Hi

I know very little about the breed, apart from what I imagine is the obvious, a working breed with a lot of mental and physical discipline essential to well being etc, but my question is this;

A friend of mine has a very low energy choc lab, (she herself has described him as lazy) and is making enquiries about Alaskan Malamute pups, my instinct is this would be inadvisable purely on the grounds of the above mentioned requirements, her and her husband are at work all day, and because of the low energy lab, don't SEEM to do much in the way of strenuos exercise, and this lab is only 3!

Can anyone direct me to a link on the site that I might print off and give to her before she takes this any further, as I said at the start, I know next to nothing about the breed specific, but I have a gut feeling this may not be the dog for them.

Thanks and regards
Tracey

My experience, only as seeing them in the office, is that they are very high energy,
shed like crazy--- one needed a muzzle in the clinic. Not an easy going people pleasing tail wagging lab by any means.
These observations are based on just 2 or 3 dogs who may have been completely untrained and may be poor representatives of the breed as a whole. And, these ideas are 15 yrs old! Probably should just delete this post.....

Below is a post by Melissa Thom from a previous post on Malamutes. They are NOT a good mix for a family who has a lazy, couch potato dog, unless their lifestyle is ready to change in a big, big way. Not exercised properly and regularly, they are going to end up with a very destructive, unhappy animal... imho.

I would ask of your friend... Does she understand what the dog is BRED TO DO; what every fiber of their being tells them to do and which they need to do in order to be content? Yes, they are beautiful, yes they are reputed to be "good family dogs" (on some web sites) but they have very specific exercise requirements and can be very challenging to train.

Just go to the Search bar (upper left column) and type in "Alaskan Malamute" and you will find all posts on the topic.

The dog is referred to as a "mal" but the topic is on Alaskan Malamutes:

"The worst behaved one I met was a mouthy, pushy dog, that would dismantle chainlink fencing like he was digging in sand. Zero manners, nearly unhandlable, under exercised, and 100% the owners fault. Mals are not a dog just to throw out in the yard to exercise themselves unless you really don't like your yard. They need structure, extended exercise time that's more than a simple jog, and they need a firm, kind hand. If that sounds like your cup of tea or that it could be your cup of tea... go for it! If it's not a vision of yourself that meets with reality then I would take a strong look at what you're doing and if it's fair for everyone involved."

Hi Tracey:

Alaskan Malamutes (like most dogs) are very intelligent, but these guys are naturally independent and aloof (out to please themselves, not so much their human) and can spot a non-leader a mile away. It they’re having problems getting a lab to engage, they can toss all hope out the window with a malamute.

I’m not sure what kind of activity they’re looking for but if left unattended all day, the malamute can be very destructive. Will dig holes, jump fences, destroy landscape and depending on the size, can even rip siding off the house in a slow, methodical, bored manner. They need to run and there’s no getting around it. They’re not retrievers; very rarely will they engage in a game of fetch.

They need companionship or they can take to howling all day. Can become very disturbing for any neighbors close by.

It sounds like their lab has simply adjusted to the life he’s been given and what a great thing for them. A low energy dog in a home that has no one around all day. Unless they have a daily, structured, intense exercise program in mind, (that meets the dog’s needs, not just theirs) I would question why they would be looking at a malamute.

You may want to link her up with a Malamute rescue organization. They would be able to highlight the many reasons these guys are surrendered. If they feel they are able to overcome the challenges involved in owning this majestic breed and have the leadership skills to provide the structure needed, perhaps it’s not a bad choice. By the sounds of your post, something is telling me not.

Hi Tracey,

I must agree with everyone here. A couple of very good friends of mine had an Alaskan Malamute. When Mike was sent to Japan for 6 months they paid me to keep him. Even with a decent amount of exercise he was a mess. He bit my springer, peed in my house, destroyed everything he could get ahold of, jumped the fence and howled incessantly. No matter what I tried in those 6 months nothing really was resolved (he needed several months of intensive work - more than just those 6). Granted, I don't remember how much OB he truly had, although I believe he'd been to classes (this was over 20 yrs ago) but I do know they were not well equipped to have this dog. He finally became vicious, attacking other dogs when on walks and eventually turning on Mary. I only know that the end result was they had him PTS. They felt this was the only solution (I didn't know anything about it until long after).

They got a Sheltie and were extremely happy with him.

I agree with your gut feeling.

Dana

Thanks all, that pretty much was my feeling, will print this off for her to read!

Thanks again and kind regards

Tracey

I used to have Malamutes, and this brred is extremely independant, not so much stubborn (they are used to thinking for themselves), just need to be convinced that the human is quite capable of being the leader. Because of their lineage, these dogs are much more pack based and will step into the leadership role if the human lacks the abiltiy. These dogs need alot of exercise, they are working dogs and highly intelligent and if their energy is not burnt off through constructive means, they will resort to destructive means. My last malamute was walked a minimum of 10 miles a day. My malamutes were always wonderful, well behaved dogs, they can easily become one person dogs. They need strong, consistent, training and you have to reinforce it all their lives. I love the breed but have enjoyed a bit of a break with my last two sheperds.