- The usual colours range from light grey through intermediate shadings to black, sable, and shading of sable to red.
- Colour combinations are acceptable in undercoats, points and trimmings.
- The only solid colour allowable is all-white.
- White is always the predominant colour on 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.
- Undesirable: The Malamute is mantled, and broken colours extending over the body or uneven splashing
About the Alaskan Malamute
Origin: United States Of America
- Typical life span
- 10-14 years
- Size
- Large — from its typical weight
- Weight
- Male
- 36-41 kg
- Female
- 32-36 kg
- Height
- Male
- 61-66 cm
- Female
- 56-61 cm
- FCI status
- Recognised by FCI
- FCI group
- Spitz and primitive types
- Origin
- United States Of America
- Also called
- Malamute de Alaska
- Known hereditary risks
- Not researched yet
About
What is a Alaskan Malamute?
An immensely strong, heavy-duty freighting dog of spitz type, the Alaskan Malamute is a large, powerful Arctic sled dog with a thick double coat, deep chest, well-muscled body, wolf-like appearance, and characteristically plumed tail carried over the back
Alaskan Malamute history and origins
One of the oldest Arctic sled dogs, developed by the native Mahlemut Inuit tribe of northwestern Alaska. Essential for survival, used for hauling heavy freight across Arctic terrain, hunting large predators like seals and polar bears
Alaskan Malamute appearance and size
Males typically weigh 36-41 kg and stand 61-66 cm at the shoulder; females 32-36 kg and 56-61 cm.
What the breed standard says
- Bred for
- Sledge dog
- Behaviour and temperament
“The Alaskan Malamute is an affectionate, friendly dog, not a « one-man » dog. He is a loyal, devoted companion, playful in invitation, but generally impressive by his dignity after maturity”
Quoted from FCI standard n°243. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Breed reference from The Dog API.
Characteristics
- Size
- Large
- Exercise needsRead from what the breed was bred to do, in the registry’s own words: “Sledge dog” That is a working purpose, not a measured exercise requirement — an individual dog’s needs depend on its age, health and household.
- 4 of 5
- Easy to train
- —
- Amount of shedding
- 3 of 5
- Grooming needs
- 4 of 5
- Good with children
- —
- Cost to keep
- —
- Tolerates being alone
- —
- Intelligence
- —
- Health of breed
- Not researched yet
Pros & cons
Pros & cons for the Alaskan Malamute
What you get with the Alaskan Malamute
- Purpose stated in the standard: “Sledge dog”
- The standard describes the breed as: “The Alaskan Malamute is an affectionate, friendly dog, not a « one-man » dog”
What you are taking on
- High grooming needs — the standard’s own description is “The coat is relatively short to medium along the sides of the body, with the length of…”
Drawn from sources rather than written as an opinion — cited health research, the registry’s own standard, and peer-reviewed longevity. FCI breed standard. One breeder’s animals can differ from any of it, and an empty column means we hold nothing for that side rather than that there is nothing to say.
Characteristics
FCI standard · Alaskan Malamute
Coat and colour
As the FCI standard sets it out. Every line below is the standard’s own wording, tagged undesirable.
Coat
The Malamute has a thick, coarse guard coat, never long and soft.
The undercoat is dense, from one to two inches in depth, oily and woolly.
The coarse guard coat varies in length as does the undercoat.
The coat is relatively short to medium along the sides of the body, with the length of the coat increasing around the shoulders and neck, down the back, over the croup and in the breeching and plume.
Malamutes usually have a shorter and less dense coat during the summer months.
The Malamute is shown naturally.
Trimming is not acceptable except to provide a clean-cut appearance of feet
Colour
- Preferred
- Permissible
- Undesirable
- Disqualifying
Preferred, permissible, undesirable and disqualifying are FCI’s own words about the breed. They describe what the standard asks for — not an assessment of any individual dog, and not ours.
Shortened from FCI standard n°243 — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source.
What the breed standard says
- Size
- “There is a natural range in size in the breed. The desirable freighting sizes are: Males: 25 inches at the shoulders - 85 pounds (63,5 cm - 38 kg). Females: 23 inches at the shoulders - 75 pounds (58,5 cm - 34 kg). However, size consideration should not outweigh that of type, proportion, movement and other functional attributes. When dogs are judged equal in type, proportion, movement, the dog nearest the desirable freighting size is to be preferred”
- FCI distinguishes an ideal from what is permitted.
Quoted from FCI standard n°243. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
What the standard penalises
What a judge marks the Alaskan Malamute down for, and what puts one out of the ring, in the registry’s own words. This describes the breed standard — it is not a checklist for the animal in front of you, and a pet with a disqualifying fault is an unshowable dog rather than an unhealthy one.
Disqualifying faults
Puts an animal out of the ring altogether.
- Blue eyes
Breed-level information from The Dog API. It describes the Alaskan Malamute in general; any individual animal can differ.
Health guide
What to ask for in a Alaskan Malamute
No breed-specific health panel has been written up for the Alaskan Malamute on this platform yet. That is a gap in our records, not a clean bill of health — ask the breeder which hereditary conditions their lines are tested for, and ask to see the results for both parents, dated and from a named laboratory.
Gallery
No photographs yet
This is where Alaskan Malamute owners’ own photographs will go, from the pet profiles they keep here. Nobody has added one to a public page yet.
A photograph in a pet profile stays private to its owner. We will not put one here unless they ask us to.
Puppies
No puppies listed right now
No Alaskan Malamute breeder has a record on this platform yet, so there is nothing to list. That is a gap in our coverage, not a fact about the breed.