Alaskan Malamutes Questions

I am really falling for Mals and hope to possibly own one in the future so thought i'd start a thread dedicated to everything about them. I'd really like to see and learn more from people who own them, so please could we have lots of life experiences with them, what they are like to live with in general. Is it true that they are a generally healthy breed, have yours had any health problems? How many of you allow yours off lead exercise etc etc...

But, most importantly, lots and lots of piccies please!!!

(Apologies if there is all ready a thread like this)

I don't have one but have worked with a few mals and mal xs.

Generally I've found them to be extremely nice dogs!
Not to tricky to train and generaly nice natured. They seem healthy but HD is a worry with any big dog I guess.

They do have a reputation for being iffy with other dogs of the same sex and around food. They can also be independant and predatory.

Editted to add, there is a thread about mals in the southest with a breeder called cornishmal on it. Considering your location they might be useful.

Adam

apologies as i know my kodas not full mal- but his dad was.

he is the best dog we've ever owned, hes so docile and is just like a big teddy bear!

He is however, quite aloof when it comes to strangers, I.E hes never growled/shown anger to people who want to say hello BUT he doesn't acknowledge them,

We get stopped at least 3 times every walk by people going "wow can we see your dog" then asking a million questions about him...and they're all over him fussing him - and he'll just sit there wthout a care in the world looking at anything but them, haha. Maybe thats because hes had too much attention since a pup!!!

When it comes to offlead, i have let him off a few times in the past but now i rather not.

A) because he has a very high prey drive, and if he sees a rabbit/etc moving hes gone and no amount of name calling/recall will get him back until he feels he is ready, which is dangerous.

B) on a few walks when i've had him offlead, he will always ignore other dogs, off lead or on lead, if they however come upto him friendly (but not "in his space) he'll just say hello and move on- but a few times we've had nasty little dogs that tear up to him and proceeed to get growly/angry toward him and he doesn't usually back down and he'll do the same - obviously being much more powerful, the little dog could get hurt, we were on the beach once and this lady had her dog off lead same as koda (little terrier) and it bounded over (i was stood right next to koda) and it started growling and nipping at his paws!!!! so he then thought right, i'm going to eat you and proceeded to chase this terrier across the beach! and the owner blamed my dog! cheek of it.

When hes on lead, if there are other dogs around on leads i tend to not let him say "hello" like alot of people do because for some reason when hes on his lead and he says hello to other dogs he gets growly and his hackles go up, but as i said only on lead so whether hes feeling me tensing through the lead i'm not sure

ok i think i've rambled enough now :haha:

if brought up correctly they are the most amazing dogs and you wouldn't regret it - but i have seen a few cases of where the owners haven't and the dogs have become destructive etc.

x

forgot to add he'll not go for a female dog even if they were to go for him, its usually only other males.

And as Adam said above the lady Jude from cornish mals is really helpful and friendly x

Thanks for reply.

I'd seen the other thread, i'm only in Cornwall temporarily so if we did look for a breeder in the future (or shall i say if i can persuade the chap lol) we will be elsewhere, although Cornwall will always be home, it is where all my family are so we're always travelling back and forth.

I would like to rescue future dogs but after reading that mals are dominant with other dogs it may be best to go with a pup to fit in with us.

Thanks for info, ramble all you like lol! Koda sounds easier going than my shep lol! Koda is a stunner!!

Ta

Does it make a difference if they are neutered, with regards to how they behave with same sex?

Koda is very easy going with most things, apart from chasing small animals

We're not sure because we rang the vet to get him neutered and asked those questions and the vets themselves were unsure, I know a few mals who are agressive to males BUT Koda was attacked by a rottie when younger so we don't know for sure if his is fear-related or testosterone related!!

And we were told also that if you get them neutered and it is fear agression then in some cases it can become worse, which is what we didn't want so we've been dealing with behaviourists.

However he has improved dramatically and we will neuter him come the end of the year as we're getting a female malamute.x

Zephyr has high prey drive, he loves to chase, can't let him off leash certain places on the moors as he will chase sheep Considering how he is, and what i've read of mals, I think he's given me good training for one lol! Zeph is also nervous aggressive and he has improved tons since being castrated.

I bet you're so excited to get another! Will that be your third? Can I ask where you are getting her from?

How is yours with being left? Are they ok to be crated?

Have a read of the following threads where people have asked about Mals in the past

Alaskan Malamute

Malamutes as pets

Malamute Advice

Info on Malamutes please!

Malamute books

Those should keep you going for a while

Mals are fabulous dogs but only IF you already like a lot of exercise and a house full of fur

Mine is great of lead and with other dogs but the majority are not - some of this is breedig and some is just personality ... so be prepared that most likely you will have a lead exercise only dog - which does of course mean more walking than an easy off lead dog

Mine always loved being crated - but the breeder crate trained too from them being small - some settle far less well and I do know of some who do not cope at all - same with being left - mine was left from 8 weeks (with other dogs) and she has no issues at all - nor did my boy, but some do not cope so well and can become destrictive or noisy!

Huge Mally event end of August Bank holiday at Salisbury - big camping weekend - all mal owners and interested parties welcome .... www.amwa.co.uk - great place to learn lots about them

ooo thank you, will keep me busy!

Generally yes, as long as you go to a breeder who places health high on their list of priorities. Mals can suffer from a variety of conditions, the most common being hip dyplacia and heridtary cataracts. You must ensure you see the hip scores and current eye test results when contemplating going on a list. Unfortunately in the last few years epilepsy has started to crop up and there has been some dogs diagnosed with Day Blindness (Cone Degeneration) however there is now a DNA test available for this. Other problems that affect Mals are hypothyroidism, polyneuropathy and CHD. We have not yet seen a case of CHD in this country but with more and more people importing it is something, along with Poly - which there have been several cases in Europe, that we need to be aware of.

I would always suggest you go to the breed club first and foremost, unless somebody has experience of a breeder and personally recommends them.

The details for the club are found on their website:

AMCUK

There is also an official breed rescue, which if you are interesed in you may also wish to check out:

Alaskan Malamute Breed Rescue

Neutering can help along with training, however it is not a 'cure all' option

All ours were crate trained from an early age and something I would strongly recommend. Whilst ours are not crated at home, they are all crate trained should the need arise.

Exercise is one of the reasons I want one, I love walking and exploring. And I already have a house full of white fur lol! Its a worthy sacrifice!

I'm still fairly limited as to where I can let me GSD off leash, I usually to just trek across the fields with him on a longish lead for an hour or so of a morning, if he doesn't get a run off lead for a day or so we just walk extra on lead a couple times a day. TBH I prefer to walk with him on lead as it means I get exercised! If i walk him with other dogs off lead I just stand there while they knacker each other out - and I get fat lol!!

If I was to break a pup into being left (with another dog) and get him used to a crate from day one, would it work out? I suppose there is still a chance they won't take to it?

I'd love to got o that event but most likely won't be able to

Thanks so much for all the info

Oh and where are the piccies guys????

Pics always available

Our friends Mal - Lovely Laska - 8 months old





Some of the lovely Alaskan Malamutes we met at Aviemore this year.

http://www.dogsey.com/showthread.php?p=1876405#post1876405


Take care.

Seoniad.

Some of ours

Great pics Are all the dogs pictured yours?

Beautiful!

Love the Aviemore pics, so gutted I wasn't there I was living less than an hour away

I adore the big fluffy mals!

Stunning shots! I recognise your dogs, possibly from your website? Is the red one named Zephyr?