Startups
Temperament
Alaskan Malamutes are a very people friendly breed and demand a lot of attention. They are often described as "big teddy bears" because of their love of attention. They are a very pack-oriented breed and therefore do best when included in the family rather than shut outside away from the rest of the "pack." Since they are pack oriented, Malamutes are generally not "one-man" dogs. They are an extremely intelligent breed that can be very stubborn and easily bored. They are not typically recommended to a first-time dog owner as mistakes are easy to make and sometimes hard to correct unless you really know what you are doing. They can be a challenge to train, due to their stubbornness. It is said that to teach a Malamute to do something once or twice is very easy, because they are quite intelligent and quickly learn new tasks. To get them to repeatedly do something over and over again is much more challenging, due to their stubbornness and the fact that they become easily bored. This trait is quite common in all of the northern breeds. The sheer size of the Malamute can become an obstacle to novice dog owners. Many Malamutes end up in the pound and even destroyed because an owner fell in love with the cute puppy but could not control the large, stubborn, powerful adult.
Owing to their strong pack nature, Malamutes can be more aggressive towards other dogs than other breeds. Because of this, great care should be taken on the part of the owner to socialize their Malamute puppy as much as possible with other dogs.
>Due to the character of the Malamute, they should never be actively trained to be protective, vicious, or aggressive. Their very nature makes them lousy watch dogs. It is against their instincts to make them into watch or guard type dogs. It has been tried in the past with disastrous results. They are a visual deterrent only, as the uninitiated may be hesitant to approach property or family in the company of such a large, impressive looking animal. However, Malamutes are as likely to greet a potential thief as warmly as a trusted family member. This is part of what makes a Malamute a Malamute.
>Barking, Talking, and Howling
Alaskan Malamutes are rather quiet dogs. They generally do not bark at all. They do tend to "talk," however. The best way to describe the talking is to recall Chewbacca, the Wookie in the movie "Star Wars." It is sort of a soft "woo woo woo" sound. Malamutes can howl the roof right off of your house however. Owners of multiple Malamutes have noticed that when their dogs howl, they will all stop simultaneously. Again, this behavior is due to the fact that they are a very pack-oriented breed.
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>What are they like with children?
Due to their gentle temperament the Alaskan Malamute is generally a very good family dog. They seem to enjoy the company of children, though common sense must be used when mixing any dog with young children. They are a very powerful dog and children should not be left in total control of the dog. Alaskan Malamutes are generally patient by nature and will tolerate young children fawning over them, but this should be strictly supervised for the sake of the dog as well as the child. With these caveats in mind, since Malamutes love attention, well behaved children get along wonderfully with well mannered and socialized Malamutes.
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>How much do they eat?
Most Malamutes love food, however they eat surprisingly little for their size. The actual amount of food will vary depending on the metabolism and activity level of the dog, and the type of food that is given. A working adult will eat approximately 4 cups of high density food per day. Other dogs will generally eat less. Puppies require smaller, more frequent meals.
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>I've heard Malamutes are dumb. Is this true?
No! Alaskan Malamutes are extremely intelligent working dogs. People often mistake the fact that they can be difficult to train as a sign of stupidity. Malamutes are very clever and easily bored. The key to training them is to keep them interested and to challenge their intelligence. A Malamute probably knows what you want him to do, he just may not want to do it!
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>How strong are they?
The Malamute is a very strong dog. They were originally freighting dogs and as such, are able to pull tremendous amounts of weight. Just from looking at the Malamute, and the size of his bones and his stature, it is easy to see that they are indeed very strong animals. For this reason, many people use them in weight pulling competitions, where they will pull thousands of pounds.
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Alaskan Malamutes are a very people friendly breed and demand a lot of attention. They are often described as "big teddy bears" because of their love of attention. They are a very pack-oriented breed and therefore do best when included in the family rather than shut outside away from the rest of the "pack." Since they are pack oriented, Malamutes are generally not "one-man" dogs. They are an extremely intelligent breed that can be very stubborn and easily bored. They are not typically recommended to a first-time dog owner as mistakes are easy to make and sometimes hard to correct unless you really know what you are doing. They can be a challenge to train, due to their stubbornness. It is said that to teach a Malamute to do something once or twice is very easy, because they are quite intelligent and quickly learn new tasks. To get them to repeatedly do something over and over again is much more challenging, due to their stubbornness and the fact that they become easily bored. This trait is quite common in all of the northern breeds. The sheer size of the Malamute can become an obstacle to novice dog owners. Many Malamutes end up in the pound and even destroyed because an owner fell in love with the cute puppy but could not control the large, stubborn, powerful adult.
Owing to their strong pack nature, Malamutes can be more aggressive towards other dogs than other breeds. Because of this, great care should be taken on the part of the owner to socialize their Malamute puppy as much as possible with other dogs.
>Due to the character of the Malamute, they should never be actively trained to be protective, vicious, or aggressive. Their very nature makes them lousy watch dogs. It is against their instincts to make them into watch or guard type dogs. It has been tried in the past with disastrous results. They are a visual deterrent only, as the uninitiated may be hesitant to approach property or family in the company of such a large, impressive looking animal. However, Malamutes are as likely to greet a potential thief as warmly as a trusted family member. This is part of what makes a Malamute a Malamute.
>Barking, Talking, and Howling
Alaskan Malamutes are rather quiet dogs. They generally do not bark at all. They do tend to "talk," however. The best way to describe the talking is to recall Chewbacca, the Wookie in the movie "Star Wars." It is sort of a soft "woo woo woo" sound. Malamutes can howl the roof right off of your house however. Owners of multiple Malamutes have noticed that when their dogs howl, they will all stop simultaneously. Again, this behavior is due to the fact that they are a very pack-oriented breed.
________________________________________
>What are they like with children?
Due to their gentle temperament the Alaskan Malamute is generally a very good family dog. They seem to enjoy the company of children, though common sense must be used when mixing any dog with young children. They are a very powerful dog and children should not be left in total control of the dog. Alaskan Malamutes are generally patient by nature and will tolerate young children fawning over them, but this should be strictly supervised for the sake of the dog as well as the child. With these caveats in mind, since Malamutes love attention, well behaved children get along wonderfully with well mannered and socialized Malamutes.
....................................................................
>How much do they eat?
Most Malamutes love food, however they eat surprisingly little for their size. The actual amount of food will vary depending on the metabolism and activity level of the dog, and the type of food that is given. A working adult will eat approximately 4 cups of high density food per day. Other dogs will generally eat less. Puppies require smaller, more frequent meals.
.........................................................................
>I've heard Malamutes are dumb. Is this true?
No! Alaskan Malamutes are extremely intelligent working dogs. People often mistake the fact that they can be difficult to train as a sign of stupidity. Malamutes are very clever and easily bored. The key to training them is to keep them interested and to challenge their intelligence. A Malamute probably knows what you want him to do, he just may not want to do it!
........................................................................
>How strong are they?
The Malamute is a very strong dog. They were originally freighting dogs and as such, are able to pull tremendous amounts of weight. Just from looking at the Malamute, and the size of his bones and his stature, it is easy to see that they are indeed very strong animals. For this reason, many people use them in weight pulling competitions, where they will pull thousands of pounds.
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