KENAI
Alaskan Malamute

The breeds · working

AKC Working · UKC Northern Breed · FCI standard 243

Alaskan Malamute.

FCI utilization: sledge dog (Group 5, Section 1 Nordic Sledge Dogs). AKC standard: function as a sledge dog for heavy freighting in the Arctic must be given consideration above all else; one of the oldest Arctic sled dogs, structured for strength and endurance, 'not intended as a racing sled dog designed to compete in speed trials'. UKC: a dog 'capable of pulling heavy loads for long distances at a reasonable pace', not a speed dog. RKC: the strongest of the sled dogs, used by the Mahlemut Inuit to pull heavy loads over long distances. AKC Expert Advice: 'not racing dogs, but meant to pull hefty loads at slow speeds'; a breeder quoted there calls the Malamute 'the weightlifter' against the Siberian's 'marathon runner' and says it was bred to pull heavy loads over short distances (UKC and RKC say long distances)..

Breed sets the odds. The parents set the dog. Every number here shows its source, its spread and how sure we are. Nothing on this page is a prediction about one dog.

11.3YRMedian lifespan11.1 to 11.8, measured on real dogs.
25 / 23INHeightdogs 25, bitches 23. An ideal from the standard, not a range.
75–85LBWeight, all linesbreed dogs 85 lb; breed bitches 75 lb.
2.5+ HRSExercise, every dayRoyal Kennel Club: exercise more than 2 hours per day; large house and large garden suggested; country rather than town.. The constraint most homes get wrong.

The body

What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.

Height at the shoulder

dogs 25 in · bitches 23 in

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1994

Center is the freighting size printed by AKC, UKC and FCI; no range printed.

Weight

dogs 85 lb · bitches 75 lb

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1994

Freighting ideal, not a limit; no standard prints a weight range.

Coat

AKC and FCI: thick, coarse guard coat, never long and soft; dense, oily, woolly undercoat one to two inches deep; coat shorter and less dense in summer; shown naturally, trimming not acceptable except the feet. UKC: double coat, shorter and less thick in warm climates. RKC: coat length medium; sheds; the double coat protects against extreme cold and even the insides of the ears are furred. Colors light gray through black, sable, red, always white underbody; only solid color allowed is all white.

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1994

Shedding

Shedding 3 of 5 (AKC breed page trait score)

Breed clubAKC

AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.

Heat tolerance

2 of 5 · Thick, coarse guard coat over a dense, oily, woolly undercoat one to two inches deep (AKC, FCI, UKC); coat is shorter and less dense in summer (AKC, UKC, FCI).

DerivedAKC breed standard, 1994

Derived from the coat description (heavy double = 2). No measured data.

How long they live, and what they cost

Measured on real dogs, with the sample and the spread. Never a guess.

Median lifespan

11.3 years (11.1 to 11.8)

MeasuredMcMillan KM, 2024

UK sample; the AKC and RKC bands are shown in text only and are not a median.

The dog at home

What the breed asks of a day. The first thing most homes get wrong.

Exercise need

Royal Kennel Club: exercise more than 2 hours per day; large house and large garden suggested; country rather than town.

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC band 'more than 2 hours' recorded as 150 minutes (library band mapping), a floor.

Energy

AKC breed page: Energy Level 4 of 5, Mental Stimulation Needs 3, Trainability 5, Barking 3, Affectionate With Family 3, Good With Other Dogs 3, Openness To Strangers 3, Watchdog/Protective Nature 4. AKC Expert Advice: confident and independent; may not get along with dogs of the same sex.

Breed clubAKC

AKC bands and editorial, not measured.

Grooming load

4 of 5 · Royal Kennel Club: grooming every day; coat length medium; sheds. AKC breed page: Coat Grooming Frequency 3 of 5, Shedding Level 3.

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC band 'every day' = 4 on the library scale.

Grooming

AKC breed page: Coat Grooming Frequency 3 of 5, Shedding Level 3, Drooling Level 1. RKC: every day, sheds.

Breed clubAKC

AKC and RKC bands.

The work

What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.

Role

FCI utilization: sledge dog (Group 5, Section 1 Nordic Sledge Dogs). AKC standard: function as a sledge dog for heavy freighting in the Arctic must be given consideration above all else; one of the oldest Arctic sled dogs, structured for strength and endurance, 'not intended as a racing sled dog designed to compete in speed trials'. UKC: a dog 'capable of pulling heavy loads for long distances at a reasonable pace', not a speed dog. RKC: the strongest of the sled dogs, used by the Mahlemut Inuit to pull heavy loads over long distances. AKC Expert Advice: 'not racing dogs, but meant to pull hefty loads at slow speeds'; a breeder quoted there calls the Malamute 'the weightlifter' against the Siberian's 'marathon runner' and says it was bred to pull heavy loads over short distances (UKC and RKC say long distances).

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale, 2023

Freight hauling, not racing. The registries and the AKC article disagree on distance (long vs short); both stand. Editorial views are shown beside the standard, labelled.

Primary game

No standard or registry names a quarry. AKC Expert Advice: besides pulling heavy sleds, Mahlemut dogs worked as pack dogs for supplies, hunted seals and other Arctic mammals, and protected their people from bears.

EditorialAKC Expert Advice

Single editorial source (AKC Expert Advice); sled hauling is the role, hunting was a side job in the breed's origin.

Also used on

AKC Expert Advice: pack dog, seal and Arctic mammal hunting, guarding camps against bears (historic); today sledding, weight pulling, backpacking, jogging, obedience and agility. UKC history: the sport of sled racing renewed interest in keeping the breed pure from 1926.

EditorialAKC Expert Advice

Editorial plus UKC history text.

Field trial standard

FCI: 'Without working trial' (Group 5, Section 1 Nordic Sledge Dogs). AKC and UKC standards judge function (sledge hauling) in the ring; no sled-pull or freight trial rules were read.

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale, 2023

Trial rules themselves were not read.

Cold water

4 of 5 · Arctic freighting dog with a dense woolly double coat; RKC says the double coat protects dogs that often sleep outside in all weathers, even the ears are furred; AKC Expert Advice: remarkable endurance and fortitude, slept in the family shelter. No source read describes water work.

DerivedAKC breed standard, 1994

Derived from the coat plus the breed's work in Arctic cold. Cold weather, not water: no source describes swimming or water work.

How common the problems are

Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock; the numbers are still the best there are.

Hip dysplasia

11.7% · OFA all-data: 16,173 evaluations, 11.7% dysplastic (mild 7.4, moderate 3.9, severe 0.4); normal 87.2%. Rank 115.

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

OFA submissions skew to breeding stock and under-report affected dogs, and the US registry population differs from a UK or field population; the all-data pull is undated (current all-data, accessed Oct 9 2026).

Elbow dysplasia

4.1% · OFA all-data: 2,078 evaluations, 4.1% abnormal (grade 1 2.8, grade 2 1.1, grade 3 0.2); normal 95.9%. Rank 95.

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

OFA submissions skew to breeding stock and under-report affected dogs, and the US registry population differs from a UK or field population; the all-data pull is undated (current all-data, accessed Oct 9 2026).

More

akc bands

AKC breed page trait scores (1-5): Energy Level 4; Mental Stimulation Needs 3; Trainability Level 5; Barking Level 3; Watchdog/Protective Nature 4; Good With Young Children 3; Openness To Strangers 3; Good With Other Dogs 3; Shedding Level 3; Coat Grooming Frequency 3; Drooling Level 1; Affectionate With Family 3; Playfulness Level 3; Adaptability Level 3.

Breed clubAKC

Fourteen AKC bands in one row; the selector reads each by name. Breed-club ratings: a tendency, never a measurement.

What to ask a breeder for

The health clearances the breed’s own club and registry name. Reference only: what to ask for, never a statement about any dog’s health.

How to read this page

Every value carries a label. Measured means peer-reviewed data on many dogs. Studied means peer-reviewed, smaller or indirect. Breed club means a club or registry states it. Editorial means expert opinion with no measurement behind it. Where two good sources disagree, both are shown and neither is averaged.

Published when the entry rests on the best information available from no fewer than three independent sources, checked by a second pass that did not write it. 8 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called
Malamute, Mal

Every breed, read the same way.

The breed index grows as entries clear the standard. Gun dogs first.

All published breeds

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