The Alaskan Malamute is one of the oldest sled dogs, native to the United States and classified by the AKC in the working dog group. Because of its well-developed limbs and robust body, it was bred for endurance rather than speed, and thus their primary use is to pull sleds. As pets, Alaskan sled dogs have a very quiet, refined temperament once they mature, and they are loyal to their owners.
Latin Scientific Name: Alaskan Malamute
Alias: Alaskan Dog, Alaskan Malamute
Binomial name: Canis lupus familiaris
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Phylum Vertebrata
Subphylum: Subphylum Vertebrata
Phylum: Mammalia
Subphylum: Subphylum Beast
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Canis lupus
Family: Canidae
Subfamily: Canidae
Tribe: Canis lupus
Genus: Canis lupus
Subgenus: Canis subfamily
Species: Wolf species
Subspecies: Domestic dog subspecies
Associated Breeds: Siberian Sled Dog, Samoyed
Size: large dog
Use: Sled dog Guard dog Working dog
Lifespan: 12 to 15 years
- Morphological characteristics
Alaska is large, fluffy hair, handsome and beautiful appearance, with a wolf-like cold appearance, but the heart is very friendly, often mixed with the husky, his size than the husky larger, the hair is also longer than the husky.
Morphological characteristics
According to the AKC description, the Alaskan Sled Dog should have the golden size – male dog shoulder height 25 inches (63.5 cm), weighing 85 pounds (39 kg); female dog shoulder height 23 inches (58.4 cm), weighing 75 pounds (34 kg).
Generally male Alaskan sled dogs are 22 inches (55.9 cm) to 27 inches (68.6 cm) tall at the shoulder, and female adult dogs are 21 inches (53.3 cm) to 25 inches (63.5 cm) tall are acceptable, while individuals weighing more than 41 kg or less than 34 kg are very often
Body Size Standards
Males weighing more than 120 lbs (54 kg) are occasionally seen, and breeders who specifically select for unusually large body sizes refer to these selected large-bodied breeds as “giant Malamutes,” although neither the AKC nor the FCI has specified a size limit for Alaskan Sled Dogs. Although neither the AKC nor the FCI specifies a size limit for Alaskan Sled Dogs, such individuals are considered inappropriate for purebred Alaskan Sled Dogs due to the adverse effects on skeletal and physical development, and are not accepted by the AKC’s purebred standard. (This is uncommon and such dogs are produced primarily by breeders who market a ‘giant Malamute.’ These large sizes are not in accordance with the breed’s history or show standards.)
Head
The Alaskan Sled Dog’s head is broad and deep, not rough or awkward, and in proper proportion to the body. The expression is soft and friendly. The eyes are slightly slanted on the head and are brown in color, almond-shaped and medium-sized. The darker the eye color, the better. Blue eyes are out of character. The ears are medium in size, but appear slightly smaller compared to the head. The ears are triangular in shape with slightly rounded tips.
The Alaskan Sheltie’s ears are well separated and are located on the outside of the head towards the back, in a straight line with the outer corner of the eye. When the ears are erect, it is as if they are standing on top of the head. The erect ears may be tilted slightly forward, but when the dog is working, sometimes the ears are folded toward the head as well. Ears that are positioned too high are considered a defect.
The head between the ears of the Alaskan Sheltie is wide and slightly elevated, tapering and flattening from the top of the head toward the eyes, and becoming flatter near the cheeks. There is a slight wrinkle between the eyes.
The contours of the Alaskan Sheltie’s head and muzzle resemble two straight, slightly folded downward lines. Compared to the head, the muzzle appears long and large, with the width and depth tapering from where it meets the head toward the nosepiece.
Alaskan Sled Dogs should have black nosepieces, eyes and lips for all colors except for dogs with red back coats. Dogs with red coats are allowed to have brown nosepieces, eyes and lips. A “snow nose” with a lighter stripe is allowed. The lips are tightly closed. The upper and lower jaws are wide and the teeth are huge. The bite is a clipped bite, with either a protruding upper jaw or a protruding lower jaw bite being a defect.
Back Coat
The Alaskan Sled Dog’s back coat is a “dense, polar” double coat. The inner layer is a rich fleece, and the outer layer is a stiffer, needle-like coat, generally similar to, but to some extent slightly coarser than, the husky’s back coat (harsher). The outer pin-like coat should not be overly long or soft in texture, and any such condition is considered a defect.
The common color of the back coat is a combination of white and smoky gray, black, sable, red, sand, etc. Colors other than white are acceptable regardless of the shade. Its facial coat pattern tends to show a cross with two points of white eyebrows or all white and all in-between appearances. The back coat color of the Alaskan Sheltie is not substantially different from that of the Husky.
Longer dorsal coats that do not match polar characteristics also occur in some regions in specially selected giant breeding stock by some breeders. Long-haired individuals are not accepted by the AKC and FCI, do not meet purebred standards, and cannot be entered, but in some areas the appearance of long-haired individuals is preferred by some owners. Due to the deterioration of the coat quality of long-haired individuals compared to that of normal back-haired individuals and the associated genetic problems with bone and joint disease, purebred breeders do not encourage the breeding of long-haired individuals.
Neck Backline Body
The neck is strong and slightly arched. The chest is fairly well developed. The body structure is simple, but not short and small. The back is very straight and slopes slightly towards the hips. The loin is stiff and well muscled. A too long loin weakens the entire back and is a defect. The tail is positioned at the end of the spine. When they are not working, the tail is rolled over behind them. Their tails do not curl tightly around their backs, and the hair on their tails is not short and brush-like. The Alaskan Sled Dog’s tail has soft hair that looks like wavy feathers.
Anterior drive
The shoulders are moderately sloping; the forelimbs are strong-boned and muscular, and straight from the shoulders to the wrists when viewed from the front. When viewed from the side, the wrists are short and sturdy, with a slight slope. The foot paws are of the snowshoe type, tight and deep, and with the proper foot pads, they appear solid and simple. The paws are large and the toes are tight and slightly arched. Protective hair grows between the toes. The foot pads are thick and tough; the toenails are short and strong.
Hindquarters
The hind legs are wide and very muscular throughout the thighs; the hind knees are moderately angled; the fly joints are moderately angled and properly downward. When observed from behind, whether when standing or walking, the hind legs are in the same straight line with the corresponding front legs, neither too far apart nor too close together. The wolf paws on the hind legs are not required and need to be removed when the puppy is born.
Tail
The tail keeps them warm when they are curled up in the snow. They wrap their tails around their noses and faces, which helps to resist bad weather such as snow storms.
Lifespan
The Alaskan’s lifespan is not very long, ranging from eleven to twelve years, and the length of time it lives is closely related to its diet and the amount of daily exercise it gets.
- Personality traits
With the continuous development of society, Alaskan sled dogs are loved by many young people. Alaskan was used as a working dog in the early years, but now it has entered many families, after which it will gradually get used to family breeding and obey the command orders of others in the family.
The barking index of the Alaskan Sled Dog is a bit higher compared to the Husky (details); the Alaskan Sled Dog is faithful and capable. They are excellent guard dogs and working dogs, affectionate family dogs, and love the outdoors, and gradually start to need a lot of exercise as teenagers.
Personality Traits
Alaskan Shelties are a very affectionate breed and are often described as “big teddy bears”, so it is better for their owners to give them more attention and let them into your home than to keep them out.
The big guy in front of you is also extremely intelligent and can even understand what you say about him in private, so sometimes he can be very stubborn and get bored when he is alone. Because of this stubbornness, the training process can be difficult.
Although Alaskan Shelties are friendly to people, they can be fierce when other dogs invade their territory. It is best for parents to take them out more often when they are young and to participate in activities such as dog parties, which are very helpful for the dog’s body and mind.
For those who like them but don’t know Ara, they are just big, but for the family, they are an impeccable playmate and friend.
Things to note
The Alaskan Sled Dog is very friendly and is a “friend dog”, not a “loner dog”. He is a loyal, affectionate companion and gives the impression of nobility and maturity. Like all sled dogs, the Alaskan Sled Dog maintains extreme human friendliness, has been raised in a normal environment, and is extremely approachable, curious and exploratory. Like other sled dogs, the Alaskan Sled Dog is generally considered to be a breed that will never attack humans. If you provoke him beforehand, he will fight back and the consequences can be unimaginable.
- Conservation knowledge
With the development of society, pet ownership has become a fashion. Because Alaska has strong language skills and handsome appearance, and can understand human language, expressions and all kinds of gestures, more and more people are keeping them. Since Alaskans are born with poor stomachs, owners should pay more attention to their lives and diet.
Maintenance knowledge
The Alaskan Sled Dog has high environmental requirements. Since it originates from the cold zone, it is not very heat resistant and needs to be kept in a cooler environment for a long time. This dog is very active, so it needs to be housed in a spacious environment and, more importantly, get plenty of exercise. Alaskan dogs are very large, have thick coats, and prefer cold to heat. It is not an easy task to raise them well.
Precautions
Feeding puppies Alaskan sled dogs common sense
1. Always have clean water available for your Alaskan dog.
2. it is best to feed your Alaskan dog a dry diet, not a soup-based diet, and the puppy’s food (including dog food) should be completely soaked in water by 3 months of age.
3. Do not overeat or feed irregularly, due to the uniqueness of the Alaskan’s stomach, remember not to feed too much at once. And to ensure that feeding is regular, do not fill a meal hungry meal, which is easy to cause gastric torsion and gastric bleeding, but also not conducive to the absorption of nutrients. Be sure to feed less and more meals (3 to 4 times a day for puppies)
4. avoid raw food and oily food for Alaskan dogs. 5.
5. if possible, in the dog food mixed with two kinds of nutritional powder, development treasure and calcium stomach can. 6.
6. shampoo can not use our human oh, because it will lead to serious hair loss of the dog.
7. Alaska needs a lot of exercise, it is best to take it running every day. 8.
8. the environment can not be too wet, Alaska hair dense, moisture is not easy to disperse, easy to suffer from eczema and other skin diseases.
9. The collar used by the dog is best not too wide, and it is best not to wear it when not going out, it will affect the dog’s hair straightness.
10. small Alaskan dog’s intestines and stomach is not very good, so can not eat too greasy things, Alaskan dog eat dog food or rice inside the best do not have oil.
11. Before the dog becomes an adult, it is best to take two calcium tablets every day to ensure the dog’s bone development is healthy.
12. water can not be broken, it is best to go out with two more bottles, or you have to break the bank to buy mineral water for it to drink.
13. Alaska hair self-cleaning ability is strong, do not need to bathe often, if the environment is not particularly dirty, indoor feeding, half a month three weeks a bath are no problem.
14. prepare a dog special comb when changing hair, comb a few times a day, so as not to make the house full of hair.
15. small Alaskan sled dog before 6 months must keep up with nutrition, otherwise it will affect the color of the coat and bones when they grow up.
Bathing precautions
1. before bathing must first comb the coat, so that the hair tangled together unified open, to prevent the coat tangled more serious; can also remove the large pieces of dirt, easy to wash clean. Especially around the mouth, behind the ears, armpits, the inside of the femur, toe tips, etc., the dog most reluctant to let people comb the parts more combing clean.
Note: When combing, to reduce and avoid the dog’s pain, you can hold the root of the hair with one hand and comb with the other.
2. The temperature suitable for Alaskan sled dog bathing temperature. Generally 36 degrees Celsius in spring and 37 degrees Celsius in winter is the most suitable. 3.
3. The best time to bathe the Alaskan sled dog: the dog should be bathed in the morning or noon, not in the air humidity or rainy days.
4. Blow dry your Alaskan Sled Dog’s coat. Immediately after bathing, use a hair dryer to dry or use a hair patch to dry. Do not leave the dog in the sunlight to dry after bathing. As the bath can remove a lot of grease on the coat, which reduces the dog’s resistance to cold and skin, a cold and a hot easily occur cold, skin disease, and even lead to pneumonia.
5. When bathing, be sure to prevent the shampoo from flowing into the dog’s eyes or ears. Rinse thoroughly, do not make the soap foam or shampoo linger on the body to prevent skin irritation and cause dermatitis.
6. Generally, a bath once every half month is sufficient, and it is not necessary to wash too often.
Last reminder: because many parents do not understand the basic situation of the dog, so when bathing will be negligent of many things, before washing must first squeeze the dog’s anal glands off, followed by the wash must be cleaned of water and dirt in the dog’s ears.
