Alaskan Malamute

Overview

Overview of Alaskan Malamute

What dog can withstand -70 degrees, will 'woo' when happy, and was the inspiration for the name Indiana Jones and Han Solo's sidekick Chewbacca in the Star Wars movies? An Alaskan Malamute - that's who! These dogs are like the Clydesdales of the great white north; they get along great with their pack and possess massive endurance. Perhaps the oldest sled dogs in existence, the ancestors of Alaskan Malamutes were believed to be descendants of the domesticated wolf-dogs who travelled with Paleolithic hunters about 4,000 years ago (from the Bering straight land bridges into North America). These impressive pooches were first discovered hunting and working alongside the Mahlemiut Inuit people of Alaska. Often mistaken for a Siberian Husky, the two dogs share coat colors and patterns, but the similarities end there. Huskies are racers, while Malamutes are freighters. With their sizeable wolf-like body, black-pigmented skin (to protect from UV glare off ice) and snowshoe-like paws, the Alaskan Malamute is particularly suited for anything arctic. On average, these dogs weigh between 75-100 lbs and come in agouti, silver, gray, blue, black, seal, sable, red and white.