Any advice for training an extremely unruly 6 month old female alaskan malamute? She doesn't seem to respond to training and just does what she wants including eating everything, chasing our cats and leaping on people. We know the owners of her sister who we are told is calm, quiet and obedient. So why isn't ours?! Any advice would be great.

Hi Lucy and welcome to the Forum :) As the owner of another unruly Malamute (now 16 months old ;) ) I can send sympathetic noises to you :D Are you getting any help from the breeder of your bitch at all? Malamutes are known for being very dominant , pushy animals and if they think they can get away with something , they will!

I would begin the NILIF regime immediately! That stands for Nothing In Life IS Free ....so , before ANYTHING (Letting her out , letting her back in , food , titbits , absolutely everything) you make her sit or wait or give her paw ..anything to show her that YOU are the boss and not her ;) We had to do this with Hudson and it works! He is still a monster , but much better than he was :D

She hasn't reached adolescence yet ...and she will get worse then so you need to get on top of it now. Do you take her to training or socialization classes at all? That can often help calm them down a bit too

There are a lot of VERY experienced Mal people here and I am sure they will be along soon to offer more advice

HTH

Melody :)

Hi Lucy :)
I'm with Melody on the methods of letting your mal know that you're in charge. In terms of your bitch's sister being so different, they all are! I've got two and they are so different. The eldest was always so laid back and was easy to train (until adolescence, which we're hoping is coming to an end) Our little'un is seven months and is a complete livewire! He leaps about, is noisy and doesn't listen to anyone if he doesn't want to. I'm also having to make sure we stay on top of things so that we don't have problems later on when he's bigger and stronger. Make sure your bitch is well socialised with other dogs and people and persevere with training - it will come together :) Good Luck
Joan :)

Join the club of People Tearing their Hair Out Because of Their Malamutes Lucy;)
My Mal Chewi is Satan's little helper at 19 months. He was a horrible imp at 6 months. He is just now beginning to come out of the 'I hate you Mom' teenage terror time and is becoming a joy to take out everywhere.
You have to have perseverance and patience followed by more patience. Be firm but not forceful. A Mal will dig his/her feet in if you try and force him/her and believe me, you do NOT want that!
I advise following Melody's NILIF method and if you have not already done this, enrol in classes so that your dog can learn to mix with other dogs. Take her everywhere, the shops (if you can get someone to do the shopping whilst you hold her or vice versa (not a child), station, anywhere where you can meet people and socialise her. She'll soon learn that you take her to nice places where she will get attention if she is good.
At 6 months she may still be teething which can cause a few behavioural problems. Give her nice things to chew - ice cubes, marrow bones, even Nylabones.
And finally don't worry - it is not you - she is a normal Malamute!
Keep us posted on your progress and good luck!:)
Jean

Hi Lucy,

We own a 9month bitch who is switching between being an angel and a devil daily (if not hourly). we found that the treat system has worked wonderfully for us! We give carrots for regular day to day things and save sausages and cheese for the worked hard at things (recalls and learning new things). it really is a case of persevering with them, and staying calm. It can be difficult when they act up, but I found with my bitch if I walked out of the room or turned my back and ignored her within seconds she was well behaved again.
I also run the rule of keeping Moro well exercised and socialised. She meets with her older brother every weekend for big run around and play sessions. although we ran into the issue of her thinking she could do her own thing because she was off-leash a lot (enclosed fields for staff only access) so we went through a few weeks of on-leash walks only and the recall issues cleared up!
As to the cat issue, I'm not sure. Moro still chases our cat, then stops and the cat chases her back. Not an ideal solution - I tried dog gates between the upstairs and downstairs but as the cat ignores them they don't work 100%.
Jumping up - the solution we found was when people ran across the road to see the cute puppy, I ended up having to shout "No" at them (adults included) to get them to stop in their tracks I'd then explain I was training the dog and make her sit before letting them pet her. She still bounces a little when over-excited but as they get older they calm down (fingers crossed).
Apart from that I follow these boards for advice from the other members (wonderful people :) ) - and they've kept me sane!!
Good Luck
kirsty

She is still a puppy and will behave like one for some time yet but now is the time when you should be enforcing your top dog status over her. If you don't catch it while she is a pup she will be a devil to control when she reaches adolecence when mals really do become a trial to their owners
You say she is doing anything she wants, well you must change that to doing everything YOU want. Don't let her get away with anything because the next time it will be even harder to enforce. With malamutes you have to be very strong minded and consistant. If you make a rule, then stick to it. She will be quite happy to take the top dog spot if you let her but if she suceeds she will be a little terror :)
I think you need to talk to your breeder about the problems you are having (I don't know where you got her from but any decent breeder offers lifelong support and advise) Good luck :)

Psst! I have a 10 month old male mal who sits, fetches, goes to bed, comes to you, gives paws (left and right), lies down and stays. He's no perfect dog..yet! He still chases the cats, but only if he thinks I'm not looking. He still chews the mail, but only junk mail. IMO the only thing you need to remember is punish=praise......eg a firm "NO!" is always followed by "Good girl/boy" as soon as you have the mals attention, you're not praising them for being naughty, you praising them for stopping. Everything must be on your terms, you're the alpha. If the mal is doing something you're not happy with then don't let them do it. Start asserting your dominance whilst walking, try to keep a constant heel, then throw in the odd sit or stay. It's amazing how quickly they catch on. Mals are very intelligent. If your mal isn't responding at all it's just because she's confused about her status. She'll be happier knowing her place in the pack. At the minute she doesn't know her place or whats expected of her. Remember we don't speak mal and they don't speak english. Keep it short ie "No!" don't throw full sentences like " I said NO!" or " Look pack it in, I told you..." it means nothing. All you need is "No". We can't expect miracles because both our mals are still pups, but if you keep it simple and have short training sessions daily, I'm sure you'll get there.
If not, I have Gin will share :D
Julie :)

I think that should be the Catchphrase for ALL Malamute owners:

Have gin , will share

:D

Melody

Just as well I have dals, not mals, then....
I don't share gin!!!!!

:d :Dcommon catchprases I'm sure we all share...
1.) Sorry, he's just a pup.
2.)It's only mud...sorry
3.)Your leg????Oh..he's just being friendly...sorry
4.)Don't point your winkie at me young man!
5.)No!
6.)Gosh, you're covered in hair...sorry.
7.)yes, he is very vocal isn't he (gritted teeth at ringcraft)
there's probably 100's more...malamute=STRESS ...but they are worth it and when they give you the puppy eyes you don't stay angry for long. I suspect they just have a universal wicked sense of humour.:D

lol :D taffyparker

I agree ...along with:

1. Didn't you KNOW mud spatter was all the rage?

2. He IS only 16 months old

3. LOUD? NO THIS ISN'T LOUD (usually said at the top of your voice)

4. NO! (I know you said that one ..but it HAS to be the most common Mal word :D )

5. Yes I DO have a vacuum cleaner

*sigh*

:D

Mel

Those are really funny. Keeping a sense of humor is such a good thing! :D :D

Keeping a sense of humour is essential if you livewith a Malamute :D
Jean

Having just unexpectedly rejoined the ranks of owners with unruly/untrained/etc pups I would like to add something you seem to have missed out

OFF!!!!!

the worktop, top of gate, me,

OUT of

the fridge, dishwasher, washing machine as I am loading/unloading it

Melody - where's that gin you were willing to share?

Christine

You know you have a Great Dane when you shout OUTSIDE every time you hear the sound of running water :rolleyes:

Think I need to buy a crate of it Chris ;) :)

Melody :D

Wow Julie, bang on.....I am so proud of you :) Even though you have no idea how old your dog is. :)

That should have been put under your advise post. Half the time my posts come in at the bottom instead of where they should be. And I do know what I'm doing.....Really :)

Age is always a blurred topic. It started when I discovered David was younger than me (ouch):) You'll see me hesitate when people ask how old I am. Taiko's D.O.B =27/06/02 age= blurry....you see, it's a disease, not my fault at all. So when I tell people I'm 21yrs old, it would be cruel of you to snigger.
For those of you not in the know, maid marian is my Guru and I'm a disciple of her mal methods.:)
Jayne...our boy just chewed Barbie beyond recognition all because I dared to walk past the window with Murphy. Barbie's mangled limbs wil have to hit the bin before Anais gets home.
Ahhh ain't life grand with my perfectly trained mal :D
now..where did I put that gin???

It's not Barbie!!! It's Anais' Britney Spears doll. Y'see Taiko is perfectly trained afterall.:D

I suffer from the same disease I reckon ...funnily enough it began when I realised that hubby was younger than me ...can't have that I thought and promptly erased my year of birth from my memory. Causes problems when asked when my kids were born too ...I mean its hard enough remembering a couple of kiddies Birthdates ..but 5

Melody - Born in 19mumble ;) Gin anyone?

Lol :D
Oh Mel you lush, you've reminded me of the state I was in after St. Patricks Day. I went out with the folks from work....amazingly made it home with a large velvet guinness hat and a stick of Dublin rock. I swayed and flopped onto the sofa and awoke in the early hours with Taiko lying on top of me licking away at my face. (before you start the car engine...it was a one off and David was dog/babysitting:D)
So be assured when we're drowning in gin our mals will:
1.) Stop you from choking/swallowing your tongue by placing theirs in your mouth intermittently.
2.) Prevent you from catching a chill by lying on top of you.
3.) Try to catch your hiccups
4.)Will eat your vomit before hubby catches you out (no I didn't I swear...just a thought!)

Proposals for the next AGM.....drying out clinic for mal owners whilst their mals are at bootcamp.

ROTFL

When I read back over this thread I wonder why the h*** do we have these animals????

Then I look at my big soft lump lying on the floor behind me and remember ;) :D (Dog not hubby!!)

Mel :)

Melody - if you still have some gin left, please bring some with you tomorrow! :D
Jean

LOL ..that will go down well Jean ..in more ways than one ;)

Hi Lucy, I have a 6 month old male mal :)
We also do the NILIF with him, and at the moment, its working brilliantly... He knows that he won't get anything until he sits, and he has stopped leaping up at people and trying to sit on their laps all the time :D He still gets so excited that he forgets, but all in all, he's doing well.
He sits, stays, gives both paws, goes down, speaks on command, fetches, goes to bed and leaves.
He still chases the cat now and again too, but the cat plays along with him, and either jumps on his back, or holds onto his tail and gets dragged behind, which Nuka LOVES!
He is very destructive though, he will chew and destroy anything that is left around, we have tried allsorts of anti-chew deterrents, bitter apple etc, but nothing works for us. The only thing we can do now, is just keep anything dangerous or needed out of reach, and watch him all the time, so he doesnt get a chance to chew anything but food and his toys. Or if we catch him in the act, we take whatever he is chewing and hand him one of his cuddlies that he knows he is allowed to chew.

what is NILIF?

Nothing In Life Is Free :-)

So when you tell people in my presence that you are 21, I am not to laugh...... is that it?
God I'm not that good at keeping my face straight!!!!!!!!!!

Good old Taiko for chewing up Britney Spears. Although I doubt Alex will be pleased...he fancies her no end. Thank goodness his musical tastes follow mine. His bedroom is an ill matched collage of Miss Spears and Bon Jovi. :)

My husbands is a Britney Spears fan, he wanted a Dogue De Bordeaux,he got it ,but I got revenge for his infatuation with Miss Spears. I name the dog Britney