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Alaskan Malamutes => Alaskan Malamute Discussions => : Laura Duke September 07, 2007, 08:11:35 PM

: Alaskan Malamutes
: Laura Duke September 07, 2007, 08:11:35 PM
I have 2 Alaskan Malamute Dogs, They are now 8 months old, they are a big part of our family, i would like to know if there is anyone who also owns malamutes and what type of collar and lead do they use while walking them.
We have bought Harnesses, but i found that the dogs pulled even more, we are currently using choke chains when we walk them as it is the only form of a collar that stops them from pulling my arms off.
: Re: Alaskan Malamutes
: Laura Duke September 16, 2007, 12:11:35 PM
Thanks Guys for your info! I now have another question for you, Our Malamutes are brothers and their just gone 9 months, at the minute the fight for dominence is on, Tyson is clearley the dominate one but Jordan just does not want to accept this, Jordan is growling alot of the time at Tyson and their fights are becomming more frequent and more Vicious, the both have alot of battle scars and just last week they had a big fight which resulted in Jordan getting a bad cut just under his eye. Tyson also had a small puncture wound which nearly went to his bone during one of the fights, Our Vet has suggested seperating them or getting a dog run, The do not fight all the time and most times they are the best of buddies, Is there anything that i can do to encourage Tysons dominance over Jordan or is this a bad idea.  Please Help.
: Re: Alaskan Malamutes
: luvmyboys January 17, 2008, 05:56:52 AM
  I have a giant malamute (1 1/2) and a shephard/wolf mix (7).  When I was leash training my malamute, nothing would stop his pulling, he was too furry for the pinch collars and too stubborn for everything else.  What finally worked was an extra long leash.  I would hold it about 5 inches above his collar, no slack, and loop the excess in front of his legs. when he would break from heel, I would pull the end tight, so he had to stop or trip, and firmly say "heel".  In no time, he was a pro. 
: Re: Alaskan Malamutes
: shine January 17, 2008, 03:11:48 PM
Malamutes are notoriously stubborn, so you may need to try several different collars before you find the one that works for your boys.  I used a choke chain for our Samson (he was also too fluffy for a pinch collar!) and it worked well except for those rare occasions when he got on the scent of something....t hen NOTHING was stopping him, lol.

As for the fighting....on ce again, remember that Mals can be very independent-minded and stubborn.  Being the pack leader can require some extra effort with them.  Fortunately, they are very respectful of pack hierarchy once they understand it because they are the kind of dogs that like a sense of order.  They are also quite patient as adults....your s are still young and trying to work things out, so you may not see that for awhile, lol.  You may have to observe and help them choose which dog is to be "The Boss"!  This can be as simple as giving "The Boss" his food and treats first, putting his leash on first, etc. 

Malamutes are WONDERFUL.  Our Samson was the Dog of My Life (he was a "Malamutt"....don't know what he was mixed with, but he was The Most Gorgeous Dog Who Ever Lived in my opinion, lol).  You are going to have many wonderful, fuzz-filled years with them!  Please post pics!
: Re: Alaskan Malamutes
: FurTornado October 24, 2008, 12:16:25 PM
I'm using a "Easy Walk Harness" You can get those at PetsMart or PetCo. It works great and I have more control over my mal. I also use it for my dobie as I am trying to train him not to pull (I'm also using the turn-a-round technique described in a reply above). Might be another choice.
: Re: Alaskan Malamutes
: maxsmom October 24, 2008, 05:03:47 PM
I second what has been said on collars and training.  My pyr is only really good with a pinch collar on.  My wolfhound is great with a choke chain, as long as I keep it directly behind his ears.  My tibetan and Caucasian are great with regular collars, as they don't typically pull.

As far as the fighting, they are going to have to work out their own hierarchy.  My guys are now working on this as well and the blood, cuts, scrapes, and punture wounds are painful for me to see, but they are animals and this is what they do.  Once they work it out, you should be home free, it may just take them a while to resolve it.  Max and Jake have been tussling quite a bit lately, as they are both just over 2 years of age now.  Cody is undisputed alpha, but they are working on settling the number 2 and 3 spots.  Chichi, being the only female doesn't really fit into their struggle.  She is only submissive to Cody and now that she is turning 2, that is not as obvious as it used to be.  She wants alpha, but doesn't have the nerve to really push for it yet.  She is trying to work up to it, but isn't quite there.  Just give your guys some time and they will sort it out for themselves.
Kathy
: Re: Alaskan Malamutes
: FXgirl October 24, 2008, 07:03:57 PM
Really you guys?  This is the advice you suggest?   I'm fairly new to the multi-dog household thing but is this the common approach to having a peaceful pack?  Is it because of the breeds you guys own that you let them fight and work it out for themselves?  What do they fight about?  This really has me freaking out of things to come since I have three males 6, 2 and 16 months.

Patricia McConnell has a great little book about managing multi-dog households that I like.  No dog here is allowed to be bossy and I try to focus my training on teaching manners and patience.  I hope it works out otherwise I'm in for some trouble.
: Re: Alaskan Malamutes
: Saint and Mal mom October 25, 2008, 05:07:34 AM
Really you guys?  This is the advice you suggest?   I'm fairly new to the multi-dog household thing but is this the common approach to having a peaceful pack?  Is it because of the breeds you guys own that you let them fight and work it out for themselves?  What do they fight about?  This really has me freaking out of things to come since I have three males 6, 2 and 16 months.

I would say, regardless of your training methods, at some point, you are going to have a conflict occur probably between your 2 and 16 month old males someday. No multi-dog household is completely quiet and calm. Dogs can't talk like we do and the way they settle disputes is often through growls, posturing, a nip here or there, etc. The thing is to allow it and not worry about it unless someone is getting seriously hurt by the other dog. The more you break up small disputes between your dogs, the larger the conflict will grow due to their frustration of never being allowed to handle it themselves.

Now I never saw them do it, but I can probably promise you that at some point when I wan't home and my Saint and Malamute were home alone, they probably had some good squabbles to establish hierarchy and figure out what is and isn't okay with each other. Even now, my females will have minor disputes. I never break it up unless someone is getting seriously hurt. It is of utmost importance to let the dogs settle things is what I believe.
: Re: Alaskan Malamutes
: ZooCrew October 25, 2008, 07:34:06 AM
I've had a multi dog household for oh over three years now.  I've never witnessed any disputes b/t them, but then again, I try to never have more than one dominant dog per sex in a household.  The others all bow down to those 2.   They aren't allowed to be "bossy" but I do allow them to tell someone else to back off if they are bothering them or trying to steal a toy/bone away from them.  The underlings aren't allowed to do what they please, they need rules just the same.  And they learn the rules from the other dogs, as well as from me.

But I do agree that if it were to happen I would have to let them work it out b/t themselves.  The only scuffles we've had here is when playing and one steps on or gets too rough with another.  Posey once got pissy with Keiko, I didn't see why but I heard it.  Lasted all of 2 seconds, as Keiko is the alpha female in the house.
: Re: Alaskan Malamutes
: FXgirl October 25, 2008, 06:32:02 PM
I would say, regardless of your training methods, at some point, you are going to have a conflict occur probably between your 2 and 16 month old males someday. No multi-dog household is completely quiet and calm. Dogs can't talk like we do and the way they settle disputes is often through growls, posturing, a nip here or there, etc. The thing is to allow it and not worry about it unless someone is getting seriously hurt by the other dog. The more you break up small disputes between your dogs, the larger the conflict will grow due to their frustration of never being allowed to handle it themselves.

Now I never saw them do it, but I can probably promise you that at some point when I wan't home and my Saint and Malamute were home alone, they probably had some good squabbles to establish hierarchy and figure out what is and isn't okay with each other. Even now, my females will have minor disputes. I never break it up unless someone is getting seriously hurt. It is of utmost importance to let the dogs settle things is what I believe.

Conflicts are inevitable.  Yes there may be growls which I will (and do) allow IF it's warranted.  Such as stepping on someone's toes, being too in your face etc.  Posturing, staring intensely, mounting and fighting are just not acceptable in MY house.  I am the one that steps in if things are getting out of hand and I will never let them "work things out" between themselves.  They count on me to be the rule maker and peacemaker.  When I do have a conflict I reexamine what went wrong and how I can make sure it doesn't happen again.

The book I referred to in my other post is called Feeling Outnumbered?  How to Manage and Enjoy Your Multi-dog Household.  It's like 10 bucks.

Some of the Chapters are Life is Not ALways Fair and That's Okay.  The idea being dogs need to cope with the frustration of not always getting what they want whenever they want it and giving up on treating your dogs equally  at the same moment, all the time in an attempt to be fair. 

Chapters on Status, Body Blocks and one called When Someone Else is Belle of the Ball are great.  I used body blocking aallll the time when I first started teaching these guys not to be so pushy.  The belle of the ball chapter deals with teaching your dog how to handle watching another get treats and praise and attention.  Very useful for when you're at the pet store or when you're out for a walk and the mailman wants to pet the other dog.

Staying Away From Trouble: Prevention, Thank You for Not Fighting or Making Threats in My Home could be useful to the original poster.  And while this post is old I hope it it can still help someone out.