Right then gang I need your imput. A friend has asked my advice on what breed of dog she and her family should go for as a first dog.... She has been doing some good reserch and after initially liking the Chow chow has now dismissed it and is looking at Elkhounds and Malamutes. The family obviously like this look and are doing lots of reserch, however I would like all you Mal owners to give me some first hand info for me to print off and let her have. We have hopefully got a visit set up to see some Mal adults and the Elkhound side of things will be covered (Thanks..You know who you are!) I still feel she would be taking on too much with a Mal. She is mid 30's married, with kids, youngest one 4 years. Plenty of time as she does not work. Hoping to wait till Sept when youngest starts school before getting a pup. Had a springer in her childhood (Well more than one) and hubby's parents had Pyranees. Like walking and have time to do it. not worried about hair shedding, walks a firinds Goldie on occasion. They do like the prick ears spitz type of look, so no way of  leading them towards a HPR type of breed. Like some size too, so not a small breed. I need her to be 100% sure they could cope with a Mal if she goes that way. So no waffle, cut to the chase and lets have your thoughts for her...on both breeds really and anything else that would fit the bill.
Aileen

Have emailed you.

One question I would be asking your friend Aileen is if she is wanting to be able to let her dog off lead in public places. I do know from reading on here and speaking to Mal owners that their recall isn't great, similar to that of the Husky.

Thanks Jacquie for the info its very interesting. I will print it out for her.
Aileen

My sister has a Mal with 2 kids age 8 and 5 , she is loving but has on I think 4 occassions now snapped at the 8 year old. Sister puts it down to her daughter cuddling her and the dog not liking it! I was not happy  when I saw the bite marks on her chin :(
My sister and her husband are soft so the Mal gets away with murder , her husband sides with the dog all the time .
Honestly , I have had dogs for years and can handle large dogs , I have DDB'S  which are a strong breed but I know I couldn't handle a MAL when I had young children. They take up so much time , and they need the mental stimulation as well as the exercise , if my sister takes her eyes off her for even a minute she's causing havoc. Just this week she has eaten her brand new ice watch which she retrieved from the kitchen window sill in front of the sink .

ETA : I think they are a lovely breed , but they deserve to be in the right home enviroment to suit where their needs are met and then both dog and owners will be very happy :) 

Having owned mals I would definitely say 'NO!'
This breed is not suitable for first time owners or as family pets.
I would not consider owning another.

This breed is not suitable for first time owners or as family pets.

That's a very sweeping statement.
Sorry to hear you had such a bad time with your Mal but mine, and many many others, make fantastic family pets.
All of mine live in the home as part of the family. Over the years (since 1993) I have owned five and now wouldn't want any other breed.

I dont own mals but do own huskys. Although both me and the OH grew up with dogs (mainly border collies) huskys were our 1st dogs and ive never regretted it. However, we throughly researched the breed  and although nothing quite prepares u for the arrival of that bundle of fluff we were as prepared as we could possibly be and knew as much as we possibly could. We also invested a lot of time and effort into socialision and training which is still ongoing 4 years later.

I think that any breed can be a first dog if the owners really want one and can adjust to what living with one is like, be it extra measures to separate due to boisterousness, size dominance etc, additional security/containment, or specialist exercise arrangements (dogs that need a lot of exercise but are not off lead reliable), or large grooming commitment.

But if we are talking ideal pet for the average family who want a dog that fits in around family life as opposed to fitting around the dog, and do not envisage having to take extra measures over and above average dog proofing of garden and supervising around children then there are many breeds that do not fit the bill but many that do.

A neighbour of mine has 2 and they are her first dogs.  They are hard work and they get about 3 hours exercise today and are in the garden playing with each other (lots of rough and tumble) for most of the day.  My neighbour has 3 children (aged 4-10 when they first dog came) and she has to be very consistent and tough with them to ensure they don't step out of line as if you ive them an inch they will take a mile.

As pups they are adorable and even as adults these dogs are quite couthy with the family but there has been the odd grumble and snap at the children.  They are gorgeous dogs, have great personality, her male has a stunning commanding presence that you rarely see in dogs and that coat is something else!

My neighbour is proof that mals can be suitable for first time owners but you have to put the effort in and it is a LOT of effort.

but there has been the odd grumble and snap at the children.

This is precisely why this breed is unsuitable for novice owners or as family pets.  For such a large breed they are surprisingly quick with their jaws.

I have a long history of sharing my home with a large guarding breed but was totally unprepared (despite research!) for the impact owning a malamute had on life.
 
Buying from a reputable breeder and an exemplary pedigree was not enough.

Naturally we socialised him with other dogs and children from the beginning (as I would with any pup) but I quickly had to develop eyes in the back of my head around other dogs and children as it was clear he was not safe.  He could only be let off lead in secure environments - no other dogs/ cats/ children.  Very independent character.  Affection was only received by him on his terms which often resulted in me preventing children from rushing up to him and hugging the 'snow dog.'

Surprisingly, I successfully campaigned him in the ring and with skilfull handling and good distraction techniques we enjoyed some success.

I will admit that not all malamutes have such difficult temperaments but I would certainly not advise they are dogs for first time owners or those with small children.

Fleabag
To be fair we don't know what the children may have been doing to make the dog grumble and snap, and if the dog didn't injure the children (which it doesn't appear to have done) it seems it was only giving a warning that it didn't like what they were doing - as would any dog put in that unacceptable situation.

I don't think you can give judgement on all Malamutes based on the bad experience you had with yours, it seems to me that it just wasn't the right breed for you. Despite saying you researched the breed first you seem surprised that it showed some of the behaviours that are known characteristics of the breed, with the exception of not being safe around children of course! My own dogs (and others I have bred) have all been great with children. Many live with young families, some had their children after the dog and those have also been great with the very young babies.
One of mine in particular loves it when my four year old grandson visits so they can both play chase around the garden, the dog totally respects him and he, in turn, respects all dogs so we have no problems whatsoever.  

I don't think you can give judgement on all Malamutes based on the bad experience you had with yours

I will admit that not all malamutes have such difficult temperaments but I would certainly not advise they are dogs for first time owners or those with small children.

Without any wish of getting into an argument, I have seen first time owners both fail and succeed with Malamutes.

A well bred and correctly brought up Malamute should not show any aggression towards any human, adult or child. I have 5 and whilst they show the known characteristics of Malamutes disliking dogs of the same sex, the earlier ones were around my children and their friends from day one and with hand on heart I can say there was never an issue.

My own saying about owning Mals is that it's more a lifestyle, making sure they have the physical AND mental stimulation, ensuring the family are consistent when checking bad behaviour etc.

Living with Malamutes is "interesting". Spitting fur when they're blowing coat, the WOOOOOOO as the ice cream van goes past, the Malamute version of the lapdog - the "pin you to the chair" dog.... but I don't think I'd have it any other way :-)

If a family is truly interested in looking at Malamutes, there are plenty of owners across the country who would meet up with them.