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)

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Hold my beer and watch this...

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.

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Wheelhouse

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

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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.

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Wheelhouse

I didn't go looking for it...it found me.

I know it's ridiculous but it's better than the typical SoCal breed

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Hold my beer and watch this...

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

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"Counting all the assholes in the room, I'm definitely not alone!" ~ Michael Poulsen, Volbeat, Still Standing.

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

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Hold my beer and watch this...

Standard poodles are cool, but they are nasty if you are someone who can't stand up to them. My Grandma or great Grandma, I forget, one of them had a poodle that wouldn't let her out of bed unless her husband helped her.

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"Counting all the assholes in the room, I'm definitely not alone!" ~ Michael Poulsen, Volbeat, Still Standing.

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

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"I don't feel like Satan, but I am to them"
Neil Young

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.

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Hold my beer and watch this...

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"Go out and run 'em."
- Lindy Ruff, 23 Feb. 2007

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.

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Hold my beer and watch this...

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"Go out and run 'em."
- Lindy Ruff, 23 Feb. 2007

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.

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"I'll rap you with my cane; you pencil necked geek!!"

-Bowler, imitating Freddy Blassie, at the very first M & G.

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.

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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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Hold my beer and watch this...

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"Go out and run 'em."
- Lindy Ruff, 23 Feb. 2007

My mother had a rescued greyhound and it was the sweetest dog I've ever met.

thats what im going to do when i can.

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