Are Alaskan Malamute really that bad?

I would love to own an Alaskan Malamute someday, going through very early stages right now and doing a lot of research. But I keep seeing that malamutes are definately not for first time dog owners as they are stubborn and are difficult train (to keep doing what you want to do over and over, anyways). Is this true? What if enough exercise is given to them every day, would this decrease their difficulty to train and energy? What other things can you tell me about alaskan malamutes?

Lots of exercise always makes dogs easier to train. But yes, they are very high energy dogs and not always the easiest ones in the world to train. But the biggest issue for many people is that they world class heavy shedders and because they are an Arctic breed, are not very tolerant of hot weather.If you decide to go forward, I would recommend getting a recommendation for a good obedience class (your vet may be able make a recommendation), get enrolled as soon as your puppy is old enough and continue past the beginning classes into intermediate and advanced class and work on it every day. I'd recommend this to any first time dog owner regardless of breed. If you get involved in training early and do your research ahead of time and know what you are getting into, I see no reason why you couldn't own a husky.

My cousin had one, the dog was quite stupid acting and would pee all over the place. Also had really high energy and yes was difficult to train. I think also this breed has to have something to do ie work or simulated work.My cousin attributed her dogs dumb demeanor to inbreeding although I'm not sure if that was true or not.

A dog is only as good (or bad) as it's master. Big dogs, like Malamutes, need LOTS of exercise. If you have the time to put into training the dog it should do well. If you don't give the dog the attention it needs, you will have behavior problems.

This is an arctic sledding breed. They were bred to work out in front of human beings, making decisions on their own. This is reflected in their mindset, and it is why people consider them "stubborn" and/or "hard to train". They are not people-pleasing dogs -- they need to see a reason for doing what you ask.It's not about exercise, really (although all working dogs benefit from plenty of it!) -- you can't change their personality. You need to be committed to training them, and you need to be someone the dog respects. This is why they are not good for first time owners -- they need someone who has training experience, and if you baby them, they will walk all over you.They are goofy, happy dogs, and they generally like everyone. They can be same-sex dog aggressive, and they have a lot of prey drive and may kill small dogs or cats. They are a great breed -- but due to their size and independence, they are too much for some people to handle.The Alaskan Malamute Club of America has awesome info on the breed for prospective owners -- have you checked out their website?http://www.alaskanmalamute.org/publiced/publiced.aspGlad you're doing your research on the breed now! Too many people get these dogs without knowing what they're getting into.

It's great that you are doing your research about this breed, before you just go out and buy a dog only to figure out you can't handle him/her. You are definately a responsible owner!!!I think the Alaskan Malumate is a great dog, if you give him a lot of exercise. These dogs like to have jobs to do.They love to learn and be trained. They are smart. I believe that if you provide the dog a lot exercise and walk him every day. He'll be fine. The dogs just can't get too bored.

Malamutes can be stubborn. One of the BIGGEST traits of the breed. They will challenge authority throughout their entire lives. Think of them as a 3 year old child for their entire lives. You will constantly need to maintain who is the pack leader.They are not difficult to train if you do it correctly and keep working with them to reinforce the training. I know of a breeder that does agility competitions with her Malamutes.When I was growing up I had a Lhasa Apso. My first dogs that I owned on my own were a brother and sister pair of Malamutes (rescues). I learned just how powerful they were as the male could, and did pull a LOT of weight. I also learned just how sweet they are, and how much fun they can be. You just need to remember, and enforce that YOU are the pack leader as they are most definitely PACK animals.Malamutes can be both Gender and Breed aggressive, and they can also have a VERY high prey drive. These are things that if caught early can be corrected for. We have had Malamutes come through the Ohio rescue that have had quite the animal kill record, yet they are perfectly fine around children, adults, and larger dogs.One of the biggest keys to training your Malamute is to keep them socialized, and start that socialization early. My Mals could go to any no leash dog park and be fine around all the other dogs there. I know there are some people that can't do that with their Mals, and that is due to poor socialization when they were young.For more facts on Malamutes, please look over our website:http://www.amrescueohio.com

Alaskan Malamutes are wonderful dogs for the right person.They are friendly dogs but "can" be a bit tricky with other dogs if they have not been socialized from a young age .They are a working breed and very active. They require about 2 1/2h to 3h exercise a day (the adult dog that is). They are clever dogs and need plenty of mental stimulization. Before getting one of these dogs you must read dog training books. Obedience training is a MUST for this breed as they are very dominant. Mals are often stubborn but highly intelligent.They are not really suitable to hot climates as they come from a region where the temperatur falls to -58 Fahrenheit. With the adult dog you can do pack packing, agility, long walks exercise it with the bike and of course work it in harness either by pulling a bike, scooter or rig.malamutes are ot one person dogs, they don't "defend" you like other breeds, they are not guard dogs or don't retrieve balls for you because it is simply not in them. This breed was created by the Inuit tribes to serve a purpose, namely heavy freighting.I would not be without my dogs, all of mine a friendly to dogs and humans alike. But Malamutes have a VERY high prey drive so you must not let them off around, livestock (chicken, sheep ect) or small furry animals/pets as they are regarded as food. All mine when running off lead (yes mine are trained well and are all off lead) will chase squirrels and rabbits and are known to kill a rabbit and eat it.To find a good breederI would advise to avoid ANYONE who advertises in any kind of free paper or website. Avoid ANYONE who breeds Malamute crossbreeds.A good breeder should:- Have all relevant health checks done on the dam and sire of the puppies and the documentation to prove it– i.e. Hip and Eye Scores.- Have a Kennel Club Affix (although again, anyone can have one of these so just because someone has one doesn't mean they are a good breeder.)- Have excellent show results with both Sire and Dam- Not be picked for convenience, just because they are the closest breeder to you.- Be extremely knowledgeable about the breed, what problems they can have and be able to answer any question.