Hi.
I would like some advice from keepers of mals. I own 2 Sibes (males), and have always wanted a mal (ideally male mal). My question is, would it be better to get a female because of dominance? My huskies have a pecking order and obviously the mal would become the alpha, but would it be wise to keep the mal (male/female?) separated from the sibes while we are at work? I have read up a great deal on mals, but never actually had the pleasure of seeing or meeting any owners and there dogs.

Cheers

Tom

Hi Tom ..I have a male Mal ..but wouldn't know which you should get :) I am pretty sure that one of the many Mal owners will be along soon to help .

In the meantime , if you would like to reply to any of the posts , you might like to Register with us , it's free.

:)

Melody

If you have the chance to get to Crufts in March (the Mals are being judged on Friday 7th) you can meet some at the Discover Dogs section.
LynnT

hi,
i have always beleived that keeping mals with a dogs of the same sex would lead to trouble. i know someone with 2 mals, 1 male 1 female, they are fine together but the bitch wont tolerate any other bitches near her and the male wont tolerate any males near him. i dont have mals, i have sibes also but there are plenty of mal people on her who can tell you more,
kelly

I have a male mal. My Dad also has a male mal, we can walk them together but they couldn't live together or be trusted to play nice together. No aggression problems so far because my own dog is very young. The older mal asserts his dominance immediately at the start of every walk by standing over the younger mal. I have it on very good authority that problems may arise when my own mal matures and wants to be boss, opinions vary that this will usually occur between 9 months- 18 months. They are a very dominant breed. A large problem is other peoples reactions when they see the size of a male mal, their reactions/wariness probably inciting their own dogs behaviour. My Dads mal is lovely but cannot stand other male dogs especially GSD's, he is happy to socialize with bitches. If a male dog growls at him it takes some effort to stop him lunging at them. An off the leash collie attempted some ankle biting and was instantly silenced/frozen by the mals mouth over it's muzzle, again no aggression just asserting dominance. I've never seen a nasty side to a mal, but I wouldn't like to see the outcome if a mal was challenged. Even though I have a male mal, I have to say I have met some bitches who had wonderful personalities.
Julie :)
Just thought I'd add alot of mal folk have more than one bitch cohabitating okay

Also the pup actually came before the adult mal, who my Dad got through rescue. My breeder was very helpful,always on hand to give advice about introducing the two mals, and her original Breeder was more than happy to help find out about the adult mals past behaviour etc Even show rival breeders offered helpful advice. Someone from the Alaskan Malamute club also visited and advised on ways to introduce the dogs in non threatening situations so they could gradually get used to eachother. The malamute community is full of people willing to help and advise, always looking after the breeds best interests. :D

Hi Tom,

My first question to you is are your male sibes entire or have they been spayed? If they are entire and you have a bitch what will happen when she comes into season, your sibes will go crazy trying to get to her. Are your sibes worked or do they live indoors as pets? The reason I ask this is why do you want another dog and maybe the sibes may be dominant over the Mal. I would seriously question your intentions of wanting two breeds unless you have the experience and adequate housing for them. Most Malamute breeders (reputable ones) will ask your intentions anyway and I would certainly recommend that you visit as many breeders and their dogs so you get an idea what a fully grown male is like (and temperaments).

Sorry to sound so negative but you must do your homework first as the rescue centres are full of many misguided peoples mistakes. We are here to help and advise so don't be afraid to ask for information.

Jenny and the Wintersperre Gang.