Cross Breeds

Thinking of getting an Alaskan malamute?

I have been having a hard time since my yellow lab died a year ago. Bo was my best friend and went everywhere with me. He was a running partner and the best friend I have ever had. I haven't gotten over it and many people have suggested getting another dog. I really don't want another lab, because that hits to close to home. I have always dreamed of owning a snow dog and I've started looking into it. I am going to meet with some breeders who have a litter for me to look at. I know that huskies tend to be more independent, but are Alaskan malamutes more loyal. My new dog would be living with only me, but exposed to everything from child, cats, big an small dogs. I'm mostly a stay at home person aside from work. I'm very active and I want a dog to keep up with me and go everywhere with me. So my question is, is the Alaskan malamute a good choice for me? What else should I know about them?

Public Comments

1. If i were you i would goto the animalshelter and get a dog!! Some dogs in shelters are very nice and some may be the right one for ya! Also so shelter dogs love to run because they can get there legs streached out and going!
2. you are jumping between entirely different dog groups here, a spetz has a whole other type of drive and is in general a lot more independant then a retriever you will need patience to be consistant and figure out how too motivate it i would try and see if you can get too interact some with their dogs, so you can see how they act and make sure you buy from a reliable breeder who will be there too back you up during training, if you run into issues
3. Yes, an Alaskan Malamute would be great for you! Here are some links you can look at that will tell you more about Alaskan Malamutes. http://animal.discovery.com/breedselector/dogprofile.do?id=2340 http://www.akc.org/breeds/alaskan_malamute/index.cfm http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/alaskanmalamute.htm Hope this helps!
4. Mals can be very loyal and they love to run. Why not contact a responsible breeder or a breed rescue person? (The people with a litter available now are not the breed experts you need.) You may want to get an older puppy or young adult so you can be more active from the start.
5. Like you - I lost my 13 yr old Husky and its tough - to get another dog or not and how soon. Uncertain, I signed up to foster for Malamute Rescue. That was a poor decision because I ended up adopting 2 of them. They need exercise and year and a half later, getting 2 was good, they play & keep each other company. Fostering with Malamute Rescue might be a good intro to the breed without the full commitment. Maybe my Husky taught me to be a better dog person but my puppies are better behaved and they don't have as strong a roaming urge. If you do foster, you have the option of keeping them if you become too attach, which happens a lot. My Husky was 4 before we could trust it to be off-leash. My Malamutes only took 6 months training, they want to follow me, we go hiking and cross country skiing off-leash.