Malamute and horses

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Shutterbug

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I know there are a few people on here who have Alaskan Malamutes and wondered if anyone could tell me if they are ok with horses if they are raised around them?

We were looking to get a Border Collie but we met an Alaskan Malamute at the weekend and totally fell in love...they are wonderful dogs and absolutely beautiful so we have now been swayed to the Malamute side and have decided to get one.

We are currently looking for breeders and have one ear marked, we may be going to see the puppies tomorrow night, we are quite taken with the little black and white male they still have available.

Having done my homework, the general consensus seems to be that they are not good with livestock but I was hoping to have a dog I could take hacking with me as we have the most wonderful forrestry right on our door step which he could take massive advantage of - it would be great if I could hack out and take doggy on foot - my horse is perfectly sound around dogs, even those that would choose to chase him and snap at his heels (this happened to us and he didnt bat an eyelid) so Im hoping that if doggy is introduced to the horses at a young age he wont wish to eat one of them lol

It wont stop us getting a Malamute, I will just have to take him to the forrestry on foot is all :)

Anyone wish to advise?
 
My Malamute was introduced to horses from a pup and has been fine, he prefers to eat or roll in horse poo than chase them. He does try and play with them (like alot of dogs)

I would be mindful of the fact they are "willful" dogs, I keep mine on a lead alot as if catches sight of something e.g. a cat, another dog, a bird etc he will go for a run after it. However he is used for stud work so that's another reason why I am careful as to where I let him off the lead with all that testosterone pumping around and also down to the fact not alot of other dogs tend to like him - big bouncy furry dog tends to get their backs up and they will have a pop at him even though he is daft and not malicious
 
Aww he sounds lovely Orv :D

Do you have any photos of him? They are the most stunning looking dogs and I can feel my urge to show kicking in already and I havent even been to see the pups yet :D lol

Nice to know that with careful introduction he wont see my horse as a large snack :D
 
I really, really wouldn't get one in the hopes of being able to take it out hacking with you. I'm coming from a husky point of view, admittedly, but there's enough similarities between them that I can't ever imagine doing it with mine!

Mine is fine with the horses; I got her at six months, having never seen livestock of any kind, and while she initially would strain on the lead to jump up and chase after a few days of being corrected and being around them on the yard she lost interest. Like yours my horse is excellent with dogs and didn't bat an eyelid while this was being taught, thankfully. Now while we're on the yard she digs in the muck heap and eats poo instead. :rolleyes:

However, she can't be let off-lead at all except in certain secure areas - she simply can't be trusted not to take off after small furries, sheep etc. and would end up in the next county or under the wheels of a car before she stopped. I'm given to understand that malamutes have much better recall than a husky but that prey drive is still there; I've heard too many stories of these kinds of dogs having perfect recall for years and years and then one random day just taking off after something and never coming back.

My mum shares my horse so as part of the 'getting used to horses' routine I've been coming out with her on hacks, with the dog on a harness-bungee-waist belt, walking and jogging alongside, and now she's trained to run alongside the bike I might join her that way on suitable bridleways. Would something like that work for you? I've considered taking her out on a long lead but the consequences were she to get wrapped around the horse's legs don't bear thinking about. :(

It's more gutting than I'd like to admit that I can't take her on hacks, especially as it would be the perfect exercise for a high-energy dog, but that's what you get for wanting a wolfydog. :p Depending on the tracks available to you scootering is always an alternative option. :D
 
Thanks for that Blackcob - whilst it would be nice to be able to take the dog hacking with me, its not an absolute necessity for me to be able to do so and yes, my OH could come with us with doggy on long leash/harness - would do him good lol.

Probably better to be safe than sorry to be fair as I have read about the prey instinct you are referring to and would not wish my dog to vanish after a rabbit or, worse still, be shot by a farmer.

My main concern is the relationship with the horses and making sure that we can introduce them safely which from the sounds of things, we will be able to do :)

I really need some photos of anyones Malamute dogs though - I feel like Im about to join some kind of sacred club of something :D

Also, I'm thinking of getting a run built into the back garden for doggy, for when he needs to be left on his own, and he can be outside rather than stuck inside, particularly during the summer - my back garden is huge and will shortly be fence off with 6' panels and a gate. Thoughts?
 
Not quite a moot but close enough, any excuse to post photos! :p

A gangly six-month-old...

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And a big fat grumpy sofa-hogging nearly nine-month-old...

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A run would definitely be a good idea, unless your fencing has a good concrete base - it's not so much how high the fence is as how easy it is to dig under it. :p
 
Awwwww she is gorgeous :D

Yeah, I have read that they are quite proficient diggers lol - once the fencing is up we will arrange a run - OH is gonna be busy over the next 4 weeks - if we do pick a pup they wont be ready to go for another month so that gives us lots of preperation time.

Just got an email from the breeder so definately going to view pups tomorrow evening - I'm so giddy!!
 
Hevs said:
Also, I'm thinking of getting a run built into the back garden for doggy, for when he needs to be left on his own, and he can be outside rather than stuck inside, particularly during the summer - my back garden is huge and will shortly be fence off with 6' panels and a gate. Thoughts?
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This is a good idea

My Malamute prefers to be outside, even when it's freezing cold (they obviously have the right coat for such conditions). If we go out he is left in the garden (has shelter, water, food etc) and during the day when were at home he can go in and out the house as he pleases

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and his last litter in the car on the way for their jabs

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Ooft he's handsome lad :D

And puppies...........*squeels* - yes Im a 39 year old mother of two but I still go girly when I see puppies :D

Honestly its just as well they are not cheap to buy or I would end up with several tomorrow :D
 
Hevs said:
Ooft he's handsome lad :D

And puppies...........*squeels* - yes Im a 39 year old mother of two but I still go girly when I see puppies :D

Honestly its just as well they are not cheap to buy or I would end up with several tomorrow :D
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I think if we had a bigger house we would have several of his pups by now!
 
Me and OH were pouring over puppy pictures last night and we did comment on how expressive their faces are - one of the pics of the pups we are going to see had a distinct "wot you looking at"? ambience about her lol :D
 
blackcob said:
Ahhhh, how much do they look like their daddy?! Love grumpy on the far left, his little eyebrows look all mean. :D
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He's very cute and rather large! The past 2 litters have produced 1 giant pup!

Hev's good luck puppy viewing. Fortunately we decided on a black and white male before we started looking around and he was the only one that fitted the bill in the litter we looked at, if we didn't have a criteria I think it would've been a really hard choice trying to pick one!
 
Hev can you PM me who the breeder is please, not wanting to put a downer on the situation but Malamutes have become almost a fashion accessory dog and that means a lot of people breeding for money not for the good of the breed

At the very least a good breeder should work and or show their dogs if they dont how do they know the dog is good enough to breed from, both parents should be hip scored/eye tested and breeder should have paperwork to hand.

Personally I would visit good reputable breeders that dont have a litter of pups on the ground so you can get a feel of the dogs around the home and talk to the people who have lived with them for years I can put you in touch with some very good kennels.

Malamutes are not a breed that should be brought into your life after falling in love and researching for a week.

I waited two years for my girl and she is worth every second of that wait, I spent that two years attending rallies getting to know my breeder, her dogs, dogs she had bred in the past, other malamutes bred by other kennels and only after that length of time did I know I wanted a malamute from her kennel and I`d proven myself worthy of having her.

Not saying you wont make a good malamute owner and not trying to put a downer on this as I said before but please do take some more time to look into the breed before making the leap

I will help you every step of the way
 
Cyrus talks a lot of sense Hev. I would always say to anyone planning a puppy, no matter what the breed, to do loads of research, talk to and visit different breeders and make sure exactly what health checks your chosen breed should have. I know how exciting it is to be planning a new puppy but its worth doing a really good job of your ground work first, you will have that cute little pup for a good few years, you need to get it right.:)
 
Cyrus - she is stunning :)

I will PM you the breeders webite - I found them through Champdogs website.

I am grateful for your input and thanks for the offer of help, its greatly appreciated.
 
our mal is ok with the horses- she'd never met them before we got her (she's 7) and while she wont chase them- if they get excited and play together she does whine to try and join in. She's awesome off the lead but- will chase rabbits etc- she does come back as soon as she realises they are too fast- but out hacking you would need to be 100% sure that the area you were hacking in was fenced as if it saw a rabbit you might find that you are cantering after the rabbit etc!
 
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