I have a 15-year old daughter who desperately wants an Alaskan Malamute. She loves this breed and I feel very confident that she would take wonderful care of it as she has all her pets. However, I have several concerns about purchasing an animal and bringing it to a different environment than it is used to.

1. We live in Kentucky and the summer can be very hot and humid. Can anyone tell me how this might affect the health and happiness of this breed?

2. Can anyone tell me how much this breed sheds?

3. How are they with other dogs? I know they tend to be same-sex agressive.

4. Do they like to dig?

5. If they are not going to be used for work, how much exercise would one recommend? (i.e. how many walks per day and how far)

6. Can anyone provide me with a breeder in or close to Kentucky that I could contact about purchasing one of these dogs if we feel that the dog would be happy and comfortable in this area.

7. If this breed would not be happy in this type of environment, can anyone recommend another breed type that is similar to this one that might do better here?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. My daughter wants one of these dogs really bad but we have to make sure that the dog would be happy here and could thrive.

My first question would be 'Does your daughter ever want to walk this dog?' if so I wouldn't really advise a mal. They are very, very strong and maybe too much for a fifteen year old girl.
Malamutes are designed for the cold weather, ours does get uncomfortable in the British heat (and that's saying something :) ) but they do live in other countries so I guess that they must be able to adapt.
When Kiera shed her coat, we had three bin bags of hair off her in the first day alone. You would never believe that so much hair can come off one dog
Malamutes get on well with dogs of opposite sex and love to have a companion but they can be very dominant.
Malamutes dig and when I say they dig, they DIG. I have pot holes all over my gardens.
Mals will take as much exercise as you can throw at them.
All said and done they are a great breed, I would never be without mine :) but you must understand what your letting yourself in for. They are not for the faint hearted.

My daughter would definately want to walk the Mal. She is a very small girl (about 95-100 pounds) and that was a really big concern of mine. I knew the dogs were large and I also knew they had to be very strong. What if she were to get a puppy and work with it from the beginning? Do you think that would help in controlling the dog when it got bigger? She is VERY good with animals and I am very comfortable saying that I know she would devote as much time as necessary to train the dog but then again if she could get hurt when the dog got older that is a big concern of mine.

I have also been told that there is a "Miniature Alaskan Malamute"? Have you ever heard of one? They get to about 60 lbs? I have not been successful in finding any information on them and I'm just wondering if they really exist.

My daughter is 12 and tall for her age , my Malamute is coming up for 9 months , Sophie cannot hold him :) I doubt that your daughter would be able to stop a Mal who has spotted a rabbit/squirrel/rat anything that moves :)

I think I can safely say that we have all *worked* with our Mals but , truth be known , Mals will be Mals and they are a headstrong and dominant breed (thats why we luv 'em )

I have never heard of a miature Malamute but then in the USA there seem to be a number of strange breeds appearing to fit into peoples lifestyles ....

As Naomi has already said ...Mals dig ...they dig BIG TIME , they also chew ....according to the latest Champdogs surevy , anything ranging from books through to trees :D

Hope that is of some help

Melody

Thanks for the information. Even though I don't think it is going to work out in my daughter's favor, I think it best to find a similar "looking dog" that is a bit smaller than to purchase one for her and neither the dog or the family be happy. These dogs are such beautiful creatures and I just stand in "awe" to see one in a picture. I have only seen one in person and he was huge.

Do you have any suggetions on a different breed that has similar markings and features? Do you know anything about Huskies?

Again thanks for the help.

If I am not mistaken there is a newish breed, not recognised here called the Alaskan Klee kai, that appears to be a mini malamute! some have been imported to the UK, and from their pictures they seem to vary in type from a Husky/Mal/Laphund. Unfortunately from the pictures it is unclear what size they are!

Similar looking breeds would include my own breed (good family dog, more dog friendly and less powerful, though just as stubborn at times), siberian Husky (less strong but even more escapist and primitive, though seem more active). These are real generaliasations folks and only observations of dogs I have known.

Thanks for the info, I'll look into this Alaskan Klee Kai breed and see what I can find out. I had asked in a previous message about Huskies and how they might suit my daughter's desire for a dog like this and suit our environment as well. There seem to be a lot of Huskies in the area I live in (Paris, Kentucky USA) but I haven't really been around them much. We currently have 3 lap dogs (shih Tzu's) whom we all love a great deal but my daughter wants her "own" dog that she can train and take places with her.

Can you give me a little info on the Huskie Breed? Their habits, health, etc. Do they like lots of attention? She wants a dog that will allow her to handle it ALOT! She has messed with our youngest dog "Bill" so much that he actually cries and whines if she leaves the house. She will spoil this dog absolutely rotten.

Good old Brainless ...

Courtney , you may find this site interesting:

Alaskan Klee Kai

Melody :)

Thanks Again for the help. I'm going to send it to my daughter to take a look at. I actually got on another site and saw a picture of one of these little guys and they are adorable.

hi,
siberian huskies have very similar habits to mals, eg destructive, likes to dig + howl, sheds bin fulls, needs lots of exercise. they have a far greater instinct to escape than mals and a greater desire to run away, they must be constantly leashed for thier own safety. making sure all doors and gates are locked all the time is a huge responsibility. i have 2 and when i cant run them in harness, the summer months in the uk are too warm for that, they get walked for a couple of hours every day. they are a lot smaller than mals but are very very strong. my 2 have frequently pulled me over and even my boyfriend! they can also be quite independent and stubborn dogs, my 2 certainly dont like to be endlessly fussed over. they can also be very difficult to train and to be honest i dont think they would make a good pet for a young girl. also i dont know if anyone had mentioned but mals and sibes or not good with smaller pets, they play very rough, my 2 have the most horendous pla fights and you may find they are far too rough for your 3 little dogs and may unintentionally severely injure them.
hope this helps,
kelly + boys

thanks for the feedback. My daughter and I had a talk about things last night and even though she is disappointed she understand the potentional problems having one of these dogs could bring. We are going to do more checking on smaller breeds and see what we can come up with. I am looking at a new breed called the "Alaskan Klee Kai". I have found some web sites and trying to do some research on them. I think that both Malamutes and Huskies are beautiful dogs but I don't think we could make the dogs happy in our current living environment. It sounds like they need lots of room and though we have a really big yard I don't think it would be enough. My daughter is also very petite and I would worry about her getting hurt trying to take them for walks.

Thanks

Hi Guest
I am owned by 2 Elkhounds(the same breed as Brainless owns)which are similar in looks to mals and huskies.I have children aswell.My 8 yr old daughter shows my 18 month old dog in young handler classes without any problems .Although they are strong they are not as big and powerful as mals.They should weight upto 50 lbs(23kgs) and measure around 20-22 ins. Would it be possible for you and your daughter to go to a show or two and look at other breeds and talk to their owners?

Hi Archer, now come on I am dying to know who you are. Now there are 3 of us onhere we can almost rival the mal, Flatcoat, Westie and Cocker owners! LOL :D

Hi Brainless
I'm Nikki (from manchester).You were the first person I spoke to when I was looking for my first Elkie so its you I blame for my 'addiction' to our wonderful breed.LOL.I booked one from your litter from that didn't take nearly 2 years ago but through your help I ended up with one of Gills(won PG dog at Leeds in july) and I now have a 6 month old pup from Barbara Stokes who went puppy group 2 at his first open show(not in Sir K's league but I was soooo proud).Any the wiser? I know Jackie H has an elkie I believe called Soloman but who is the other member.

Hi Niki!

Long time no speak. Probably will catch up with you at Midland Counties, as you are a Northerner. Are you coming to the Club show??

I think it is just the 3 Elkie owners, but I can double for two, mouth and girth, lol!

Nice addiction isn't it :D :D

Are you on Moosedog then, as you know that the pup is called Sir K, or did I tell you before, lol.

I can tell you I was pretty nervous as to how he would take to the world outside Quarantine. He seems not to be bothered, though is giving Treena and family a lot of work, as he is catching up on being a puppy, has disscovered chewing etc etc :D :D

It is like they have a 9 month pup with a mental age of 9 weeks, the age he was when he went in!

I will take a look at the Elkhounds as well. There really aren't a lot of dog shows in this area. I know of one that will be held in the early fall but that is really it. We have tons of horse shows but not much of anything else.

I have been doing a little research on the internet but it is best to actually talk with the people who own them to find out how they truly are. If you or anyone else has any other suggestions, please let me know.

Thanks so much for the information.