Top products from r/AlaskanMalamute

Mine loves the Kong stuff-a-ball toy. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009YK3OU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The regular Kongs are okay, but the one I linked is the longest-lasting toy I've found so far. I put small pieces of his food/chicken/cheese cubes/green beans in it, but not too small - it needs to be a challenge for him to get the food out. He bounces it around the house and it takes him awhile.

Bully sticks are also pretty long-lasting, but they have a not-so-nice odor so that may be a good outdoor chew.

I give mine a fish oil supplement with his food every morning and that helps keeps his coat very beautiful. He had some dandruff when he was a puppy and the fish oil eliminated alot of that.

As far as going on walks, mine does great when he has a "job" to do. I think this is pretty common among malamutes and I'm sure other breeds. I give him a stick or a ball to hold in his mouth while we walk and its makes it 100% better. Less pulling, less distraction from birds and squirrels, etc.

Few tips:

• Dogs eat everything. If you put a bunch of sodium cyanide on the ground mixed with radioactive plutonium, a dog will eat it. Don't freak out. Dog's stomach acid is about 3 times stronger than ours. Most stuff won't kill a mal. However, get some hydrogen peroxide. If your dog eats something poisonous and it WON'T HURT HIM IF HE THROWS IT UP like it's not sharp or jagged, put a shotglass of peroxide in a dish with a bit of water and a bit of kibble. If he laps it up, take him for a walk immediately. In a block or two he will throw up. Peroxide does that. You can go to the vet for $500 or you can sped 5 cents on peroxide. I've done it twice. Once my dog ate an entire package of cotton swabs. I figured it would cause a blockage. He puked up basically a washcloth. He ate an entire bag of chicken wing bones. But that's too jagged to puke. So I fed him lots of bread/rice to pad it and make it less likely to hurt his intestines. He had no issues.
  
  
• Scat mat.https://www.amazon.com/d/Cat-Repellent-Mats/PetSafe-ScatMat-Indoor-Training-Electronic/B0007NTBJ6
  
  
• Dog drier for when it rains. I got one on Cyber Monday for cheap. No amount of towels will get a Mal dry.
  
  
• Obedience classes. But learn what you can change and what you can't. If you make training a fulltime job, you can change any behavior. But pick your battles. My dog doesn't jump up. But he's going to look at other dogs when they go by even a block away. He's going to try and lick up stuff/food on the ground. I could train for months to fix that, but fuck it. Just walk around or pull him away.
  
  
• Separation anxiety is often strong. Be consistent. Don't make a big deal about leaving. Leave often. Don't make a big deal about coming back.
  
  
• Mals are a full time job until they are 3. You will be super tired and anxious and have a rough time until 3. But it gets much easier at 3.
  
  
• Get a bicycle. Unless you're an Olympiad, it is hard to tire out a mal before you tire out and eventually break down. With a bike, you get to use a machine while they have to trot along. And they will trot. They aren't sprinters or huskies. There are some good products that have a pole attached to your seat for training. This makes it so that the mal has to pull your entire bike and your weight sideways if he wants to go off. That's damn near impossible. If you just hold his leash with your hand, however, your hand is on your handlebars and if he pulls, your front wheel will turns sideways and you will eat shit.
  
  
• Rake and slicker for brushing. You'll need both. Don't use furminator or those things. If you have groomers tell them that as well. Never cut their fur.
  
  
• Park city pets pet wipes. Every time we go out, I wipe my dog down. One side is everything from crotch to bottom of feet. Other side is his butt-butt. He was meh about it at first, now he will often smile. I tend to hum or sing as I wipe him.
  
  
• Mals are tough. They rough house. They aren't children and they aren't pottery. Feel free to play rough with them. Make games. I tease my dog constantly and he always smiles and plays back.
  
  
• Be the alpha. If I want my dog somewhere I move him. I will push him if he's in my way or I will say MOVE. And he will move. Mals are too big and strong for you to not be in control.
  
  
• Socialize early and often. Hang around people. They love people and kids. Hang around dogs. Let him learn how to play. Or when he's big and scary he's going to have to learn stuff and it has more consequences then.

I use a Halti collar for my mal. He loves it and it really helps with the pulling. It stopped it immediately. Best thing out there for larger dogs that pull, IMO. Something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004XNLCKW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_fWGPCb0BXC05C

My trainer recommends the easy walk harness. I used it for my dog. Works great to prevent pulling. https://www.amazon.com/PetSafe-Harness-Large-BLACK-SILVER/dp/B0009ZBKG4

Give her a week to adjust, remember you've literally just taken her away from everything she's ever known into an entirely new environment. I wouldn't worry too much about the leash walking, I bet it will improve if you're patient and give her time. I'm not sure I'd start a dog that young on leash training anyways.

Don't take things too fast and let her settle down. Read a few books on training, I'd recommend the Monks of New Skete's The Art of Raising a Puppy; you should be able to find it at your library.

This is the book we purchased, we pick up our moot mid august. We like the book a lot. Agree and disagree here and there but all around good book with some history too.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0764136763/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1500055816&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=alaskan+malamute&dpPl=1&dpID=51301qK%2B-hL&ref=plSrch

Our mal got to 100lbs and we always used one of THESE NO-PULL HARNESSES and they were amazing. You just have to get them adjusted correctly. When they are set up right, if the pup pulls, it pulls their front legs together and takes away all their traction.

Works 100% and the closest it ever came to causing a lick of pain is when she bolted after a squirrel and when it pulled tight suddenly her front disappeared from under her and she kind of shoulder rolled and ended up on her back. The look of surprise was kind of hilarious. Cannot recommend these enough, after years with them she was the easiest walker.

When the weather is warm you can still practice directional commands and trotting in front of you on leash. If your dog has had a lot of obedience training with heeling this might feel unnatural to them for awhile. Samoyeds aren’t bred with as much a focus on working drive anymore, but any dog can pull. It was pretty instinctive for my two, but sometimes my male is a bit lazy and unmotivated.

I highly recommend this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Mush-Revised-Beginners-Manual-Training/dp/097906760X

Put up snow fence (Home Depot, Lowes, whatever) parallel to, but several feet from, your current fence?

Also a camera, in case they decide to chuck something over the fence that hurts your dog.