Alaskan Malamute

Features

The Alaskan Malamute belongs to the breed of sled dogs and comes from the icy north.

Important to know

The headstrong and independent Alaskan Malamute is not a dog for beginners, but if you have the necessary experience and patience in training, you will find in the playful and loyal dog a faithful companion.

Friendly & Faithful

Personality

Body & Appearance

Attributes

Coat care
7
Hair
7
Energy
7
Trainability
7
Suitable for children
7
This is the Alaskan Malamute

Features

Due to its compact build with deep chest and strong shoulders, it is the largest and most powerful of the sled dogs. This allows it to pull heavy loads. In addition, he is known for his endurance.

The ears of the Alaskan Malamute are rather small and triangular. His eyes are almond-shaped and mostly brown, but never blue. The tail is erect and curved over the slightly sloping back.

The coat of the Alaskan Malamute is weatherproof and consists of two layers. The soft, greasy undercoat grows between 3 and 5cm long. The dense top coat is relatively short. Thus, the Alaskan Malamute is optimally protected against cold weather conditions.

The color of the Coat is mostly light gray to black with white markings. The head is decorated with the characteristic mask – or hood-like drawing. Besides the multicolored specimens, there are also completely white Alaskan Malamutes.

The compact quadrupeds reach a weight of 34- 43kg and a height at withers of around 63cm.

Personality

The Alaskan Malamute has an independent and, as a sled pulling dog, also a willing to work personality. This makes the Alaskan Malamute want to be challenged a lot. If this does not happen, the quadruped will find a way to assert itself.

As working dogs and companions in hunting, the Alaskan Malamute is used to moving around. In addition, he is used to thinking for himself and is not a pure recipient of orders with unrestricted obedience. The Alaskan Malamute wants to understand why he should carry out an order.

The personality of the Alaskan Malamute is nevertheless very friendly, loyal and affectionate. He is also not easily ruffled, which is also evident when meeting strangers. These he usually meets indifferently or very friendly. Just like his four-legged companions. However, these should not provoke him, because one should not underestimate the strong Alaskan Malamute.

Due to the pronounced hunting instinct, living together with other animals is also rather difficult.

Nevertheless, the Alaskan Malamute remains a playful and enterprising dog.

Posture

Since the powerful Alaskan Malamute has high demands, it is not suitable for beginners. You should have a lot of experience if you are interested in this breed and be ready to lead him to basic obedience.

In addition, the Alaskan Malamute has a lot of energy and needs a lot of exercise. Therefore, he will not feel comfortable in the city and in an apartment. It needs a lot of space and nature.

If the Alskan Malamute lives together with conspecifics in a pack, then you can also Keep outdoors in a securely fenced area with shelter. However, it is also possible to keep him indoors as a family dog. However you choose to keep him, the Alskan Malamute needs plenty of human contact either way.

Also, this breed of dog is not suitable for warm countries. Due to the nature of his coat, he would suffer from the weather conditions.

Nutrition and care

The diet for the Alaskan Malamute is very high in protein. Whether in the form of dry or wet food depends on the palate of your four-legged friend.

However, after feeding, it is important that the Alaskan Malamute, being a large dog, has a Digestive break. Otherwise, a life-threatening gastric torsion may occur.

The feed ration for adult Alaskan Malamutes consists of two servings per day. Adolescent dogs receive up to four servings per day. It’s best to feed your dog only after the exercise session. It is also important to adjust food intake to energy needs to avoid obesity.

As Treats are suitable healthy snacks without sugar. Dry chews satisfy the natural need to chew. In addition, always make sure you have enough water.

The coat care of the Alaskan Malamute iseasy. It is enough if you brush his coat with the dense undercoat once a week. The same applies if it ever gets dirty. Even then, brushing when dry is usually sufficient. During the coat change, however, brushing may be necessary more often, because the Alaskan Malamute then loses a lot of hair.

Also, the ears, claws and teeth should be checked regularly.

History

The oldest remains of Alaskan Malamutes are about 9,000 years old and come from Siberia . Due to the frost, the remains were still well preserved.

At that time, the Alaskan Malamutes were mainly faithful helpers in the hunt and remained over the centuries always faithful companions of man. They not only warmed people, but also pulled their sleds.

Alaskan Malamutes are next to Siberian Huskies the most common sled dogs.

It owes its name to its origin. The Alaskan Malamute bears it in honor of its breeders, the Mahlemut Inuit, who needed a strong, sturdy and reliable sled dog.

The ancestors of the Alaskan Malamute are Nordic Spitz types, such as the Siberian Huskies and Greenland Dogs. These dog breeds are not only draft animals, but also hunting – and guard dogs.

The selective breeding of Alaskan Malamutes has only been practiced since 1926. Officially, the racial standard was formulated in 1935.

Conclusion

The headstrong and independent Alaskan Malamute is not a dog for beginners, but if you have the necessary experience and patience in training, you will find in the playful and loyal dog a faithful companion.