Alaskan malamut pup

pjwhite99

what is the difference between a Siberian husky and an Alaskan malamute?

I got a Alaskan malamut he is 8 weeks old

He is one off the dark and white Alaskan malamut

I was told he is a full Alaskan malamut as I seen the mother and a picture off the farther and the papers.

But he has a little white stripe on his head witch makes me think he could be a Siberian as they all seem to have the white strip

Would I be right in judging him on this? Any other things

I can't find any picture off dark malamut with a white strip

thegreatiam

Malamutes:


husky


Similar looking but quite different dogs, Malamutes tend to be thicker build, more stocky but a lot bigger than huskys, about 2 inches taller too.

huskys have blue/green or grey eyes, malamutes usually only brown, Malamutes also more likely to have the curl in it's tail.

Malamutes can usually be calmer, huskies can be a bit more playful.

One is bred for hauling heavy objects through the snow, the other is bred for pulling lighter sleds quickly.



Youll probably not be able to tell from sight by the fur colouring, as both can be very similar. but the fur itself will be course and bristlier on a Malamute and probably softer and more flowing on a husky.

andreac

Have you a photo of your pup?

pjwhite99

This is were I got him

<snip>

Was told he is full but now I'm not so sure

He has a line going between his eyes and is very very playful

I took the dark colour

OP linking to buying and selling sites are not allowed. Please upload an image only thanks.

andreac

You need to upload a pic not a link.

pjwhite99

I'm away working and don't have a picture off him till the weekend again

I have a picture off the add it's not great

Outkast_IRE

did you get papers off whoever you were buying it off to say they were IKC registered etc ?

pjwhite99

Ya I phone him to say I want it ikc and he say he will now when the rest are sold there someone else as well wants it done but I don't think he will.

fatmammycat

pjwhite99 wrote: »

Ya I phone him to say I want it ikc and he say he will now when the rest are sold there someone else as well wants it done but I don't think he will.

That's odd, my pup's papers came with him (as well as his vet/vac card) and WE sent them off to the IKC to reregister him as ours.

mel.b

They look very much like Mals to me. As mentioned, Mals are stockier and bigger than a husky. Malamutes were bred for pulling large, heavy loads over long distances, while Huskies were bred for pulling small loads, faster. Most (but not all) Mals also have a slightly stubbier, chunky nose, whereas huskies noses tend to be a bit longer and pointier. The presence or absence of a 'white stripe' on the forehead is not a marker for indicating one breed or another and markings can be very variable, even within the same litter. Huskies can have brown eyes or blue eyes or one of each. Malamutes must have brown eyes (although light colours eyes are permitted in red coated Mals).

I got my papers for my Mal when I picked him up - I then had to sign them and send them way to get him transferred into my name.

What worries me more, is that you seem to have gotten a Mal without knowing a lot about the breed. Having a mal is not like having another dog and I'd urge you to start reading and educating yourself ASAP.

andreac

The breeder doesn't need to wait until they are sold. He registers the litter together once they have been microchipped. Is your puppy chipped?

He then gives each owner the ikc papers when they get their puppy.

I'd be very wary that this breeder will even register the litter but I hope for your sake he does.

pjwhite99

Yep I dont think he will he say he will when there sold.

To be honest he did not even know how to or the cost i had to tell him.


I know a little about Mals a friend got one over a year ago, He was 12 weeks old when we got him, he has his ikc cert.


But my pup is 7 weeks and not the same as him I dont think, The difference is -

my pup will come over and play with everyone very smart can bark, the pup we got a year ago could not bark would not play with anyone and would go away if you tryed to pet him.


I read that Siberian were more playful so im just compering these 2

andreac

Sorry but why on earth did you buy a pup from this breeder if he doesn't have a clue what he's doing? Is your pup chipped and vaccinated?

pjwhite99

yes he had his first vac done before i got him, he give me the card to say when he was due again, I got him chipped my self.

it was only after I had him a few days I would like him to have a cert, that's when I phoned him back to see will he do it

mel.b

pjwhite99 wrote: »

Yep I dont think he will he say he will when there sold.

To be honest he did not even know how to or the cost i had to tell him.


I know a little about Mals a friend got one over a year ago, He was 12 weeks old when we got him, he has his ikc cert.


But my pup is 7 weeks and not the same as him I dont think, The difference is -

my pup will come over and play with everyone very smart can bark, the pup we got a year ago could not bark would not play with anyone and would go away if you tryed to pet him.


I read that Siberian were more playful so im just compering these 2

Every puppy, like every human will have a different personality and you can't judge two puppies from different litters, different rearing environments etc. Personally I'd be more worried about that second pup you described. Do you still have that dog? What sex is it? You do realise that Mal's generally don't get along with other dogs of the same sex.

Also if you can leave him with his litter until he is a little older - I got mine at 13weeks and it made the the world of difference. 12weeks is recommended.

My mal who is now 10mths old was the biggest but quietest one of the litter. He was and is very playful but he's also very chilled and takes everything in his stride. Today for example, he had his stitches out from being neutered and just stood on the vets table without a care in the world. My female Mal I had in Australia - it took 4 of us to hold her down at 8mths of age to get the stitches out!

I haven't had a Siberian so I can't comment personally on playfullness, but Siberians need a LOT of exercise or they become bored and destructive...but Mals are just the same. You only need to look at the number of Mals and Huskies aged between 8mths and 2yrs that are trying to be rehomed on various website as people didn't know what they were getting into. And that's exactly what my vet said the first time he met Cooper - 'you do know what you have there?!'

andreac

The breeder should have chipped those pups not you. Also the breeder needs to the chip number to put on the reg papers.
This breeder sounds very dodgy if you ask me.

pjwhite99

mel.b wrote: »

Every puppy, like every human will have a different personality and you can't judge two puppies from different litters, different rearing environments etc. Personally I'd be more worried about that second pup you described. Do you still have that dog? What sex is it? You do realise that Mal's generally don't get along with other dogs of the same sex.

Also if you can leave him with his litter until he is a little older - I got mine at 13weeks and it made the the world of difference. 12weeks is recommended.

My mal who is now 10mths old was the biggest but quietest one of the litter. He was and is very playful but he's also very chilled and takes everything in his stride. Today for example, he had his stitches out from being neutered and just stood on the vets table without a care in the world. My female Mal I had in Australia - it took 4 of us to hold her down at 8mths of age to get the stitches out!

I haven't had a Siberian so I can't comment personally on playfullness, but Siberians need a LOT of exercise or they become bored and destructive...but Mals are just the same. You only need to look at the number of Mals and Huskies aged between 8mths and 2yrs that are trying to be rehomed on various website as people didn't know what they were getting into. And that's exactly what my vet said the first time he met Cooper - 'you do know what you have there?!'

Yes we still have him he is over a year old but its a friend has him a few doors down. Are they ok with other dogs?

Why you say do I know what I have here? they need lots off walks is it?

mel.b

pjwhite99 wrote: »

Yes we still have him he is over a year old but its a friend has him a few doors down. Are they ok with other dogs?

Why you say do I know what I have here? they need lots off walks is it?

I'm confused - you say you have him, but a friend a few doors down has him? The same dog or different dog??

Malamutes can be good with other dogs - if they are socialised well. However that is no gaurentee. And it is well known and documented that they do NOT get on well with other dogs of the same sex.

Mals need lots of exercise, but thats not the least of it! They are highly intelligent, but highly stubborn which can make them a challenge to train. They have a high prey drive, poor recall and should not be let off the lesh. They also blow their coat twice a year, which leads to epic snow storms of fur! There is an excellent article called 'why malamutes are not golden' (as in golden retrivers). I'll find it and link to it. You really need to start educating yourself about the ways of a malamute for the sake of your dog.

Hooked

pjwhite99 wrote: »

Yes we still have him he is over a year old but its a friend has him a few doors down. Are they ok with other dogs?

Why you say do I know what I have here? they need lots off walks is it?

I think Mel.b was quoting what someone said to her, about her choosing to get a Mal... Not asking you the question.

And yes, they do need a lot of walks.

Mel.b owns a male Mal and I own a Sibe. We've met at dog shows. Both of us bought from registered breeders. And both of us got pups at 12 weeks plus, chipped, with official IKC papers showing generations of lineage and have the official breed listed on them.

Your breeder sounds strange. A 'backyard breeder' I'd guess. The pup seems (in my opinion) too young to have been given over. And the whole papers, breed uncertainty and your doubting the breed doesn't add up. Especially the papers.

Now of course we could all be wrong and the whole thing could be nice and dandy.

But one things for sure - you've a high energy breed of dog on your hands. Whether it's a Husky or a Mal.

mel.b

http://www.inharmonymalamutes.com/index/pg128MalamutesAreNotGoldens.html

mel.b

More excellent reading...

http://www.amcv.org.au/BreedForYou.html

http://www.amcv.org.au/Downloads/Ownership.pdf

http://www.amcv.org.au/personality.html

Hooked

mel.b wrote: »

Mals need lots of exercise, but thats not the least of it! They are highly intelligent, but highly stubborn which can make them a challenge to train. They have a high prey drive, poor recall and should not be let off the lesh. They also blow their coat twice a year, which leads to epic snow storms of fur! There is an excellent article called 'why malamutes are not golden' (as in golden retrivers). I'll find it and link to it. You really need to start educating yourself about the ways of a malamute for the sake of your dog.

Apart from the fact Mals are bigger and chunkier than their Siberian cousins... Mel.b could have easily have been describing a husky above. Very similar dogs.

fatmammycat

mel.b wrote: »

I'm confused - you say you have him, but a friend a few doors down has him? The same dog or different dog??

Malamutes can be good with other dogs - if they are socialised well. However that is no gaurentee. And it is well known and documented that they do NOT get on well with other dogs of the same sex.

Mals need lots of exercise, but thats not the least of it! They are highly intelligent, but highly stubborn which can make them a challenge to train. They have a high prey drive, poor recall and should not be let off the lesh. They also blow their coat twice a year, which leads to epic snow storms of fur! There is an excellent article called 'why malamutes are not golden' (as in golden retrivers). I'll find it and link to it. You really need to start educating yourself about the ways of a malamute for the sake of your dog.

That's so funny, we have a saying 'GSDs, they're not labradors!'

OP, 7 weeks is awful young to have been taken from the litter, and as Hooked and Mel.b said, you're really going to have a fairly fast growing, intelligent working dog on your hands in no time at all, so you need to socialise, research, socialise research, and research some more like crazy if you want a peaceful co-existence with your pet. Around my way a few years ago there as an explosion in Norther Breed dogs; at one point it seemed that every second pup being walked was a cute fuzzy bundle of husky or mal, but fast forward a number of years and very few of those owners still have those dogs. Shameful really, but people ( not saying you) often get beautiful looking dogs on a look based whim, forgetting the breed history/standard/temperament.
I hope for your own sake you find out as much as you can, and are prepared for all that owning a smart, independant thinking, recall poor dog can bring. I love them myself, but there's one husky on our pack walk that as much as I like him personally, I just couldn't bear owning him ( he is really unpredictable around smallies and shouldn't be off the lead, but that's a whole other story).

pjwhite99

Picture up date from when I was asked

Y2KBOS86

Looks mostly Malamute to me, his coat is more sparse and less defined than what a Siberian puppy would normally be at the same age.

It's hard to tell the difference between Siberians and some Malamutes when they are very young, as some Siberians can be thick, heavyish puppies as well.

At about 4 - 6 months you can see it alot more clearly if one is Sibe or Mal.

Siberians have such thin bones compared to Malamutes, much lighter on there feet and even at 6 months look like athletes.

Siberians too seem to be in and around the same size when they grow up.Rare enough to see a big male Sibe at 28kg and another at 20kg etc, generally they are all similar size.

While Malamute size in this country can vary alot.I have seen some male Malamute's no bigger than Siberians, barely 30kg, 2 feet at the shoulder, to 45kg+ beasts as tall as Akita's, large german shepherds etc.