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Alaskan Malamutes
Alaskan Malamute board and train in Gloucester, MA
Malamutes are freighters, in the AKC's word: sled dogs made to haul heavy loads at low speed over long distances. A dog built to lean into a harness for hours will lean into your leash as well, and it will weigh every request against its own plans. Training a malamute well means working with that strength and that judgment rather than fighting them.
Built to haul
Malamutes were made to pull freight and to think for themselves, and both traits show on the leash
The AKC describes the Alaskan malamute as an immensely strong, heavy-duty worker, about 23 to 25 inches at the shoulder and 75 to 85 pounds, affectionate, loyal and playful but dignified. Its training notes call the breed highly intelligent but also independent and willful, often to the point of stubbornness, and add that fairness and patience can produce a devoted, trustworthy companion. The trait chart on the same page scores trainability five out of five. Both are true: malamutes learn quickly, then decide.
The AKC also says malamutes tend to be friendly with everyone they meet, which makes them poor guard dogs, and that socialization and obedience training keep them from becoming pushy with children and other pets. VCA's breed guide adds a strong prey drive that can lead to chasing smaller animals, and says the breed needs consistent positive reinforcement training. A malamute's day needs real work too: without enough activity, VCA notes, it may dig, chew or turn destructive.
- 75 to 85 pounds of trained hauler
- Learns fast, then weighs whether to comply
- Friendly with people, possibly pushy with pets
- Strong prey drive toward small animals, per VCA
Choosing the stay
Which stay fits depends on where the malamute falls apart: inside the house or out on the street
Foundation gives a malamute seven days of basic obedience and leash skills, place, stay and recall, impulse control, and crate and household manners, with daycare integration and enrichment once it is ready. For a young malamute the leash work and impulse control do the heavy lifting, because a pulling habit set at 30 pounds is far harder to change at 80. Place gives a strong, curious dog a spot to settle while the kitchen is busy, and door waits stop a freighter from towing you down the steps.
The two-week Advanced stay layers distraction proofing, real-world outings, neutrality, confidence building and structured socialization onto a malamute's basics, with two go-home coaching lessons booked in. It fits the adolescent that walks politely in a quiet hallway and drags you toward every dog, cat and squirrel outside. Structured socialization matters for a malamute that plays too hard: the AKC links pushiness to missing training, and controlled introductions teach a big dog to read smaller ones.
Some needs sit outside a stay. Digging, the AKC warns, may be impossible to train out of a malamute, so the answer is a fence that continues into the ground and a sanctioned digging spot, not more obedience. A malamute that is selective with other dogs may do better starting with Adventure Academy introductions. We confirm the youngest age we accept, and quote the stay, at the consult rather than listing either here.
Strength
Slack-leash walking is taught first, and pulling becomes a separate job with its own harness and cue
A freighter cannot be out-muscled, and force-free training never tries. Walking manners are built with rewards for a slack leash at your side and one simple rule: tension stops forward motion, slack starts it again. A front-clip harness takes leverage out of the pull while the habit forms. Prong, choke and shock collars are not used at Dogtown, and with a dog this strong they tend to add frustration rather than remove the pulling.
The pull itself is worth keeping. The AKC lists weight pulling, recreational sledding, backpacking and skijoring among the malamute's sports, and VCA names pulling activities among the exercise the breed needs. Many trainers separate the two jobs by equipment: a pulling harness and a cue such as 'hike' mean pull, while the walking harness means stay near. A malamute with a legal outlet for its strength finds slack-leash walking easier to accept.
- 01
Stand still the instant the leash goes tight
- 02
Reward the moment the dog steps back toward you
- 03
Pay often at your side, low and close to your leg
- 04
Start in a hallway, then a driveway, then a quiet street
- 05
Save pulling for the pulling harness and its own cue
Recall
A malamute's recall is a long-line project, and small animals are the hardest test it will face
Prey drive changes the arithmetic. A malamute that spots a cat or a rabbit has a reason to keep going that no biscuit matches, so recall is built where the dog can win: indoors, then on the turf yard, always on a long line, paid generously and practiced dozens of times before a distraction appears. The real test, a squirrel at 30 feet, comes late in the process, and only with the line still attached.
Gloucester gives you seasons to practice in. At the time of writing Good Harbor is closed to dogs from April 1 to September 30 and Wingaersheek from May 1, so winter beach days are for long-line work on cold sand, which a malamute enjoys. Dogtown Common's 3,600 acres of woods and boulders suit a long line on cool days, with a tick check afterward from April to November. Off-leash running belongs in a fenced space.
- Long line clipped to a harness, never a collar
- Recall rehearsed indoors and on turf before any squirrel
- Small animals are the last distraction added
- Fenced space for off-leash running
Pitfalls
Tug-of-war on the leash, too little work and repeated cues are the habits that set a malamute back
Leaning back against a pulling malamute is the first trap. The dog leans harder, wins often enough to keep trying, and the walk becomes a weight-pulling session you never meant to hold. The second is a short day. A malamute with nothing to haul, sniff or solve will invent work, often in the yard or the couch cushions. Exercise that tires both the body and the head comes before any manners lesson, at home as much as during a stay.
The third is repetition without follow-through. Saying 'come' five times teaches a willful dog that the first four were optional. Say it once, make coming worth the trip, and if the dog does not come, walk up the long line calmly rather than repeating yourself. The AKC's advice for the breed is fairness and patience, and a malamute that trusts the deal tends to keep its side of it.
- Stop when the leash tightens; never lean back
- Daily work for body and nose before training
- One cue, then help, never five repeats
- Fair, patient rules that never change
Keep it going
The go-home coaching hands you the leash rule, the long-line routine and a pulling outlet to keep up
Your malamute's go-home lesson, or the two coaching lessons that close Advanced, happen at Dogtown, with you walking the dog while a trainer coaches your timing. Copy the stay's rhythm at home: exercise first, then a short training session, then rest. Keep the front-clip harness for walks and the pulling harness for work, and make sure nobody in the house breaks the stop-when-tight rule, or the dog learns that pulling still works with some people.
On weekdays, Dogtown Academy, $89 a full day or $69 a half, gives a malamute a training session alongside play and enrichment, and a supervised treadmill session is a $10 add-on for hot days. Canine Campus covers 2, 4 or 6 weeks of day training with nights at home, and private sessions start from $94. From Rockport, Gloucester, Essex or Manchester-by-the-Sea, the Pup Van brings your dog in for $10 each way.
At Dogtown
Built around a malamute's stay
The program itself, a suite for the nights, Academy days for afterward and enrichment that gives a working dog something to do.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
Can a malamute learn to stop pulling on the leash?
My malamute ignores cues it clearly knows. Is it stubborn?
Will my malamute ever be safe off leash?
How much does a malamute's board and train cost?
More questions? Read the full FAQ
Sources
Rules and dates change. We re-check every beach, licensing and ordinance page each spring and fall; the source above is the current word.
Keep reading
Next step
Put that freight-dog strength on cue.
Tell us on the training form how your malamute walks, what it chases and how it greets other dogs. We reply within the hour on weekdays and set up the free evaluation from there.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
