The Pros and Cons to Owning an Alaskan Malamute – Fantastic Furries

If your thinking of getting a dog, a really important thing you’ll need to find out is which breed is right for you? If you’ve been thinking about getting an Alaskan malamute then you will need to find out everything you can about this breed, to prepare yourself and to make sure they’re the right breed for you.

Or maybe you already have a malamute and just fancied reading to see if you can relate to these pros and cons, in which case, let me know if I missed anything!

Whilst many breeds follow the same characteristics, each dog will have their own personality. So this will vary from dog to dog, but more or less Malamutes will share similar traits to each other.

So let’s start with the pros!

Gentle giants

Alaskan Malamutes are usually just big gentle babies when it comes to meeting other humans and have a very gentle and sweet disposition. They just want to love and to be loved in return!

Great family dogs

Malamutes tend to make good family dogs. They like to be around lots of people, so the more people in your house, the more fuss they get, which means they’re more happy. Although they have been known to be good with kids, you should never leave a child unsupervised around a malamute, or any dog.

They’re docile

When a malamute reaches adulthood, they tend to become very laid back, or even lazy! They could sleep all day and it wouldn’t bother them, which can be a good trait if you like the peace and quiet around the house.

Great hiking buddy

If you’re thinking of getting a malamute, then be prepared to walk the distance! These dogs love long walks and going on an adventure. Whilst they’re lazy at home, they’re reserving their energy. So that means when they do go out they’ll be full of beans and raring to go! They’re great dogs for active owners.

Can get along with other pets

As long as your malamute has been properly socialised from a very young age, they are known to get along with other fluffy members the house, like cats and other dogs, they have been known to get along well with rabbits too. But again never leave your dog unsupervised, especially with anything they could consider as prey!

They’re independent

Although they love living with lots of people, Malamutes are happy to be the only dog in the house, this means they’ll get more attention! But a trained and well established malamute will be quite content on being on their own for most of the day. This is something that can vary from malamute to malamute, but in general they like to have some time to themselves to rest and snuggle into their floofyness.

Goofballs

Malamutes are goofy and silly which is why we love them so very much. It’s hard to explain, but they can be, quirky!

Now time for the cons!

Hard to train

The reason Alaskan Malamutes are so hard to train is because they’re so stubborn. A malamute will pick and choose what they want to listen to and you really have to bribe them to get them to comply, most of the times. They need their human to be a strong dominant alpha in order to listen, it can take some time for them to take you seriously.

They’ll walk you

Alaskan Malamutes can be hard to walk when they’re young. They’re bred to pull so this is hard wired into their brain. The first couple of years walking them can be tough, you may fly forward a few metres. But they do grow out of it a bit, not completely, but they’re less likely to pull your arm out of your socket after around the age of 4. You can purchase helpful leads and hardness that are designed to stop pulling, which will make you enjoy your walks together a lot more. So make sure you’re strong enough to deal with this.

The shedding

Oh the shedding. They say Alaskan Malamutes she’s twice a year, but I think most owners can agree it’s more like twice a year, for 6 months at a time. Invest in a good pet vacuum, a decent grooming set and never wear black again.

You can de fluff the house as much as you want but at the end of the day you will just have to except the fur for what it is and be at peace with it. The fur will get in your eyes, your coffee, your fridge, you bag, your food, etc.

If you want to know more on grooming your malamute, then why not check out my other post on Grooming Routine For Alaskan Malamutes.