meet the...Alaskan Malamute
Breed Summary
Breed Group Group 2: Spitz and Nordic Breeds
Sub-group 2-D: Nordic Sled Dogs
Origin Country United States
Weight Males: 85-124 pounds. Females: 75-124 pounds.
Height Males: 25-28 inches. Females: 23-26 inches.
Other Name(s) Al Mal, Mal, Malamute, Malamute De Alaska, Malamute De L'Alaska, Mally, Maly
Breed Type Pure
click here for FULL BREED STANDARD
Origins
Pound for pound, Alaskan Malamutes are noted as some of the world’s strongest canines, long admired for their stamina and hardiness as working dogs. Admiral Richard E. Byrd quite possibly would not have been able to make his polar expeditions were it not for the Malamute and his Northern breed brother, the Alaskan Husky. They were used to reach areas of the Arctic that were otherwise inaccessible without the help of sled dogs.
Alaskan Malamutes originally came from the Kotzebue Sound on Alaska’s northwest coast, home of the native Eskimos formerly known as Mahlemuts. Known today as the Kobuk, these people depended heavily on their dogs, relying on them as partners for hunting large game. Of course, after the game was successfully killed, it would need to be hauled home over long miles of frozen tundra. Out of necessity, the Malamute breed developed into a powerful, muscular dog with the keenest of instincts, uniquely capable of enduring the harsh climate of the Arctic.
The Kobuk people were renowned for their relationship with their dogs. Instead of being viewed as property, the dogs were essentially their partners in survival. Survival for both depended on teamwork, and the canines certainly evolved with a certain strength and independence, doubtless learned from their human counterparts and their common surroundings. Dogs that made the cut into the Kobuk people’s families were treated as such. Since the dogs were regarded as family members, it was especially difficult for people outside of the Kobuk nation to obtain these dogs.
Malamutes were also used during the Klondike Gold Rush of the 1890s. The Malamute was suited for hauling, and prospectors needed them to get around in the Yukon and Alaskan tundra. Malamutes were utilized sporadically throughout Europe during World War I, but extensive training and planning went into the United States Army’s usage of Malamutes during World War II. These dogs were loved and respected for their service to our country, which included saving the lives of many downed pilots in areas that could not be reached without a sled dog team.Breed Characteristics
Head: Mesaticephalic skull-type and in proportion to the rest of the body. It is broad, deep, and from above or in profile. The skull is shaped like a blunt wedge. From the front, the topskull appears somewhat rounded between the ears and narrows slightly toward the eyes. A slight median furrow starts at the stop and runs upward towards the occiput, diminishing partway. The head exhibits good bone and muscling, with cheeks and temporal muscles ranging from somewhat flat to slightly padded without appearing heavy, bulky, or weedy. The head is clean-cut without excess skin or wrinkles.
Eyes: The eyes are medium size, set well apart, almond in shape, and set obliquely. They range in color from light brown to dark brown in all colors except reds (liver), which may also have blue or green eyes. The eye rims are well-pigmented and tightly fitted. The eyes should never appear round, large, or overly small.
Ears: The ears are medium in size but somewhat small in comparison to the rest of the head. They are thick-leathered and triangular in shape with small, slightly rounded tips. They are held firmly erect, with the tips pointing slightly forward. When relaxed, the ear tips fall between the 10 and 11 o’clock position and the one and two o’clock position. They are set far back and widely apart on the outermost edge of the skull. The lower corner of the base of the ear is level with the outer corner of the eye.
Muzzle: Just slightly shorter than the topskull, the muzzle is well-developed, somewhat prominent, deep, broad, full, and rather blocky. The plane, or bridge of the muzzle, is straight. It tapers just slightly from the base of the muzzle to the nose. The upper and lower jaws are equal in length and have good bone substance. They are strong, well-developed, and never appear snipey or weak.
Nose: The nose may be black or self-colored according to the coat, with snow noses being equally acceptable. The nostrils are well-opened.
Neck: Moderate in length and powerfully muscled with a slight arch. The neck tapers smoothly from the deeper and broader body toward the head. The neck is clean-cut, without excess skin, throatiness, or dewlap.
Chest: Deep and broad but never wider than deep. The brisket extends to the point of the elbows.
Body: Compact, solid, and good substance. The body is never racy or refined. The width at the forequarters is approximately equal to the width at the hindquarters.
Feet: Large and snowshoe-like, oval to round, with well-arched toes and tough pads.
Tail: The tail is of a moderate length, thick at the base and tapering toward the tip. When held down, the tip of the last vertebrae should extend to the hock joints. It is set neither high nor low but elegantly following the plane of the topline. The tail may be carried high over the back when alert but will be carried outward or slightly above or below the level of the topline when working. The tail should never be tucked.
Movement: The Malamute’s movement is steady and strong, capable of seemingly tireless enduring good movement. In addition to possessing powerful, steady movement, the Malamute is also quite agile for his size. The characteristics of a healthy structure are evident. When moving away, the forelegs and rear pasterns should remain parallel to one another. When viewing movement from the front, the forelegs should remain parallel, with elbows and paws moving neither moving in nor out. From the rear, the back pads should be visible when the rear legs are extended. As speed increases, the forelimbs and hindlimbs will converge to the center line of gravity. From the side, the topline should remain firm and level. Good reach of movement in the front allows the forepaw to extend out in line with the nose. When extended, the width between the forefeet should be approximately equal to the width between the hindfeet when extended, indicating balance, good reach, and a good drive. Dogs that exhibit any sign of breathing or locomotive difficulty shall be disqualified from the show ring.
Temperament: The Alaskan Malamute is affectionate, loving, and intelligent. They excel in many sports and training tasks if the proper motivation and training methods are applied. They are social dogs, friendly toward other people and pets. Although relatively watchful, they are not ideal guard dogs. Once matured, they exude quiet and calm confidence. Any unprovoked, aggressive, or fearful behavior toward people is incorrect for this breed.
Breed Standard
BREED GROUP 2: Spitz and Nordic Breeds
Proportions: The Alaskan Malamute is a sturdy drafting breed, with his body proportions being off-square to somewhat rectangular. The length of the body, measured from the point of the forechest to the point of the rump, is slightly greater than the height at the withers. The ideal body height-to-length ratio is between 10:8 and 10:9. The body is well-put-together with sturdy substance and medium to somewhat heavy bone. Males should appear masculine, being more substantial in size and mass, while females should appear more feminine and slightly less substantial. Neither should lack overall type. The weight of males and females is always in proportion to the height.
Head
General Appearance: Mesaticephalic skull-type and in proportion to the rest of the body. It is broad, deep, and from above or in profile. The skull is shaped like a blunt wedge. From the front, the topskull appears somewhat rounded between the ears and narrows slightly toward the eyes. A slight median furrow starts at the stop and runs upward towards the occiput, diminishing partway. The head exhibits good bone and muscling, with cheeks and temporal muscles ranging from somewhat flat to slightly padded without appearing heavy, bulky, or weedy. The head is clean-cut without excess skin or wrinkles.
Expression: Gentle, affectionate, watchful, and self-composed.
Stop: The stop may range from shallow to somewhat defined.
Skull: The ideal muzzle-to-skull ratio is 2:3, with the topskull being just longer than the muzzle.
The ideal muzzle-to-skull axis is convergent.
Muzzle: Just slightly shorter than the topskull, the muzzle is well-developed, somewhat prominent, deep, broad, full, and rather blocky. The plane, or bridge of the muzzle, is straight. It tapers just slightly from the base of the muzzle to the nose. The upper and lower jaws are equal in length and have good bone substance. They are strong, well-developed, and never appear snipey or weak.
Lips or Flews: The lips are clean and fit tightly over the teeth and jaws.
Nose: The nose may be black or self-colored according to the coat, with snow noses being equally acceptable. The nostrils are well-opened.
Cheeks: Cheeks are smooth to padded, denoting strength. The cheeks should not appear chiseled or coarse.
Dentition and Bite: Forty-two strong, clean, and white teeth. The bite may be level, scissor, or reverse-scissor bite permissible. Contact must be made between the top and bottom incisors.
Eyes: The eyes are medium size, set well apart, almond in shape, and set obliquely. They range in color from light brown to dark brown in all colors except reds (liver), which may also have blue or green eyes. The eye rims are well-pigmented and tightly fitted. The eyes should never appear round, large, or overly small.
Ears: The ears are medium in size but somewhat small in comparison to the rest of the head. They are thick-leathered and triangular in shape with small, slightly rounded tips. They are held firmly erect, with the tips pointing slightly forward. When relaxed, the ear tips fall between the 10 and 11 o’clock position and the one and two o’clock position. They are set far back and widely apart on the outermost edge of the skull. The lower corner of the base of the ear is level with the outer corner of the eye.
Body and Tail
General Description: Compact, solid, and good substance. The body is never racy or refined. The width at the forequarters is approximately equal to the width at the hindquarters.
Neck: Moderate in length and powerfully muscled with a slight arch. The neck tapers smoothly from the deeper and broader body toward the head. The neck is clean-cut, without excess skin, throatiness, or dewlap.
Chest: Deep and broad but never wider than deep. The brisket extends to the point of the elbows.
Topline: May be level from, or almost imperceptibly sloped from, slightly prominent withers to croup. The back is broad, strongly muscled, and straight, yet supple. The loin is taut, level with the back, and supportive. It should not be overly long. The topline is never swayed or roached.
Croup: Broad and gently sloped.
Underline: A slight tuck-up may be present. The underline runs parallel to the topline. The underline is taut and firm, without any indication of sagging or excess weight.
Ribs: Long, well-sprung, well-laid back, oval-shaped, never barrel-chested or slab-sided.
Tail: The tail is of a moderate length, thick at the base and tapering toward the tip. When held down, the tip of the last vertebrae should extend to the hock joints. It is set neither high nor low but elegantly following the plane of the topline. The tail may be carried high over the back when alert but will be carried outward or slightly above or below the level of the topline when working. The tail should never be tucked.
Forequarters and Hindquarters
Forequarters: The forequarters are always in balance with the hindquarters and well-angulated with well-laid-back shoulder blades. Shoulder blades are approximately equal in length to the upper arm and forearm.
Elbows: The elbows are close to the body. The point of the elbows is approximately half the dog’s height at the withers.
Forelegs: Frontal View: Straight, of good muscle and bone, and parallel to one another.
Side View: The forelimbs appear straight with strong pasterns.
Pasterns: Never weak or broken.
Hindquarters: The upper and lower thighs are equal in length, strong, sturdy, of good bone, and well-muscled.
Rear View: When viewed from the rear, the rear pasterns are parallel to one another.
Side View: Good angulation will allow the rear toes to align with the point of the rump or within one to two paw-lengths behind the point of the rump, with the rear pasterns remaining perpendicular to the ground and parallel to one another.
Stifle Joint: Well-angulated with a good bend to well-let-down rear pasterns.
Angulations: The angulation of the hindquarters is always in balance with the angulation of the forequarters.
Feet: Large and snowshoe-like, oval to round, with well-arched toes and tough pads.
Coat
Skin: Well-fitted, yet supple. The skin should never obstruct the outline of the dog.
Coat Type: The Alaskan Malamute comes in two coat varieties: the standard coat and the long coat.
Standard coat variety: Thick, plush, coarse outer coat, short to medium length (one to two inches), it is longest on the neck, back, croup, breeches, and tail. Shorter and less thick in warmer climates. Dense, wooly, undercoat.
Long coat variety: The coat is short on the face, forehead, and front of the forelimbs and hindlimbs. It is longer than the permissible 2 inches throughout, especially on the neck, ears, rear of the front and hindlimbs, feet, and tail, forming well-developed fringe and furnishings.
Coat Color or Pattern: CKC recognizes two color varieties of the Alaskan Malamute breed: the standard and nonstandard.
Standard coat color variety: Various shades of the following: gray, black, sable, grizzle, and red. It may have varying colors and shades of undercoat or agouti pattern. Always with white points and underbody or solid white. All with a solidly marked mantle pattern and white restricted from the body. White “urajiro” points are the only white permissible. White facial masks and collars are permissible.
Nonstandard coat color variety: Pied or with broken colors extending over the body, asymmetrical markings, or splashes of color.
Movement
The Malamute’s movement is steady and strong, capable of seemingly tireless enduring good movement. In addition to possessing powerful, steady movement, the Malamute is also quite agile for his size. The characteristics of a healthy structure are evident. When moving away, the forelegs and rear pasterns should remain parallel to one another. When viewing movement from the front, the forelegs should remain parallel, with elbows and paws moving neither moving in nor out. From the rear, the back pads should be visible when the rear legs are extended. As speed increases, the forelimbs and hindlimbs will converge to the center line of gravity. From the side, the topline should remain firm and level. Good reach of movement in the front allows the forepaw to extend out in line with the nose. When extended, the width between the forefeet should be approximately equal to the width between the hindfeet when extended, indicating balance, good reach, and a good drive. Dogs that exhibit any sign of breathing or locomotive difficulty shall be disqualified from the show ring.
Temperament
The Alaskan Malamute is affectionate, loving, and intelligent. They excel in many sports and training tasks if the proper motivation and training methods are applied. They are social dogs, friendly toward other people and pets. Although relatively watchful, they are not ideal guard dogs. Once matured, they exude quiet and calm confidence. Any unprovoked, aggressive, or fearful behavior toward people is incorrect for this breed.
Faults
All dogs should be in proper healthy condition, free from disease or defect. Any departure from this description is considered a fault. Unless altered, all male dogs should have two fully descended testicles.
