New malamute puppy

[Lakai]

we are getting a female  malamute, our first puppy in the beginning of April. Any helpful words of advice? Recommendation s?

[GR8DAME]

Let's see... Just the normal common sense stuff....
Be sure you have all your supplies before you pick her up like leashes, collars, bowls, chew toys, talk to the breeder and have the same food they recommend, crate....
Crate is only if you decide to crate train, I am a big advocate of crate training, but others may disagree.
Look into training and socialization classes in your area, and be ready to enroll her as soon as you can. Classes are essential especially for a first time owner, and there may be a waiting list at the better ones. (There is for ours, anyway)It is so important that our big guys know how to behave....
Hope I have helped a little bit. Most important, love her lots, and get ready for the roller coaster ride of your life!
Stella

[chaos270]

Stock up on paper towels...you're going to go through a lot of them.  But like Stella said make sure you have everything she needs ahead of time and socialization is important as is obedience.  Also make sure you play with her ears and feet so she'll be good for nail trimming and ear cleaning.  And nip any bad habit in the bud in puppyhood because it's harder to get them to stop as adults.  Otherwise enjoy the puppy kisses and cuddling.

[Kermit]

You are brave to get an Alaskan Malamute as your first puppy!!! If I were you I'd stock up on training books!! And I will second the crate recommendation . How exciting! You will have to post pictures! I have a little 15 week old pup who is half husky and half malamute. She is quite a handful! But she is the best. And I am so thankful that I have crate-trained her. It keeps her completely out of trouble when I cannot be there to supervise her. It took her about a week to get used to it, but she is perfect now when I put her in. I just use it when I am gone and when I am in the shower, etc and can't be there to supervise her. But she sleeps in my bed with me.
Here's little Turkey for your viewing pleasure!

[ZooCrew]

First, congratulation s on your new future puppy!  How wonderful. 

But I agree a mal might be a challenge for a first time dog/puppy owner.  I agree with everyone else here.  In addition, be sure to buy lots of brushes, and get used to having alot of hair around.  I have a 1/2 sibe, and mals have more hair than they do even.

Be sure to post lots of pics.

[JimB]

If you think a Malmute has a lot of fur you should have an Akita,  twice the size, mine is 122 lbs and 30" at his shoulder.  They have 3 layers of fur, and it comes out in clumps twice a year.

[chaosndestruction]

uhmmm malamute do the same thing twice a year...Arisha always looks funny and it seems like the fur never stops flying at those times...

[ZooCrew]

Ha............ try about 3-4 times a year with Keiko depending on the weather.  It pretty much seems like year round she's blowing her coat somewhere on her body.

[Senghe]

My goodness - you're brave! Malamutes are not the ideal choice for a first time dog owner. Malamutes are naturally dominant, likely to be dog aggressive, need lots of exercise and have a high prey drive. There is a very good chance that you will not be able to walk your girl off the lead at any time, no matter how well trained you think she has become. Like Siberian Huskies, they are very beautiful and wolflike to look at and this makes them very popular. Unfortunately, the reality of living with one kicks in at about 6 months to a year old and an awful lot end up in rescue because the owners just can't cope. It's only fair to say they are hard work compared to lots of breeds. I'm not meaning to be negative as I'd say similar things about my 3 favourite breeds to anybody thinking of getting one. Just be realistic about what you are letting yourself in for.

I'd definitely read every book on the breed, canine psychology and dog training you can lay your hands on. On top of that when you get her, socialize her as much as possible with other animals and people, make sure she doesn't resent any part of her being handled and groom her every day to get her used to it. Definitely invest in a crate to keep your baby safe when you can't supervise her - you'd be surprised what trouble puppies can get into in a split second and no matter how well you've puppy proofed, they can always find something dangerous that you've forgotten to move!

[chaosndestruction]

oh and make sure you ahve plenty of things for it to chew on... Malamutes will resort to eating walls and cabinets if they get bored enough...Arish a has destroyed a wall and eaten a wooden handle off a drawer... she's a lot better now... but will still do it (at 2 years) if she gets bored enough...

we had just started taking her training collar off and thought we had it so she couldn't get under our metal gate...and then she brought home parts of a dead chicken that has been deceased for about 2 weeks that was in the ditch near our neighbors (yuck)

They can definately be handfuls, Tikaani our 3/4 husky 1/4 german shephard isn't bad he's a wonderful dog but he was a chicken killer as a pup...we nipped that in the butt and now he'll get after the other dogs if they try to hurt any other animals...

Arisha (our 1/2 husky 1/2 mal) took forever to house break and learn no...is very strong headed (like most malamutes) and likes to play "I can't hear you" because if she can't hear us how can she listen? She finally knows come (and actually comes faster than a walk if you whistle) and is now finally getting the grasp of LEAVE IT (she likes to try to play with my kitties) and we've discovered that electric wire works really good to keep her inside our yard (except for where the one gate is...we just can't get it low enough:()

[MommyOfSchnauzers]

Congratulation s on your new addition.  I am not a Mal expert, so I don't have any words of wisdom! Just wanted to say congratulation s and welcome to BPO!  There are a lot of knowledgable people here and tons of information at your fingertips, so stick around!

[cuttles/sadieMay]

Congratulations on your new addition.  I am not a Mal expert, so I don't have any words of wisdom! Just wanted to say congratulation s and welcome to BPO!  There are a lot of knowledgable people here and tons of information at your fingertips, so stick around!

No expert advice here either but welcome and congrats on the new addition. But I will agree on the crate training, It is wonderful for night potty training and to keep them safe.
Good Luck
cuttles