About Malamutes
Malamutes reach out and grab you with their striking good looks and their innate charisma, but they are not a good dog for most families. Those cute puppies grow into large and extraordinarily powerful dogs. They need something constructive to do with themselves, along with plenty of play and exercise time and quality social interactions. If these needs are not met, malamutes can develop some very bad habits, such as:
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Vocalizing - howling, yodeling, and making other highly irritating noises
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Digging up and/or eating flowers, shrubs, grass, trees, garden hoses, and so on
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Running away to find more interesting people/animals/stuff to play with
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Chewing up and/or eating furniture, carpeting, walls, doors, and other household items
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Ransacking garbage cans, eating and/or flinging around their contents
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Chasing and killing small animals, including domestic ones like cats, rabbits, or small dogs
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Fighting with other household dogs or the neighborhood dogs
For these reasons, we recommend that
you give a great deal of thought to whether you can provide
the type of home
that will make a malamute content, and therefore less destructive and
aggravating! Can you give your dog:
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sufficient outdoor exercise, such as jogging, hiking, bikejoring/skijoring, and/or playing with other dogs?
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a demanding schedule of training and socialization in his first year or more so that he becomes a wonderful companion for the next 10 to 15 years?
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a high quality diet and top notch veterinary care?
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plenty of outlets for his instincts to run, chew, dig, and chase?
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obedience, rally, agility, tracking, or other classes where you and your dog can learn and bond?
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safe housing where he cannot get into trouble, including fenced yards, kennels, crates, etc.?
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an appropriate environment for when the temperatures rise? Keep in mind that malamutes are cold weather dogs and will not be comfortable in warm climates without special considerations.
If you still think that you want a malamute, read on! Click to read a copy of the breed standard, which was developed along the lines of the dogs who performed best in expeditions such as the Byrd Antarctic Expeditions (BAE I and II). You can find lots more information on the Alaskan Malamute Club of America's web site. And please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
