Alaskan Malamute

Function: To carry a heavy load

Appearance: Powerful, heavy boned, built for strength and endurance

Size: 75 lbs (female) - 85 lbs (male), 23" (female) - 25" (male) at the shoulder. When dogs are equal in all aspects, the primary criterion for judging is its function to pull heavy freight, everything else is secondary.

Expression: Gentle, showing its affectionate disposition

Eyes: Brown, almond shaped, dark eyes in all colors except reds

Ears: Prick, medium size, but small in proportion to the head, set wide apart on the outside back edges of the skull.

Head: Broad, deep and in proportion to body, muzzle is thick

Topline: Gradual slope to the hips

Coat/Color: Thick double coat that consists of a thick undercoat and a course guard coat. The colors can be black, seal, sable, gray, silver, red, blue and white. At this time the "standard" does not recognize blues, and the only solid color allowed is white.

Pigment: Black, brown in red and "snow nose" is acceptable

Feet: Large, snowshoe with tough pads.

Tail: Plume curled up over the back, set follows the line of the spine.

Recognized Clubs: AKC, CKC, FCI, ANKC, KC (UK), NZKC, UKC


Introduction:

Alaskan Malamutes are one of the most unaltered of breeds; breeders and owners alike make sure to preserve the Malamutes working abilities. Alaskan Malamutes are known to be beautiful, intelligent, dignified and affectionate. Malamutes are often mistaken for wolves, but they are not wolves and are not part wolf.

Malamutes are adaptable dogs that can acclimate to their environment, but be mind full of where the dog is from and watch for signs of heat stress. Like any dog, Malamutes need a constant supply of water and shade.

A common misconception about Alaskan Malamutes is that they can not live inside the home or in a small home. Due to their pack orientation, Malamutes demand attention from its human pack and prefer to be where ever the family is located. Malamutes are not clumsy and are good around furniture. They often pick a spot, usually on tile, and spend hours in that spot.

Alaskan Malamutes are not a dog for everyone. They are very demanding of your attention and patience as they were bred to be stubborn and persistent. If you are not capable of providing the above then this is not the dog for you.

History:

In order to understand the behavior of an Alaskan Malamute, you must first understand where she originated and the people of the Artic. Alaskan Malamutes originated with a group of Innuits known as Mahlemut. Unlike other breeds this dog has been around for a thousand years. Carvings dated to 20,000 years ago show the dogs of that time were very large. DNA analysis shows that Malamutes are one of the oldest breeds and are genetically distinct from other breeds. Native writing show that these dogs were better cared for then other dogs and this is believed to be the cause of their affectionate personality.

The Alaskan Malamute is the native Alaskan breed and the cousin to the Siberian Husky and Samoyed from Russia, Eskimo dogs from Canada and Greenland, Akitas from Japan, and Norway's Elkhound etc. This group of dogs is known as the "spitz type" and fall under the "working" or "utility" class of dogs.

Malamutes were bred to think independently and rely on their own instincts, and at times even override the sled driver's commands. This independent thinking is what we now call stubbornness. However, they also needed to behave as a team whether in the community or on the trail. Malamutes were used as heavy freighting dogs, pulling hundreds and sometimes thousands of pounds for miles. The dog's endurance was essential to their survival and was never meant to be a racing sled dog as many of the other northern breeds. The gold rush of 1896 created a high demand for dogs of this strength and endurance.

In modern times, there are two main lines of Alaskan Malamutes. The lines are called M'Loot and Kotzebue. The main difference between the two lines is size; the M'loot being larger; and the other is Kotzebues only come in wolf-grey.

The Kotzebue line was created by Arthur Walden (Chinook Kennels) and Eva and Milton Seeley, who "took" over Chinook Kennels when Arthur Walden was in Antarctica. This line created by Seeley, who had never been to the Artic was responsible for the "standards" we see today. The Kotzebue line was the first to be registered by the AKC in 1935 (the speculation is that the dog was a cross between a Malamute and the smaller Eskimo dog from Greenland). Seeley was also the founder of the AMCA (Alaskan Malamute Club of America) which had a huge influence on the AKC's standards for the breed. One of Seeley dogs, "Gripp of Yukon", was the 1st champion in breed competitions in 1936, and the first Malamute registered.

Paul Voelker developed the M'Loot line and did not register his dogs but sold his dogs to those you eventually did in 1950 (AKC reopened their stud book, when the base stock of Malamutes dropped due to WWII and Antarctic Expeditions). The M'loot line contributes to most pedigrees of today's Alaskan Malamutes.

Because of the speculation on how the Kotzebue line was created there has been years of arguments as to which is the "correct" Malamute. But even with all the political infighting Malamutes remain one of few breeds that is still very close to its original form and function.

Temperament:

Malamutes are seen as very affectionate but will howl and destroy objects if they feel ignored or excluded from the pack. They are very pack oriented and do best with a family of humans and/or dogs. Malamutes are generally not a one person dog. This openness to all humans makes them a poor guard dog. They are a visual deterrent only; Malamutes are likely to meet a stranger as affectionately as a "pack" member. Due to the strong pack nature of this breed, Malamutes can be aggressive to dogs outside of their pack, a lot of socialization starting as young as possible is a must.

Malamutes are quiet dogs that generally don't bark, but tend to "talk". They can make all sorts of sounds from howls, grumbles and woo woos. You may recall the Chewbacca character from Star Wars, that identifiable sound was inspired by an Alaskan Malamute, named Indiana owned by George Lucas.

The hard living conditions of the Artic caused the Malamute to have a strong prey drive, as food was scarce. Malamutes may attack small animals such as squirrels, rabbits and have been known to take a bird right out of the air. However a dog that is raised with cats may lovingly live with cats as it will be seen as a member of the pack, but all bets are off for those outside of the home. With this harsh environment came the competition for food and most will have resource guarding issues that will constantly have to be addressed. Also Malamutes had to dig for food when required which has caused modern day dogs to use digging as a way to escape a fenced yard and fight boredom.

Care:

Alaskan Malamutes are a double coated breed. This coat has a short undercoat and then longer guard hairs. Depending on the climate they usually "blow" their undercoats twice per year. The rest of the time they are relatively shed free unlike flat coated breeds. Malamutes are odor free dogs that clean them selves like a cat. Most owners and breeders only need to bathe their dogs once a year or less. Other then daily bushing; during the shedding period, Malamutes need very little grooming. A weekly brushing to remove dead hair and maintain a shinny coat is all that is necessary. No trimming or shaving is required or recommended.

Housing a Malamute is very easy as they want to be where ever the pack is. Malamutes need exercise but also love to be couch potatoes. The best situation is where the dog can move in and out of the house. When Malamutes are outside in cold weather shelter must be provided. The shelter should have a flat roof as Malamutes love to lie on top and watch the world go by. Malamutes are known to be escape artists and will plan escape routes. They have been known to scale 6' fences and dig tunnels under the home.

Providing proper exercise is important for you and your Malamute to be happy. A bored Malamute will destroy your home. You should not do any strenuous exercise under the age of 6 months, as they have not fully developed yet. Desensitizing your puppy to a flat buckle collar as soon as you bring them home; going for short walks on lead and enrolling them in a puppy kinder garden class will be the perfect start to a well socialized dog. At 6 months you can start walking on leash for extended periods of time, but keep the length at a maximum of one hour sessions. Alaskan Malamutes reach maturity at 18 months of age and are ready for more strenuous exercise. Malamutes love to go hiking and are more then capable of caring their own supplies with a dog back pack. Keep the weight at a maximum of 30% their body weight until they are fully mature so as not to put strain on their joints. If sledding is something you are interested in, it is great exercise and it is what Malamutes were bred for.

Training:

Malamutes are a very intelligent dog but become easily bored. This makes the Malamute difficult to train, as they are bred with the attitude "lead or be led". It is very important that owners show they are the pack leader as Malamutes are more then willing to take on that lead roll. Training should start young and the rules clearly defined. Behaviors that are cute when they are puppies may not be cute as an adult.

Obedience training can be very entertaining but also a challenge. Some owners have dogs that behave in one situation and not in another. Repeating the same command over and over will only cause a Malamute to find something more entertaining to do. The key to training a Malamute is variety, fun and keeping training sessions short. Even then a Malamute will do something completely unexpected, just to see your reaction. Always remember a Malamute knows what you want, but she just may not want to do it. To a Malamute, telling them to sit and stay makes no sense and they will try and wait until you change your mind and give up. Once they realize this is not going to happen they will grudgingly comply but expect to be testing for years to come.

Malamutes can not be trusted off leash. They are very curious dogs that have a strong prey drive. As mentioned before they think for themselves and if not on leash, they can end up getting hurt if left to wonder on their own.

Heath:

Alaskan Malamutes are generally a healthy breed but there are a few conditions to watch out for. Such as hip dysphasia, hot spots, bloat, the usual northern breed eye problems and Chrondrodysplasia (CHD).

Most Malamutes love food and free feeding is usually not an option; however they eat less then their size would suggest. As in all breeds the amount of food will depend on the activity level of the specific dog and the food given.

References:

www.alaskanmalamute.org
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaskan_Malamute
www.quadrant.net/amcc/
www.k9web.com/dog-faqs/breeds/malamutes.html
www.malamuteworld.com
http://akc.org/breeds/recbreeds/alasmal.cfm
http://www.malamuterescue.org

Written by I Heart Paws Forum Member "Treener"