I work as a vets receptionist and as part of my job i have to be polite to everyone, however sometimes this is soo hard. Today i overheard someone say that they were going to get a dog soon, because their children wanted a puppy. When asked which one she said an alsakan malamute (although she didn't pronounce the last bit right!) She said the only problem was that next year she was getting married and were having a 7 week honeymoon. So to get round this she was probably going to send pup away to traing for the 7 weeks, becuase "this  type of dog has to be trained." I was speechless, because i couldn't believe anyone could be so clueless. Why would anyone get such a select breed, when the only dog they have ever had was a lab (quite a differnt temperament), just becuase their kids wanted one? Even more unbelievable how could someone even contemplate sending a young puppy away for training?! I did point out to her that the dog may become trained to work for the teacher, but not neccessarily for her, but she clearly had made her mind up that this was the way to go. I only hope that all the breeders turn her down!

so do i.... i have a mal almost 5mths old who certainly needs more looking after etc than a lab. i used to have a lab and they were a doddle compared to our Kai. i certainly hope that any breeder she contacts would look seriously at her circumstances. i know i had to prove that we are capable of looking after a mal before we was allowed one from the breeder. i cant see how sending the pup away for "training" is gonna work, as its the owner that needs training aswell. i just hope that she doesnt succeed in getting one as it would probably end up having to be rehomed :-(

Given what she is proposing, i would imagine the only place she would get one would be either a back yard breeder or a puppy farm, which means even more porpblems in the long run too! :-(

Well at least she knows it needs alot of training.....However doesn't have a clue how it's done, Wonder what she will dog when the dog gets to full size and when she lets the kids take it for a walk it goes and chases a cat and she ends up with BIG problems!!!

Poor dog, no-matter what breed she gets in the end, I do hope there's only decent breeders in Malamutes!

I would contact all the mal breeders in your area and give them her name and warn them not to sell to her :D

I got endless messages from people wanting a dog for their kids in fact one even said she wanted it as a toy!!!  I think sending away dogs for training is becoming more common as I have had a few people tell me that was what they wanted to do.

why are mals so difficult to look after? ive heared a few people say there hard work but never known why.gorgeous dogs but to big for me! :)

Although i have no experience of the breed i believe they are similar to huskies as they are a spitz type, which means they can be independent and stubborn. Like collies and hiskies they are not the ideal dog for a first time owner. Anyone with experience like to explain further?