Thinking of getting an Alaskan Malamute or Siberian Husky

Toys:
For stuffies, expect them to be destuffed... but I allow Maddi to keep the destuffed ones and they last for ages after that.
 
For "mind" toys, kongs, buster cubes things like that. I've noticed a lot of nothern breeds are really into tug-of-war, so a rope toy would be good too. Also, keep a few tennis balls around.
 
However, you will also need to occupy his mind. I like to train new tricks all the time. I also play hide and seek, I hide food around the house and have her find it. On hikes, she gets to sniff a lot, so that helps excercise the mind as well. I have a backpack for her that I have her sometimes carry to kind of give her a "job" although I'm not sure it works []. She's not grown out quite enough yet for a proper pulling harness, although she'll be pulling me this winter on skies [].
 
Howling... it can be low, it can be loud. My neighbors used to be able to hear her in her crate when she was younger. The woos can be high pitched as well. Some dogs are louder than others however.
 
Mals tend to be "easy" to socialize, as they are attention getters. Everybody I meet with her tells me what a pretty dog I have. Malamute puppies (like most) are people magnets. The most critical thing is to make sure nothing bad happens while you're out on socialization adventures. Dogs can be a little more difficult, depending on their owners. A lot of people avoid me and Maddi, and won't let their dog near us. They've never said why, but I assume it's because they think she part wolf.
 
Also, do you plan on getting a buy uppy or doing a rescue?
 
 

Tug of war [] nice . Giving jobs seems very interesting.
 
BTW does she really enjoys pulling you on skies, seems like a good exercise.
 
About howling, actually I have an african grey and he can make high volumed and pitched sounds sometimes(when he wants me to do sth for him, other times he talks) and its disturbing. Whatever, I really don't want to disturb neighbours at night thats why I am asking the howling thing.
 
I'm glad to hear that they are easy to socialize [].
 
Also I'm planning to buy a puppy around 2 months old, from a breeder.

Hi! I've never owned a malamute or a husky, but they're both a pretty good size (especially the malamutes!) but i can tell you what it's like to have big dogs in an apt. Unfortunately, i've had to move to an apartment for awhile with my rhodesian ridgeback and german shepherd (moving in july!!). Big dogs in an apartment...not so fun. They do fine, but when they get wild in the house, i don't have a yard to let them loose into, and i often have spilled drinks. I'm glad you mentioned giving your dogs one of the rooms...mine have their own room too. If you were going to exercise them twice a day, i suggest hard exercise. I usually take mine out about 3 times a day for at least an hour. I probably walk them about 3 miles, then take them to a baseball field or a tennis court, so i can let them loose with their chuck-it, or just go to the dog park. It can definitely be done, just make sure they get out and get that exercise

Sorry, I missed the apartment part.. somehow.
 
Yes, the smallest purebred mal I've seen was Maddi's mom at 67lb, her father was 120lb. She should be around 80lb. Our previous Mal, when not overweight, weighed around 85-90lb. They are big dogs, and I've never known one that didn't easily get a case of the zoomies at least once a day []. So, just imagine an 75-85lb (that's the standard, but many, many get larger) dog running around your apartment at top speed.
 
Right now, I live in a largish house (4 stories including the basement) with a medium sized (yet unfenced yard).  Maddi routinely poll-volts over the couch, races up and down the stairs, and knocks things over. So, be prepared for that if you get a malamute. I have seen her, several times, get the zoomies on a queen sized bed and STAY on the bed the entire time, lol.
 
Other thingsto think about. Food, what do you plan on feeding?
Exercise: Keep your pup off the pavement for anything more than a leisurely walk. Until they are 18months - 2 years old, you need to take it easy on high impact exercise/surfaces.

Ahh it is nice to hear people having large dogs in apartment. Actually i will probably move into a house with a backyard in 1-2 years time but that's quite a long time[&o].
By exercise I mean running or walking at a fast pace. I am planning to make my exercise routines with it(better then running aimlessly at gym).
 

Food, what do you plan on feeding

 
Hmm now I didn't think much about that. Well I thought what they call dry dog food for the main meals but have no idea , suggestions ?
 
 

Hmm about the howl thing, how high is the volume

 
My dog is multi-talented. He has a deep, wake-the-dead bark and a sub-gutteral that is not a growl but will rumble your gut, nevertheless. And he can howl like a wolf. He can also howl-bark, which is kind of a howl with bark punctuation in it. Now, if I can just teach him how to wash the dishes. art of the bark is due to his lab heritage. But the other tricks are from his Siberian heritage. I wanted to echo Pumaward that, at least from what I've read, the temperments of Mals and Sibes are similar. Some people can be intimidated by a Mal because they are bigger, heavier, and stronger. But definitely socialize them as often as possible. And crates can be a help. Glenda has 6, count them, 6 GSDs and, at times, the crates are a godsend.
 
As for feeding, which was your original question, a non-working Sibe or Mal can be fed a regular maintenance diet quite successfully. You can also feed raw or homecooked or any combination thereof, as many do, but be prepared to do a lot of research and there are plenty of people here who can help and direct you, including [linkhttp://www.rawdogranch.com]www.rawdogranch.com[/link] . And Mordanna's Dog Food Project is an excellent source of dog nutrition info.
 
 

And crates can be a help. Glenda has 6, count them, 6 GSDs and, at times, the crates are a godsend.

Rub it in, Ron....rub it in!  []

Yes, crates CAN be a godsend.  Meals are fed in the crates, special treats like raw meat bones or even marrow or knuckle bones are given in the crates and at least a few go to bed at nite in their crates...their choice actually.  Crates are wonderful when used correctly and never, ever used as a punishment.
 
Oh, and mine YODEL in the mornings.  Which is why I live wayyyyy out in the country and have to put up with DIAL UP internet instead of high speed!

ORIGINAL: glenmar

And crates can be a help. Glenda has 6, count them, 6 GSDs and, at times, the crates are a godsend.

Rub it in, Ron....rub it in!  []

Yes, crates CAN be a godsend.  Meals are fed in the crates, special treats like raw meat bones or even marrow or knuckle bones are given in the crates and at least a few go to bed at nite in their crates...their choice actually.  Crates are wonderful when used correctly and never, ever used as a punishment.

Oh, and mine YODEL in the mornings.  Which is why I live wayyyyy out in the country and have to put up with DIAL UP internet instead of high speed!

 
YODEL ! really []. Sounds interesting, do you  have any sound recordings?
 
Hmm and another stupid question what do they do when its dark. Do they sleep easily?  

Sorry, no recordings of the yodeling.  It's not something I REALLY want to hear...EVER!
 
I don't know about the breeds you are interested in, but I will say that I have never had a dog of ANY breed who did not know that bedtime means that you GO to bed, be in in the crate, beside my bed or the sofa, whatever....nite time is for sleeping and I've never had a problem with any of mine.

Hmm now I didn't think much about that. Well I thought what they call dry dog food for the main meals but have no idea , suggestions ?

 
I personally feed my pup dry food in the morning, with a bit of canned, not a whole lot though because it gives her soft stools. Then in the afternoon she is fed Raw, usually chicken, or beef. and if sshe doesnt get much raw she gets a bit of kibble as well.

Just a suggestion: Dont feed your dog just canned. I know there are some people here that do, and if it works for them the should keep it up. But generally speaking canned food makes for softer, stinkier stools and with a big pup thats something you dont need!

Good luck with choosing your pup.

Just checking out what I've missed in the last day or two.  I can't really add too much to what Ron and the others have said.  I did however noticed that you have an African Grey, that likes to talk.  Huskies talk too.  And I can imagine your parrot and your husky having  long meaningful conversations when you are not around.  That may bug your neighbors.  Crusher can say "I Love You."  But mostly he loves to howl or chatter with anyone who will join him.  He doesn't bark though, so you were right on that.

Which is why I live wayyyyy out in the country and have to put up with DIAL UP internet instead of high speed

 
Oh, you poor dear. Now, you probably have an outhouse and have to hand-pump water from a well. Ah, the rustic life.
 

Yep, and I have to walk five miles to school through snow banks over my head, uphill both ways....oh wait, I don't GO to school......
 
I got DSL back in either 98 or 99 and have never looked back.  So dialup is a HUGE step back into the dark ages for me!
 
As for that outhouse....when I was a kid a friend and I were out horsebackriding and stopped at an old guys farm. Happy had never put in indoor plumbing and was content to use the outhouse.  It was a two seater so pretty fancy for an old country boy.  My friend went into one side, I went into the other and just as I started to sit, spotted a blue racer INSIDE the outhouse.  The screams, the mad scramble out the door with my jeans half up/half down, the vault to get on my horses back to relative safety, all the time with the jeans half up and half down.......you get the picture.  Have not gone NEAR an outhouse since!!

you get the picture

 
And a lovely picture it is, full of grace and beauty.
 
My friend with the 15 acres lives in an area where they don't provide DSL. So, he has satellite, which is cost him a pretty penny.
 

Anything but Ron....I think poor Pepsi thought he was being attacked by a crazed woman and the only reason he didn't bolt is cuz I got there too fast!! [sm=rofl.gif]
 
We looked into satelite, but the only provider in this area has a crap rep and they wanted about $1500 to get me started AND $80 per month.  Not worth the price.  We are exactly 304 feet from brand new fiber optic cable, but Charter refuses to hook us up.....we are not serviceable cuz the line isn't already run to our house.....and the engineer that they sent out to do the survey tried to tell me that the lines are the OLD stuff and that if I paid the thousand bucks to be hooked up I STILL couldn't have hi speed or digital cable.....yep, I just fell off the turnip truck and I don't know fiber optic cable when I see it.......I don't get it.  Yes, this is a rural area, but for FIVE miles there is spanking new fiber optic cable and yet only TWO folks on that entire stretch are hooked up.  Seems to me that 304 foot of cable and a simple transformer would be WORTH it to those fools when you consider I'd be spending over a hundred bucks a month with them......