Skeeter and Qiki with Jada in the background, all tuckered out after playing in fresh snow.
So, you bought an Alaskan Malamute puppy and now you’re home. What next?
First, like any new puppy, you need to begin training. Potty training, especially.
There are many methods of potty training your Alaskan Malamute. The method we’ve had success with is crate training. Remember that your Malamute, standard or giant, will need an EXTRA LARGE crate. Buy the big one now, because by six months, your Malamute will not fit in a smaller sized crate and you don’t need the extra expense (use the extra money to buy puppy food!)
Dogs are naturally clean animals, although you wouldn’t believe it after the first time your puppy finds a mud puddle to play in. Their crate is the equivalent to the cave they would have slept in in the wild – they don’t want to potty where they sleep. If the puppy is in the crate, it will not want to mess in the crate. And it will cry when it needs to go potty – which, in the future, will translate to asking to go outside instead of just squatting on your rug.
Crate training also helps with a couple of other puppy problems – namely the chewing when lonely or bored. If the puppy is in a crate with an authorized chew toy, the destructive chewing does not happen.
Find a book or resource you like to study up on crate training your Malamute. We don’t claim to be experts. Here are a few tips, however:
- Find a treat your Malamute likes, such as Milk Bones. Use the treat as a reward when crating your puppy.
- Make going in the crate positive, never punitive. Say “crate, crate” in a bright voice, don’t yell it and don’t let your frustration with the puppy who just chewed through your $200 boots show. Remember, you have to puppy-proof just like you would baby-proof. Only babies’ teeth don’t come in quite as soon.
- Remember that your growing puppy needs to run and play. The crate is for sleeping, for times when the puppy needs to be away from humans like while you eat, and as a place where the puppy feels safe – that crate is your puppy’s cave. Keep it as his or her safe haven.
- Put the crate where your puppy can see what is going on – they want to be a part of the family and know that they are loved, safe and that their pack is near. Remember, when you take your puppy away from it’s canine pack, you become the alpha dog of it’s people pack.
Your Malamute is a PACK animal. No, not like a mule – your Malamute wants to belong to a part of a pack. He grew up with his pack for his first eight or so weeks – the pack was his litter, his mother and, with most breeders, the dogs around him. Malamutes thrive on the interaction and attention of a pack – they are not solitary animals. When you crate your Malamute, the first few nights are going to be difficult – the puppy will cry for two reasons: loneliness and his or her very small bladder. The puppy will grow out of the bladder issue. To help with the loneliness, if you don’t have other animals to keep him company, buy him a stuffed animal – this will serve as a chew toy and as company. You may find, as you pass the crate to get some milk at 2:00 AM, your puppy curled up and cuddling with the stuffed animal just like he did with his siblings in the litter.
We keep our crate with our two inside pups, Skeeter and Qiki, right next to the front door. When it’s time for them to go out (first thing in the morning), we open the crate and say “outside, outside, outside,” while encouraging them straight to the front door and straight out the front door. The first week, we had accidents almost every day. The second week, every few days. Now, outside is automatic when they’re released from their crate and no potty goes on the floor.
Also, YOU have become the new alpha male/female for your puppy’s pack. You are it’s mommy or daddy now. You set the boundaries, you determine acceptable behavior, you let the puppy know when it has gotten out of line – not by beating it or yelling, but gently and firmly correcting it, just like its mother would. Puppy bites too hard while playing? Yelp, and if that’s not enough, grab its nose and hold it while repeating “no” firmly. This lesson is learned pretty quickly.
The same is true with potty training – your Malamute pup can not live its whole life in the crate – indeed, he needs room to run! Which means, he’ll be loose in your house. Malamutes are territorial. They want all other dogs to know THIS IS MY HOME. That means marking – piddles on your carpet. The best way to train this out is to say “outside, outside,” while shooing the puppy out the door when the urge strikes him (females mark their territory, too). Also, watch your puppy. He’ll need to potty about ten minutes after eating or drinking. He’ll almost always need to potty immediately after waking and he definitely will have the urge to go pee right after a BATH. Look for the signs of your puppy needing to go – stopping dead in its tracks in the middle of playing, sniffing around in a smaller and smaller area, etc., and gently move the puppy out the door while saying, “outside.” Soon, your puppy will cry when it needs to piddle and you’ll know to get the leash and head out to potty.
Malamutes are very intelligent and can be very independent for all that they are pack animals. They can be perceived as being stubborn. Understand your puppy’s needs and how to fulfill them – food, water (especially in warmer climes), potty, play and safety (usually the crate). Puppies, especially independent ones like Malamutes, need CONSISTENCY. This is the key to training your puppy – any puppy. Be consistent in crating, consistent in feeding, consistent in pottying, consistent in rewards for good behavior. The dog is not doing anything but being an Alaskan Malamute. Read up on your puppy and understand his motivations – you can use those to your advantage. And remember, the Malamute’s number one motivation is pleasing his people. Malamutes strive for positive attention from their alphas – their people.
Please check out our available Alaskan Malamute puppies on our Available Alaskan Malamute page.
You can read our Purchase Policy and how to reserve an Alaskan Malamute puppy from Mountain Shadows Malamute Kennel HERE.
And, as always, please feel free to leave your comments or feedback and tell us how YOUR Alaskan Malamute puppy is doing!
