We would love to get a Mal pup (bitch) and have been to see a couple of breeders and done a fair bit of investigation. The first visit was great the breeder had 2 dogs who had a beautiful nature and the breeders were very informative and relaxed and we came away very enthused about owning a Mal. The second breeders who we went to a few days ago had 4 Mals and had alot of problems with them being together and had to keep them separated and this gave the whole place much more of a negative atmosphere. Also the breeders were much more difficult to talk to and the dogs were very different in their behaviour to the first 2 we saw. I wondered if the fact that the second group of Mals lived in a much more pack like situation with people who were not as laid back would make the dogs so very different to the first 2 we saw? Also we have 2 cats and as such we would have to really make sure we introduce them to the pup at a young age and our plan would be to socialise the pup with alot of other dogs to prevent the Mal being dog agressive, does anyone have any experience of how Mals are around chickens/ducks if they have been around them from puppy age? Any feedback on any of these issues we have swirling about our heads would be much appreciated.....thanks

I can only speak from my experiances so far with my 9mth mal .
we live in a very rural area, chickens pheasants rabbits birds cows cats are all the things we encounter on our daily walks. we have lots of birds in the garden, a fish in a tank and a gerbil.
As regards the last two both have to be kept out of reach of Kai in my sons bedroom ( kai banned from bedroom) as he has shown way too much interest in them.
The birds that dare to visit the garden get chased off quite quickly and the aviary next door gets a regular howling at.

Anything that moves on our walks is in Kai's mind fair game so i have to had eagle eyes to spot the animals before he does, otherwise im being dragged off in Hot Pursuit!
Having said that my breeder had 2 mal bitches ( now 3 mals) a westie and a cat. although the mals were allowed in the house they slept outside away from the cat. and I dont think they had a problem.

I think if introduced right they can accept other species in there living space but any outside of that area will still probably be fair game :)

edited to add in laws keep all manner of animals (small holding) and when we stayed there in summer... Kai wanted to chase the lot ( 5mths old at time):D

have you had your mal from when it was 8-10 weeks old?

Yes i got Kai at 8 wks old :)

I have 3 Mals who all live together happily (at the moment :) ) I also know of a lady who has ducks and a Mal as well as a BC and various other animals ..all live together in harmony

Be guided by your instinct ;) See as many Mal breeders as you can, talk to owners, go to shows ....

Malamutes generally are okay with their families cats IF they are introduced properly ...other peoples cats in the garden will usually (but not always) be treated in a completely different way

It is generally accepted that fully amture adults of the same sex will need to be kept apart.  This may explain the situation at the home where you saw the 4 Mals as possibl;ey the home where you saw just two had one of each sex or maybe an mature and a young bitch?

Hi :)
My Malamute lives happily with other creatures - she loves ducks and plays regularly with our rabbit (she is scared of the guinea pigs LOL). She knows who is "family" and loves them all - including our horse.
Ours is VERY laid back and gets on well with everything, we have 2 other dogs and often dog sit others.
I think its a combination of luck with the actual dog, careful choice of breeder, and the way you bring them up ....
Pics of my girl with all her furry and weathery family on my www site.

We have two mals and a mal cross...

My dogs are fine with the animals we already had and that they were brought up with from 8 weeks (cat and two parrots) but do not accept any other small furries outside of mine.

They also have a very high prey drive and sheep etc are fair game to them.

As for dogs, my two mals are fantastic with other dogs but my rescue boy can be a bit grumbly with other male mals.

Thanks for the replies they have given a bit more positive info to think about . BusyDoggs your site it great I love the pics of Noobie, how old is she now?

Busydog your site is excellent I LOVED the picture of Noobie playing with her cousin the border terrier.  I dont know how you cope with all your dogs... your obviously very dedicated and devoted to them. I struggle with my Yorkie (oh the shame!!) All your dogs are beautiful.