Trimming Nails, Feet, and a Bath too...

Ideally, as a pup your breeder will have clipped nails and brushed the pup regularly and you can continue this. While young, nails should be clipped every week. In a very sensitive dog, just do a foot (or less) every day. Eventually, though he may not enjoy the experience, he will tolerate it well. It's very important you incorporate nails into your grooming routine since overgrown nails can become curved under and painful to walk on. Fur between the toes can be slippery on hardwood or linoleum floors so also may need trimming. And don't forget the dew-claw. That is a Malamute's thumb and to be useful in holding objects, needs to be trimmed too.

First, assemble your tools - heavy duty nail clippers, scissors, etc. An important note: buy the proper clippers. You will need a heavy duty pair - NOT the guillitine-style clippers. Some dogs have nails so thick even the heavy duty clippers are too small. In that case you may have to clip each nail several times at various angles so the nail can fit in the clippers. It's best if you clip the hair between the toes first (easier to see the nail). Use scissors or electric hair clippers to trim the fur level with the foot and around the sides level with the pad. Be careful not to nick the pad, especially on a puppy. I once nicked Hoover as a pup, and the spot is still there!

If you're just starting a routine, lie the dog on it's side and sit on the floor. Hold him there for a minute till he relaxes. You may need assistance with a wiggly dog and a muzzle for a very dominant dog. If you must clip without assistance, a leg placed over the neck as you hold the dog helps (similar to being pinned). Look at the nails and you will notice on any white ones there is a pink vein inside and often a little ledge hanging off. Never clip into the pink - it'spainful and will bleed profusely.

On black nails, you will have to guess, but if you cut off as much as you do on the white nails, you should do fine. Styptic powder (or even white flour) will stop bleeding if you get a nail too close.A wonderful tool for a VERY sensitive dog is a dremmel tool. It grinds away the nail a little at a time and is more difficult to cut too close. A dog that is terrified of nail clippers will sometimes tolerate a dremmel tool better.

It is better to clip more often and take less off than to try and do too much at once! After you finish (whether it is one foot a day for a sensitive dog or all the feet) give him his treat even if he didn't behave his best. (You are gaining his trust -" if I try and lie still here, I will get a cookie"). Eventually, if you are consistent, he will come to associate good things with nail and foot care. Occasionally some Malamutes are not motivated by food (FEW Malamtues fit this category), but a game of tennis ball or perhaps a looooong belly rub after is the key to making him enjoy rather than dread foot care. Praise him with a happy "good dog" after every nail he lets you cut, and soon he might even enjoy the experience like Hoover. If you plan to groom the coat at the same time, you can always take a break between and give a treat for each. Coat gooming can also be enjoyable for you both. Lie the dog on the floor in front of you while watching television in the evening. Comb him when you are relaxed and not rushed. Always make an effort (even if it's just a little at a time) to do the inside of the legs, breaches (butt) and tail. Many Malamutes do not like these areas done, but they are also the most likely to matt and knot so are most important. You can concentrate on a different area each time so you aren't yanking and pulling the entire time - for example: first the back, next time the belly, next time the inside left back leg, next time right back leg and a quick skim over everywhere else.

Limit each session to 10-15 minutes at first. If you comb every day, it normally will take only about 5 minutes per dog (10 for Homer, a woolly or a very thick coated dog). Don't buy a pin brush, run it over the back a few times and consider your dog "groomed". It's important to get the comb or rake down to the SKIN. When they are "blowing coat", a technique called "line combing" is very effective in getting out the old dead coat. What this involves is parting the fur, taking a comb or rake, and from the skin out, pulling out the old coat. Part again about an inch away and do it again. Eventually you'll want to do this over the entire body of the dog. If the coat is not quite "ready" it can "pull" so be gentle so it doesn't hurt. A warm bath can move along a coat that is almost ready to blow and make it come out faster. A coat that is "ready" and loose, will come out easily. Line combing does not have to be done in one session however - that could be a 4 or 5 hour project! Most Malamutes only have the patience for sessions much shorter than that! But slowly, if you keep at it you will get the whole dog finished. Resist the urge to "pluck" those tufts that come out - it is SOOOOOO embarrassing to your Malamute. They know they are losing their beautiful coat and that just lends insult to injury (though it's so hard to resist!). Regularly groomed, your Mal will stay cleaner and begin to enjoy grooming because it isn't a painful or BIG chore.  It's actually fun and part of their routine.  We've never needed to take our dogs to a groomer to "make them look nice" since they always look nice.

Koani says brush every day!

One thing we don't do is brush teeth, though I highly recommend it if you don't have to brush a whole bunch of mouths! Use a Dog Toothbrush and Toothpaste formulated for dogs, since people toothpaste can upset stomachs if swallowed. (besides dog toothpaste usually has a meat flavor and you'll get more cooperation). Instead of brushing daily, we give lots of large knuckle bones, rawhides and feed dry food (with a little water on it). Though that didn't stop Penny from asking quite often for a "taste" of people toothpaste at bedtime! (She must have thought it freshened her breath after poop-eating).

A housedog malamute doesn't need a bath very often. Baths can have a drying effect on the skin and soften the coat if given too often. If the dog is not throughly dried - dampness against the skin can cause hotspots. Malamute fur is very dirt resistant, and even if they get muddy, by the time they dry it will often flake off so that the dog looks just fine. Malamutes also tend to keep themselves clean by grooming themselves like a cat. When they eat something greasy or messy it's common to see them liking and cleaning their paws afterward. Malamutes use the front dew claw like a thumb, so I suppose it's no different than when we wash our hands after eating something messy! I prefer to give baths every 1-2 months but they can go as long as 6 months or more between baths and look just fine (unless you have a persistent digger!). I put a longer hose on the Handheld Showerhead , close the doors to prevent escapes and have a cookie handy for when they get out - and that works wonders.  (Expect everything to get soaked!)  Some like it and some do not, but they all get their treat afterward so are pretty good about it. It's also important to give young puppies baths more often. First, because puppy fur is not as soil-resistant, second because they will be much better about bathing if they have had regular baths from a young age. If you treat afterwards, are patient, and make it fun and part of a daily routine, your dog will LOVE being groomed! Hoover BEGS to be groomed and is always the first to "volunteer" for anything like nails or brushing.  He will volunteer multiple times if you let him.  In fact, we have to sometimes say "Hoover, you've ALREADY been brushed 3 times - I want to do somebody ELSE!"  But that's the Hoove!