Talk:Alaskan Malamute/Archive 1

Source for this page
We've queried one of our sources previously about using material & we seem to have their gracious approval; see Talk:Maremma Sheepdog. Elf | Talk 01:50, 25 May 2005 (UTC)

Breed history in Europe
Does anyone know when the Malamute breed was introduced in Europe? Thanks. --Chibiabos 08:14, 13 August 2006 (UTC)

Rescue links
I don't think rescue links will be included for the following reasons as mostly stated in WP:EL
 * 1."Any site that does not provide a unique resource..."
 * 2."Sites that are only indirectly related..."
 * 3."Articles about any organization, person, web site, or other entity should link to the official site if any."
 * -(Pertaining to UK rescue) Rescue is not an officially recognized charity and is only affiliated with the UK club.
 * 4.(Pertaining to UK rescue) Taking into consideration they are of unofficial capacity and not necessarily an authorized body, site is not neutral and shouldn't be sanctioned or given undue weight.

Thanks muchly to (aeropagitica) for help on this matter!≈Krasniy (talk 01:37, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Revamping this Article
I plan to do a rewrite of this article here User:Krasniy/Alaskan Malamute. I want to assure that there is no Kotzebue bias (of which there is a bit) nor M'Loot bias, and provide a better history of the breed with attention given to the lines that largely make up the breed today. I'd like to talk a little more about the standard and the different coat colours and facial markings. This will be my first real article edit so please let me know what you think! ≈ Krasniy t/c 22:51, 8 January 2007 (UTC)

Page Length
Doesn't this seem a bit excessive? I've tried reading it, and it's perfectly interesting, but it just goes into sooo much unnecessary detail. You guys are the enthusiasts, surely you can figure out a way to make it a bit leaner and more efficient like your beloved Malamutes. ;) (Joking).PublicSecrecy 04:40, 15 April 2007 (UTC)

photos of Maluks working!!!
While nice photos of show dogs are nice, and puppies are cure (and my PERSONAL feeling is they don't belong] the inescapable look of joy on the face of a Malamute at work is indescribable. ANYone who WORKS the dogs knows both 'the dance' when first harnessed, and the look of sublime devotion to duty on their face and stance.

This is comming along quite nicely from my last look several (or so it seems) months ago.

paul galioni

Pgalioni 21:10, 21 July 2007 (UTC)


 * Unfortunately there are no properly licensed images of Malamutes mushing (I assume that's what you're referring to). VanTucky  (talk) 21:21, 21 July 2007 (UTC)

don't short clip in summer? is there a ref for this?
My vets have always encouraged me to short-clip my dogs.

I have always cut my dog's hair down in summer to help cool them. I live in and around the High Deserts of Northern Nevada and NE California where temps can get and stay near 100F(+) [38C(+)] from 1000 hours until about 1800 hours -- and often stay above 80F [27C) until 2000-2100 hours. Nights can stay at 70F [21C] until sunrise.

In the winter I let it grow, starting with a last clipping in early August so by Oct-Nov I have a good start, and by Feb I have a full thick coat.

This is too counter-intuitive for me -- having an active dog (darkish color) out in the sun without shade seems brutal and I can't believe that heat build-up under the coat doesn't happen. Again, my vets (plural), one of which has served at the Iditarod several times, concur and encourage me to short-clip them during the summer months.

Can I see a valid reference?

thanks.


 * The comment pertaining to the retention of the dogs coats during hot weather is absurd and counter intuitive. Accepted practice and personal experience dictates that the shaving of a coat during summer is beneficial in reducing heat stress. Since the author cites no reference one can assume they are merely plying ignorance and hence I have decided to delete the comment.72.22.147.209 01:39, 4 January 2007 (UTC) Maxx


 * My three Mals and I live in Texas, and all Texas Mal owners and vets I know strongly discourage shaving or clipping the coat, summer or winter, unless the dogs have rolled in motor oil or  have come into rescue with irremediably matted coats. They are very prone to sunburn on the unprotected skin, and need the insulation from the heat. Their metabolism, given shade, a good cross-breeze and a wading pool, keeps them cooler in the summer than other breeds (e.g., Labs, Ridgebacks). Shaving can trigger  coat funk, where the guard hairs do not grow back properly (post-shaving alopecia).  This is a condition well known to responsible vets, as well as AMCA and other Mal professionals (http://www.malamutehealth.org/articles/cf_understanding.htm); if you've seen it, you know you want to avoid it at all costs. No self-respecting Texas Mal (or Sibe)  is ever shaved. FWIW. It'sWhom, Austin, TX. It&#39;sWhom 23:57, 25 January 2007 (UTC)


 * They don't know for sure that shaving causes coat funk; they don't really know what is/are the cause(s). Otherwise, as far as I have been able to find out, yes it is better to not shortclip dogs. It leaves them susceptible to sunburn as you said, and an owner is better off just being sure that the coat does not get matted. I have read that if you can't keep up the grooming (which makes me wonder why you would get a dog or any pet, long coated or not), then short clip it but don't do it too low. By the way, I do plan to cover this with sources in the updated Malamute page which I am slowly working on.≈ Krasniy t/c 00:18, 26 January 2007 (UTC)

The Malamute coat acts as an insulator for both heat and cold. Never shave a Malamute that will be out in the sun. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.89.73.77 (talk) 21:10, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

Neutering
I've removed cited references to neutering on this article for the following reasons;
 * the cite makes no mention of this breed in particular. If anything it is relevant to the Neutering article, not this one.
 * the cite was being used to suggest that aggression would be a particular problem if a Alaskan Malamute is not neutered. The cite does not say this.  It presents the pros & cons for all breeds and says it depends on circumstances and root cause.
 * the cite was being use to state when neutering should occur, something not mentioned in the cite at all.
 * the cite was being use to suggest that vets "recommend" neutering, something the cite does not say.

-- Escape Orbit (Talk) 13:24, 23 December 2008 (UTC)

Main picture
To start with- I no longer own Mals and have no pictures of Mals on WP.

Yes, many people want to have a picture of their show-stopping pooch on WP, and the current one from User:Winterwindmals looks great. But so did the - it may not have shown the "breed standard" features, but it was also representative of the breed. My opinion is that a representative picture of a Mal doesn't necessarily have to be in a stacked pose, but that's just me. BTW, I removed a commercial external link from the same user.

So, before an edit war starts about whose dog gets to star on WP, perhaps the main editors of this article would like to decide on what type of main picture should be there? It also might seem a bit over the top for one user to have supplied all three of the pictures on the page- perhaps some naivety on behalf of this user? Some might say vanity edits. Cheers, Freestyle-69 (talk) 05:16, 9 January 2009 (UTC)


 * My apologies for responding so late. I also think the current infobox image does provide a great overview of the breed. However, I would remove the other two images that User:Winterwindmals added.  I would replace the puppy photo with the previous puppy and replace with the adult photo with this featured picture.  I note that the featured picture is scheduled to the picture of the day on Commons on April 11, 2009.  I would expect that readers viewing that image would click the wikilink to the article and be surprised that image is not in the article. Coaster1983 (talk) 04:18, 27 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Looking over the article's history, Coaster1983, you seem to have been the most frequent registered editor of this page. ya got my vote. Freestyle-69 (talk) 08:57, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

File:Alaskan.malamute.jpg Nominated for speedy Deletion
An image used in this article,, has been nominated for speedy deletion at Wikimedia Commons for the following reason: Copyright violations Speedy deletions at commons tend to take longer than they do on Wikipedia, so there is no rush to respond. If you feel the deletion can be contested then please do so (commons:COM:SPEEDY has further information). Otherwise consider finding a replacement image for this article before it is deleted.
 * What should I do?

A further notification will be placed when/if the image is deleted. This notification is provided by a Bot, currently under trial --CommonsNotification (talk) 09:42, 5 May 2011 (UTC)

Relation to the Wolf
I heard many different times that the Malamute is the closest relation in the dog family to the Wolf. Is this accurate? I've heard specifically that the Husky many times is misrepresented in this fashion but that it is the Malamute that holds this status. Can anyone comment? Can anyone provide a source? Thanks in advance 70.189.106.136 (talk) 19:18, 8 August 2009 (UTC)


 * Interesting, I had come to this article to learn if the very same were true. I had heard that Alaskan Malamutes had to be bread back to wolves every 2nd generation in order to maintain the breed.  Although I haven't seen any mention of it here, I too wondered if this were the case. 67.204.40.87 (talk)  —Preceding undated comment added 02:08, 6 November 2009 (UTC).
 * Just to respond to some two year old posts to avoid confusion by unfamiliar readers: none of that is true. No dog is "closer" to a wolf than any other. Even a toy poodle is the same relation to a grey wolf as a malamute. That is to say all dogs, regardless of appearance, are Canis lupus familiaris. Theyre all members of the same subspecies of the wolf. There's no "dog family" in the sense of domesticated dogs being differentiated like that. While some breeds retain more wolf-like appearance, that's a matter of selective breeding for those traits by people, not an indication of genetic closeness. oknazevad (talk) 18:13, 22 September 2011 (UTC)

Mean to Unfamiliar Houseguests?
The article cited in support for this statement: "they may react unfavorably to unfamiliar house guests" does not clearly support the statement. I'd make the edit myself and change the footnote marker to a [needs citation], but I don't know how. It might be simplest to just delete the sentence "And while Malamutes aren't normally thought of as territorial dogs, they may react unfavorably to unfamiliar house guests.[4]" —Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.198.0.154 (talk) 04:36, 14 April 2008 (UTC)


 * This is sort of ridiculous. Anyone that's owned a Malamute knows they are precocious around other humans to the point of being utterly useless as guard dogs.  I'm not even sure they have a sense of loyalty to any particular owner thanks to their unique communal upbringing.  The biggest danger they pose to other people is slobbering all over them.  Small animals on the other hand are a real problem in my experience, they seem to view these as a tasty snack.  69.181.230.108 (talk) 06:03, 5 March 2009 (UTC)


 * I have to concur. This is ridiculous.  Malamutes can be very timid.  My malamute would hide under the kitchen table as soon as she heard an unfamiliar voice.  They are very gentle around children.  But vicious around small animals.  I watched my Malamute snap the neck of many raccoons, and porcupines in her 17 years, with a couple shakes of her head and its neck in her jaws.  I never saw her catch a deer, but I know that when she would get off her chain she would chase them through the woods and come back all worn out.  They have no fear when it comes to other animals.  She never bit anyone, and there were babies, children, right up to elderly folks always in contact with her.67.204.40.87 (talk)  —Preceding undated comment added 02:14, 6 November 2009 (UTC).


 * Removed copyvio because as already noted in References in article and above, origin material was taken from westlord site with their permission. Although it also appears on http://www.alaskanmalamute.org/malhist.htm, I don't know how to track down who started it.


 * In addition, it's only that one section that's duplicated--the rest of the material is fine!


 * Elf | Talk 00:43, 20 August 2005 (UTC)

Sorry about the overzealous copyvio reporting. I don't think Westlord owns the material, though: "These pages are not meant to break copyrights or any laws! This website holds no copyrights on the material presented. All information and materials presented on this website were obtained from freely-accessible sources on the Internet, and are believed to be public domain, unless otherwise noted. Pictures & Articles included are copyright of their respectful owners. No attempt has been made to disguise rightful ownership of said materials. If I have disregard something please e-mail me and I will remove it immediately ! I have NOT the copyright of the pictures and articles. If you have the copyright and want me not to use something e-mail me and I will remove it immediately!" tregoweth 00:50, August 20, 2005 (UTC)

Malamutes generally should not act agressively to any person. Some lines have agression problems. Malamuutes are not supposed to be a one person dog. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.89.73.77 (talk) 21:19, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

I add to this, for example:


 * Like many canines, Malamutes may become aggressive around other unfamiliar dogs, especially if they are not neutered or spayed.[3] This is important to note due to their powerful, deep chest and large head.[4] Male dogs are of particular note, as they are generally the more aggressive sex, due to factors like testosterone acting on the brain, which is one of the major reasons veterinarians recommend neutering as a puppy.[3]

- the source "Neutering Male Dogs" does not mention Malamutes at all, so how does it support the statements? This is clear advertisement for castration. In addition, there is nothing within that article that mentions the age for castration - in fact, the vets (at least those teaching at VFU) do not recommend taking away gonads before reaching full physical development of the individual! --62.40.79.66 (talk) 17:55, 22 December 2008 (UTC)

While I concur that the Malamute is essentially a gregarious (company loving) creature who would probably let a burgular in, show them where the goodies are stored, and help them eat the bounty, they also tend bind very closely with the children of their household and can be more watchful of strangers when they are in the presence of their children as they view young children as members of the pack and not able to defend themselves. While they are indeed noble and loving they are also quite aware of predatory behavior and will react accordingly. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.127.181.211 (talk) 20:12, 23 February 2012 (UTC)