which means that we will no longer have a need to "replace" her friend for her, as by the time she is eighteen months old, she will be quite used to being a single dog. I'm not disagreeing with you - I respect that you have more experience than I and I am quite prepared to believe you when you say that breeders and the Mal rescue will insist that we wait until Amber is a year and a half old, but so far no one I have contacted has said anything when I have said we have a 6 month old. Our decision to get another dog originated from the fact that Sam is leaving us soon, and my partner and I have enjoyed having two dogs, and Amber has certainly enjoyed having another dog at home. I don't think there's anything wrong with my attitude, and I'm quite offended at your implication that I would not obtain a future dog from a reputable source and then put my "problem dog" in a rescue.
I don't think Lou meant that you would put your other dog in rescue I think she was trying to express that as Malamutes are a challenging breed, they need to go into a household where either a)the other dog is already well trained and not a puppy or b) an older dog that doesn't mind being left out, when a lot of time would be spent training a Malamute (which is a long old process) Many people get a Mal with another young dog, not realising how much training a Mal needs, and then because the other dog also needs training, they find it difficult to cope with, hence many young Malamutes ending up in rescue, because people don't think ahead and keep the 'easier' dog !!! The possible reason that no other breeder has yet said there is a problem with you having a 6 month old could be that they know that there would be a waiting list of more than 6 months or more anyway, hence your dog would no longer be 6 months when the Mal arrived anyway I would agree though. Malamutes need a lot of attention for training issues etc and set certain rules and keep setting them, as they go through their challenging stages, and it is very time consuming, and having another pup in the house to deal with, that could possible 'share' bad habits, could seem like you are suceeding with one, to take two steps back with the other all the time, if that makes sense. You really do need time to devote to training a Mal, and they are not a breed that once trained as a pup, they stay trained in a sense ! They go through various difficult stages that require further training and rule asserting, until they are 18 months - 2 years, so as I said it's a long process, and one made doubly hard when you have another pup in the house that you have to train separately and that 'could' cause problems. Just something to add : You really should be looking to get another dog for you ........... not just to keep your current dog company. A Mal is a huge committment, and not one to be taken lightly, just to please the other dog. Hope I've made sense
"even three dogs would find a passenger rig hard to pull" Sorry but my Malamute bitch and Samoyed bitch pulled hubby across the Dell with the BRAKES ON! And hubby is 6'6 and weighs over 18 stone :0
That is the part I am referring to..you say you don't want to come across as a child saying "now now now" BUT that you are prepared to wait..so in essence you are saying you want one NOW.. A lot of people have been there and done that and regretted it..and the dog is the one that suffers
It's a passenger rig we would need in order for me to use it - i.e. myself (5ft 3 & 14 st) and my partner (6ft 3 & 15 st). We were only planning on having one Mal, although I suppose we could have potentially also trained our GSD cross. Whilst googling for passenger rigs, I came across a website of some folks who run their dogs and have used a passenger rig, so I contacted them for a chat and to get their opinion - the general thought was that we would have been better off with a team of more than three. Sorry if I'm mistaken - I'm just going on what was suggested. I've only vaguely looked into the idea of using a rig, as it was just a passing thought of a nice way for me to go out on dog walks on terrain that isn't suitable for my wheelchair.
I wouldn't worry about her adjusting and readjusting to being an only dog to having a friend and back again. I have a 5 yo BC x and when we first got her at 4 months old she was an only dog. When she was 2 yo I moved out of my dad's house and he moved into his aunt and uncle's with Jessie (the BC x). They have a dog and she lived with that one for about a year or so. Then I moved in with my aunt and they had a dog. My dad moved 2 miles away into my grandma's house for about 6 months, and she doesn't have any dogs. When my dad moved out of state I took Jessie and she wasn't an only dog once again. Then their dog died (cancer) and she was an only dog for about a year (my times are probably off but around about then). They then got a puppy and she was no longer an only dog. I then proceed to move in with my boyfriend and she was an only dog for about 4 or 5 months. We just adopted a 9 month old Siberian Husky. Now she will never be an only dog ever again! lol... I know we really didn't really do too much research (about 2 or 3 days worth) and we didn't get her from a breeder or any thing... actually we found her on "craigs list", some one posted her because they didn't know what they were getting them selves into when they got her. We love her and she's sooo well behaved (for a 9 month old husky). So don't let your fear of Amber not adjusting to life as a single dog, then life with another dog, and back again (or what ever) deter you from getting another dog in the future!
