Maverick's blog

The journey starts with a good mom and plenty of play time with littermates

First adventure at 8 wks old

Maverick met Misha, an 8 mo old newfie and spent time on and off leash

9 wks old

Exploring a lake shore, on and off leash

At 10 wks old, Maverick is learning to walk himself - holding the leash.  This is a different lake with a lot of people and dogs. 

This was Maverick's first experience with so many people and dogs. A little scary at first but he made progress. 

Maverick met Hana - Newfie. 

We went to a quiet place to just play. Maverick learned that the water is fun and he also has a love for sticks. He did fetch it several times. He did very well off leash and was just allowed to free play. 

Maverick played with Misha ( Newfie ) 

Misha is still a puppy at 9 mos old. She plays rough so we watch them closely. 

Maverick is doing well for his age. I want him to be a water dog so I will continue to expose him to water.  

Still working on water.  

This is a state park near our home. It is a great place to take the pups for water. This area has a sandy beach area. I have Maverick on a 20 ft leash. I just sit. At first, Maverick will sit with me and eventually that puppy boredom kicks in and he decided to go explore. I still just sit and let him do his own thing on his own time. The longer I sat there, the more comfortable he got playing in the water. He learned a few good lessons. That green stuff is quite slippery !  Crawfish will pinch his butt when he sits on them and he worked on his footing. Bigger rocks and rocks under water as well as different water depths. It is all learning.   Maverick also loves to play in tall grass. 

It is so important .... to be patient and let them process what they learn. 

The downside to this beautiful lake, is that no people and no dogs in the water.  It is snow melt fed and it is very deep. I think the elevation is at least 8000 ft. People who fall off paddleboards / kayaks and have boats flip, often end up drowning due to the bitter cold water temps.  The shallow water on the shore is fairly warm. 

We always respect leash rules in public places. 

Water dogs ... Some will take to the water right away but not so often in the malamute breed. Malamutes that like water are encouraged from an early age. It takes time and effort. Keep exposing them and I have found the best encouragement is to get in the water with them. 

It also helps to have a dog friend that swims with them for extra encouragement. 

Incredibly special. Not only is Maverick swimming, but he is fetching Ducky! Ducky is special as he was Nikki's beloved duck. She actually took Ducky swimming and also on hikes. She carried Ducky in her backpack.