stevej Posted January 26, 2016 Share Posted January 26, 2016 We are looking to come over tail end of 2017 and just after some experience anyone may have with larger medium to long hair dogs such as our mally in the Australian climate. We have considered maybe coming over in winter so he can acclimatise to it better. steve Miki Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skani Posted January 26, 2016 Share Posted January 26, 2016 Where will you be living in Australia? The climate varies considerably over the continent. Lots of Malamutes here with no problems - but I'm in Tasmania. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevej Posted January 26, 2016 Author Share Posted January 26, 2016 We are looking at WA probably not too far from perth to be honest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted January 26, 2016 Share Posted January 26, 2016 H Steve. Coming in in winter is probably a good idea. Also good to allow you to acclimatise and mid summer is also very quiet for jobs. There are a fair few posts about looking after our fury members of family in summer. Generally, you will, at least in summer, find you have to walk early and later in order to avoid heat. Also we do things like give him an ice cube or even wet him down on hot days. It it is really important here that you never leave them in a car, even for a minute. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 27, 2016 Share Posted January 27, 2016 People own them here thats for sure. I mostly see them being walked round the roads on a lead or taken to the fenced in dog parks in a car, left to run round and then put back in the car and taken home. I rarely see them elsewhere and we are out and about a lot with our dog doing various walks, beaches etc. I know there are a few in our area as I see them standing up peering over the fences as we wander past but I've yet to see any of those actually being walked outside on or off leash and we've lived in our neighbourhood nearly 2 years now. They seem to be confined to the back yards pretty much. Personally I think the breed wasn't meant for hot climates and don't think its fair to have such dogs here but lots of people do. Even with our smooth coated dog in the hot months were are confined to walking him early in the morning and later in the evening as its too hot to walk him past 9am in the morning and before 8pm in the evening, air temp, UV and the tarmac (burning dog's paws) are factored in for humans and dog. Also keeping him in the back yard as so many Aussies do with their dogs isn't for us and he is a house dog and part of the family. I don't go to our local dog parks anymore for the reason that mostly its large bull breed dogs or husky types there and usually my dog gets barrelled over and picked on and I'd rather not take the chance tbh. I am wary of so many dogs like that together and its gotten a bit much on a few occasions now so I avoid the dog parks totally. Invest in a clam shell kids paddling pool for the dog to lie in on hot days. Big blocks of ice are also good, we use big 2 litre ice cream tubs for this purpose. Ensure you have a house with decent air con and don't leave your dog outside when at work on hot days. Tiles are great too as when its hot ours likes to go splat out on them to cool down. He also appreciates the air con. If you take your dog with you lots of places now, be prepared it might not be possible in Aus. Our dogs in England we used to take on day trips, to the pub of an evening or afternoon after a hike. Here, doesn't happen as its too hot on day trips quite often and also dogs are not welcome in as many places I find. So if we go for a hike in the forest, we don't go anywhere after for a meal or drink or anything as might have done in England. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maryannen Posted January 28, 2016 Share Posted January 28, 2016 (edited) We are looking to come over tail end of 2017 and just after some experience anyone may have with larger medium to long hair dogs such as our mally in the Australian climate. We have considered maybe coming over in winter so he can acclimatise to it better. steve [ATTACH=CONFIG]32540[/ATTACH] Miki Hi Ya, What a gorgeous furbaby Just thought I'd pipe up here with a few thoughts...I was born in Melbourne, also lived in Perth for many years. I am returning to Australia (albeit not Perth) but to the border of NSW and Victoria this May after living in the UK for a number of years...and yes I will be bringing my 3 Siberian Huskies (mum dad and their pup) home with me. My brother still lives in Perth and one of his best friends also has a Siberian Husky. As the two breeds, Husky and Malamute, are very similar, face similar issues, I thought I might be able to give you a few thoughts. I'm taking my 3 into Australia in May ...that would be Autumn season in Australia for my dogs ...I felt this was a very good time to move them ...they will be in that trans-season time over here too being Uk springtime ...so no full winter coat no full summer shed and time for them to grow it over the Aussie winter and then time to de-shed before their first aussie summer hits. I'm sure you know all about the big coat sheds too. 2 out of my 3 are going through a coat shed at the moment. Thinks it's been quite mild a winter for them ...wet but not cold....so they figure well don't need my double coat right now lol My 3rd one (the pup) still has her full coat ...she's not quite experienced all the seasons yet as she's only 8 months odd old as I write this. My dogs were a huge consideration when we were looking at properties and also whether the neighbourhood was a dog friendly area (it is ) Our new home has a very large fully enclosed back yard with their own separate gate at the side. Huskies are well known escape artists so had to look at under the structure of the fences, plus over the fences. We are putting in snake type mesh around the fence edges and extra trellis work on top to bump up the height. There is some there already we are just adding to it. Just this week my mum was at Bunnings and we think we've found the ideal stuff for the trellis work. The dogs will also have their own shelter on one side of the house where their kennels will be siuated, there is a pergola and side carport within the backyard, lots of lawn areas out the back, a water tank, sandpit, and lots of shade from a couple of great well established trees. Below it was mentioned about the clam shaped kiddies pools ...in my experience this is a godsend for dogs ...even over here in the UK my lot use them in Summer to cool their paws and have a splash around. Be aware you will need to keep an eye on even the temp of the water in those little baths as in the height of summer this can get hot too not to mention stagnant quickly. We also getting them some doggie cooler beds for the long hot summer. They are slightly raised off the ground and provide good air flow around your dog. As someone else said ice cubes are also good and they love to play with them too. I agree that it's wise to be very aware of the temperatures when walking the dogs so early morning and later at night...both for their paws (the ground gets very hot and can stay hot for quite a time) and their own body temp. One of my three is also a White dog albeit with a black nose so special attention needed there. I notice in your pic your Mal has a bit of the pink nose so keep an eye on that in Summer and the tips of the ears. Perth around the coastal areas has the advantage of the 'fremantle doctor' breeze which often blow in during the afternoons. So those west suburbs are in general cooler areas than the suburbs on the eastern side due to the westernly wind coming in regularly off the Indian ocean. On the east side of Perth you can get very hot easterly winds blow in which if you think about it are coming in off the desert so to speak ...so temps can get a bit higher outside around those suburbs. Air con helps balance that out and keep everything cooler ....although some will still struggle if there's ongoing periods of intense heat which can happen occasionally in Perth. There is a dog beach and it used to be just south of Scarborough Beach ...sort of between there and Floreat beach...not sure if it's still located there ...my brother still takes his dogs to the dog beach as do his friends take theirs am assuming that's where they go but there's defo still one around Perth. Years back I used to take my friends German Shepherd there for a swim and a run etc. On average it's quite manageable with a bit of thought. South of Perth is also milder and heading down further into towns such as Mandurah or Rockingham or even further south like Bunbury Busselton are generally a bit cooler in Temp. I think one of the misnomers about Perth is it's always hot ...it's not Perth gets winters too and yep it can get cold and wet. I'm fortunate enough to be moving to an area that has some wonderful walks available for me and my dogs. Also there's the option in winter to head for the Snow Personally I do not let my dogs off lead, or harnesses in their case, unless it's in an area designed for that purpose and fully enclosed. I wouldn't like to try and get my Huskies back if they got it into their head to go for a run they can go for miles....would need a motorbike or car to catch up with them lol I also think I'd not like them to barrel anyone over or to get into anyone's farm etc. They are a large dog breed, Malamutes even bigger, so I think it's just a matter of mutual consideration. I've had experience with many different breeds of dogs over the years. Including some of the smaller breeds ...used to have Shih Tzu's and Terrier type dogs. I've has plenty of little dogs front up to my Huskies and try and have a go at them, luckily my lot are very placid in nature and just look at them like what's your problem ?? lol ....I've always thought ....hang on mine are on lead yours is not so whose dog isn't under control ?? I do understand though about little dogs and big dogs ....Huskies do like to play and what is normal play for them might look over the top to others. My three love romping around together and and yep it is quite a sight but that is part of their nature to play like they do. I'm very aware of such things and that's why I always keep the leads on and assess it before going into any area such as dog parks ...I'm sure many other Husky / Mal owners can relate. Little true story one of the pups I bred (yes I have bred Huskies too)....this story from his new owners ...got attacked as he was entering a dog area by a smaller dog who was off lead....this was after the owners of the Husky asked the owner of the other dog is he ok am I ok to bring mine in etc? Turned out he wasn't despite the owners assurances that he was fine ... and as soon as he entered the other dog attacked....end result the young Husky got a nasty wound to his groin, as did his dad to his hand in trying to get the other dog off his ...and a large vet bill. On the good side he recovered both physically and phychologically.... but I guess all I'm trying to say is sometimes if it's dogs that don't know one another nothing can be certain even if nothing has ever happened before ...and it's always a good idea for all to use lead until you can assess the individual reactions regardless of size or breed. Sometimes just because a dog looks big doesn't mean they are an adult dog ...the story I was relating above the pup looked like a fully grown dog but of course he was still a pup only a few months old. And sometimes even the most placid of dogs can react in a different way to the way that dog would normally react if its different dogs people places etc. Hope these help, just my thoughts off the top of my head, and best of luck to you and your gorgeous furbaby cheers Mary-Anne (Snowy Meeka and Asil send Husky Hugs too) Edited January 28, 2016 by maryannen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevej Posted January 28, 2016 Author Share Posted January 28, 2016 Hi thanks so much for your responses as it really does help us in our planning and decision making. Our Dog MIKI is large at around 42kg and very lazy/chilled out even though he's only 3. He doesn't have a seasonal coat and just sheds steady all year. He is an inside dog here in UK but loves a run round. We don't have him off lead though as he is very blinkered when he wants to be and loves catching birds in mid flight whilst running round the garden. We have had issues with smaller dogs being aggressive towards him but he just roles onto his back and submits as he just wants to play. I'm liking the ideas on keeping him cool and have some ideas to look at between now and then as I have read some research on thermo rejecting materials ideal for a dog area. Thanks again. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobPetairUK Posted January 29, 2016 Share Posted January 29, 2016 Key thing Steve is to check out the regs and start the rabies work early so that it does not delay your dog's flight. Landing him in the winter is a good call, but we fly loads of "hairy" dogs to hot places and they are super hot at first (like the humans are) but our bodies adapt and the houses are set up for warmer climates than UK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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