If you're looking for an Alaskan Malamute puppy, the breeders of Snowlion Alaskan Malamutes, located in California, can help you pick out the perfect family companion, show dog or sled dog. We are one of the top Alaskan malamute breeders, known throughout California, the U.S., Europe, Canada, and Australia, for producing beautiful Alaskan Malamute champions including several outstanding red alaskan malamutes and the well-known Best in Show red alaskan malamute, Ch Snowlion's Soldier of Fortune. The alaskan malamute breeders at Snowlion Kennels work from three major blood lines: Uyak Alaskan Malamutes, Nanuke Alaskan Malamutes, and the foundation Snowlion Alaskan Malamutes to produce top quality malamute puppies and sled dogs. Although Snowlion Alaskan Malamutes is located in California, the malamute breeders there have experience shipping dogs world-wide. Snowlion Alaskan Malamutes, AKC champions and family companions have gone to Australia, Asia, Canada, Europe, Mexico and through out the U.S.
The AKC Standard and Today's Alaskan Malamute
A Snowlion Alaskan Malamute Team
What is a standard-sized Malamute?
The 1990 AKC Alaskan Malamute Breed Standard describes the Malamute as being a heavy boned,
well muscled dog that moves with a tireless, efficient, and balanced gait. The standard
specifically states "the body carries no excess weight." The desired freighting (sledding) sizes
are
listed as 25 inches, 85 lbs for males, 23 inches, 75 lbs for females. The standard goes on to
say, "However, size consideration should not outweight that of type, proportion, movement,
and other functional attributes."
From our years running sled teams, a standard-sized Malamute is more likely to have
the athleticism and efficiency to pull hard and run long without tiring or getting injured. Giant breeds are not designed for running
all day in harness. They tend to overheat, develop sore wrists and shoulders, and generally break down. Since we select our dogs
primarily for sledding, skijorring, and backpacking, we look for Malamutes of proper size, with good bone and feet, and lean
compact bodies. Snowlion females are 23-24 inches tall, 70-80 lbs. Our males are 25-26 inches, and 80-90 lbs. If any Snowlion Alaskan
Malamute weighs more than 90 lbs, it is overweight.
Measuring Ch Snowlion's Trekn Above T'Clouds
Measuring Your Malamute
People often overestimate the size of their Alaskan Malamutes. The thick heavy full coat makes a
dog seem larger than it really is. Careful
measurement will give you a better idea of your
dog's proportions and whether it may need to lose a little bit of weight.
Measuring your Alaskan Malamute is easily done by placing the dog on a
grooming
table, lowering the grooming arm across the shoulders and then measuring the height of the arm from the table's surface. Since most
pet owners don't have grooming gear, here's another way.
1. Tape a piece of paper about 24 inches up on a flat surface
2. Stand your malamute in front of the paper.
3. Make
sure the dog is standing
"square," feet under the shoulders.
4. Hold the dog's collar in one hand, and with the
other,
5. Place a ruler firmly against the skin where the shoulder blades meet
6. Mark the spot where the ruler
touches the paper.
An easy way to measure height
Then use a measuring tape to determine the distance from the floor to the marks. That is your dog's
height. When Alaskan Malamutes breeders discuss size they are referring to the height at the withers (shoulders).
Telling a breeder the weight of your dog does little to indicate it's actual size, especially since so many dogs today are obese.
Size and Weight Chart for Adult Alaskan Malamutes
22 inches
65-70 lbs
23 inches 70-75 lbs
24 inches 75-80 lbs
25 inches 80-85 lbs
26 inches 85-90 lbs
27
inches 90-95 lbs
Ch Snowlion's Kali Devi WTD, WPD, WLD
Ch Snowlion's Lone Ranger WTD
Bigger is Not Better
When was the last time you went in to the doctor's office and bragged that you were 50 lbs over the recommended weight for your height?
Yet we hear this all the time from dog owners.
Large
breed puppies (like Malamutes) that carry excess weight are very susceptible to developing hip and elbow
dysplasias, panosteitis bone inflammation, and other growth disorders, some of which are permanently crippling. Giant breeds
that are overfed to promote extreme growth rates are at even higher risk. If you
decide to purchase an "over-sized" Malamute, make sure breeder offers a written guarantee for a refund or replacement puppy if it becomes
dysplastic. And make sure there are at least three generations of OFA or Pennhip clear dogs behind the puppy. Online searches of hip certified
dogs
can be done at www.offa.org.
Pictured at left is our foundation bitch Kali at age ten,
leading a team with her grandson puppy Ranger in co-lead. Kali and Ranger are good examples of what freighting sled dogs should look
like. Both are standard sized Champion AKC Alaskan Malamutes with multiple working dog titles.