The Alaskan Malamute
Narrated from: Dog BreedsThe Alaskan Malamute is a stunningly beautiful dog and you will find him to be strong willed and powerful but fun loving. They are not recommended for the first time dog owner. An experienced trainer will help mold him into a great family pet. They will require lots of exercise every day to stay healthy and happy. This breed was built to work and must have some kind of job to do. His intelligence and urge to be useful will become a source of behavior problems unless he is allowed to tire out completely on a daily basis. They are a “take charge” kind of breed who will require a strong, experienced trainer, but even with minimal socialization they tend to love people. They have but one goal in mind and that is to please their owner. A strong willed owner will be able to convey what they want him to do to make the owner happy. Breaking the language barrier will be your most difficult task.
The Alaskan Malamute is a very faithful companion to its family pack. They are naturally protective over their families but if they feel no impending threat they are very happy and easy going dogs. You must remember that they need to work and the more exercise they get, the better companion they will make. The Alaskan Malamute will need socialization, but even more important, they will need some sort of job to do. They adore cold weather and can run in it for miles. They love to please so consider an agility course or fly ball competition. They are very fast and agile and love to participate in some kind of sport. They are not meant to be kept in warmer climates but if you do you will want to make sure he stays cool enough to be comfortable. If he is kept in a warm climate keeping him inside with air conditioning is best. They are generally healthy dogs and have few health problems. Under the best circumstances you can expect a life span of about 12 years.
They do have specific health concerns and will require a lot of grooming. The Alaskan Malamute is not best for a family with little time to spend with him. He will need to be brushed at least twice each week and even more during shredding seasons. Get him accustomed to a brush at a very young age and he will grow to love the attention. You should use a slicker style brush and brush against the hair growth to pull out the very thick undercoat. If you choose not to blow him dry after a bath it will take a day or so for him to air dry because his coat is so thick.
The most prevalent heath concern is cataracts. It is not fully understood why cataracts are so common in this breed. Since they are large dogs they should be fed on a raised feeder so they do not need to hold their head close to the floor for feeding and drinking. Like other large breeds they can suffer from a condition called bloat which can be fatal. Bloat can be avoided by raising food and water bowls as well as not jumping from feeding time to a vigorous work out without giving the dog time to let his food settle. Another health concern is hip dysplasia which is common in almost all large dogs.
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