​I added this page for those who want to learn more about the majestic malamute.

 

Let me start off by saying that the Alaskan malamute is NOT the right breed for everyone! Yes they are a marvel to look at and cute little balls of fluff when pups; but they grow to be big HUGE balls of fluff wth a whole lot of training needed. A well trained adult malamute could be a loyal companion and family member, but a neglected Malamute could be a complex complication in life!

 

HISTORY:

The malamute is a direct descendant of he Mahlemut tribe of the inuit in Alaska. The dogs had a major  role in working, hunting, and living the everyday lifestyle of the Inuit's; they were another member of the family. Recent DNA analysis show that the Alaskan malamutes are one of the "oldet breeds of dog" tht is geneticaly distinct from all other dog breeds. The Alaskan malamute has been traced back to be in existance for as long as 2,000 - 3,000 years ago. The world's first dog was recently discovered andis said to be 31,700 years old and is described as "most resembling the Siberian husky, but were somewhat larger", that is the description of our beloved Alaskan malamute. In 2010 the Alaskan malamute was designated as the official state dog of Alaska.

 

APPEARANCE:

The American Kennel Club describes the Alaskan Malamute as, "a powerful and substantially built dog with a deep chest and strong, well-muscled body. The malamute stands well over the pads, and this stance gives the appearance of much activity and a proud carrige, with head erect and eyes alert showing interest and curiosity. Th head is broad. Ears are triangular and erect when alerted. The muzzle is bulky, only slight diminishing in width from root to nose. The muzzle is not pointed or long, yet not stubby. The coat is thick witha coarse guard coat o sufficient length to protect a wooly undercoat. Malamutes are of various colors. Face markings are a distinguishing feature. These consist of a cap over the head, the face either all white or marked with a bar and/or mask. The tail is well furred, carried over the back, nd has the appearance of a waving plume. There is a natural range in size in the breed. The desirable freighting sizes are males, 25 inches at the shoulders, 85 pounds; females, 23 inches at the shoulders, 75 pounds. The usual colors range from light gray through intermediate shadings to black, sable, and shadings of sable to red. Color combinations are acceptable in undercoats, points, and trimmings. The only solid color allowable is all white. White is always the predominant color on the underbody, parts of legs, feet, and part of face markings. A white blaze on the forehead and/or collar or underbody, parts of legs, feet, and part of face markings. A white blaze on the forehead and/or collar or a spot on the nape is attractive and acceptable. The malamute is mantled, and broken colors extending over the body or uneven splashings are undesirable." --quoted from the AKC for informational purposes only!

*Click the pink "coat colors" link located above for picture examples of the different malamute colors. Click the purple "American Kennel Club" link to go the AKC web site and view their complete breed standards. Click on the blue "markings example" link to view the different markings of a malamute.

 

TEMPER...TEMPER

Alaskan Malamutes are pack dogs and should thrive extremley well with other amimals as long as they are socialized from an early age and taught how to play properly without hurting anyone or any other 4 legged buddy; they need guidance because of their larger size and strength. They could sometimes not realize how big or strong they are. Unfixed malamutes could grow to be dominant and if challenged will not back down, but if you train your pup, love your pup, and SOCIALIZE your pup; then you should fear not! Remember that socialization is the key with any and every breed of dog; and weather you do end up owning a malamute or you end p with a yorkie; you must invest a lot of attention and love towards your new pet to have a well behaed dog! An active, well socialized, and loved malamute will be an amazing addition o anyone's life, but your new puppy will depend on you to teach him or her manners and how to behave. Malamutes are greatwith children and are inadequate if you are looking for a "guard dog"; they are more likely to lick an intruder or an unwanted guest. A malamute will give you unconditional love and the same goes towards your family...he/she will see you and your family as their new "pack" with one person taking on the roll of pack leader and will play with our kids and love them to death! I can say that we all live here in harmony adults, children, cats, dogs (other fixed breed), and malamutes alike; and I could attest that though it was a lot of work we successfully nailed it and could all sleep on the coaches together!

 

Please be warned that if you do not have enough time to keep your malamtue active and properly socialized, then you might want to consider not getting a dog all together and might want to choose a different form of pet (cat, bir, or anything else). Simply because dogs, any and all breeds, are like children and need YOU to care for them, teach them, love them, etc, etc. A dog is not lawn decor and need and deserves love and affection.

 

GROOMING AND CARE:

I love, love, love, grooming time! I find it so relaxing for me and has become "mommy's alone time". Not to mention that it is a great way to bond and give my mals inividualized time...grooming time for me usually takes 2 full weekend as to the fact that I groom 5 mals!

Anyhow...Alaskan malamutes are what is called a "double coated" dog. Basically this means that they hae both an undercoat (that keeps them warm and protects their skin from sunburns, windburns, or from frost in the snow) and a guard (which is the top layer of coat that protects the unercoat). If you have a wooly coated malamute then the coat will need a little more grooming than that of a standard coated malamute as they shed a little more. An Alaskan malamute blows their coat (meaning that their hair comes out in chunks) twice a year to adjust with the change in claimants; once during spring and then before winter. The rest of the year there is minimal sheding of their coat so it must be brushed frequently (at least once a week, twice if wooly coated.)

 

It is imperative that regular brushing becomes a routine in your malmaute's life, if a malamute is not brushed regularly (again...especially woolies) then their coat could become matted and will need to be cut or shaved off. Coat matting is very unhealthy for an Alaskan malamute as it could harbor different bacteria that will lead to fungal skin infections, not to mention that it becomes painful especially when trying to brush out a matted coat.

 

The only areas that I would personally tell you to always keep well trimmed on ALL malamutes are their paw pad area. With time, fur on malamutes

paw pads (the bottom of their feet) will accumulate and must be trimmed well and with extreme care to not cut his/her paw. This must be done because if too much fur is covering the paw pad unwanted debris (rock pebbles, gum, tree sap, thorns, etc, etc) could get caught in between the toes and be painful or annoying to your malamute. For wooly coated mals; trimming their rump and genital areas are a must so that fecal matter and urine will not stick and stay on their fur. You could do this just by cutting your mals fur with some hair shears while combing their fur. Just clear the fur of of their butt area and inner thighs area. (Rocket is our super wooly coated mal and the picture that you see below is day 2 of coming her coat; so please keep in mind that whom ever tells you that wolly coats are "not harder to groom" or "as easy to keep up with" than a standard coat, is giving you false information. Woolies are great to look at, but do need extra grooming care. I don't mean to scare anyone away from wollies, I am just being honest!)

 

Teeth brushing is also very important and should be done frequently to prevent cavities and gum disease which are painful for your dog; they diminish its pleasure and ability to eat and enjoy their foods. Any bacteria that will develop on a dog's unrushed teeth can infet the heart, kidney, liver, and brain of any dog. You could purchase dog approved toothbrush and toothpaste kits at anystore that sells pet items. I suggest that you brush your mal's teeth when you brush their coat.

 

Nail trimming is a miniml necessity especially if you are active with your mal because the normal everyday walking on pavement works as a nail file and files down your pet's nails; but if you notie that your malamute needs his/her nails trimmed than you could purchase dog nail clippers at any pet store. If you have never trimmed a dog's nails before I suggest that you ask your vet or a local groomer to show you how to properly trim your dog's nails. If you trim your dog's nails to short you could accidently cut the dog's quick which will bleed a whole lot and hurt you dog.

 

Ear cleaning should be done at least once a week. Purchase some ear wash at the pet store or at your vet's and simply pour the liquid cleanser into the dog's ear and pinch the ear shut; gently massage it to loosen up the dirt. Allow the dog to shake it's head and then gently wipe the inside of your dogs ear with a cotton ball.

 

Grooming your Alaskan malamute could either go 2 ways; basically you have the patience and love to groom yon have at least 4 hours of time to invest in grooming your wooly mal or 2 hours to groom your standard coated mal; or you rather just seek professional help. Again grooming is a great wa to bond a little better with your mal. The only down fall in seeking "professional groomers" is that many times they might shave or give a malamute ((especially a wooly malamute) an extremely BAD haircut! You never ever...ever want to shave your Alskan malamute because a shaved malamute could only cause harm to your pet as you are exposing him/her to sunburns, windburns, dry itchy skin, and not to mention that it drastically changes the appearance of the coat color and texture. It is imperative that if you are set on adding an Alaskan malamute to your family but want to keep it less 'high maintenance' as possible then I would advise you to go with a standard coat mal. Grooming plays a BIG role in owning a healthy and great looking malamute!

 

In order to properly groom your Alaskan malamute you will need a few basic items:

1. Proper dog shampoo and dog conditioner. (If your mal is white, then you might want to consider a whitening shampoo...I use both shampoos on my whites.)

2. A large undercoat rake and a large finishing pin brush

3. A towel and/or pet approved coat dryer (the dog hairdryers will make your life easier and grooming faster; the only problem hereis that if you don't accustome your dog as a pup then the noise migh be a problem)

4. Grooming hair shears (hair scissors)

5. Dog toothbrush and paste

6. Dog ear wash and cotton balls

7. Dog nail trimmer

8. Scented dog spray (doggy perfume)

9. A spray on detangling solution (for wooly coated mals only)

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