The Alaskan Malamute, also known as the Alaskan dog, is the oldest polar sled Alaskan sled dog breed . Its name is taken from a tribe called the Malamute of the Inuit tribe of the Eskimos. This tribe lived on the shore of Kotzebue in western Alaska. Before Alaska became part of the United States, the area was called Alashak or Alyeska, which translates to “vast land”. This is the name given to it by the Russians who discovered the area. This dog is different from other dog breeds in Alaska. It has strong limbs and well-developed muscles. It is bred for endurance rather than speed because their main purpose is to pull sleds. Adult Alaskan dogs have a quiet and elegant temperament and are very loyal to their owners.
The Alaskan Malamute is strong, powerful, muscular and deep-chested. When standing, the head is erect, the eyes are alert and curious, giving the impression of being full of energy and very proud. The head is broad, the ears are triangular, and they are erect when alert. The muzzle is large, the width gradually decreases from the root to the tip of the nose, and the muzzle is neither long and prominent nor stubby. The coat is dense, with sufficient length to protect the soft undercoat. The Alaskan Malamute comes in a variety of colors, such as gray, black and white, and reddish brown.
Development History
The Alaskan Malamute can be found in the records of the earliest North American immigrants. Before Alaska became part of the United States, the area was called Alashak or Alyeska, which translates to “vast land,” a name given to it by the Russians who discovered the area. This dog is different from other dog breeds in Alaska, with strong limbs and well-developed muscles. It was bred for endurance rather than speed, because their main purpose is to pull sleds.
Due to cross-breeding with imported dog breeds, the original native dog breeds were mixed with the genes of various foreign dogs, and the traditional purebred Alaskan sled dogs were almost completely extinct.
In the first 20 years of the 20th century, as the sport of sled dog racing became popular in North America, Americans realized the need to bring back the Alaskan Malamute, a native sled dog breed. In 1926, American sled dog enthusiasts began to systematically breed purebred Alaskan Malamutes based on native sled dogs and huskies. After nearly a decade of breeding and development, the American Kennel Club (AKC) officially recognized the Alaskan Malamute in 1935. In 1996, it was recognized by the World Canine Federation (FCI) and became the FCI Alaskan Malamute standard.
Morphological characteristics
According to the AKC, the golden body shape of the Alaskan Malamute is: male dogs should be 25 inches (63.5 cm) tall at the shoulder and weigh 85 pounds (39 kg); female dogs should be 23 inches (58.4 cm) tall at the shoulder and weigh 75 pounds (34 kg).
Generally, a shoulder height of 22 inches (55.9 cm) to 27 inches (68.6 cm) for male Alaskan Malamutes and 21 inches (53.3 cm) to 25 inches (63.5 cm) for female adult dogs is acceptable. At the same time, individuals weighing more than 41 kg or less than 34 kg are common.
Body size standards: Occasionally, male individuals weighing more than 120 pounds (54 kg) can be seen. There are also breeders who specifically breed dogs with particularly large body sizes. These large populations are called “giant Malamutes”. Although neither the AKC nor the FCI has made specific regulations on the upper limit of the body size of Alaskan Malamutes, due to the adverse effects on bone and body development, such individuals are considered inappropriate for purebred Alaskan Malamutes and are not accepted by the AKC’s purebred dog standards.
Head: The head of the Alaskan Malamute is broad and deep, not coarse or clumsy, and in proportion to the body. The expression is gentle and friendly. The eyes are set slightly on the head, brown in color, almond-shaped, and medium in size. The darker the eye, the better. Blue eyes are a disqualification. The ears are of medium size, but slightly smaller than the head. The ears are triangular in shape, with slightly rounded tips.
The ears of the Alaskan Malamute are set wide apart and set back on the outside of the head, in line with the outer corners of the eyes. When the ears are erect, they appear to be standing on the head. The erect ears may be tilted slightly forward, but when the dog is working, the ears may sometimes be folded back against the head. Ears set too high are a fault.
The head of the Alaskan Malamute is wide and slightly raised between the ears, gradually narrowing and flattening from the top of the head to the eyes, and the part near the cheek becomes relatively flat. There are slight wrinkles between the eyes.
The outline of the head and the outline of the muzzle of the Alaskan Malamute are like two slightly folded down, connected straight lines. Compared with the head, the muzzle appears long and large, and the width and depth gradually decrease from the position where it joins the head to the direction of the nose.
Alaskan Malamutes, except for dogs with red coats, should have black noses, eye rims and lips. Dogs with red coats are allowed to have brown noses, eye rims and lips. “Snow noses” with light stripes are allowed. Lips are tightly closed. Upper and lower jaws are wide and the teeth are huge. The bite is scissor-like, and overshot or undershot bites are all defects.
Back hair: The back hair of the Alaskan Malamute is a “dense and polar-featured” double-layer back hair. The inner layer is a thick down and the outer layer is a hard needle-like hair. Overall, it is similar to the back hair of the Husky, but to some extent, it is slightly harsher than the back hair of the Husky. The outer needle-like hair cannot be too long or soft in texture. This situation is considered a defect.
The common colors of the back coat are white and smoke gray, black, sable, red, sand and other colors. All colors other than white are acceptable regardless of their depth. The facial fur pattern often presents a cross with two white eyebrows or all white and all appearances between the two. There is no substantial difference between the back coat color of the Alaskan Malamute and the back coat color of the Husky.
In some areas, some breeders have specially selected giant populations, and there are also long back hairs that are not consistent with polar characteristics. Long-haired individuals are not accepted by AKC and FCI, do not meet the standards of purebred dogs, and cannot compete, but in some areas, the appearance of long-haired individuals is also loved by some owners. Because the hair quality of long-haired individuals is much worse than that of normal back-haired individuals, and the accompanying bone and joint genetic diseases are prominent, purebred dog breeding associations do not encourage the breeding of long-haired individuals.
Neck and Topline Body: Neck is strong and slightly arched. Chest is well developed. Body is simple but not short. Back is straight, sloping slightly toward the croup. Loin is strong and muscular. Too long a loin weakens the back and is a fault. Tail is set at the end of the spine. When not working, the tail is curled over the back. The tail is not tightly curled over the back, nor is the hair on the tail short and brush-like. The Alaskan Malamute’s tail is softly furred and looks like wavy feathers.
Forequarters: Moderately sloping shoulders; forelegs strongly boned and muscular, straight from shoulder to wrist when viewed from the front. Short, strong, slightly sloping wrist when viewed from the side. Feet of the snowshoe type, tight and deep, with well-padded feet, giving a solid, simple appearance. Feet large, toes tight and slightly arched. Protective hair between toes. Pads thick, tough; nails short and strong.
Hindquarters: The hind legs are broad and the entire thigh muscles are well developed; the stifles are moderately inclined; the hocks are moderately inclined and well down. When viewed from behind, the hind legs are in line with the corresponding front legs, neither too far apart nor too close, whether standing or walking. Dewclaws on the hind legs are unnecessary and need to be removed when the puppies are born.
Tail: When they huddle in the snow, their tails keep them warm. They wrap their tails around their noses and faces to help protect them from bad weather, such as snowstorms.
Lifespan: The lifespan of the Alaskan Malamute is not very long, and it can live for about eleven to twelve years. Its lifespan is closely related to its living environment, diet, and daily exercise.
Living habits
Alaskan Malamutes will attack strange dogs when they encounter them, and like to think of themselves as the boss of the pack. In addition, they are always ready to attack and chase animals large and small. This species likes to mount, which is a sign of happiness and playfulness for puppies and a sign of mating with estrus or an attempt to establish their own status for adult male dogs.
Alaskan sled dogs are very loyal and love sports. They are very friendly to humans. They are born to trust humans and like to help their owners. After entering a family, they will habitually obey the orders of other people in the family. In addition, they are very smart and can even understand what their owners say about them in private. Therefore, compared to most dogs, Alaskan sled dogs are more stubborn. Once they recognize their owners, they will only listen to their owners’ orders and remain loyal. They will stand up for the dangers that their owners may encounter.
Alaskan sled dogs are gregarious by nature, but there is a clear hierarchy in the group, so there is always a leader to dominate the life of the whole group. This species will show respect and awe to the leader dog, so when living with humans, this species will also be very loyal and obedient to its owner.
Feeding method
Alaskan sled dogs have high requirements for the environment. Since they are from the cold zone, they are not very heat-resistant and need to maintain a relatively cool environment for a long time. This dog has strong mobility, so its living environment needs to be relatively spacious, and more importantly, it needs to be guaranteed to have enough exercise.
Alaskan sled dogs are born with poor gastrointestinal function, especially puppies, which are more susceptible to gastrointestinal diseases. In mild cases, they will have loss of appetite, and in severe cases, they will suffer from vomiting and diarrhea.
The coat must be combed regularly from an early age. Commonly used tools include scraping brushes, pin brushes, coarse-tooth combs, and rake combs. The key point is to regularly comb the hair on both sides of the abdomen.
Combing the dog’s hair: Combing should be done once in the morning and evening, for 5 minutes each time. Pay attention to the order of combing: start from the neck, from front to back, from top to bottom, that is, from the neck to the shoulder, then the back, chest, waist, abdomen, hindquarters, then the head, and finally the limbs and tail. During the combing process, you should comb one side before combing the other side.
Combing technique: comb the hair quickly in the direction of the hair. When combing long-haired dogs, many people only comb the long hair on the surface and ignore the fine hair underneath. The dog’s undercoat is soft and dense. If it is not combed for a long time, it will form tangles and even cause eczema, psoriasis or other skin diseases. Therefore, when combing long-haired dogs, you should comb them layer by layer, turn up the long hair, and then comb the undercoat.
Types of combs: brushes, flexible steel wire brushes and long, sparse metal combs. Brushes can only make the ends of long hair fluffy, but cannot comb fine hair. When combing long-haired dogs, brushes, flexible steel wire brushes and long, sparse metal combs should be used together.
Characteristics: Compared with other dog breeds, the Alaskan Malamute is less disciplined and more free and undisciplined. This dog is stronger than the Siberian Husky and can not only carry heavy objects, but also carry heavy objects for a long distance.
