Blue_Ice

Hi everyone, I have an Alaskan Malamute, who is just on 7mths of age and who just loves water. My problem is and i am hoping someone out there has some ideas for me. He finds his water bowls fun to play in, he tips them out, or digs into them to make it splash around. I have even tried a 9L bucket but he just uses his nose and tips it over too. Has anyone had a similar experience? If so how did u overcome it? Is it cos he is bored? We walk twice a day for an hour we do obedience training in the back yard (whole other topic lol). When i go to work i worry he will run out of water before i am home so i am in desperate need of help. I try to catch him out and give a quick "no" and reward when he just drink normally. I have been told northern breeds like mals love to play with water bowls so surely someone out there can HELP??????? please. Thanks

When i got him i was always of the opinions or thoughts, that i dont want a robot dog. What i mean is i dont want one that learns to beg, or plays dead lol. But we do the basics like sit, lay down, come and stay. He doesnt get the stay part yet but we're working on it. When we are out walking he is a treat, sits when i want esp at the road side. He is never off lead when out and about, and when other dogs come up to him i make him sit only as i dont know what he will do to them if they jack him up. Most of the time they are smaller dogs who want to play but his play and their play is so different lol. SO like that he is really good, its just been the past few days. I have been told many times that mals and spitz type dogs are hard to train, but i think he is pretty smart he knows all the sled dog commands already which suprised me. I guess it could just be an age thing, any idea when this rebel stage wheres off? I know that there is a female dog behind us and she too has been bit unusually loud the last few days so whether it is her on heat or if it is just crazy week for dogs i dont know haha.

Thanks for ur replies :D I would say since tuesday its been the worst so i am glad it is not just Tuk... Maybe they all know something we dont. But what will be interesting is later in March when we have the second full moon (a blue moon) for the month if they behave just the same. I'll keep a keen eye on him :D at the moment he is being as good as gold.

Hi All I hope someone out there has some ideas for me. My Mal, Tuk, is now 6months old, and a big solid dog weighing in at 30kg and super strong. He was being really good but just in the last couple of days he has become a pain in the arse again. He barks, he whines, he carries on. He stopped digging holes but now he is just so strong that one stomp of his foot on the ground seems to dig a hole. It's like my own personal front end loader. Its not as bad as it used to be tho. Anyway we go on huge walks (well for me its huge) about an hour. This a.m we walked to the beach and he played in the water. By the time he was home he was stuffed and fast asleep, but is now carrying on again. Most of the time he comes home and still full of beans enough to scratch at the back door or bark some more. I dont want to walk him too far esp in the heat. I asked the vet if there maybe anything affecting his behaviour, and she said if there is a female dog around on heat that he may still be getting the scent in the air even tho he had his boy bits cut out only a little while a go. Has anyone heard of anything like that before? I always thought it was a certain time of year (yes i know shows how much i know about breeding dogs lol) Our walks generally are 4km, sometimes 2 times a day making it up to 8km. Am i over walking him? or can he walk further than that now he is 6mths? We don't run, cos thats not a)good for him yet and b)never good for me lol. Any ideas? he has plenty of toys and some old shoes he discovered. Is his constent little barks and at the backdoor like seperation anxiety at this age? As i work full time and not just normal hours i've not had a chance to get him to dog school just yet but we start this sunday so i hope that teaches him to calm down a bit too. My other question is he no longer has puppy teeth but he still likes to hold on to people and always jumps up "nipping" if i say no he knows what it means and stops but just goes back right to it. Sorry it is a long msg but i just hope im not the only one in this boat. Thanks Kris

Thanks Wolfsong, he is very healthy so i'll just have to assume that he is drinking just when i'm not around etc. When it comes to how much i thought he would drink i did think it would be quite a lot after a walk but maybe it is little bits more often for him as you said. I'll keep an eye on it esp with this extra hot weather we will have here in SA over the weekend (43). thanks for a quick reply

I wasn't sure where to post this msg so i thought here will do. My 4mth old Alaskan Malamute Tuk, doesn't seem to drink much water. We've been out for an evening walk while it is cooler. He was still hot when we got home so i filled up a bowl full of water but i've noticed he doesn't drink much of it (maybe he does it quietly when i never see). Instead he likes to stick his feet in and pretend to dig/play causing the water to go everywhere in the laundry (inside while it is hot). Then he gets all comfy and lays in it. So i thought i would find out A) if any other pups out there are "digging/playing" in their water bowls? I have tried a big 9L bucket but he has enough strength to just nudge it over with his head. I've noticed he also has a thing for the big terracotta (spelling) pots with dirt in them and pushes them over quite easily haha. I think he will be a big strong boy when he is grown up. And B) should i be concerned? I always make sure there is water in the bowl for him. I dont run in and do it as i dont want him to think it is a game, but I give it time for him to walk away and not pay attention to it. Like when he was digging holes which has since eased up lol finally... Any advice or suggestions pleease i dont want him to get over heated... Tara if you get to read this do any of your other pups do this or ever done it?? Thanks heaps

HAHAHA I guess i could say ahh thats my boy lol. i am glad i know what it is now, i guess in the end it could be a hell of a lot worse. Will it stop if i end up getting him de-sexed? He is a pure bred and still trying to decide if he should have the snip.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO lol serious? oh man i'll have to stick to patting his head then haha. Thanks for putting my mind at ease (in a way lol)

Hi all, i am wondering if anyone out there might be able to help me. My puppy (nearly 4 months old) has a lump halfway along his penis. I was giving him a belly rub and saw it there. I'd say its about the size of one of those small easter eggs. At first i thought it may have been one of his testies but i had a feel and they were where they are meant to be. I noticed that the lump was "liquidy". The strange part is it comes and goes some times bigger etc. Could this be part of a UTI? He hasn't been de-sexed and i just hope its nothing bad and being the vets closed cos of new years i was thinking someone on here may have had a simlar issue with one of their boy dogs. Thanks in advance...

Thanks for all the guidence, i spoke with the breeder last night and she re-assured me big time and she has 4 pups at this age going thru it... My RSPCA comment was out of pure frustration and could never take a puppy there the little fella is going strong and today no holes... *touch wood* I thought we were doomed this am as i read about the fear period and some silly lady let her dog run at Tuk, but he did really well which was good. He was a bit scared but soon stood his ground and walked off Its amazing the amount of stuff i am learning from this site and i can see it happening as i read. So thanks to everyone... esp Tara for all ur wise words.

Thanks heaps for that, i filled my pup's kong's with peanut butter but the little fella doesnt seem to like it, yet i gave him a taste of tuna and he loved it haha. I'll be sure to employ some of the ones here esp yours jules and i agree with whippets i'd eat them haha.

Hi guys, i hope someone out there can help me i want to start making my dog some home made cookies/treats type thing. i have looked around and cant find very much. Does anyone out there make there own? If so what do you use? I goggled it but found only pay sites, so maybe i am not looking in the right spot. and nothing tooo complicated cos im not a cook haha.

Ok i fixed it

hmm yes that does read bad eh haha. how do i change it tho? I've not really used forums b4 until the other day so its all learning for me. And yes i will be taking him to dog school as i'd really like him to get in to sled dog racing and utility work but apparently he has to have more lessons which is fine by me

Well i can't believe it, after my post the other day of being at breaking point with my mal, Tuk, he has been pretty bloody good after taking some tips from the site. He still likes to dig but instead of 10 holes he only dug one yesterday, and i got some more tips to try and stop it all together so fingers crossed. Not only that the little (ok not so little) bugger completed puppy pre-school and was better than the other dogs there with him. He was the only one to sit and lay down when told too. Just out of interest preferably to any other mal owners reading this, Tuk's just gones 3 months old and we walk every day but not very far, maybe 1km if that as i am unsue how far is safe to go with him due to his growth plates etc. Any ideas? or if other big dog owners have any suggestions? Thanks to all for your help its been excellent so far,

I'm sorry i dont know how to add the quotes, i've never used a forum before. But thats ok to have hijacked LOL I've been outside more with Tuk and playing, i've been sticking the toy in his mouth, ignoring when he gets silly and its a good sign so far. He is pretty good its just this stage of "what have i done" that i am in i guess lol. I read the PDF file for puppies attached below and it all makes perfect sense. So thanks for that. Does anybody know and good dog schools in Adelaide (preferably the south or the hills)? And i am glad i am not the only one who is "suffering" I wont give up on him just yet

Thanks for the quick replies.... I am in Adelaide, so if any body knows a good trainer here that would be excellent. Puppy school finishes this week so I want to take him on too the next step as well. I just went outside and used "BAH" when he started to nip and shoved a toy in his mouth then said good boy when he started to chew that, so I think he may get the idea... I guess time will tell. Any other ideas, or suggestions etc would be fantastic. And i wont be doing that rolling thing anymore as it appears a)no good anyway and b) no one here likes it haha. I dont want to cause more damage by doing it. I have read the puppy calendar and he seems to fit it mostly so fingers crossed. "You need some help - not for the puppy, but for you! You need to get someone in who can assess your home situation and show you techniques to re-establish your position (which, by the way, you probably lost about 30secs after you bought puppy home!)LOL" yes ur right i will have to get someone in to re-establish my position....

Hi everyone, I am new here and it seems a really good site with lots of useful stuff, so I am hoping like hell someone can help me out. I have a 3 month old Alaskan Malamute (his name is Tuk) he is a beautiful dog and everyone says that when we are out walking, in fact one lady said he was like living art. BUT he has a dark side, he is like a terrorist in my own house. He can be good, but most of the time he bites us, I'm covered in all up my arms with bite marks.. Its like he has BiPolar he is good one minute then a terrrorist the next. Is this common in the breed? I used to have a goldern retriever and he was so placid, never dug a hole never bit anyone. I have tried yelling at him, i have grabbed him by the scruff area of the neck and held him to the ground like everyone says but it just doesnt work. Tried to ignore him, distract him anything i can think of i have tried. We go to puppy school and he is a real star yet at home its like running away for our own safety. He hasnt been nuited yet as the vet said to leave it a bit longer until he grows more could this solve the issue? Is it his way of trying to be the alpha male? I am at breaking point and feel if i cant get help or do anything soon he will end up at the RSPCA, not where i want to send a pure bred dog i waited all my life for ANY help or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks in advance... Kris