Alaskan Malamute

Alaskan Malamutes are dogs with heavy bones, deep chests, and power shoulders. They have a dense and weatherproof coat. Their head is broad with triangular and erect ears and almond-shaped eyes.

FUN FACT: Malamutes are vocal dogs, and they will talk and howl, but in most cases, they will not bark.

Grooming and care

Their thick, double, and waterproof coat is beautiful, but the coat requires constant attention. Their coat comes in varieties of ranges including light gray to black, sable, and shades of sable to red.  The only solid color you should see is white.

Alaskan Malamutes should be brushed daily to keep their coat healthy and in good shape. Twice a year, these dogs will shed heavily. If you keep your dog as a pet bath every six to eight weeks should be enough. Dogs that are exhibited on dog shows are, in many cases, bathed weekly.

The rest is basic care. Trim their nails when needed (if they don't wear them down naturally), and brush their teeth weekly to prevent tartar buildup and bacteria development. Regularly check their ears for any sign of redness or a bad odor that can indicate an infection. You can wipe their ears with a cotton ball dipped into an ear cleaner.

The key for your dog to get used to everything above is to start early with them. Make a positive experience for the dog full of praises and rewards, and you can be sure your dog will enjoy all these things when he grows up.

Exercise

These dogs were bred for working purposes, and because of that, they needed a job to do. You will need to provide your dog with daily exercise. Alaskan Malamutes enjoys running, hiking, and swimming. If you don’t provide them with enough physical and mental exercise they will become bored and destructive.

Be sure that you don’t over-exercise your puppy because his bones and joints are still developing, and by over-exercise them, they can have health problems later in life.

These dogs can tolerate living outside during the cold, but you must provide them with shelter. They are pack animals, so they will be happiest if they live inside with their family. Because of their thick and double coat, they are sensitive to heat. During hot summer days, always provide your dog with the freshwater and if possible, keep him under fan or air condition.

You should also avoid exercise during hot sunny days. The best time to walk and train your dog is early in the morning or late at night when the sun comes down.

Malamute dogs often take part in obedience trials, agility, and weight pulling.

FUN FACT: Many Malamutes love to dig. In most cases, you can't stop this behavior, but you can give your dog a designated place to dig.

Training and socialization

To prevent your dog to be pushy or dominant, you must start with the training and socialization early. Alaskan Malamutes are highly intelligent dogs, but they are also independent and willful. In many cases, they will be stubborn, and to secure a well-rounded dog, you must start with socialization early. Without the right training, they can become destructive, and you can have a lot of problems.

From an early age, expose your dog to many different people, sights, and sounds so he can grow into a well-behaved dog.

FUN FACT: These dogs are not suited to be guard dogs because they will easily make friendly bonds.

Alaskan Malamute and kids

Alaskan Malamutes love children, and they will love the attention they get from them, but you must be careful, especially if you have a small child at home because of their size; these dogs could easily knock over a child. Before letting them play, always teach your kids what is the correct way to interact with the dog.

Alaskan Malamute and other animals

With early socialization, these dogs will get along well with other dogs. Because of their high prey drive, they will, in most cases, chase smaller animals outside the house.  If you have other animals in your house you will need to properly introduce them and supervise their interactions if you want them to get along.

Health problems

Alaskan Malamutes are dogs with a life expectancy of 10-14 years. Like any other dog breed, they are prone to some health problems that every (future) owner should be aware of. To ensure you'll get the healthiest possible dog, never buy a dog from a puppy mill breeder or a pet store.

Alaskan Malamutes can suffer from:

• hip and elbow dysplasia,
• hypothyroidism,
• Willebrand disease.
• cataracts,
• chondrodysplasia (a genetic disorder that causes puppies to be born with deformities – abnormal shape and length of their limbs),
• inherited polyneuropathy (lack of coordination and instability)
• hemeralopia (day blindness).

When talking to breeders, always ask them to show you the health certificates of their breeding dogs to be sure that your future dog will not have any inherited diseases. To be sure that your dog is healthy, you can perform a few health tests: hip evaluation, ophthalmologist evaluation, and polyneuropathy DNA test.

Alaskan Malamute breeders

If you decide that this is the right dog for you, now it's time to find a good and responsible Alaskan Malamute breeder. Buying a dog from such a breeder will provide you with a healthy puppy who will not have health and temperament problems. These dogs became very popular, and many unethical and bad breeders started to breed these dogs to earn money without worrying about puppy health, temperament, and well-being.

We advise you to search Malamute breeders only at the World Dog Finder website or at the national cynological association of the country you are from. Doing so lets you be sure you are talking to an official and responsible dog breeder.

Buying a dog from a responsible breeder will cost you more money, but you can be sure you will get a healthy puppy. If you don't have money, we advise you to search for local animal shelters because there is a chance you can find Alaskan Malamute dogs in them. Many people purchase these dogs because of their unique looks, but they at some point realize they can't take care of them, and because of that, many Malamutes end up in animal shelters. By adopting, you are doing a good deed and saving a dog's life.

When you bring your new puppy home, start with the training and socialization immediately. By doing so, you will end up with a well-behaved dog whom you can trust. Provide him with enough daily exercise for him to be happy. You must be firm and alpha with this dog for him to listen to you. If you devote your time and energy to this dog, you can be sure that you will have a companion for life.

World Dog Finder team

This is one of the oldest sled dogs, and they got their name from the Mahlemiut. Mahlemiut was a nomadic tribe that settled in northwestern Alaska. They created this dog for hauling heavy loads, locating seal breathing holes in the ice as well for distracting bears on hunts. Alaskan Malamutes used to carry heavy loads at a lower speed, while the Siberian Husky used to carry lighter loads but much faster.

During World War II, many registered dogs were loaned for war duties because, at that time, there was a great demand for sled dogs. After the war, there were only a few dogs left registered.