:: View topic - Advice from dog people: Alaskan Malamute?

i heard they fixate on family, but are rather cold to outside the family. just what the latina ex said, she had one.

You're in SoCal and want a sled dog??!?!

They also have those damn nasty poodles... Damn you poodles...!!!

BlueandYellow wrote:

They also have those damn nasty poodles... Damn you poodles...!!!

yes, miniature poodles are annoying (actually I find all toy breeds annoying) but standard poodles can kick ass

Did this dog come from Alaska, or from a pet store in SoCal?

If you take this guy into your home make sure that you are firm with him and that he has no doubt that you are the alpha in the family. Even then, he may decide to settle into the #2 spot and try to dominate your wife.

So....I find out this morning that my idiot brother-in-law has a 1 year old female (fixed) malamute that was dropped on him by his roommate because after 1 week his roommate couldn't handle the dog.
He was about to take the dog to the pound but my wife happens to love the breed. I've got plenty of experience with larger dogs but I've never owned a working dog / sled dog.

Does anyone have experience owning a malamute? Any advice on whether I should take this thing in?

Important info:
I have a small (fenced) yard but there are lots of parks around
I have a indoor cat
I have a 4 year old kid
I'm partial to cage training (AFAIK this animal hasn't been trained outside of house breaking)

if you're wife is the least bit afraid of bigger dogs, it probably isn't a good idea.

i want a picture of this dog. huskies are magnificent.

im a hound dog kinda person. i have a beagle now, and my dream dog is a greyhound. i guess greyhounds are really relaxed, nice dogs.

ironyisadeadscene wrote:

i want a picture of this dog. huskies are magnificent.

im a hound dog kinda person. i have a beagle now, and my dream dog is a greyhound. i guess greyhounds are really relaxed, nice dogs.

There are plenty of places to adopt greyhounds in Michigan.

http://www.adopt-a-greyhound.org/
http://206.67.60.188/directory/list.cfm?usState=mi

I've know a couple of people who have adopted greyhounds. Apparently they have a pretty rough life, but they make for gentle pets.

Author:	Crosscheck [ Tue Jan 05, 2010 1:30 pm ]
Post subject:	Advice from dog people: Alaskan Malamute?
So....I find out this morning that my idiot brother-in-law has a 1 year old female (fixed) malamute that was dropped on him by his roommate because after 1 week his roommate couldn't handle the dog. He was about to take the dog to the pound but my wife happens to love the breed. I've got plenty of experience with larger dogs but I've never owned a working dog / sled dog. Does anyone have experience owning a malamute? Any advice on whether I should take this thing in? Important info: I have a small (fenced) yard but there are lots of parks around I have a indoor cat I have a 4 year old kid I'm partial to cage training (AFAIK this animal hasn't been trained outside of house breaking)

Author:	PuckSniperPensel [ Tue Jan 05, 2010 1:42 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Advice from dog people: Alaskan Malamute?
You have to have lots of time to train them. They're big dogs, and need obedience training. That said, they make great pets. For their size, they're extremely nimble and, unless you got a runt, they won't be the type of dumb dog that knocks shit off your table all the time. Great family pet.

Author:	ironyisadeadscene [ Tue Jan 05, 2010 3:13 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Advice from dog people: Alaskan Malamute?
i heard they fixate on family, but are rather cold to outside the family. just what the latina ex said, she had one.

Author:	PuckSniperPensel [ Tue Jan 05, 2010 3:19 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Advice from dog people: Alaskan Malamute?
ironyisadeadscene wrote: i heard they fixate on family, but are rather cold to outside the family. just what the latina ex said, she had one. Bingo. You can battle that by having treats readily available though, and giving them to your guests to feed the dog. It will make him much more open to other people.

Author:	Crosscheck [ Tue Jan 05, 2010 4:08 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Advice from dog people: Alaskan Malamute?
rbochan wrote: You're in SoCal and want a sled dog??!?! I didn't go looking for it...it found me. I know it's ridiculous but it's better than the typical SoCal breed

http://www.sabresjunkie.com/forum/

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Author:	BlueandYellow [ Tue Jan 05, 2010 4:10 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Advice from dog people: Alaskan Malamute?
They also have those damn nasty poodles... Damn you poodles...!!!

Author:	Crosscheck [ Tue Jan 05, 2010 4:12 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Advice from dog people: Alaskan Malamute?
BlueandYellow wrote: They also have those damn nasty poodles... Damn you poodles...!!! yes, miniature poodles are annoying (actually I find all toy breeds annoying) but standard poodles can kick ass

Author:	Wyohomeboy [ Tue Jan 05, 2010 4:17 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Advice from dog people: Alaskan Malamute?
Did this dog come from Alaska, or from a pet store in SoCal? I exercised sled dogs when I lived in Alaska, and "they" needed a lot of exercise. They were not indoor dogs at all, as they were used to run the Iditarod. They were not socialized to people to any great degree, and we were told to never turn our backs to them. Most of the dogs in Alaska were 1/3 - 5/8 wolf blood, and could look right through a person. I would not recommend taking one of these dogs into a house with young children or other pets. If it came from a pet store or a local breeder and is several generations removed from actual working dog status, and has been around young children before, it could be a great security dog for your home and family, and may even learn to get along with the cat. I would be prepared to take on the responsibilty of walking it daily for at least a couple of miles. I have two working dogs who live in my house, and everyone is happy, but I do give them exercise everyday, and two of Clairisse's grand kids have been bitten by one of my dogs. These are the fifth and sixth setters I've owned, and only one has ever bitten anyone. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to PM me Cross

Author:	Crosscheck [ Tue Jan 05, 2010 4:32 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Advice from dog people: Alaskan Malamute?
Wyohomeboy wrote: Did this dog come from Alaska, or from a pet store in SoCal? It's a local dog. I believe it was found stray, rescued, adopted by an idiot and now I'm the person between it and a second trip to the pound. I'm going to see her tonight so I can get a feel for her disposition and see how she is around kids.

Author:	Godzilla1960 [ Tue Jan 05, 2010 4:32 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Advice from dog people: Alaskan Malamute?
Cross, I grew up with a variety of Huskies, including Malamutes. I loved those dogs (except for one, which was a psycho bitch, literally and figuratively), but be warned that you need to go into this with your eyes wide open. These are dogs that are smart and strong willed. They are also working dogs, so if they don't have activity and some kind of purpose in life they will find activities, which usually are the kind of activites that will make you think about the benefits of canine euthanasia. We lived in rural western New York, so the dogs (we had three) would roam the countryside with my brother and me and we would generally exhaust each other. I see people in Florida who have Malamutes as house dogs and I honestly don't know how they do it. Maybe they can be trained to act like Labs (a calm, gentle breed, once they grow up), but my experience with them is that they want lots of activity. They also have a double coat of fur, which might be an issue in SoCal, but as I said, I see them here in Florida, so they must adapt. If you take this guy into your home make sure that you are firm with him and that he has no doubt that you are the alpha in the family. Even then, he may decide to settle into the #2 spot and try to dominate your wife. * I just noticed in your post that the dog is a female. That is a plus in my book. I generally prefer females over male dogs for their disposition, although the two huskies we had who were males were terrific and the one female had serious psychological issues (I think she was mistreated - we got her on the rebound from a poor owner).

Author:	Crosscheck [ Tue Jan 05, 2010 4:36 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Advice from dog people: Alaskan Malamute?
Godzilla1960 wrote: If you take this guy into your home make sure that you are firm with him and that he has no doubt that you are the alpha in the family. Even then, he may decide to settle into the #2 spot and try to dominate your wife. Oh yeah.... I'm actually more worried about my wife and daughter handling the dog. I've raised and trained several large dogs in the past without any problems but they have had little exposure to dogs, especially large ones. If I heard my brother-in-law correctly, this dog also weighs more than my wife which may pose a problem when she tries to establish dominance. We'll see, it's not a done deal yet.

Author:	Godzilla1960 [ Tue Jan 05, 2010 4:44 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Advice from dog people: Alaskan Malamute?
Hmmm, the dog's size and your wife's lack of experience with dogs would concern me. I also have had many dogs in my life, but my wife had little experience with them when we got our first dog together. It was a little Sckipperke that weighed less than 20 lbs., but he owned her (he would run into the bedroom if she ever yelled at him and either pee in her shoes or on her side of the bed). I finally had to teach her (my wife) how to think like a dog and adopt a pack mentality.

Author:	Howie Hodge [ Tue Jan 05, 2010 5:49 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Advice from dog people: Alaskan Malamute?
Crosscheck wrote: So....I find out this morning that my idiot brother-in-law has a 1 year old female (fixed) malamute that was dropped on him by his roommate because after 1 week his roommate couldn't handle the dog. He was about to take the dog to the pound but my wife happens to love the breed. I've got plenty of experience with larger dogs but I've never owned a working dog / sled dog. Does anyone have experience owning a malamute? Any advice on whether I should take this thing in? Important info: I have a small (fenced) yard but there are lots of parks around I have a indoor cat I have a 4 year old kid I'm partial to cage training (AFAIK this animal hasn't been trained outside of house breaking) I had a Malamute/Shepherd Mix for 13 years. Based on my experiences with him, and bearing in mind he was half Shepherd; -Needed a fenced in yard, and would get out if wasn't solid fencing. -I would be most concerned about the cat, mine never lived with a cat. -Mine was fantastic with my kids; he watched over them. -Never Crate trained my guy. I had poor success trying to train my last Akita, who I got when he was over a year old. As he was not raised in a Crate, it stressed him out. There is a lot of good information on line. If you haven't already, I'd do some research on the breed, to get a general feel for them. You still need to introduce your dog to the home to see how it will react. My neighbor has a Malamute, and I love the breed. But as was pointed out; if you're wife is the least bit afraid of bigger dogs, it probably isn't a good idea.

Author:	Crosscheck [ Tue Jan 05, 2010 6:03 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Advice from dog people: Alaskan Malamute?
Howie Hodge wrote: if you're wife is the least bit afraid of bigger dogs, it probably isn't a good idea. My wife isn't afraid of big dogs (she's actually the one pushing for this dog because she loves this breed), but I know she's never lived with a big dog and has definitely never lived with a properly trained dog

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Author:	Godzilla1960 [ Tue Jan 05, 2010 6:05 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Advice from dog people: Alaskan Malamute?
ironyisadeadscene wrote: i want a picture of this dog. huskies are magnificent. im a hound dog kinda person. i have a beagle now, and my dream dog is a greyhound. i guess greyhounds are really relaxed, nice dogs. There are plenty of places to adopt greyhounds in Michigan. http://www.adopt-a-greyhound.org/ http://206.67.60.188/directory/list.cfm?usState=mi I've know a couple of people who have adopted greyhounds. Apparently they have a pretty rough life, but they make for gentle pets.

Author:	Stuuuuuuu [ Tue Jan 05, 2010 7:03 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Advice from dog people: Alaskan Malamute?
ironyisadeadscene wrote: i want a picture of this dog. huskies are magnificent. im a hound dog kinda person. i have a beagle now, and my dream dog is a greyhound. i guess greyhounds are really relaxed, nice dogs. My mother had a rescued greyhound and it was the sweetest dog I've ever met.

Author:	Nuthatch [ Tue Jan 05, 2010 11:19 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Advice from dog people: Alaskan Malamute?
I don't know about Malamutes, but my sister has had 2 retired greyhounds. They lay around a lot. They need to be taught the most basic behaviors and REALLY love their crates! Crosscheck, perhaps your wife should go to obedience training with the dog too?