Hiya No, I'm not thinking of another dog yet (I wish!!) I have a friend who is interested in getting a Malamute puppy, but is having trouble finding a breeder fairly close-ish to us. (She can't travel far due to family and animal commitments). I'd like to give her some web-links or info on Malamutes so maybe she can contact breed clubs/specialists and so she doesn't get stung by any unscrupulous breeders. Also, any info generally that will help her to make her mind up whether it is a Malamute that she really wants would help! Cheers!
Hello 2 Malamutes here ... what does your friend want to do with her Moot? They like to be busy LOL MIne do obedience and agility and work in harness What area are you? I am near Manchester and your friend would be welcome to meet mine if she is close.
Decent breeders of Malamutes show or work their dogs or both and all breeding animals are hip scored and then eye tested annually. There are LOADS of dreadfully unscrupulous "breeders" around at the moment
Hiya I don't think she wants to work her Mal (in the sense of harness, agility etc), but they would be a very outdoor dog, as she has 4 other dogs and 3 horses. Do they need that kind of work/to be busy in that respect? I had thought they might do, but hadn't said anything to my friend as yet, as personally I think this type of dog is wrong for her (she has had either gundogs or working dogs all her life) :? She's been on the look out for hip-scored and eye tested dogs, which is great; but if the descriptions I've heard are true, I don't think this type of dog is for her. I'd like to help her with information on them however, and let her make up her own mind about it all.
They are quite hard work and can be dominant.. what other breeds does she have and what sexes?? Is she prepared to put in the work to have a nice dog at the end of it.. Is she a strong person? Mals can be complete p*ss takers if they aren't kept in line
She has 3 boxers - 2 females and 1 neutered male and one black female lab. She'd rather have a female Mal though. She's very strong, and I think she'd cope with a dominant dog, as her work with horses is to do with breaking them in and taking on rescue/unwanted horses. I think she'd do well with a strong dog personality. However, I'm not sure she realises what the breed requires, e.g. plenty of work, and what the actual traits of the breed are.
Ohhh Mals LOVE horses Most are not very good "follow you around" type dogs (one of mine is but she's odd!) and I know horsey people often like a dog that will follow them round a yard etc .... most Mals would chase horses ... maybe not their own, but would be a possible concern depending on her set up .... Many Mals are also dog aggressive and don'y like meeting new dogs which again MIGHT be a problem depending on the horsey set up?
The horses are kept at home and she's got 2 acres which the dogs are free to roam in. Her horses are very tolerant of dogs (1 horse thinks its a dog). The dogs tend to free-range when outside, she's not bothered if they are at the stable block or not. I suppose if she had the Mal from being a puppy, the chasing and being tolerant of horses and other dogs wouldn't be a problem, as they'd grow up with them? Beautiful picture by the way
They do need to be doing something that keeps them occupied, whether it be hiking, backpacking, agility, working in harness etc. If she is a very active person and the Mal could be walked for 1 1/2 + hours per day then that would be fine. Unfortunately as Muddiwarx said, there are far too many unscrupulous breeders around I notice that you are in Lancs? Is your friend from around there too? A member of Dogsey also comes from Lancs and I would have no hesitation in recommending her as someone your friend could get in touch with to discuss the breed and possibly meet her and her dogs? I can't think of any others off the top of my head that I personally would recommend from that area. I definately think she should visit someone and spend time with some Mals before deciding whether or not they are the breed for her The club website has been recently updated so that may also be a good starting point? Hips and eyes are very important, as is temperament. If the Mal is brought up with horses from an early age then there should be no reason they will not get on (mine adore horses ). One thing I will say is that even though your friend has a lot of land, you mention that the other dogs are allowed to roam. Is this land fully fenced in? As it would be extremely inadvisable to allow a Malamute to roam in an area that wasn't securely fenced Will PM you with the details of the breeder I mentioned earlier.
I think there may be a problem with allowing the malamute to wander around this land (even fully fenced) as they do like to dig, and its always possible that the mal may dig under the fence if not supervised, personally if its going to be a "yard dog" I would have concerns about boredom, although mals can chill out and do nothing on the odd day, most of the time they need to be exercised and be mentally stimulated, a tired dog is a good dog I say, also the coat is going to need extra care if going to stables in all weathers (mud/horse poo etc) not to mention grass seeds etc getting tangled in the coat if the dog is allowed to roamfields on a regular basis, i would be concerned if the dog ends up being overlooked if the lady is so involved in other matters at the stables, and "may" miss out on the important training that is required to have a malamute that you can live with. not trying to be negative here, but there are many mal owners with just one dog that have had problems with controlling that one dog, is your friend prepared to put the time and effort in? mo
Thanks Mo, a very informative and interesting post. They were exactly my thoughts when she said she was looking for a Mal. Her own dogs run like a pack, and can be left without close supervision (e.g. whilst she is mucking out). My main concerns are (and this should not be taken as any slight to my friend) 1) Not every dog gets an on-lead walk every day 2) She generally trains at home as opposed to training classes (her dogs are well socialised however) I think that these are the main sticking points I have with her having a Mal. I know they need oodles of exercise, but that a lot of it needs to be structured exercise etc. I think I'll have to have a very tactful chat with her....
