Talien Posted August 16, 2006 Share Posted August 16, 2006 I hope soon to own an alaskan malamute puppy. I would like to know what needles it will need, and what may or may not be provided by a breeder prior to pick-up date? What are the up-sides and down-sides of desexing a large dog? I am inclinedto keep it fully male, but I would like to know the general consensus Thanks for your help Kelnori Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffyluv Posted August 16, 2006 Share Posted August 16, 2006 If you buy from a reputable breeder they will give you all the info that you will need in regards to vaccinating and feeding of your new pet... I think the general consensus here on DOL is that if it is a pet - desex the dog. The only reason to have an entire animal is if you are showing or a registered breeder... Too many dogs put to sleep every day to keep all dogs entire and allowed to breed. Personally, I think the only people that should be breeding are registered breeders... Just my opinion. Good luck with your new dog, I would love to see some pics when you get him/her... Mals are an impressive breed and definitely not for the novice... Cheers Jodie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talien Posted August 17, 2006 Author Share Posted August 17, 2006 I was only thinking to keep it whole to get it to reach its full size, my partner would like to breed and with Chimo bloodlines, there is no reason we could not start a kennel of our own which we have been thinking of doing for some time. Though I am not sure. Will keeping it whole affect its affection? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffyluv Posted August 17, 2006 Share Posted August 17, 2006 I am not sure. I am a big believer in nature v nurture... I personally think any dog that is raised well, in a loving home with plenty of love and guidance (training) can be a wonderful canine citizen... If you are interested in breeding, you should check out the breeders forums. We have some wonderful breeders, all devoted to bettering their breed... They might seem a little stand offish at first but plug away and ask questions. When they see you are genuine, they will usually help out... Cheers Jodie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AussieGTA Posted August 17, 2006 Share Posted August 17, 2006 Hey how are you going. So you want to own a Mal, first question I have is ARE YOU SURE. They are not the easiest of breeds so I do ask that you know exactly what you are in for, research research research, and I don't mean just talking to one or two people that have had them before buying a pup. Well thats enough of the usual interigation, now onto the helpful stuff. Intact males are no more or less loving or affectionate than doctored males, I know I have one. He is the biggest sook known to man. In saying that he will be altered when we return to Australia. I chose to wait until he was fully mature before I had him altered due to some new information coming to light about early altering of dogs. In saying that there is a lot of info saying early alter is in no way harmful it is a personal choice. However waiting does come with responsibility. Annual shots is another issue currently under review around the western world. Do a search on here about shots and annual heartworm shots you will find a lot of really helpful information. Personally I would say if you get offered the annual heartworm shot REFUSE. As far as breeding goes........Very touchy subject amongst a lot of people, mainly due to the dog over population we have. I am not a believer in saying "just leave it to the breeders" because if no one else starts then in 20yrs there will be now breeders because they will all be dieing of old age. HOWEVER, I do ask that you wait for at least 3-5 yrs and become very aquanted with the Mals. Karen and myself have had Kane for 3yrs and we are still learning about the breed every day. The two links below are from another site I am involved in that offer really good articles on the benefits of early and late desexing. http://www.wildpaw.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=62 http://www.wildpaw.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=5895 Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talien Posted August 17, 2006 Author Share Posted August 17, 2006 Hey - My name is Kathy, I don't know your real name yet... Yes, I am positive about having a Malamute, I have researched, researched and researched. I grew up with a breeder, though I don't know as much as I could, I can professionally groom them, and I know how much work they need, their food requirements not so much except that they eat a lot. Beleive me when I say that I would not choose the breed if i did not think myself up to it. what information came to light about altering the dog in its early stages? I will also have a look at the topic urls you gave. What part of australia do you normally reside in if you don't mind my asking? kathy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AussieGTA Posted August 17, 2006 Share Posted August 17, 2006 what information came to light about altering the dog in its early stages?What part of australia do you normally reside in if you don't mind my asking? kathy The second link I posted adresses the early stage altering. and Sydney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mal Posted August 17, 2006 Share Posted August 17, 2006 I have to say Mals don't eat that much, alot of people think they do because they are a big dog but really they don't . It cost me about $15 a week maybe a little more thats with fresh meat and veg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AussieGTA Posted August 17, 2006 Share Posted August 17, 2006 (edited) As Mal has indicated it really is suprising how much they DON'T eat. Due to their origins they where designed to live off little food because of the harshness of the artic. This enviroment allowed them to develop a slow matabilism allowing them to get the most out of there food. Thus they don't need a lot to be happy, healthy and full of life. Boy are they full of life Edited August 17, 2006 by AussieGTA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talien Posted August 18, 2006 Author Share Posted August 18, 2006 Actually I endeavour to keep my dog as healthy as possible, so if you could let me know what you feed your dog, how much and how many times a day it would be ver helpful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusky Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 you need to be guided by your breeder with the feeding programme. Adult dogs when not working don't eat a whole lot, don't need to eat a whole lot. We give ours a mixture of food including dry, bones, vegetables and sometimes pasta or rice but not often. My mal loves apples and will steal them if she has a chance but she gets to share an apple with me sometimes. Marrow bones are left whole, I have a butcher, they are not sliced. In the summer I give Rusky my special frozen bones and she has a tin of sardines a week. I sometimes cook fish for her which she loves but no bones at all. Small amounts depending on your dogs level of excercise. So you want to own a Mal, first question I have is ARE YOU SURE. They are not the easiest of breeds so I do ask that you know exactly what you are in for, research research research, and I don't mean just talking to one or two people that have had them before buying a pup. Well thats enough of the usual interigation, now onto the helpful stuff I said much the same yesterday please do masses of research, then do some more Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 The first part will certainly be supplied by the breeder in there puppy pack as breeders can use different vaccs . As to the desexing many breeders now will desex prior to leaving or it will be in the contract. If you are thinking of breeding you will have to find a breeder who is willing to be helpful. Many breeders will not just sell dogs for breeding purposes due to the lastest fads in DD poor breeding choices & the fact there prefix is attached to the dog when things go wrong. Buying a dog & keeping it entire means having a good relationship with the breeder who can assist in what lines are compatable with the dogs as you dont just put a/b together. Do you plan to show,trial,sled or work the dogs?or just maybe have a litter? Quite a few of the mal breeders do desex there pups before they go . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talien Posted August 18, 2006 Author Share Posted August 18, 2006 On your indication "showdog" (thankyou for you advice it is much appreciated) I think that i will get a purely pet malamute for now. If I choose to show etc later, then I may get another, but i don't think now is a time in my life to make such a huge commitment. A pet is all I really want at the momment. Don't get me wrong, I am dedicated to the breed, but I think that to be responsible about it I will need a few years of first hand better knowledge about the breed... Though I would love to show and to breed in the future, i think I should have one for a few years first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Mal Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 Hiya Kathy, I would suggest that before you even contemplate breeding, you possibly 'live' with a Malamute first. You say you have researched, so you will know that a Malamute goes through stages of growing up and quite severely. I'm not trying to put you off in any way, but you say you are not able to commit to a show dog just yet, but whether you have pet or show dog, you will need to 'commit' yourself to a Malamute for it's training first and foremost and keeping it adequately excersised etc I'm a little confused..............you say above that you can 'professionally' groom a Malamute as you grew up with a breeder, yet you posted a new topic asking how to groom a Malamute and how often ?????? Did you learn how to in the last 2 days ????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talien Posted August 19, 2006 Author Share Posted August 19, 2006 I can brush combe and trim out any mat's when necessary but I didn't live with the breeder a grew up around him (Mickey and Anna - Perth "Taboo") But I was wanting to know how often I should grrom as I did it every month when I stayed there. I believe once a week would be adequate. As for the dog, I am committed to training it, exercising it everyday, loving it, playing with it, keeping iit healthy and giving it the best life any dog could want, I just don't think it is the right time for me to think about going into showing or breeding until I have had more first hand experience from my own pup as it goes through it's dramatic life... Trust me when I say that I am a VERY committed owner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malamum Posted August 20, 2006 Share Posted August 20, 2006 Kathy, Your best bet is to put a lot of research into where you are going to get your Malamute puppy from. If you pick the right breeder then they will be there to help you with any and every question you may have. Our puppy came with a binder jam packed with every bit of information on Malamutes you could possibly hope to find - covering things such as training, feeding, grooming and so much other stuff. When you take your puppy home the breeder will(or should) fully inform you about when they need to get their next vacination, worming medication etc. They should also be able to discuss with you what is the best age for neutering. Any responsible breeder who is selling a limited register puppy will probably have a spay/neuter clause as part of their contract. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talien Posted August 20, 2006 Author Share Posted August 20, 2006 So this clause means you must have the dog desexed in a certain amount of time? I will have to talk to tonya about what ongoing help or "booklets" she gives out... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malamum Posted August 21, 2006 Share Posted August 21, 2006 So this clause means you must have the dog desexed in a certain amount of time? It can. I would just discuss it with your breeder to see what their thoughts are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flaves Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 I have all the information from Tonya as we were looking at getting a mal from her. I got my first mal as a free to a good home. She was a steep learning curve. I had always wanted a mal but had not done my research until AFTER i got her home. She taught me a lot. That mals can think independantly of people and they can problem solve and that they can be a lot smarter than a human. She could climb 6 foot fences with no rails. She would jump the 5 foot fence with no run up She answered me back if she was told off. Her hair was fine excpet when it blew. It was like snow and i had shopping bags full. When they blow they need more than a weekly brush, a couple of times a day to keep it under control. She ate maybe 2 cups a day of food. Someimtes more sometimes less. THey tend to only eat if they are humgry, well mine did anyway. I learnt that some dogs can be food aggressive, not just a mal trait but maybe more predominant? THe AMCV told me to chain her up when she ate to avoid any conflict with my other dog. I had to becasue she tried to eat him as well. Not something i expected. A puppy obviously comes as a blank slate so you can teach it. I honestly suggest rescuing a mal from a pund so you can see what a mal can be like. Still get a pup next year but having a mal adult or young dog will give you invaluable experience that will only make you a better mal owner. My opinion and thoughts only. Kristie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mal Posted August 23, 2006 Share Posted August 23, 2006 You should brush every second day to stop the fur from matting, every day when they blow their coats to keep up with it as you will get several bags of fur out in each brushing. Never shave or cut their fur alot of people will tell you that, except for a medical reason. I don't want to sound rude but I think you need to do alot more research before getting a Mal. Your breeder should give you info on what type of food they were feeding and any other information. A good breeder will ask you alot of information and questions about the breed before even deciding to sell a pup to you. They are a very indipendant breed, very smart. It doesn't matter if it is a show dog or just a pet, they both take a lot of time and efffort, which you have to be prepared to give. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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