Temperament & BehaviourThe Alaskan Malamute is a very loyal, intelligent and friendly dog. They have very high amounts of energy, and should be brought into a home that can provide many different activities for them. If they are unable to relieve their pent up energy, along with lack of training, they can become very destructive in an attempt to pass the time. Malamutes are extremely playful, and are great with kids that are old enough to handle playing with a large dog. Malamutes tend to mature a bit with age, but manage to retain a sense of play long into their later years of life. This breed is extremely friendly, and therefore isn't the best suited dog for guard dog work. While they may look very imposing, the most they are likely to do is bark, rather than bite. In general, Malamutes tend to be quiet dogs, although they do tend to howl. Malamutes need a lot of time to spend outdoors running and playing. They are great dogs to take on hikes and trails, able to travel long distances because of their study nature. They love the outdoors and feel very at home in the wilderness. They enjoy digging and roaming around outdoors, and are perfectly okay with spending a majority of the day in the yard, as long as there is a companion to play with nearby. Malamutes are people pleasing dogs, and love to make their masters happy. Because of this, they are relatively easy to train. More formal training for things like contests and obedience trials will take a bit more work, but is especially successful when the Malamute is rewarded with loving pets and treats. Training should start very young, with a lot of emphasis put on alpha dominance training. Malamutes thrive in a pack dynamic, and are happiest when their owners have become established as the alpha leader of their "pack". Alaskan Malamutes were originally used as hunting dogs, and have a very high prey drive. They should be watched closely around small animals they haven't met before. They can be very good with small animals, Malamute mothers being known to take care of litters of kittens as if they were their own. Both male and female Malamutes can become aggressive with other dogs in displays of dominance, but males tend to be more dominant than females. Good handling and a strong. firm hand during training are essential to preventing this kind of behaviour. |
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