CARE OF YOUR ALASKAN MALAMUTE
FEEDING:
The Alaskan Malamute is a primitive breed, and in the Arctic was fed a wholesome raw diet of fish, seal and caribou, along with blubber. This breed is called the Economy Model of the dog world, able to pull heavy loads, for long hours, over many miles on very little food. They utilize their food better then many other breeds. For this reason they require only half of what most other dogs their size eat. It is very easy to over feed an Alaskan Malamute. Some feed a raw food diet, and have for many years, and the reasons are many. The dogs digestive system is not like ours, it is shorter and also the stomach acid is much stronger. You can find out lots of information on the internet on raw feeding and there are many books out there too. We ask that if you want to feed a kibble food, you check out this website that has helped us very much. It is www.dogfoodproject.com. It will give you information on all ingredients found in kibble and will help you choose a great food for your pup. The food you feed should not be based on the price of the bag. You will have to pay more for a good food. This is very important in the proper development of the puppy.
HOUSING:
The Alaskan Malamute is a hardy outdoor breed - it is not necessary to provide them with an elaborate doghouse. Wooden castles are chewed into unrecognizable homeless shelters. Most of the time you will find your dog lying in the snow enjoying the cool air. One thing you will need is a fenced in yard and hopefully you do not have a jumper on your hands since most Malamutes love to dig their way out. Please consider that he/she will shed more if he/she is an indoor dog, and will not have the heavy coat necessary to spend extended hours outside especially during very cold nights.
EXERCISE:
The Alaskan Malamute is first and foremost a working dog. They adapt to the lifestyle that is given to them, but they do need an outlet for their energy and if given the opportunity they will do that in the house by becoming creatively destructive. It is up to the owner to provide the best outlet possible and this will be in exercise suitable to both the human and dog. First Malamute proof your yard and let that be the playground. Second go for long walks. We recommend that you take the puppy to obedience classes and doggy daycare is great for teaching the puppy to get along with other dogs. For those that are seeking a more active life with your dog the opportunities are endless. Agility, flyball, back packing, sledding, skijoring, roller blading, weight pulling etc. If they get bored and into trouble, that is your fault not the dogs.
GROOMING:
The Alaskan Malamute is a double-coated breed, which means the coat consists of two hair-types. The undercoat is a soft, downy insulator, which grows or sheds out depending on the season. The topcoat is harsher and oilier in texture and is designed to repel dirt, water and snow. With a correct coat type, the Alaskan Malamute requires little in grooming on a daily basis. A correct, harsh coat can repel dirt easily. Unless it is a show dog, a malamute needn't be bathed regularly.
Malamutes are very heavy, seasonal shedders. The trigger for shedding season seems to be the amount of daylight the dogs are exposed to. As the days grow shorter, the pituitary gland sends a signal that colder months are coming and it is time to grow a heavy coat. As the days grow longer, warmer temperatures are on the way, and it is time to drop unnecessary insulation. During shedding season, a malamute will drop copious amounts of fur. We use a shedding blade to get out the excess fur. Out with the old and in with the new -- a healthy, new coat cannot grow in and flourish if the old, dead coat has not been removed. If removal of dead undercoat is neglected, skin and coat problems will ensue. Bath your Malamute, twice a year or when he is no longer huggable.
Finally, your malamute's nails need to be kept short and the fur between the toes can be trimmed down to the level of the foot-pad to keep the foot strong and to provide traction. It is also necessary in the winter month to stop ice balls from forming between the toes.
TRAINING: The Alaskan Malamute is a highly intelligent, independent-thinking and easily trainable dog, if you know the right buttons to push. To many, the malamute's aloof and independent-thinking nature comes across as a frustrating barrier to training which leads many to declare the breed untrainable. Nothing is further from the truth. Throughout it's history, the malamute's survival depended on its willingness to work with humans, not for them. Canine and human survival depended on a malamute's ability to use its instincts to often make crucial life and death decisions. Only voice commands and a trusting relationship control a lead dog on a sled team with the driver. Malamutes are one of the quickest learners. Quite often they will learn new commands or tasks within the first three attempts. After that, is where the challenge comes in. They tend to get bored easily and the repetitive training techniques used by many trainers today does not readily appeal to them. They require constant stimulation and variety. The malamute is opportunistic, meaning they will willingly complete a task provided that there is something in it for them. With that in mind, they do well with positive reinforcement and reward based training techniques. It is rare to find a malamute that is not heavily food motivated, so, it is usually easy to coerce them into doing most any task you ask of them.
Another trait to factor into training this breed is their pack instinct. In a pack hierarchy, dogs thrive in a clearly organized structure with a defined leader (alpha) and subordinates. The type of person who does best with a malamute is one who can assume that leadership role of alpha in an assertive yet benevolent manner. Without this leadership, a dog will resort to taking that role upon him, and subsequently take over the household. This is where big problems start. To ensure that you and your malamute start off on the right track, it is our firm recommendation that any new malamute owner complete a set of obedience classes. This will enable the new owner and dog to open up the lines of communication and create a relationship with defined leader/subordinate roles.
Knowing what we know these days about dogs and training, the old methods of force are no longer considered proper methods. Violence begets violence and an aggressive owner will face an aggressive dog. There will be times when training your Malamute becomes frustrating, but that is the time not to loose your temper, but to pour yourself a cup of tea and contemplate what YOU are doing wrong. Dogs give us strong signals with their body language and if we do not understand what they are trying to tell us, then it is up to us to make the effort to learn, so that there will be a stronger, trusting relationship. Never, ever hit your dog with your hand, since hands are for love and trust. Never hit the dog with a rolled up newspaper, for whatever mistake he makes is forgotten split seconds after the fact. Bottom line: NEVER HIT YOUR DOG. One day he will protect himself and the only things he has are his teeth. If your pup messes in the house, then you did not pay attention to what his body language was telling you, so take the newspaper and hit yourself over the head for not listening. PATIENCE is the second most Important ingredient for dog ownership and the first one is LOVE since your dog’s love is UNCONDITIONAL towards you.
The Alaskan Malamute is a primitive breed, and in the Arctic was fed a wholesome raw diet of fish, seal and caribou, along with blubber. This breed is called the Economy Model of the dog world, able to pull heavy loads, for long hours, over many miles on very little food. They utilize their food better then many other breeds. For this reason they require only half of what most other dogs their size eat. It is very easy to over feed an Alaskan Malamute. Some feed a raw food diet, and have for many years, and the reasons are many. The dogs digestive system is not like ours, it is shorter and also the stomach acid is much stronger. You can find out lots of information on the internet on raw feeding and there are many books out there too. We ask that if you want to feed a kibble food, you check out this website that has helped us very much. It is www.dogfoodproject.com. It will give you information on all ingredients found in kibble and will help you choose a great food for your pup. The food you feed should not be based on the price of the bag. You will have to pay more for a good food. This is very important in the proper development of the puppy.
HOUSING:
The Alaskan Malamute is a hardy outdoor breed - it is not necessary to provide them with an elaborate doghouse. Wooden castles are chewed into unrecognizable homeless shelters. Most of the time you will find your dog lying in the snow enjoying the cool air. One thing you will need is a fenced in yard and hopefully you do not have a jumper on your hands since most Malamutes love to dig their way out. Please consider that he/she will shed more if he/she is an indoor dog, and will not have the heavy coat necessary to spend extended hours outside especially during very cold nights.
EXERCISE:
The Alaskan Malamute is first and foremost a working dog. They adapt to the lifestyle that is given to them, but they do need an outlet for their energy and if given the opportunity they will do that in the house by becoming creatively destructive. It is up to the owner to provide the best outlet possible and this will be in exercise suitable to both the human and dog. First Malamute proof your yard and let that be the playground. Second go for long walks. We recommend that you take the puppy to obedience classes and doggy daycare is great for teaching the puppy to get along with other dogs. For those that are seeking a more active life with your dog the opportunities are endless. Agility, flyball, back packing, sledding, skijoring, roller blading, weight pulling etc. If they get bored and into trouble, that is your fault not the dogs.
GROOMING:
The Alaskan Malamute is a double-coated breed, which means the coat consists of two hair-types. The undercoat is a soft, downy insulator, which grows or sheds out depending on the season. The topcoat is harsher and oilier in texture and is designed to repel dirt, water and snow. With a correct coat type, the Alaskan Malamute requires little in grooming on a daily basis. A correct, harsh coat can repel dirt easily. Unless it is a show dog, a malamute needn't be bathed regularly.
Malamutes are very heavy, seasonal shedders. The trigger for shedding season seems to be the amount of daylight the dogs are exposed to. As the days grow shorter, the pituitary gland sends a signal that colder months are coming and it is time to grow a heavy coat. As the days grow longer, warmer temperatures are on the way, and it is time to drop unnecessary insulation. During shedding season, a malamute will drop copious amounts of fur. We use a shedding blade to get out the excess fur. Out with the old and in with the new -- a healthy, new coat cannot grow in and flourish if the old, dead coat has not been removed. If removal of dead undercoat is neglected, skin and coat problems will ensue. Bath your Malamute, twice a year or when he is no longer huggable.
Finally, your malamute's nails need to be kept short and the fur between the toes can be trimmed down to the level of the foot-pad to keep the foot strong and to provide traction. It is also necessary in the winter month to stop ice balls from forming between the toes.
TRAINING: The Alaskan Malamute is a highly intelligent, independent-thinking and easily trainable dog, if you know the right buttons to push. To many, the malamute's aloof and independent-thinking nature comes across as a frustrating barrier to training which leads many to declare the breed untrainable. Nothing is further from the truth. Throughout it's history, the malamute's survival depended on its willingness to work with humans, not for them. Canine and human survival depended on a malamute's ability to use its instincts to often make crucial life and death decisions. Only voice commands and a trusting relationship control a lead dog on a sled team with the driver. Malamutes are one of the quickest learners. Quite often they will learn new commands or tasks within the first three attempts. After that, is where the challenge comes in. They tend to get bored easily and the repetitive training techniques used by many trainers today does not readily appeal to them. They require constant stimulation and variety. The malamute is opportunistic, meaning they will willingly complete a task provided that there is something in it for them. With that in mind, they do well with positive reinforcement and reward based training techniques. It is rare to find a malamute that is not heavily food motivated, so, it is usually easy to coerce them into doing most any task you ask of them.
Another trait to factor into training this breed is their pack instinct. In a pack hierarchy, dogs thrive in a clearly organized structure with a defined leader (alpha) and subordinates. The type of person who does best with a malamute is one who can assume that leadership role of alpha in an assertive yet benevolent manner. Without this leadership, a dog will resort to taking that role upon him, and subsequently take over the household. This is where big problems start. To ensure that you and your malamute start off on the right track, it is our firm recommendation that any new malamute owner complete a set of obedience classes. This will enable the new owner and dog to open up the lines of communication and create a relationship with defined leader/subordinate roles.
Knowing what we know these days about dogs and training, the old methods of force are no longer considered proper methods. Violence begets violence and an aggressive owner will face an aggressive dog. There will be times when training your Malamute becomes frustrating, but that is the time not to loose your temper, but to pour yourself a cup of tea and contemplate what YOU are doing wrong. Dogs give us strong signals with their body language and if we do not understand what they are trying to tell us, then it is up to us to make the effort to learn, so that there will be a stronger, trusting relationship. Never, ever hit your dog with your hand, since hands are for love and trust. Never hit the dog with a rolled up newspaper, for whatever mistake he makes is forgotten split seconds after the fact. Bottom line: NEVER HIT YOUR DOG. One day he will protect himself and the only things he has are his teeth. If your pup messes in the house, then you did not pay attention to what his body language was telling you, so take the newspaper and hit yourself over the head for not listening. PATIENCE is the second most Important ingredient for dog ownership and the first one is LOVE since your dog’s love is UNCONDITIONAL towards you.