Alaskan Malamute - Does anyone have experience of the breed? Questions

My daughter and her husband are thinking of having an Alaskin Malamute. We don't know a lot about the breed. The breeder who they have got in touch with has a great and helpful website, but has anyone had any experience of this breed. They live on a farm and have two children aged 5 and 2. My daughter does a lot of long distance running and would like the dog to run with her.

Hello.

How experienced are you all at training with positive methods adn using clicker training? Malamutes are very strong characters that you really don't want to get in battles of wills with so calm positive training methods are essential, as is proper methodical socialization when they are young e.g from 8 to 20 weeks and then on going for the rest of their life.

Are they prepared to go to training classes and ensure that everyone in the family is commited to using the same positive methods and be consistent with training, no soft touch from one family member and shouting and forcefullness from another?

There are people on here with these wonderful dogs so i am sure they will be along here to help you out soon.

The first thing I would say is that they need to research the breed thoroughly and take the time to visit breeders/owners and actually meet them in the flesh. They then need to find a breeder who breeds for temperament as well as health and type (sadly there are some poorly bred Mals around who do not have particularly good temperaments). They need to be completely honest with themselves, look at the downsides of the breed and then decide if they think they can live with a Mal - in the right hands they are wonderful dogs but sadly too many people rush into a purchase having been swayed by an adorable pup only to hand them over to Rescue a few months down the line.

Are they willing to accept that the dog may not be able to go off lead? Whilst most Mals are fairly good with children they should never be left alone unsupervised (more due to their size than anything). Mals will be able to do long distance running however their exercise needs to be moderated for the the first 12 months and can then be increased.

Please tell them to check out the hip scores and eye test results of the sire/dam. If the breeder can not give satisfactory answers then walk away. Our average hip score is 13 so people shouldn't be breeding from dogs with a much higher score than this. They also need to have a current clear eye certificate (one done in the last 12 months).

I wish them well in their search

I think Kirsty has summed it up perfectly..

But I wanted to add that just because the breeder has a flashy website doens't mean they are good breeders......

I prefer to go on recommendation and reputation..Temprement should be first and foremost in your mind..as when these dogs are fully grown they are very very powerful and rathr large..having a grumpy sod that size is not a good idea..

Totally agree with advice already given, research is the key word.

Mo

removed because it is of know use to any one!

NOOOOO NOOOO NOOOOOO

Where did you copy that from

Why noooo noooo noooo?
It would be more helpful if you said why you feel this information was wrong?
I copied it from dogbreed info and I find this site very informative and useful....and felt the poster might to?

"Malamutes are happiest living outdoors " this is not actually factual, many do enjoy being outdoors,some even enjoy living outdoors, but the majority enjoy being inside with the family, The problem I personally have with this statement is, some people will beleive the written word as gospel, and think they have bought a dog that is Happiest outside, and so may not have provisions for the average malamute that prefers to be in the home with the family.

They are no different to houstrain than any other breed, unless of course the dog is left OUTSIDE and not given the time to be housetrained, in fact all my malamutes were fully housetrained by approx 14 weeks, and I have many friends with this breed and not heard anyone state they have had problems in this area.

Mo

Because its American and its not true!!

The people who have posted own and live and love these dogs..

Copying and pasting things is fine..if they are right..(Oh and I think its part of the terms of service on the forum to state where the thing was copied from)

They don't PREFER to live outdoors..

They are easy to housetrain

and SOME males can be dominant...with other dogs..but not with people..

Oh and the loyal bit is rubbish too...

They are loyal to whoever has the biscuits!

Ain't that the truth

Not quite true, Mals have more of a 'what's in it for me' attitude. I am not saying they are difficult to train (although several people do think so) but if they can't see the point in it then they might not do it.

Like Mo, I can't say I have ever heard or experienced this.

Howling and quiet really shouldn't be in the same sentence! Howling is certainly not quiet

I think the key word here is some. Yes some Mals are ok with small furries however a large majority are not. If they are brought up in a house with existing animals (cats for example) then they are generally ok with those animals however there is no guarantee they will extend the same courtesy to all small furries.

I must admit that when reading your post I kept shaking my head, i'm not sure who wrote it or where they got their information from but it isn't strictly accurate. I went onto the website to have a look at the original page and this first part jumped out at me:

No, no, no - a Mal is never ponderous. In fact the AMCA hands on committee wrote the following with regards to movement:

Therefore the page you are taking the information from completely contradicts what our parent club state!

I do think it is often better to get the view of people in the breed rather than a general website.

Fair enough, I got my research wrong,
but like you said to the poster do some research how would she know what is true and what is not?
Have you any useful sites, books, numbers or and clubs she could get in contact with or and read?

Fair point.

The best book IMO is The Alaskan Malamute: Yesterday and Today by Barbara A. Brooks and Sherry E. Wallis however I have a feeling this is now out of print. Another book to consider is This Is the Alaskan Malamute by Joan M. Brearley. Most other books are general books and do not really reflect the breed accurately.

The OP also needs to check out the breed club, in the UK this is the AMCUK.

To the OP - one other thing I forgot to add is don't let distance be a factor in choosing your breeder. We travelled hundreds of miles for all of ours (the furthest was a 700 mile round trip and I would do it again in a heartbeat).

There is the Alaskan Malamute club of UK website, the Alaskan Malamutes club of Americawebsite

couple of books are The complete Alaskan Malamute.
the Alaskan Malamute Today and Yesterday.by Barbara A Brooks & Sherry E Wallis.
The Alaskan Malamute by John Gordon.
A New Owners Guide to Alaskan Malamute Mary Jan & Al Holabach.

they can attend the activities that the dogs go to ie showing/working rallies, UK club fundays, etc information on rallies can be found on the snopeak website. the right information IS out there.

mo

lol posted at the same time lol
I agree distance should never be the deciding factor.

Get your daughter to get out to shows, look at them and see what lines she likes, talk to breeders, meet the dogs..
I did all this before even going on a list..

I pinched other people's dogs..played mushers mate for a friend, asked questions, watched and waited..

I travelled from Edinburgh to Lincoln to pick my pup and then did the same journey 3wks later to collect him.. (8hr trip each way!)

Be prepared to wait for the right pup..I waited nearly 3yrs on a list..

Hi I m a fairly inexperienced Mal owner here. My girl is now 15 months, in the teenage stage. My advice is do loads of research and when you think you have enough do more. There is a forum for malamute owners I don't know if I'm allowed to post a link but if you pm me I will send it. They have been fantastic with the few problems I have had.
In my experience nothing prepares you for a Mal even after all the research sometimes it is good to speak with other owners.
My girl is my world she welcomes everyone with open paws and a big lick, accepts my cat who she has been around since a pup but not any others. She can be bossy with other dogs even though well socialized especially bitches.
She constantly tests you and given an inch will take a mile.
All the reasons why I love her

As mentioned research IS the way to go there ARE breeders that you want to avoid like the plague and these cannot be mentioned for liable reasons, try to talk to others who have malamutes and get feedback from them about their breeders, if the breeders support them, give them adivce, if the breeders can be approached over problems, if the breeders respect their peers, vets opinions etc. if the breeders breed too often, are the dogs kennelled all the time and not allowed to interact with the families in the homes etc. check out the paperwork to the breeding dogs carefully to ensure the dogs they are breeding from have UP TO DATE clearances on required health test. there are a lot of malamutes being bred to day and a lot of them are bred by people that have only got into the breed recently, they do not have the experience to give advice, are breeding for the sake of breeding, with no real forward planning done. do not buy from the loot etc.

Mo

I think research is the same whatever you research about. It doesn't mean talking to one owner, reading one website and one one book, talking to one breeder and meeting one dog.

It means, talking to numerous people, reading numerous webistes and books and meeting loads of dogs so you get a balance of views and opinions and then you can make up your mind for yourselves.

I also think that although people might research the breed they want to get they often don't realise the importance of researching how to train and socialise a puppy and growing dog with modern postive methods so that they can avoid issues and also find a qualified training who uses positive methods so that they can attend classes and have support to deal with any issues that might arrise. I don't know many pet owners who have not needed some advice and support at some time.

Lol there are quite a few..not just one..

I would definately be asking owners for help..

I know if I hadn't came across people like Mo I wouldn't have the fantastic dog that I have..It's because of people like Mo and others that aren't on here that I ended up getting the pup I did..and I wouldn't change him for the world..