The Alaskan Malamute is a gorgeous dog the originated in Alaska sometime in the late 19th century. The Malamute is a winter work dog that was ratified as Alaska’s state dog fairly recently in 2010.
Although the Malamute has only been the “official” dog of Alaska for 4 years now, it is important to remember that this dog has got its history in that namesake state.
Origins
Although the Malamute is very similar to other breeds like the Canadian Sled dog and the Siberian Husky, a study in 2013 showed that these species were in fact completely different.
However, like its cousins the Malamute was originally intended to be a work and sled dog.
Description
The Malamute is just like a husky in that it has two layers of fur: a fuzzy, oily fatty layer and the stiffer outer hair that stands away from the body. The coat of a Malamute is usually dark like grey or black, but can sometimes include red; all Malamutes have a little bit of white in their fur.
The Alaskan sled dog can stand up to 25 inches tall and weighs (on average) up to 85 pounds. The Malamute is an incredibly intelligent dog, having been originally intended to work as a sled dog in concert with a team of other dogs.
For that reason, the Malamute is also a wonderful pack dog that works well with larger groups of dogs. However, it is also a highly independent breed that can include a large prey-drive, or the need to chase after animals smaller than it that could be identified as food.
Even though they are fond of people and make pretty awesome family dogs, a Malamute would not know what to do if there was an intruder in your home, and so make some pretty lousy guard dogs. But other than that, this loveable ball of snow-fluff is a hard worker that just wants a good home.