Hi,
My first post on the forum - so be gentle with me!! In the future I would like to have an Alaskan Malamute to be part of the family, but would like an honest opinion on whether it would be ok to integrate the Mal within a house with a Bichon Frise!! I have researched about the Malamute and came across some descriptions of them being quite domineering (if they get there own way!), so would this become a problem with my little 'un and would this present a problem when the Mal grows older (and a lot bigger!) I am hoping that it would not be such a problem if the Mal grows up quite closely with our dog and be willing to get along together. I haven't ventured into contacting any breeders at this point until we have fully understood what we may be getting ourselves into!! So, I would be grateful for anyone's opinion on this firstly, as I have noted on the forum there are quite a number of malamute owners, so it would be lovely to get to know what it is like having one be part of the family.
Regards

Hiya Sheree and welcome to the forum :)

I have a Mal , Hudson , who is nearly 16 months old and , as you say , there are a lot of Mally people here on CD , some of whom have other breeds , and some who have had FAR more experience than me ..I'm sure they will be along during the day to offer advice ...

In the mean time there is an excellent breed guide to Mals here that may be of interest to you : Mal Breed Info

Melody :)

Hi,
I have two male Mals and the eldest is 21 months. I also have two small mongrels, one male and one spayed female, 13 years. I have to admit that I have had problems with the eldest Mal and the male mongrel. All was well as a pup, but when adolescence kicked in the Mal decided to demand his alpha place! We have had a few scraps (thankfully not resulting in major damage to either) and we now have a crate which the mongrel calls his own and can get into if the atmosphere gets bad between them (usually after the Mal has been away and has returned). So, in answer to your question, yes there could possibly be problems. You don't say whether your Bichon is male or female, so perhaps you would find it easier to have the opposite sex, although any male Mal has a level of dominant attitude.
It's not all bad! My dogs get on 95% of the time and interact well with other animals, the eldest Mal loves playing with one of our rabbits :)
Joan :)

Hi,
Thanks for your replies so far. I am hoping that if I choose to have a male Mal that it won't be such a problem living with my (male) Bichon, its just that my Bichon is quite timid and pretty much laid back that I personally think that the Malamute breed in general will be too overpowering and the complete opposite of my dog, but could bring out the best in each other? (who knows!!). I just don't want to be too disheartened in the fact that it might not be the best thing for us to have one, as my partner and I would love to have another addition to the family and preferably a bigger dog - and the Malamute temperament in general appeals to us, (I had a rather large german shepherd who unfortunately died about five years ago now, and he was such a lovely (big) bundle of fun), so I've so far had a variety of breeds (big and small!!) to hopefully be able to test the limits with a Mal, but I'm sure the more I look into having a Mal and talk to you lot (!) and any reputable breeders in the future will (hopefully) give me the best advice.
Regards
Sheree

Good luck in your research and your decisions. There'll be a few more of us along soon and I'm sure you'll get more opinions :)
Joan :)

Have you considered any of the other more gregarious Spitz breeds to go with your Bichon, I am thinking here of the Samoyed, Finnish Laphund, Keeshond, and my own breed the Norwegian Elkhound. They would be less intimidating for your shy dog.

These breeds are betwen the region of 16 to 22 inches at the shoulder. They all have the typical Spitz independance, and love of people, but are not quite as dog dominant as the large sled dogs can be.

Hi to all,
My partner and I have looked at other breeds, but personally its been a rather long ambition of mine to have a Malamute, as a friend of the family years ago had one and fell in love with the breed ever since, but my parents weren't in the same frame of mind to having such a large dog for me when I was younger, but later on stumped them after one school summer holiday with having a german shepherd come home with me from a rescue home, which they ultimately loved.
My partner and I chose to home a lovely bichon puppy three years ago after researching what would be best in (our then) smaller accommodation, but having moved to a larger premises is it seems needy of a bigger bumbling dog to keep our baby company. Well, I'm sure all those of you who lovingly own a Malumate will give me plenty of stories...thankyou all though in advance for responding to my question(s)!! Its been nice getting to know you all.
Regards
Sheree

Hi Sheree
I am was searching for any info on Bichons & came across your comments, I am due to get a Bichon pup in 5 weeks< I am really excited how have you found your Bichon are they as good with children as people say? I have always had labs but felt I wanted a smaller dog this time. Any advice or tipswould be greatly received.
Cheers Pauline

hi, welcome to CD.

We have Freya, shes almost 9 months old now, but wouldent change her for the world.
I used to like akitas, but wasent fond of some of teh aggreesiveness I had seen in friends dogs, Liza found mals and we both fell in love.

Went several shows, met people that owned them, researched on the net and via books. Luckily we got Freya. We've been "persuaded" by friends to show Freya, shes doing ok. Considering the fact that neither Liza or myself have ever shown before, the ringcraft class nearby is...... "no comment"! and we've trained Freya our sleves with what we have read and been advised by friends.

As Melody have a look at the breed guide, and the owners/breeders lists.

Take care, tummy rubs to the bichons
Jay

Hi Bichon,
I got my first mal December last year. He is now 5 1/2 months old and is the best thing that has ever happened to me :) We were were worried about introducing him to our cat, but we introduced them slowly, and now they are best of friends - my cat likes to think he is a dog anyway, so it suits him fine.
I had wanted a mal for as long as I can remember, and now I've got one, I know its the dog for me. All of the mal owners I know would never have another breed :)

(My cat does that too - got a mile into a walk yesterday, and there he was trotting along behind us and hiding in bushes everytime I turned around :D)

I welcomed my mal into my home when he was 8 weeks old. We already had two cats in residence, one is quite feral but constant injuries/disabilities have mellowed her with age. The stray used to rarely come indoors, but decided to move in during the colder months. They all cohabit nicely, play nicely even though I get a bit sick of cats flying over my lap. Better still the cats will actually follow us on the occassional walk.
At approx 15weeks old, we introduced our mal to a four yr old very dominant male mal. They get along very well, the older mal just has to grumble if the younger mal gets too cocky. Our mal is now 9 months old, the same size as the adult male. They go for walks together, play together and enjoy eachothers company. They make quite a handsome sight when you see them strutting along side by side.
I never thought I'd trust the older one with the pup but their relationship just gets more endearing. I think they have a good age gap, the older one clearly the more dominant even as the pup matures. By the time the older male begins to age/weaken the relationship between the two will already have developed over 4+yrs.
The older mal belongs to my Dad, we live in the same cul-de-sac. The mals walk/play together daily and have now progressed to visiting eachother indoors with no problems.
I'd say in certain situations you have to judge a dog as a dog, not as a breed. Or perhaps we're just incredibly lucky to have two male mals both with fantastic temprements :)
Julie :)

Can a Mal get attached to his owner if he is kept as the only dog? I have heard they will happily go away with anyone!

Well Hudson goes off with anyone ..but he will keep looking for his family and is pleased to see us when we return

Melody :)

I'm confident our mal knows we're his pack. You can see a mile off my Dad's malamute adores him. His malamute will put the anchors on and growl if you walk him too far away from my Dad. I think Taiko is still full of puppy playfulness but he's more relaxed with us. His reactions toward other people are excited/cautious/friendly but he still looks to me for reassurance. They're just very friendly, they love people. They're probably an easy breed to lure away...food,fun,food,fun...but they definitely know who their pack are. They bond closely with their pack, so any breakdown in family life can devastate a mal.:)

Floyd would go off with absolutely anyone who cared to pick up his lead. Jasmine, no, she is way too clingy and loves her mum too much. Rosie I'm not sure about yet...her character is still developing but she has Floyd's independant streak.

Hi Sheree,
I have been in a very similar situation to you. We had a male papillion when we had our male mal, and yes they did look ridiculous. :D The pap was neutered so we never had any problems with the typical inter male scrapping.
The only problem I found was the emormous size difference between the two. Floyd was OK with him and they used to even eat out of the same food bowl but Gimli (pap) just could not take the play that Floyd dished out.Mals do play rough. He was SOoo much bigger (and so consequently rougher) that I was always worried that he would inadvertantly hurt him. Gimli was 7lbs in weight and Floyd is 7 stone!!! Gimli ended up quite wary of him although Floyd never hurt him once, I think he was just too big.
Gimli has been dead now for some years (nothing to do with floyd :D) he was 18. And Floyd pined a bit for a few days after but now with two mal bitches to control (what a joke :) ) he is fine.
So yes it did work but being honest the size difference caused me no end of grey hairs.

Hi Jayne,
Thanks for your message. I must admit I've had a nose in your website and I must say its very impressive, great photos on the gallery section. I'm sure when the time comes to owning a Malamute one day I'll be more than ready what with everyones responses, which have made me feel better about owning one.
My bichon loves to play CONSTANTLY (never lets up playing ball) and I imagine it would be quite a sight if he sizes up to a fully grown Mal for playtime!!
Even though you mentioned that it could get quite 'hairy' (no pun intended) between the two when they played together, would you say that there was any domineering over one with the other being such different breeds?
Regards
Sheree

Well thanks for your comments on the site. I don't think at any point Floyd was trying to dominate Gimli (I was into the Lord of the Rings before it became cool :D) He was only trying to play because he was a pup but Gimli was having no truck with him because he was quite elderly when Floyd came. So Gimli used to sit still, thinking perhaps that he if didn't move floyd wouldn't see him...yeah right! :)
So Floyd used to bowl him over trying to get him going, paw him, and once picked him up in his jaws and ran round the garden with him! God I nearly passed out but Gimli was fine once he was let go of and trotted off quite happily, if a little wet:D. I was always watching out for them and stepped in when Floyd was getting too excited.
I think the fact that Gimli was neutered helped because neutered males don't smell male so Floyd never felt any threat and automatically assumed the dominant position which Gimli, who couldn't be bothered, was quite happy to let him have.

Hi Sheree,

As Jayne has mentioned, you would need to keep a watch on them because of the size difference.
Another thing you need to consider if you decide on a male Mal, and the two don't get on, how practical would it be for you to keep them apart? If seperation would not be a possibility perhaps a bitch would be a better option for you.

Jacquie
:)

Absolutely. Male mals don't generally get along with other males whatever size they are and you have to consider the damage a very large dog could do in a very short time to a little chap.
As I said Gimli was neutered so we never had this problem. I would consider neutering your little dog to save yourself this worry as well. You'll have enough on your hands watching one dosn't squash the other.If you can't do this, then as Jacquie suggested, a female mal is called for :)

This was what I was getting at with the suggestion of a more gregarious and smaler Spitz breed. The male Bichons I have met have been quite randy and pushy. An entire male Elkhound I know has to put up with one coming to his home and lording it over him, cocking his leg, challenging him, and it is only his good manners and pride that prevent a scrap, and the Elkies owner is itching to give the sweet wee thing a telling off, but his owner thinks his antics cute!!!

The size thing is an issue. I had forgotten until I saw these posts, but the only time there was a real injury was when my Mal was about 7 months and was playing with the mongrel. Next thing there was an almighty squeal as the Mal ambushed him and the poor thing couldn't move :( He was on painkillers for a month and not allowed to play or run for about three and I'd only turned my back for a second :(
My two Mals get on brilliantly. The pup arrived after the alpha role was resolved between the other two. Too much play and a low growl towards him sends him immediately into submission (and long may it continue :) )
Joan

Yes injuries can happen so easily and like you said it only takes a second to turn your back. I was fortunate in that Gimli being elderly never wanted to play and spent a lot of his time asleep. I think Sheree will have her hands full with a young dog and a mal. Like I said it can work but its not an ideal situation.
I am keeping an eye on you Joan to see how your two males get on. If I was thinking (I said IF in case Ian sees this :D ) of keeping a male mal I am concerned to how Floyd would react. He is very dominant and hates other males. We don't kennel and I wouldn't want to upset the comparative peace in the house.

I knew you'd be thinking along those lines. :) I get a huge gush of pride when I see Taiko and Murphy together. You of all people know how unsure I was about trusting Murphy to mind his manners. I was just saying to my Dad, I think it's possible for you because Floyd is quite confident in his status....although I think Jasmine has more power than he thinks, behind every great man is a strong woman as they say (or something like that :D)
I'm just wondering what ploy you'll use to fool Ian into thinking you've kept a bitch when really we'll all know that pups all dog....:D :D
Julie

I'll let you know when Kodi gets to a "teenager" ;) So far all is well. As I said, now that Kai is sure of his status at home, Kodi seems to accept the way things are. Kai is also coming through the other side of his "horrible" stage so I hope that things will settle nicely.
Joan :)