Alaskan Malamute
Built to haul heavy freight slowly rather than to race, which is what separates it from the husky. It howls instead of barking, and it digs given any chance.
Overview
The Malamute is a freight dog, not a racing dog, and that distinction explains the whole animal. It was bred by the Mahlemut people of Alaska to haul heavy loads over long distances at a walking pace, so it is built for power rather than speed, and it is considerably larger and heavier than a Siberian Husky.
The coat is a genuine arctic double coat: a coarse guard layer over a dense oily undercoat, and it is why a Malamute in a warm climate is a dog living in the wrong place.
Temperament
Friendly, boisterous and completely unreliable off lead. Malamutes like people, including strangers, so they make poor guard dogs, and they are strongly pack oriented.
The difficulty is independence and prey drive. They were bred to work as a team but to think for themselves, and they respond to training that is interesting rather than repetitive. Same sex aggression is common in the breed, and the prey drive towards small animals is serious.
Care and grooming
Heavy shedding all year and two catastrophic moults, when the undercoat comes out in sheets. Daily brushing during those weeks, weekly otherwise.
The coat should never be shaved. It insulates against heat as well as cold, and shaving it removes that and can permanently damage the regrowth. Hip dysplasia, cataracts and a breed specific polyneuropathy are worth asking a breeder about.
Living and exercise
Serious daily exercise, two hours or more, and a fence sunk into the ground because they dig with real commitment.
They pull, which is what they are for, and harness sports suit them better than heel work does. They are also loud in a specific way: Malamutes do not bark much and they woo and howl instead, and neighbours notice.
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