F&Q's

On to the FAQ’s

( Q ) How large do Malamutes get? 

( A ) Malamutes have a natural range in size, but the desired freighting size is 25″ in a male and 85 to 90lb and 23″ in a female around 70 to 75 lb The size is to the shoulder or (withers). It’s not uncommon to see Malamutes as large as 29″ or as small as 21″. Average weight is approximately 70 – 110 lbs 

( Q ) Are Malamutes good with people?

( A ) Malamutes were bred to work for man. They were even used as a medium of exchange in the arctic region. The loving temperament of the Malamute towards man is a must. Malamutes do have problems with other animals and owners must use supervision when allowing a Malamute to get to know another animal, but no malamute should be outwardly nervous or aggressive around or towards people not even strangers. 

( Q ) Are Malamutes Good with children?

( A ) To this I usually ask how are children with dogs :} Obviously if your dog has never been around small children it may be dubious or wary of them. And let’s be honest, some kiddies terrify adults with their behaviour, but if raised with or around children and the children learn to respect the dog, like not being allowed to jump off the coffee table onto the dog while it is sleeping or play take the dog for a walk by his tail or ears, they should get on like a house on fire. And the mal should brighten your kiddie’s lives, and the kiddies will brighten your mals life right back. However, you must always take into consideration that a malamute is a large playful dog and at six months can weigh up to 5 stone and sometimes can get a bit over excited and be a bit enthusiastic when playing so be careful that accidents don’t occur round small children, and if a mally has not been reared or socialized with small children or it is the type of dog that is the owners baby and has been mollycoddled, best to fall on the side of cautiousness. 

( Q ) Are Malamutes the ones with Blue eyes ? 

( A ) No, Malamutes have dark eyes, except for some Reds with liver pigmentation can have green or amber coloured eyes. Siberian huskies however, can have either Blue, Brown or one Blue and one Brown, as to Huskamutes ( Huskamutes will probably have blue eyes or the breeder’s will strive to produce pups with blue eyes ). 

( Q ) Do Malamutes eat a lot of food? 

( A ) They do not require as much food as other dogs their size. They are bred to be a freighting dog carrying heavy amounts of weight. The more they eat the more food which would have to be added to they’re already heavy loads. The average Malamute will do fine on 3 – 4 cups of high quality food a day..[ if you prefer this method of feeding, I prefer barf feeding myself , for those interested in more natural diet please follow this link { WILL DO BARF FOOD ASAP } you can always fall back on this at some other time if need be ;] 

( Q ) DO they lose much hair ? 

( A ) This again is a yes no kind of question, Yes they do but they have very strange fur that comes off your clothes easy with a damp cloth, it sort of rolls up into a cotton wool kind of substance, but I would not recommend all carpet and recommend laminate and tiles in every area your dog will frequent. Their grooming requirements is not as vigorous as some breeds, they do shed vigorously in the summer months when they shed their winter coat but it dispenses in large clumps and the process can be made shorter if you apply a daily rigorous grooming at the time of blowing out and this will shorten the time considerably. With effort it could be over and done within a couple of weeks, if left alone this can take 6 to 8 weeks if you’re lucky and possibly longer depending on the length and thickness of the coat in question and the time of year new coat returns a lot quicker during the winter months.

(Q ) Do Malamutes shed their coats during the summer?

( A ) The males normally shed once a year, but not necessarily in the summer. They shed as required. If they shed in the winter months they will be back in full coat much quicker than if they shed in the Summer months. Females normally have a light shed twice a year and is before, during or after their heat cycles. Females will shed to the skin after whelping a litter of puppies . treat and masses of hugs, does marvels when they’ve done good let them know it, as these dogs love to be loved and love to please!

( Q ) Do they howl ? 

( A ) Yes they howl, yowl, growl, woo woo, ru ru, scream, serenade, bark and make all manner of noises , but they don’t generally do it for nothing, put it this way, all your neighbours will know when you arrive home. Or with some, especially the mals, everyone will know its feeding time, it’s one of those things if you have one it don’t sound that bad, but if you have a few, a thirty second blast of appreciation can seem like an eternity, and no they don’t howl at the full moon, but I have noticed that my dogs do get a little hyper at full moon times. 

( Q ) How much exercise does a Malamute require? 

( A ) Malamutes are dogs of working instinct. They require or regular area /opportunity to run , to tone, develop, and maintain muscles, but more, they demand the Human companionship that an owner must accept when thinking about a Malamute as a dog of choice When not exercised properly they get an excesses of pent up energy, they then become bored and if left to their own devices or left on their own for too long without attention or exercise they will became quite destructive, so if you only want a stroll around the park on a Sunday afternoon dog then please don’t get a malamute. 

( Q ) Do they dig holes ? 

( A ) when I first acquired my dogs I had a well-established mature garden that I had spent the best part of ten years cultivating and tending to, it was my pride and joy, till my dogs got in there and gave me a makeover sibe and mal style, with a bit of bull mastiff thrown in for good measure. The contents of the pond disappeared, as the constant running in and out of it helped the contents to disperse, and then in the middle of the garden was the master piece, a hole the size of crater. I thought a comet had hit the back garden, and then there was this heap that resembled something out of close encounters of the third kind. As for the plants … Alan Tismarsh would have paid mega bucks for the use of my dogs, they managed to trim, prune, deadhead or let me re phase that de head and remove whole plants all in a few hours :}}} So do they dig holes ? They will terra form your garden given half the chance! LOL

( Q ) How much do they cost ? 

( A ) This again is the how long is a piece of string question, but by and large the average price of a K.C registered Alaskan malamutes from a reputable breeder within the breed , going from no less than £750 to about £950 with certain lines and show quality going for even more. Yes you can pick puppies up from as little as £350 on the net and the ads will tell you all kinds of things usually many champions in the line all malamutes have champions in the lines, but where do the champions start with the parents and grandparents or are the champions in the fourth and fifth generation and having a few champions in a pedigree is no guarantee of the quality of the puppy , most breed specialist would never sell their pups at this kind of price, as usually they have imported dogs used expensive stud dogs that complement their bitch and pedigrees, not used the nearest or cheapest dog they can find they often don’t even use their own stud dogs , they spend huge amounts of money showing or working their dogs sometimes both to prove their dogs worth and do not live of the back of another breeders hard work and trophies , price or distance should never be a contributing factor when deciding where to buy your puppy from , there is the old saying you get what you buy for 🙂

( Q ) What’s the difference in show or pet quality ? 

( A ) Pet or companion pups generally lack a general something in the physical appearance that the breeder deems important to the breed and the breeds standard, to the novice the fault would not be apparent and would not affect the dogs ability to lead a happy and healthy life, on the other hand a puppy sold as show quality would be considered to be an excellent example and specimen of the breed, so obviously the cost of the pet puppy is considerably cheaper than the show puppy, and often breeders will have a contract to neuter or spay pet quality puppies. 

( Q ) Are they easy to train ? 

( A ) To this, I would say easier than some breeds and not as easy, as other breeds but where my sibes are concerned I found they learned very quickly and very easily, in fact they learned better than any of my boxers. The mals learn equally as quick, but can learn a little more, especially the leash, but the problem is, just because they know the command, don’t mean they’re going to do it, they can be stubborn and suffer from selective deafness. Early obedience training is very important and a good form of socialization and patience and persistence is the key to successful training, once you lose your patience you’ve lost the battle. Most importantly, a good treat and masses of hugs, does marvels when they’ve done good let them know it, as these dogs love to be loved and love to please!

( Q ) Are they related to Wolves ? 

( A ) Some would say definitely Not ( not as in directly from a wolf ) so really the answer is NO, but I think in the larger scheme of things all dogs are said to come from some intervention of wolves, coyotes and such animals. Who really knows what has gone in the grand scheme of things in years gone by, but malamutes i think still have very some very strong characteristics and behaviours of their distant relatives who were wolves.

( Q ) Do they get hot in Summer ?

( A ) If they have plenty of shade and water, ( I myself also have fans above where they laze ) they will tolerate the summer without a problem. I tend to walk my dogs or let them run in the late evening about eight or nine as it is usually much cooler. The dogs seem to reserve their energy all day when it’s really hot, and seem to hype up a bit in the evening. I wouldn’t take my dogs on a long car journey in the blazing sun; I would choose to travel early in the morning or in the evening. Should you have to take them on a hot day, please be sure to stop often, give them water frequently and put the air conditioning on and leave your windows down so they have plenty of ventilation.

( Q ) What should I expect from the breeder when I purchase a puppy? 

( A ) Please find all you need to know about finding reputable breeders here Breeder-Do’s

( Q ) Do they get along with cats ? 

( A ) This is a bit like asking how long Is a piece of string, I think it totally unfair to generalize on an entire breed and say that mals don’t do cats. I know a lot of dogs that don’t do cats, including 4 of my 6 boxers ( it’s the whole cat and dogs are enemies thing like what you see in the cartoons ) ) I have many friends with multi mal cat homes and when raised from pups seem to get along just fine and the cats become one of the pack, although the same cannot be said for the neighbours cats who may well be fair game , it’s not a breed thing, it’s a dog thing, most dogs will chase a rabbit or a squirrel or a bird if they catch sight of it, that’s just a dogs nature. 

( Q ) Are they good guard dogs ? 

( A ) If you are looking for the rotty or shepherd type of guard dog, not a chance. Though I find my malamutes very protective of me and they have on a couple of occasions growled at strange youths when I’ve been alone in the park, but to be honest the best that you can hope for is that the burglar don’t take the dog as well, the only deterrent may be the look of the dog. I would never encourage anyone to teach a malamute to guard as they were bred to love and trust humans , and in the past it has been proven that a malamute trained to guard cannot determine between friend or foe and just becomes a very dangerous dogs if you want a guard dog please buy a suitable guarding breed we have a very good alarm dog our Pom Diva she alerts us to all intruders and strange bumps in the night LOL 

( Q ) Do they get along with other dogs ?

( A ) As a breed, Malamutes tend to be aggressive with other dogs of the same sex. For example, males won’t get along with other males. However through years of work, breeders have greatly improved the temperament of the breed. And more same sex Malamutes are getting along , as evidenced by their work in dog teams. Early socialization is a primary key to their successful integration into canine co-existence. 

I myself have found, as an owner of 3 entire males and 4 bitches, that once again its about temperament and socialization, dogs are like people some gel and some don’t , and if you human you avoid the people who clash with your personality bit harder if you’re a dog and your being made to share the same space with someone you dislike every day :[ you put two dominant dogs together regardless of gender or breed you going to have problems at some point this is just common sense , this problem will escalate in the hands of a un educated dog owner or those lacking in basic being Alpha knowledge and not having the right energy to convince the dogs in question you are truly the alpha and then there are those dogs that no matter how educated you are these dogs will never get along and will fight at any given opportunity regardless. 

Some care and attention should be executed when bitches are in seasons and around food and if you’re like me and you have several dogs, there must be time out. Dogs must be rotated around, some in ,some out to play, you sleep with this one today, and that one tomorrow, ( after all could you spend 24/7 with the same people day in day out without arguing at some point ? ) it’s a constant socialization thing. If they don’t see other dogs and associate with other dogs, they won’t like other dogs. But in all fairness no malamute or any dog is not going to get on with every dog it meets and shouldn’t be expected to, and even the best tempered mal will take up even a tiny challenge in the blink of an eye, as after all he is the king of the working breeds. 

Consideration of bitches in season should be taken seriously, some of the sweetest natured dogs can became not so nice when in season ( it’s the hormone thing ) so if you know your dog to be a bit funny at this time and you have a pack, keep her separated from the rest, get her spade, or let someone with no dogs have her. bitches in season is also one the biggest causes of males falling out with males they had previously been best buddies with , I’m not going to say having mals with other dogs is easy or a natural thing to them , but with time and training and loads of positive socialization from pup to adult and the right match of personalities they can co-exist in harmony with other dogs.

( Q ) How can I get one ? 

( A ) IF you’re reading this you have all the tools you need to find your dream pet But shop around, check the person out, any reputable breeder will check you out, don’t be impatient, sometimes you may have to wait to find what you’re looking for. So if you’ve decided you want a black and white male don’t take a grey and white female as that’s what’s left, choose your breeder wisely , go to a local dog show find the type of mal you like contact the breeder take the time to go see them and their dogs put your name down on their puppy list , patience is a virtue wen acquiring the mal of your dreams , good places to start your search for reputable breeders is [www.alaskanmalamute.org.uk/index.htm ] and http://www.champdogs.co.uk/breeds/alaskan-malamute and when you finally hold that bundle of fluff in your arms the wait would have most certainly worth the while.