the breed

breed history
The first Alaskan Malamutes were bred by the Malemute people (Mahlamuits or Mahlemuts), an Inuit tribe who lived around the Kotzebue Sound area of western Alaska. As well as pulling sleds, the dogs were used to locate blow-holes on seal hunts and as watchers and hunters.

They became distinct from the other northern breeds as the early Inuit peoples migrated across the Arctic from Siberia to Alaska and Greenland. Variations in the different breeds came about as a result of differences in conditions incluing type of work, geography and amount and type of snow. The Siberian Husky developed as a much lighter boned dog known for it's speed and agility. The slightly larger Greenland Dog had to survive in much harsher conditions and was used to pull heavier loads.

In the late 1890's and early 1900's the Alaskan Malamute became more widely known as a breed as a result of the Alaskan Gold Rush. Sled Dog racing became a popular pastime of the many gold prospectors who flooded into the area and in 1908 the newly founded Nome Kennel Club organised the first All-Alaska Sweepstake race.

In 1935 the Alaskan Malamute Club Of America was formed and soon afterwards followed the recognition of the breed and registration of the first Alaskan Malamutes with the American Kennel Club. At this time two different strains or "types" of Malamute were being bred.

Milton and Eva ("Short") Seeley had been breeding from dogs acquired from, amongst others, Arthur Walden who bred and trained the dogs used in Admiral Byrd's Antarctic Expedition in 1928. Under their kennel name "Kotzebue" they were able to develop a line which produced dogs uniform in type. Their foundation dogs can be found behind most of today's Malamutes pedigrees in the UK.

For the first 30 years that Malamutes were registered with the AKC, all those registered were Kotzebue dogs. However at the same time that The Seeleys were developing their line, Paul Voelker was busy developing his own line - The M'Loots. While The Seeley's had been much more precise about the selection of dogs that they would use in their breeding programme, Voelker used a much wider range of Arctic dogs resulting in a very different, larger type to that of the Kotzebue dogs. Again, many of the M'Loot foundations dogs can be found behind today's dogs pedigrees.

In 1960 the AKC Breed Standard was changed to reflect the characteristics of the M'Loot dogs.

In reality, many of today's dogs are actually a combination of Kotzebue and M'Loots lines, although some pure Kotzebue kennels do still exist.

the breed in the uk
The first Alaskan malamutes to come to the UK were brought by The Preston's in 1959. They brought with them three of their dogs and bred three litters before returning to the US. More Malamutes began to arrive in the uk during the 1960's with some more notable imports including Kimiska's Arctic Sea Hawk of Highnoon, Malnorska's Gypsy Lady of Jacbar, Can Ch Malnorska's Danikka of Highnoon and Am Ch Fire 'N' Ice In Conclusion arriving in the 1980's.

The Alaskan Malamute Club was founded in 1964 and, now known as the Alaskan Malamute Club Of The UK, celebrated it's 40th anniversary in 2004.

The Alaskan Malamute has been gaining popularity in recent years and registrations topped 700 last year (2005). In 2006 the Kennel Club granted full Championship status to our breed which will enable dogs to compete for Challenge Certificates and ultimately become UK Champions.

breed standard (The Kennel Club, November 2001)
General Appearance
Heavily boned, powerfully built, not too compact and never appearing short on the leg.
Characteristics
Sled dog capable of surviving in Arctic temperatures and of pulling heavy loads at steady speeds.
Temperament
Affectionate, friendly, loyal, devoted companion but not a ‘one man’ dog, playful on invitation, generally impressive by his dignity after maturity but tends to show dominance to other dogs.
Head and Skull
Head broad, powerful, not coarse, in proportion to size of dog. Skull broad between ears, gradually narrowing to eyes, moderately rounded between ears, flattening on top as it approaches eye, rounding off to moderately flat cheeks. Very slight but perceptible stop. Muzzle large in proportion to size of skull, scarcely diminishing in width or depth from stop. Nose black except in red and white dogs when it is brown. Pink streaked ‘snow nose’ acceptable.
Eyes
Brown, almond-shaped, moderately large, set obliquely. Dark eyes preferred, except in red and white dogs where light eyes are permissible. Blue eyes highly undesirable.
Ears
Small in proportion to head. Triangular in shape, slightly rounded at tips, set wide apart, at back of skull. Ears forward when erect. When dog is working sometimes folded against skull.
Mouth
Upper and lower jaws broad with large teeth, with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws.
Neck
Strong and moderately arched.
Forequarters
Shoulders moderately sloping; forelegs heavily boned and well muscled, straight as far as pasterns which are short, strong and almost vertical viewed from side.
Body
Strong and powerfully built, chest strong and deep; back straight but not level, sloping slightly downwards from shoulder to croup. Loins well muscled, never so short as to interfere with movement. No excess weight.
Hindquarters
Hindlegs broad and powerfully muscled through thighs; stifles moderately bent, hock joints broad and strong, moderately bent and well let down. Viewed from behind, hindlegs vertical, standing and moving true, in line with movement of front legs. Legs indicate tremendous propelling power. Dewclaws on hindlegs undesirable.
Feet
Large and compact, toes close, well arched, pads thick and tough, toenails short and strong. Protective growth of hair between toes.
Tail
Moderately high set, following line of spine at start then curving gently upwards. At rest may hang straight down. Well furred and carried over back when dog is working, not tightly curled to rest on back, nor short furred and carried like a fox brush, but giving appearance of a waving plume.
Gait/Movement
Single tracking at trot is normal but movement not too wide or too close at any gait. Easy, tireless, rhythmic movement, produced by powerful drive from hindquarters.
Coat
Thick, coarse guard coat, not long and soft. Dense undercoat, from 2.5-5 cms (1-2 ins) in depth, oily and woolly. Coarse guard coat stands out, with thick fur around neck. Guard coat varies in length as does undercoat, but in general coat of medium length along sides of body, increasing somewhat around shoulders and neck, down back and over croup, as well as in breeching and plume.
Colour
Range is from light grey through intermediate shadings to black, or from gold through shades of red to liver, always with white on underbody, parts of legs, feet and part of mask markings. Markings either caplike or masklike on face. Combination of cap and mask not unusual. White blaze on forehead, white collar, or spot on nape permissible. Heavy mantling of unbroken colour acceptable, broken colour extending over body in spots or uneven splashings undesirable. Only solid colour permissible is all white.
Size
Height: dogs: 64-71 cms (25-28 ins); bitches: 58-66 cms (23-26 ins). Weight between 38-56 kgs (85-125 lbs), size consideration not to outweigh type.
Faults
Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog.
Note
Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.

breed health
As well as the usual range of health issues which any dog owner should concern themselves with, there are a number of health issues which the potential Alaskan Malamutes owner / breeder needs to be aware of. The two main health concerns are Hip Dysplasia and Hereditary Cataracts. It is strongly recommended that all Alaskan Malamutes should be tested for both of these problems, regardless of whether or not the dogs are to be bred from. The Kennel Club and the British Veterinary Association run health schemes which aim to gather scientific data on Hip Dysplasia, Elbow Dysplasia and Hereditary Eye Diseases.

Hip Dysplasia ~ Resulting from an abnormal structure of the hip joint, all dogs have hip dysplasia to a certain degree, even if it is minute. The problem is particularly problematic in large breeds of dog and the Alaskan Malamute is no exception. Diagnosis of Hip Dysplasia is done by x-raying the pelvic area which is done at the vets. It is recommended that Malamutes are tested at no younger than 12 months old. The x-rays are sent to the British Veterinary Association who's panel of experts scores the x-ray. A score is given which indicates the degree of hips dysplasia in each hip joint. The scores of all tested dogs are collated and used to work out a breed average score. The lower the score, the better. Any dog with higher than average hip scores either should not be bred from, or should only be bred to dogs with very low scores.

Hereditary Cataracts ~ Simple eye examinations can detect the presence of cataracts. HC is becoming more commonplace in Malamutes and this is largely due to breeding from affected dogs, either knowingly or unknowingly. There is no excuse for not testing all Malamutes but especially breeding stock, however it is known that dogs can be "carriers" of the HC gene without actually being affected. The precise genetics of this and other hereditary diseases are still unclear. By carefully studying the pedigrees of potential breeding stock and researching the incidence of HC in related dogs, it is possible to identify possible carriers and therefore avoid breeding from such dogs. The KC/BVA scheme aims to provide valuable information which can be used in genetic research.

Gastric Dilation & Volvulus (Bloat) ~ As with any large, deep chested breed, Bloat is one of the most serious and life threatening conditions that face the Malamute, so much so that any Malamute owner should arm themselves with the information that will help them spot potential Bloat as early as possible. The condition is not really fully understood and there are numerous theories about causes and risk factors. GDV occurs when the stomach fills with gas (dilation) and twists (volvulus). Treatment usually involves surgery to untwist the stomach but if not done so early enough, this can still lead to death quite quickly. If left untreated, dogs with GDV will die, sometimes within a couple of hours of the first symptoms appearing so uregent action is required. Signs to look out for can vary between cases so we would strongly recommend that you read up about causes, reducing the risk and in particular what to look out for. This is a useful website.

Other Health Issues ~ Some less common issues which seem more widely known in the US include Chondrodysplasia, or Dwarfism, and Coat Funk.