Alaskan Malamute

The Alaskan Malamute is the heavy freighting dog of the Arctic — built to haul weight over distance rather than to race.

History

It is named for the Mahlemiut, an Inupiaq people of northwestern Alaska who bred it to move heavy loads across sea ice and tundra. The gold rush nearly destroyed the breed by crossing it with anything faster, and the modern population was rebuilt in the 1920s and 1930s. Malamutes hauled for Byrd's Antarctic expeditions and served as freight dogs in the Second World War.

Temperament

The breed is known for being friendly, boisterous and affectionate with people — it makes a poor guard dog for exactly that reason — while being independent, strong-willed and often difficult with other dogs.

Care and training

It needs a very great deal of exercise and something to pull or carry. Containment must be serious: it digs, it climbs and it roams. The coat sheds enormously twice a year and the breed suffers in heat.

Health

Known tendencies include hip dysplasia, hereditary cataracts and an inherited polyneuropathy. These are patterns for the breed rather than a forecast for one dog; the measured facts are in the panel.