Alaskan Malamute

You’ll be hard pressed to find a dog with more strength and endurance than an Alaskan Malamute . This fluffy, big boned breed is part of the working dog category, making them ideal companions for athletic and outdoorsy people. They’re affectionate, loyal and fun-loving dogs who absolutely adore being outside. Love to hike, run or swim? Your Malamute does too!

Malamutes have thick double coats, which require regular maintenance and helps them withstand extreme cold temperatures. They can handle most climates, though you’ll want to take extra care to make sure your Malamute is comfortable in hot weather. These wolfish looking Alaskans come in a variety of colours, but are typically grey and white or black (seal) and white, with distinctive facial markings and beautiful almond shaped eyes. Malamutes are pack animals, naturally seeking to either lead or be led in a group. This means that you’ll need to establish yourself as the home’s “pack leader” early on in order for your Malamute to respect you.

Starting training and obedience lessons at a young age is crucial. Without proper training, Malamutes can exhibit dominant behaviour over humans and aggression towards dogs of the same sex. You don’t want this dog owning you! Highly intelligent, this breed requires quite a bit of stimulation and will resort to howling or digging holes if they feel neglected or bored. Despite their larger size and strong build, Malamutes are not suitable guard dogs due to their friendly and trusting nature, but are gentle and good with kids.

Did you know?

Malamutes were used in WWII to sniff out mines, help with search and rescue, and carry weapons.