Also, do you have a long line? Like a 20 or 30 foot long leash?

These are the greatest tools for teaching the recall...AND for allowing your pup more room to roam in areas that are not safe for him to be off leash.

My first piece of advice would be to take a big breath and relax! The fact that you care so much about your puppy and want to do the right thing usually means you will. You can dive yourself crazy with timelines and little details.

The crate:

I correct dogs that are still making nose in their crate after a couple of days. So for me if he is throwing a fit in the crate with barking and what not it would be time for a correction. What that would be for your dog depends on his level of sensitivity. Your breed is typically not to sensitive You said you tried a no bark collar. I only use the tri tronics http://slodogtraining.com/barkcontrol and I would leave it on for a while not just a few days.

In the house:

I would say it is time to make the jump. Yes you will try to manage his behavior and not let him chew thing but no one is perfect and you can't stair at him 100% of the time. Like when you were folding laundry. So when that happens you tell him he was incorrect and move on. If he is never out of the crate he will never learn about the house rules. I would take him out thought the day and keep him on leash with you. So not 100% on leash or 100% in crate. 50/50 ish. I would only let him off leash if you could be very attentive and keep him in the same room as you.

Recalls:

I am a big fan of restrained recalls in puppies. It is two for one. Exercise and training in one. Here are some leerburg video clips. One is Michael Ellis the others are a 5 part series that ed and cindy did. I like tennis courts, baseball fields, or the dog park at 5am when no one is there. I am thinking he is 7 months old so sooner is better than later on this one of me. I also would probably have him to recall for all of his food based on his breed.

http://leerburg.com/flix/player.php?id=125
http://leerburg.com/flix/player.php?id=64
http://leerburg.com/flix/player.php?id=66
http://leerburg.com/flix/player.php?id=69
http://leerburg.com/flix/player.php?id=70
http://leerburg.com/flix/player.php?id=79

Exercise:

While some may not agree mushers start their puppies dragging thing around at 8 weeks old. So I would get him a backpack at the least. If he were mine I would get him cart. There is some good info here http://www.blackicedogsledding.com/blackice.htm. Use common sense when deciding weight and duration.

I think I got everything. Enjoy your new dog and the best of luck!

Hey everyone. Thanks again for all of the helpful advice. I have lightened up on worrying about him and his training so much and you were right, we care so much about our dog and we give him the proper structure so he is behaving like a champ! I know we will always have a set back here and there since he is still a puppy but some times I get overwhelmed with what a huge mess our breed can make in one puppy set back!!!!!!!

We take him to the tennis court down the road at least once a day now and he loves it!! We got a few balls to throw around and it only took us 1 times to teach him to fetch. As far as recall goes, we started working on that that right away upon going to the tennis courts. He picked it up immediately! We obviously need to keep working at it cause he is still our stubborn Malamute but we have made long strides in a short time!

All of your advice really helped so thank you everyone for keeping up with us and giving us your support!

What a great post to read!

Good for you!!!!

 Quote: April Hadrys

I know we will always have a set back here and there since he is still a puppy but some times I get overwhelmed with what a huge mess our breed can make in one puppy set back!!!!!!!

I found with raising my most recent pup that every time I got something ironed out, he would come up with a new idea.

Sort of an "Oh, you mean I am not allowed to do _________...ok, then I will try this" and so it went for months.

Persistence paid off and he is a great young dog now.

You will get there too...enjoy the journey as do really grow up so fast!

April, I am so pleased to read this latest post, so very happy to hear things are going well, and that you understand there will be setbacks (there will always be setbacks!). It is love, patience, understanding and a willingness to learn everything one can learn about training and behavior that makes a great dog. It sounds like you really get that. How refreshing!!!

BTW, I have a friend and instructor who has accomplished amazing things with her Alaskan Malamutes. She competes in obedience, rally, agility, mushing, weight-pulling, and she has put titles on her dogs that are almost unheard of for the breed, including multiple MACHs and UDXs, to name a couple. As you are learning, it is a challenging breed, but anything is possible.