Developed by the Malimiut Inupiaq people of Alaska's Norton Sound as a powerful freighting dog for hauling heavy loads.

The Nordic Spitz family. Thick double coats, prick ears and curled tails mark the northern spitz family. They pulled sleds, herded reindeer and hunted moose across the Arctic and Scandinavia, and they still love cold weather and a job.

Playful, affectionate and strong-willed. More likely to howl or "talk" than bark.

Voice

A vocal dog that will announce visitors and noises.

With kids

A family favorite that thrives around children.

Other dogs

Can be selective about dog friends; introduce slowly.

Home

Can adapt to an apartment with daily outings.

Exercise. Energetic: needs real exercise every day, such as long walks, hikes or running games. Puppies do better with several short sessions than one long walk, and older dogs need gentler outings.

Training. Trains at an average pace. Reward-based methods and a regular routine work best.

Double coat: brush at least once a week with a slicker brush and then a comb, and more often when the undercoat sheds, often in spring and fall. Don't shave a double coat: the undercoat insulates against both heat and cold. Heavy shedder. Expect fur on everything, especially in spring and fall.

For every dog: trim nails when you can hear them click on the floor, brush teeth daily if you can (a few times a week still helps), and clean ears about once a month, drying them well after baths and swims.

Daily calories

About 1,770–1,950 kcal for a healthy adult

Dry food

Roughly 4.5–5 cups a day at ~400 kcal per cup

Puppies eat four small meals a day at 6 to 12 weeks, drop to three somewhere between 3 and 6 months, and move to two meals a day from about 6 months.

Large-breed puppies can take 15 to 24 months to finish growing. Ask your vet about a large-breed puppy food, and check before adding any supplements.

Deep-chested dogs are at higher risk of bloat (GDV). Feed two meals a day rather than one, use a slow feeder if your dog gulps, and keep mealtimes calm.

Keep treats, including training treats and table scraps, under 10% of daily calories.

Calories use the resting-energy formula from the Merck Veterinary Manual (70 × body weight in kg^0.75) times a maintenance factor of 1.4 to 1.8, so very active or working dogs may need more. Cups assume about 400 kcal per cup; check your food's label. Treat any feeding chart as a starting point and adjust to body condition.

Typical lifespan is 10–14 years. Conditions reported in the breed:

Ask breeders for health-test results from the parents (hips, eyes, and DNA tests where relevant), and schedule yearly vet checkups.

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Photos come from Wikimedia Commons and are used under the licenses shown. Only freely licensed photos appear on this site; where none is available, you'll see an illustration.

• Wikipedia: Alaskan Malamute (opens in a new tab)
• AKC breed weight chart (opens in a new tab)
• AKC: Puppy feeding fundamentals (opens in a new tab), bloat (opens in a new tab), treats (opens in a new tab) and grooming (opens in a new tab)
• Merck Veterinary Manual: Nutritional requirements of small animals (opens in a new tab)

Ratings for energy, shedding and the like are our own summaries, informed by these sources. Breed facts were checked in October 2026.