# Alaskan Malamute Pup... Howling when alone



## Azrellion (Apr 28, 2014)

Hello, 

New to the forums and i am just asking about my new pup hoping some fellow mal owners might be able to give me some piece of mind... lol

I bought a malamute pup last Saturday he was 13 weeks when we bought him 14 now... Hes doing really well with his training as they are intelligent anyway and he has a great temperament.

Now the question is when we go out to do things in the day like shopping or errands or whatever were doing (im a student and my wife is self employed so we are in alot) Our pup howls ALOT we left the house for an hour earlier and i recorded him and 40 mins out of the 1 hour we were away he did nothing but howl... i know the neighbours don't really mind as ive spoke to them and they understand hes a pup and no im not crate training him... hes gonna be free to run the house once hes house trained so i see no need to crate train and he will get plenty of exercise once hes vaccinated (which is killing me waiting btw i just want to take him for a walk with all this lovely weather)

At night he sleeps in the room with us but on the floor not the bed this is because we have a toddler so his howling at night will keep her up, we did try letting him stay in the kitchen (where we keep him in the day why we are out) with a baby gate but he just howls and its super loud... We don't mind him sharing the bedroom and he knows hes not aloud on the furniture so thats not a problem... My only question is, is he likely to grow out or atleast calm the howling down a bit as he gets older as its going to get louder i assume and i dont want the neighbours to realise hes not a pup and still howling ALLLL THE TIMEEEE when we go do errands :/ He never howls when we are with him or even if hes behind the baby gate and can see us its only when we are out of site...

Just want to know if you guys have ever had the same problem i assume its just because hes not use to being alone yet just want the piece of mind and yes i know they howl alot as its just the breed im fine with that i just want him to be able to settle when we are not there i dont want him 100% dependant on us


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

Azrellion said:


> Hello,
> 
> New to the forums and i am just asking about my new pup hoping some fellow mal owners might be able to give me some piece of mind... lol
> 
> ...


All pups can get stressed about leaving Mum and littermates and finding themselves alone in a new strange place so can become clingy.

The more he is with you though and dependant on you being there for company the harder its going to get. I do have mine with me during the night for the first few weeks, not only to settle them in but to take them out in the night when they wake or stir to toilet until they can start to go through until morning, but what you also need to do is start weaning him off and get him used to being alone while you are in at first.

If you don't want to crate train, then the kitchen is usually ideal. Instead of shutting him with a solid door which can be isolating and make them panic more its best to use a dog control gate, that is taller and more robust then a baby gate but fits in the same way.

Its best to start the self amusement and wind down allow times at first after you have given him some activity, as he cant go out yet you cant do it after a walk but you can later. At the moment best time to do it is after a training session mixed with some play, so he will be more tired and likely settle better.

Have his bed in the kitchen, take him there and leave him with something to self amuse him and make a good association with being left. It can be a safe type chew, or a stuffed kong if he is on wet food you can use some of his allowance if he is on dry again you can use a Kong wobbler, the classics you can also fill with lots of things there are some suggestions below. Take him there give him the kong or chew and just leave making no fuss. At first you may only be able to do it for a very short time, as you have to return before they start to get vocal and stressed. When you let him out just open the gate and ignore him leave him for another minute or two then call him to you with lots of praise and even a treat or two. You then build up these times a bit at a time as he learns to cope and they become part of his normal daily routine.
You then can just use exactly the same regime when you do go out. Try starting with shorter sessions of going out, and build those up too if you can.

Recipes - KONG

Kong Stuffing Ideas - Kong Recipes - Kong Dog Toy - Kong Stuffing

Wobbler - KONG

Another thing that can help a lot of pups or I found helped and still use them for times of stress and anxiety like fireworks are adaptil plug in diffusers. If you want to read more on those see link. Cheapest place to buy them is at reputable on line vet pharmacies.

Adaptil helps dogs and puppys learn settle travel and in kennels

Other old tricks is leaving an old t shirt or jumper you have worn in their beds as having your smell can comfort them when they are left. Just test him out with it first though as some Mals and one of mine was like it can be devils for ripping up and ingesting fabric. One of mine did the other was fine and not particularly destructive at all.

Another thing that can help too is leaving a radio down low on a talking station as the sound of voices can be comforting rather then silence.

Some pups also like a large soft toy in their beds to have something to curl up with as pups in the litter often sleep touching for comfort and security, but again just test him out and make sure he isn't going to be one that will rip it up and try to eat the fabric.


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## Azrellion (Apr 28, 2014)

Thanks alot been trying the keeping him alone for a few minutes thing but i usually just go in and bend over the stair gate and give him fuss for being quiet rather than letting him out and ignoring him for a minute or 2!

I know it sounds silly but i think because hes not use to the kitchen that maybe thats stressing him out so i was thinking about putting the stair gate on the hallway so he can access the dining room because he seems to like being in there... also if all the doors are open he will happily be in another room without us its only when hes enclosed he hates being alone... Because he was with the breeder until 13 weeks i dont know how he was kept because i didnt do my home work on the breeder like i should my friend bought his sister and they said there was 1 left that no one wanted so i felt bad for him and i always wanted a husky or mal anyway so i just bought him, he had no prior training really he still doesnt go up the stairs on his own yet...

The breeder owned a rescue centre so he was surrounded by many other dogs so i think he just hates being alone but getting another dog isnt really on the agenda as we already have a toddler and a mal more dogs is just to much right now  I might try that plug in and im already wearing a t-shirt to try and get my scent on it for him to sleep with (providing he doesnt try and eat it) he has a fondness of fluffy toys all of his teddys are in bits all over our floor now because he just rips them 

Thanks so much for your reply though i will try that! Ive already tried a rubber food dispenser but ive only actually put peanut butter in it he doesnt seem interested at all, he also gets given a chew that he only gets when we go out or hes away he eats it why he can see us but as soon as we dissapier he stops eating it and starts howling lol


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## Azrellion (Apr 28, 2014)

So i tried the dog alone with run of the kitchen and the dining room, we were gone for 1hour 30 minutes shopping, i recorded the whole thing and i would say he probly howled once every 20 mins for about 2 mins then he calmed again im not saying this will work for everyone but he seems to be doing a bit better with more space i think my dog just doesnt like being extremly confined lol... he seems ok today hes in there now asleep with no one else just hugging the stair gate lol... either way it seems to have helped for now il try keep you guys posted and thanks for the advice!


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## Bob the Bouvier (Feb 19, 2014)

Azrellion said:


> Thanks alot been trying the keeping him alone for a few minutes thing but i usually just go in and bend over the stair gate and give him fuss for being quiet rather than letting him out and ignoring him for a minute or 2!
> 
> I know it sounds silly but i think because hes not use to the kitchen that maybe thats stressing him out so i was thinking about putting the stair gate on the hallway so he can access the dining room because he seems to like being in there... also if all the doors are open he will happily be in another room without us its only when hes enclosed he hates being alone... Because he was with the breeder until 13 weeks i dont know how he was kept because i didnt do my home work on the breeder like i should my friend bought his sister and they said there was 1 left that no one wanted so i felt bad for him and i always wanted a husky or mal anyway so i just bought him, he had no prior training really he still doesnt go up the stairs on his own yet...
> 
> ...


Our puppy hates peanut utter, it might be worth trying different things in it?

Glad he is doing better with more space - ours was the other way - we've just removed his puppy pen from the side of his crate so he has more freedom and he cried through the night on the first night! He still heads over to his original smaller space and lies there, but he's just too big for it now.

ps - we weren't proper crate trainers, he hated it so we attached a puppy pen to it so he could get out and go to the loo if he needed to (it broke my heart getting up in the morning and he had peed the bed). His crate is always left open, he just goes in there for time out when he's fed up of us (or if I'm using the carpet shampooer!).

You're right to encourage alone time - I work from home and Bob can be very clingy. If I go upstairs for a shower before starting working he howls the house down. However, when my husband and I go to bed he just plods over to his crate and goes to sleep. He's not allowed upstairs as my husband is allergic to him...a life-time of benadryl for him!
He cries for a few seconds (Bob not my husband) when we leave the house but soon settles down (I try and leave him every day for at least half an hour), plus my husband and I cross over in the mornings when I am coming back from the gym. Hubby leaves at 8 and I tend to get home at 9.

He's only a baby so will take time to adjust. Just don't start saying "ooh toilet trained in 2 days" as I will get very jealous!
I would have picked an AM if I had a choice (don't tell Bob!)


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## Azrellion (Apr 28, 2014)

Bob the Bouvier said:


> Our puppy hates peanut utter, it might be worth trying different things in it?
> 
> Glad he is doing better with more space - ours was the other way - we've just removed his puppy pen from the side of his crate so he has more freedom and he cried through the night on the first night! He still heads over to his original smaller space and lies there, but he's just too big for it now.
> 
> ...


Hahaha, im always attracted to larger breeds with everything we also own a leopard tortoise (grow up to about 2ft) hes only young so still pretty small Duke our Mal has been sitting in his new area most the day hes asleep now in the living room (hes just spent the last 2 hours with his sister who he hasnt seen since the day we got him so they tired each other out... but she also taught him how to dig... my garden looks amazing now  But he seems much happier with the extra space as i say i think he was left somewhere pretty large with his breeder he seems better but still not 100% he tends to mope at his gate alot if we are in but busy not paying him attention i hate leaving him because he looks so fed up but i want him to be more independant i dont want him to hurt himself why we are shopping and stuff and i dont like leaving dogs in the car why we go out...


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