Alaskan Malamutes ???

[fesu]

Hi to all,

I would like to buy an alaskan malamute but i have a problem because me and my wife both go to work, so i would like to ask if this will be a big problem since that the dog will be alone for 8 hours??


Thanks

[Duramax]

hi and welcome to bpo!
i think that it's fine to be gone for 8 hours a day. i think most dog owners are infact. i dont see anything wrong with it. besides if a puppy is crate training, he'll be in the crate most of the time while he's small anyway. puppies sleep alot when they are small. so if you can get him his exercise and play while you are home i dont think there'll be any problems. good luck and have fun puppy hunting!

[LuvmyMal]

they will be fine in a crate, I have two malamutes and they are crated while I am at work, they do fine just walk them when you get home. Also dog daycare is wonderful for the middle of th week to break things up.

[Saint and Mal mom]

I have to strongly disagree with the posts on here, for the most part. I have 1 Alaskan Malamute female. She is 2. When I got Zoey, I was unprepared for what a Malamute's personality is like. They thrive on their people and attention. Without supervision, Malamutes are menaces, pure and simple. Especially when they are young. They love dog companionship, so if you want one Mal, be prepared to get another dog to keep it company. It really is best. Do you have cats? Forget about leaving the dog at home all day with them. They can NOT be trusted with smaller animals, sometimes even under close supervision. They love to dig. Are there wood floors that will be damamged by this habit? Chewing is a favorite past time for them, and they always seem to know just what they are not supposed to chew. They are big and clumsy at times; Zoey has broken a $50 lamp in one small trip on the cord.

I would NOT recommend at all getting a Malamute if it will be inside in a crate all day. They love to be outside, and NEED to run and jump and play. Not be locked inside when unattended. They have too much energy for that. They cannot be trusted alone in the house all day. (Usually! There are exceptions, but don't count on it.) We leave Zoey outside unattended, and she makes enough trouble out there! I can't imagine if she were inside alone!

If you are gone 8 hours a day, when will socialization happen for the Mal? Because Mals can be very independent and head-strong, socialization with children, the elderly, those in wheel chairs, other dogs, and even cats is ESSENTIAL. It MUST happen every day for a Mal pup to have a well-adjusted dog.

I cannot recommend just leaving an Alaskan Malamute inside the house alone for 8 hours a day. In a securely fenced yard, maybe. But prepare yourself for a Mal. Because even so, once you get one, you're never prepared enough. They are brilliant trouble makers!

I am not a hater of this breed, though. I love this breed very much, and I want what is best for the dog. I'm not so sure if your situation is what is best for a Mal, unless you can go into more detail about your experience with dogs, and what the dog will receive from you, as far as training, socialization, and exercise go.

[fesu]

First of all thanks for your replies,

My advantage is that i have a big yard but i need to put the fence around, regarding the digging habits of this breed i think that i dont have any problems with it (i think :-)

My big problem and i'm verry worried about it, is the type of weather that we have here in malta, in summer sometimes the tempreture reach the 40% degrees, so in summer for sure i need to leave the dog in a room with an aircondition or else i will find the dog like an egg burger if i leave him outside :-)

The more info you can send me about this breed the more i can be prepared especialy about the problems that they can cause. I'm keeping contact with the person in charge of the obbidience training here in malta so that to make sure the dog will be trained from an early age, i hope that will minimize the problems that you all have mentioned in your comments.

Thanks for your help, Josef.