The Alaskan Malamute is a native to the United States. They are the oldest Arctic dog breed in the world. The Nordic Inuit tribe the Mahlemuts developed this breed as a working dog. They were used to pull sleds. Later this breed was used as hunting dogs as well.
The Alaskan Malamute can be compared to a Clydesdale Horse. It is built to be strong, athletic, and to have endurance. They generally grow to be between 23 and 28 inches tall and weigh between 85 and 125 pounds. They have a double layer coat. The top coat is thick and coarse, while their undercoat is plush and soft. Their coat colors are variegated with white, black and gray.
This is a friendly breed of dog that makes a great family pet. They have a natural babysitter personality when housed with children. However, they do not like to be around other pets, especially other dogs. They are a smart breed that can learn quickly, however, they get bored easily so you will need to challenge their minds as much 
as possible to keep them motivated. Obedience training is required for this breed to keep them manageable.
To care for this breed you will need to brush their coats once a week. Because their coat is so thick you will need to take extra precautions to protect them from pest infestations. Some of the health concerns that affect this breed include growth problems, eye problems, and hip dysplasia.
History and Origin of the Alaskan Malamute
The Alaskan malamute is a popular sled dog. It is known for its prey and pack instincts. It was used to pull sleds. These dogs were initially bred to haul large amounts of weight over long and harsh distances. Later this breed was used as a hunting dog as well.
It got its name from the Alaskan tribe called Mahlemuts that raised and cared for them. It is sometimes mistaken for a Siberian Husky, but in fact is quite different in many ways.
It is a recognized breed by the America Kennel Club under working breeds.
Appearance and Abilities
The Alaskan Malamute is the largest and oldest of the Arctic dogs. It’s desired size is 23 inches and 75 pounds for females, and 25 inches and 85 pounds for males. Heavier individuals (90lbs) and dogs smaller than 75 pounds are also commonly seen.
They possess great strength and endurance. A Malamute is a very solidly built dog designed for power. They are not as fast as other northern breeds but they are definitely one of the strongest. They have tenacity, a great sense of direction, and an excellent sense of smell.
Temperament and Tendencies
The dog holds an image of a wolf but with a proud, sweet expression.
Alaskan Malamutes love to be around people and they love being around their families. Majestic and dignified, the breed is a warm and friendly family dog. It is extremely loyal and intelligent, sweet and most affectionate toward it’s master. Malamutes can be aggressive towards other dogs because of their dominant behavior.
It tends to become strong-willed at times, so training should start early. This dog has a long genetic foundation of living in the harshest environment imaginable, and many of its behaviors are evolved to conform with “survival of the fittest.” Independence, resourcefulness and primitive behaviors are common in the breed.
A malamute can be very predatory towards smaller animals that it may regard as prey. Even with this behavior malamutes make lousy watch dogs. A malamute is too friendly in nature to people to make a effective watch dog.
Alaskan Malamute Training and Care
Owners of the breed should keep a vigilant eye on the breed so that it doesn’t go after small animals.
Because of the breed’s pack instincts, malamutes adore being with their human families and will form destructive habits such as chewing if they do not receive sufficient attention. Spend time as much as possible with your Malamutes. If the dog is bonded to you, they will be much more apt to spending time learning things from you.
Alaskan malamutes should be given high-grade dog food to keep them healthy and strong. The first ingredient should be meat. Crude protein should be no less than 30 percent, and crude fat no less than 20 percent. The fiber content should be 4 percent or less. They do tend to wolf down whatever is offered, which can lead to obesity and bloat. It is best to feed them frequent small portions of meal a day.
Alaskan Malamutes are not recommended for apartment life. They are active indoors and should have at least a yard.
26 Responses to “How to Train an Alaskan Malamute”
Hey, this is a great article if you are just looking for info on Malamutes. Quite helpful, but could use some actual tips on how to train a Malamute. Anyways, thanks!
hey, Att: chris Martin; (malamute training) Don’t bother, Mallys are un-trainable by any standard that would be considered a well trained dog. For instance it is very un-likely that a mally could be trusted off leash. In general never ever allow a mally to wander off leash. If you accidently drop the lead ” and you will” you must get hold of it again as quick as possible!! A young Mally will run up to people and jump all over them, chase deer, moose, wolfs , dogs and it won’t matter how many times you yell come. Like the article says they are very sociable and friendly animals however they are listed no. 8 on the c.d.c. (center for diasese control) most lethal dogs. The other dogs on the top ten list , pit bulls. shepards. rottweilers ect. are far more common therefor mallys have killed more people than any other breed based on their numbers. These dogs have neither strength or endurance, what they have is tremendous power , they can knock you of your feet and drag you 20 feet in a split second. Leash train one of these dogs and you can expect to get hurt. These dogs can’t walk two miles with out taking a 15 minute rest, does not matter if it is 70 above or 20 below they just can’t keep up. I have a 23 month old Mally, she gets walked twice a day 4- 8 miles , she as gone on many road trips and has been at my side since she was 9 weeks old. I chose a mally because a wanted a winter camping dog that would pull a sled tandem with me, She has neither the srength or endurance to pull with me, nor is she smart enough to ever be anything but a nusiance on a camping trip. day trips only for her! when I go for an over nighter I have leave her behind ( pay to put her up in a kennel) I don’t belive the best malamute could ever compete with an average golden retriver at anything except weight pull competions.
This is some of the worst information I’ve seen. I’ll keep it on the site as I’m not one to censor but it’s important that anyone who reads this understands that this information is wholly inaccurate.
I’ve trained dozens of Malamutes for off leash obedience.
As for Malamutes running up to people and jumping on them, well, that’s a simple matter of training them not to do that. To say that they as a breed do that is inaccurate because just about any dog of any breed will do that unless it is trained.
To say that it doesn’t matter how many times you yell come the dog won’t come if it’s chasing game is a ridiculous assertion. You have to train the dog to come, not yell at it over and over.
Malamutes are not lethal. In the US there are only about 30+ dog fatalities a year. When you consider that there are tens of millions of dogs the data proves that there is not a single ‘lethal’ breed out there. When you look at the data as well you’ll see that Malamutes are rarely (maybe once every few years) involved in a lethal dog attack.
I have no idea why this person thinks that you’ll get hurt leash training a malamute. I and my clients have leash trained dozens of Malamutes without ever getting hurt.
It sounds like this person’s experience with Malamutes is limited to owning one and refusing to train it properly.
A Malamute is one of the best companion dogs ….NOt only beautiful but smart and loyal …like most dogs !!!
It isnt the breed but the training ….yes, dogs, like people …some are nicer than others …and If you give lots of love to your dog and good training then you get it back a million times….
No breed is bad or dumb…
I dont care for yappers for me personally , however, many love the little sweeties.
A stubborn dog is a smart dog……a famous training said this……..a dog that questions what you ask of him….
Hi I was wondering if you could give me some advice, I have a 4 month old Malamute bitch called Sasha who is great with my 4 kids and my golden retriever the only real problem we have is she is very greedy and will eat almost anything our vet keeps saying it is a puppy thing but we are really concerned that she will do herself some damage. She will even steal food from the kids. Thanks
It is a puppy thing to want to steal food but that doesn’t mean you have to put up with it. Any 4 month old dog should be getting 100% supervision and you should be correcting those moments when the dog wants to steal.
You obviously have NO bond with your dog. Mals are highly intelligent and CAN be trained to do anything any other breed can do but must respect you as their pack leader in order to listen to you.
I think it’s pretty obvious you have no relationship with your mal… they are probably one of the most intelligent breeds.. in fact thats probably why it refuses to listen to you lol cuz your an idiot!!!!
What absolute rubbish. Your malamute may be like that but mine certainly isn’t. Mine is always off-lead unless on the public highway and, OK he has his moments and suffers from selective hearing, but is generally well behaved. They were bred for their strengh and endurance and whilst they have tremendous power they are definately NOT untrainable. Perhaps you should get yourself a retriever.
My Mal is 5 months old and has been with us for a month now - he’s proved himself to be obedient and amazingly quick to learn.
He walked at heel after 2 days and was off-lead by the end of our first week (probably would have done it sooner, but I’d read a lot about them loving to run off…)
Eating - he has an amazing capacity for food and would eat constantly if you let him - we’ve stuck with the recommended amount of food and he’s thriving on that, although he’s already perfected the starving puppy look for the more gullible family members :). He also tried begging at the table for scraps, but doesn’t even do that any more.
I also have a 2.5 yr old GSD - he’s been with us since he was 3 months old and of the two, the Mal is so much more receptive to training.
To steve busch:
Your information is not completely true. My mally is obediant. He sits he stays and if your drop the leash while running he stops. I can walk him without a leash because he is obedient. Its all about the trainers and how the cooperate with the dog. Not the breed. Yes don’t get me wrong niko is stubborn. But he will obey my every command. He is strong and has good muscle tone.. maybe its the owner and not the dog?
Bull shit you don’t know what your on about
Had our Mal for almost 15 years and it was the best dog I have ever owned. They are family and will do anything you want, if there is something in it for them
Great with kids and will protect you if you are threatened. Otherwise they will help thieves carry stuff out of the house for them. I trusted mine with my life, my wife life and our kids, she never let us down.
So you either did no training or bad training or maybe got one from a puppy mill. Or you just roam around and post stupid info since you seem to know nothing.
Steve Bucsh. I have a year and a half old mal that is male and intact as well as a male shepherd cross rescue that is 6 years old. The two of them get a long very well with the exception of a few minor tiffs over dominance when my mal reached his “teenage” years. Once the dominance was determined there were no issues at all with my two males! I even feed them besides each other and there are no issues what so ever! Mals ARE NOT aggressive towards other dogs and they certainly have no problems with off leash training. My mal has been trained to stay by my side no matter the circumstances and no matter what happens his eyes are glued to me and he does not move a single muscle until I give the RELEASE command! I can understand if the mal is still intact and off leash then of course it will wander to find a mate if they come upon a scent but that is not the fault of the breed but the owner. Female Mals of course are smaller and have less strength and endurance than the male of the breed however that does not mean that they are not capable of pulling weight or going the distance. Another key point of Mals they are extremely receptive towards their masters emotions and reactions! If you do not show interest and affection towards your mal they will not give you anything in return and by the sounds of it you do not care much for your poor mal at all! To compare a mal to a golden retriever is beyond ridiculous considering they are no where near the same breed or tendencies! Mals are much calmer and more receptive to positive training where as golden are much more hyper and harder to keep calm while training. And yes I have had experience with goldens! Your response really irritated me seeing as you clearly do not have any real experience or knowledge for that matter about Mals and their behavior and disposition so before you speak on a public site you might want to have some real facts and experience to back up your accusations.
well I have been entertained by all your comments,i am about to embark on getting my first MAL,and hubby and i are looking forward to it.I am a dog groomer,and trained at college,I am of the opinion that any breed of dog will misbehave if not trained in the right manner,it boils down to the owner not the dog that is my opinion
I just got a MAL pup 2 days ago. He is 12 wks old and was not socialized…possibly hit?? He is very skiddish and nervous. How should I go about training him. When should I begin working on leash training? I don’t want to scare him more that he already is. Thanks in advance for any helpful advice
Lots of puppies and dogs are skittish without ever having been hit. Are you certain this dog was hit?
In any case, start leash training yesterday. No need to wait. Keep that pup on a leash at all times when you’re with him.
Also, you won’t be doing him any favors in coddling him. Show him tons of love but also make sure you are giving balance with rules and correction when necessary.
i have a 3 yr old mally she drives me nuts because she does wot she wants to do can any1 help me with this situation i love her to bits
Hi I have a 3 year old Mal and love him to pieces, Im shocked by the comments made by steve busch who sounds like the worst sort of dog owner, please dont advise him to have another dog, hes already ruined one! With all dogs but especially Malamutes you need to take it slow and not frighten them, lots of patience, rewards only when they display the correct behaviour and ignoring bad decisions they can make. They need to respect you and trust you so shouting will only scare them. Take healthy treats out with you at all times and reward when they do something you want them to do. They are harder to train than youre average dog but certainly not untrainable except by idiot macho morons!
I have two mals a male and a female both aged 2yrs, and i have to say they are the best breed of dog i have ever owned, i’m not sure why you say they have neither endurance nor strength, my male mal can go on for hours and not even bother whereas my female doesn’t necessarily have the same endurance is happy to go on for as long as you want her to, and strength is beyond anything i have ever known, so much so i have struggled in the past with my male to walk him as he does like to pull on the lead and now my partner has to walk him, the female on the other hand walks fine and i let her off the lead every day with no problems with recall, they love to please, the are fantastic with children and other animals, so much so our rabbit even loves them, you clearly know nothing about this fantastic breed who don’t have an aggressive bone in their body, your poor dog clearly can tell you dont like her and given the typical mal is far too intelligent to even entertain someone who doesn’t appreciate how fantastic and loving this breed actually is. I feel really sorry for the dog being saddled with someone who obviously didn’t do there research on the breed in the first place.
I have a 10 week old Malamute. This is my first experience with this kind of dog, but I have four other dogs of other breeds (Sharpei/Chow mix, Husky/St. Bernard mix, English Bulldog, and Lab/Retriever mix). Of all these dogs, and they are all pretty smart and well trained, this Malamute puppy is so far the smartest of them all. He learned the basic commands of Sit, Down, Shake, High-Five, Speak, and Stay all with about three five minutes sessions throughout one 24 hour period. It was no fluke, as the following day (and since) he has consistently performed all of these tricks on command. All it takes is consistency, patience, and a good attitude from the owner.
I am really thinking about getting a mal. I’ve read a lot about them and I would love to have such a loving and energetic addition to the family! But I also understand that they do not always do well with other dogs or cats. Do you think if I got it as a puppy it would learn to accept the 2 dogs and 2 cats?
Please let me know what you think!
Whether or not the dog could accept two dogs and cats is less about the breed and more about the quality of puppy you find combined with the level of training and socialization you implement.
Sorry Steve Busch, sounds like you need to hire a professional trainer as it is obvious you are not willing to take the time to properly train your dog. If you are not willing to take the time to properly train your dog or hire a trainer you should not be a dog owner. We have been breeding Malamuts for over 20 years and they are 100% trainable and are a fantastic breed. Our dogs are trained both on and off the leash and come on command. Our puppies are socialized and know the basic training commands before they even go to their new homes and make fantasctic, loyal, obediant, pets.
My husband and I have a 4 year old Malamute that we adopted when he was 12 weeks old. It was the best decision we ever made. I am fortunate to work from home and our four footed baby gets lots of attention!!! This breed really requires as much affection as humanly possible……or at least ours does. He used to be good with all other dogs … And we would take him to the dog park at least 4 days a week from the time we adopted him until he was about 2 and a half years old. He would come running from an acre away when I called him at the dog park, even with all the distractions of other dogs and lots of people…..then it seemed like over night he became dominant over other dogs and would start fights… Passively. He would quietly rest his head on a dog of similar size back side until the other dog would snap and he would the pin them on their back, growl, and show his teeth…. And he would do it to dogs he had been socialized with for a long time. I am not sure where the behavior came from or why?…… I can no longer take him to the dog park and he only gets along with my in laws tiny dash hound. He now gets plenty of walks to replace his dog park exercise where he would run in a 13 acre park for over an hour. It’s like he never gets tired. Is it too late to try to correct this behavior? I’m scared to put another dog at risk at the park because he is so powerful, but also to scared to put him at risk if he gets into it with a more aggressive breed …? He’s our baby!
It’s likely the dog park that caused the problem in the first place. We always advise our clients to avoid the dog park like the plague. Most of our business is aggression related and a good portion of that aggression started at the dog park.
Socialization is important. But socializing a dog with various and many unknown dogs who aren’t well trained, don’t understand structure, and don’t understand manners quite frequently ends with aggression or anxiety problems.