New Malamute puppy training Questions

He is just a baby, he will have mistakes for a while yet. Be patient, just remind him where the correct place is, and clean up with a biological cleaner so he will be less likely to return to the same spot.
Ah the joys of puppies!

Oh yes it can be very frustrating! Just remember tho it won't be like this forever! hang in there!

quick update

We decided to put down pee pads at the common spots he's peed at just in case. He went for a car ride and met the in laws and did a pee in the backyard!!! Miracles do happen!!! So then home he goes and went for another quick walk and just a poop, back to the house and luckily the pad was down cause he ended up going there again twice. Progress is being made at least. I'm wondering if it'll be harder now cause the pad is in place and make it difficult for the transition. He's peed in several spots outside around the house but can seem to make the timing right.

A raincoat since we live in Raincouver

Awe hes so cute! that's a cute little raincoat u have on him! It was sooo wet & muddy where I live that I had put booties (the kids had out grown) on Mila because I was tired of all the mud being tracked in the house! lol yeah she didn't like that at all! so now when its sloppy muddy I just take a bucket of water & wash her paws on the porch before coming back in. Lol shes a character!
Glad to hear progress is being made! The more u work with him the better it will get!

We're currently going through teething right now with ours for a couple weeks now, nipping and biting at our limbs and clothes. We're doing positive reinforcement combined with no and giving no attention, but this guy is relentless. Everyone says it's teething and it'll pass. His pressure doesn't ease off either, we're also using bitter spray as well and trying to stay calm when he's doing it so we don't get him more excited. A lot of kids see him and want to pet him but I just don't trust him not to nip at them along with me niece and nephew. Today he nearly snapped at my face and my wife's, we were maybe a little close but the snapped was unwarranted for.

Along with the problem above, his walks turn into long periods of sitting and laying every 10-20 steps, he cannot go a full walk without a fight to sit or laying down. I used a toy, treats to move him along but he'll walk a bit and flop down again. We usually give him 3-4 walks a day with the intention of keeping them at 15-20 mins each that turns into a 45 minute ordeal.

Potty training is much better, a couple slip ups but he's getting better at alerting us now.

Any solutions for nipping and biting and long walks with no beach?

Also to mention, he comes to work me Monday to Fridays so he has no shortage of attention. He gets 3 meals a day, plenty of water and lots of opportunities to potty which he doesn't always use.

Here's one from last week, he's growing fast

On average, most of us only have a puppy every ten to fourteen years, and we do tend to forget just how much training they need, and what hard work they can be.
Even worse when is is the rainy season, and you have to stand outside for ages in order to be able to reward that pee in the right place! It will come, but some breeds are a little slower than others to catch on.
It is a good job they are so cute, and think that we are wonderful!

I think 15/20min walks three or four times a day is too much for a puppy that age, and I would not be forcing walks, far better to do short walk sit on a bench and let him soak things in, put him in the car and go somewhere new for a sniff around and letting him play in garden, is plenty at that age.

Puppy biting is normal, much better to teach him to be gentle and control his biting Google ‘bite inhibition.’

Hello all,

A little update here,

Potty training is going smooth as we've eliminated the pads just over a week ago and hasn't had an accident.

His nipping and biting has subsided ever so slightly.... Pressure has ease off a bit, but we've noticed his form of play biting seems to be mostly with my significant other targeting her ankles and feet, sometimes it get progressively rougher and rougher as though he's testing her limits. We still doing the positive reinforcement, giving him a toy instead. Simply walking away seems to encourage him to give chase that getting away far enough to get over the baby gate is difficult.

Puppy school he seems to be very obedient and is picking up the commands but still needs work.

Main concern right now is the nipping and biting....sigh...

Hello all,

It's been a long while since I've posted but Maikoh is now 6 months and is relatively healthy except for contracting giardia which is being remedied.

As of the last few weeks he's been getting a little ill mannered when being handled, for example my fiancé tried to get him back in the house the other day from laying in the grass in which he simply doesn't want to move from, tried treats (food motivation) to get him up and going but being simply stubborn. So she put her hands under his arm pits to get him up and he growled and snapped at her. He's growled before while being handled like this before and we say no and try again and he doesn't growl a second time, however in the last few days he's been doing it more frequently when handled, another example is getting into my truck which is a little high but he can get his front paws up but can't quite get his rears up so I help him in which he growls but doesn't fight and gets up. Today we did the same for trying to get him up off the grass and I tried lifting him from the arm pit and belly and he growled and snapped at me. Following that I said no with a stern look into his eyes. We finally get him up and he fights getting into the truck all the while growling and grumbling.

What other way of discipline could be used to remedy this? Obviously the stern no and look into the eyes isnt working well with him.

He's been well socialized with lots of small to big dogs at daycare, plenty of human interaction as well as young kids, but it scares me knowing he could snap like this. Obviously around children we'd have a watchful eye and advise children to respect him and not allow poking and pulling at him.

Between me and my fiancé we're certain I'm his alpha but after the growl and snap at me I'm not sure that's the case.

Thoughts anyone?

Plenty of thoughts Ash. It is just difficult to know where to start.

Firstly, forget the alpha thing - it has long been proven to be incorrect.

Secondly, if someone tried to hoik you up under your arms when you did not want to get up, would you like it? I know I would not like it because that area can be very tender.

Thirdly, if you stare some dogs straight in their eyes, they think it is threatening, so I would not do it.

A lot more to say but at the moment I would prefer not to. However, the problem Maikoh has getting into your truck - how about getting a plank of wood and putting something on it so he can get up himself, rather than, to him, rudely shoving him up by his rear end?

At six months Maikoh is "finding his feet" as it were. He is testing you but not to prove he, or you, are alpha - he has reached the Kevin stage where he thinks Oh, I could do this before so I will carry on doing it.

Hang on in there Ash - please do not punish him for anything, and a smile and a soft "gentle" goes a lot further than a harsh stare and "NO".

Stop trying to pick him up by growling, he’s telling you quite clearly that he doesn't like it, I would get a vet check to rule out any health problems.

You could put a thin lead/ line on him so that you can bring him in without needing to pick him up, or make funny noises /squeaky toy ect more than likely he will be curious and come over to you, practice on recall, making it fun so he wants to come to you.

I agree with Malka about getting a ramp for your truck, he is still young and jumping in/out could cause joint problems.

Agree with the posts above.
I would leave a collar and a short lead on him. When you want him to come with you, pick up the lead and say, 'Maikoh Come'. Make it a pleasure for him to come with you - a happy few words, a small treat, or a little game. You will soon break this habit.

Oh goodness! At 10 weeks old was 27 lbs? Our Jager is almost 9 months old and has yet to hit 25 lbs...(Almost there though).

Jessica I think that the age and weight was possibly a bit back on this thread as I think Ash @Bluesteel731 had posted that a while back.

[Ahem - I cannot lift up a plus of minus 6 kilos shrimp]

I saw that after the fact. Thanks!

No problem Jessica - as I said, I cannot even pick up my little shrimp!

Thank you everyone, you all have very positive points. A ramp is one definite thing I know would help. As for health he was recently vet checked and is back to normal, blood work and stool sample from the giardia episode show nothing otherwise.

One thing I've noticed is that he's better off lead as he typically follows but we all know he shouldn't be in certain civilian areas.

He's been better since I last posted. It was quite stifling during the past couple weeks and only has the temperature dropped lately that he seems to be more himself.

Thanks everyone for the input.

Heres a more recent photo of my 6 month 34kg puppy.

Follow along if you have Instagram

@maikoh.the.malamute