HISTORY: The Alaskan Malamute was named after the Mahlemut Inuit people who lived along the Norton Sound of the northwest coast of Alsaka. This breed of dog belongs to the Spitz family and was used by the Inuit in hunting and hauling the carcasses from the hunt to their respective villages. Though never pampered as pets by the Inuit as modern day Alaskan Malamutes are, these dogs were still accorded family-member status in recognition of the vital and essential role they played in Inuit culture.

The exact ancestry lines of the Alaskan Malamute are not well known but undoubtedly there is a strong presence of wolf blood in its make up.

The Alaskan Malamute derives its name from the Eskimo people known as the Mahlemut or Malemuit. This dog breed is one of the oldest and hardiest of the Northern sled dogs. The Alaskan Malamute was first “discovered” by Russian explorers who were visiting the Kotzebue Sound of the Pacific Coast region of Alaska (the term discovered is surrounded by quotes because obviously this dog breed was already known and bred by the Malhemut people).

The aspect that most struck the Russian explorers was the relationship between the Malhemut people and the Malamute dog. Characteristically the northern dog breeds were harshly treated and largely kept in line via the whip, but with in the case of the Alaskan Malamute they found that it was very well treated by the Malhemut people and indeed often shared their dwellings.

Origins

These days there are two different types of Alaskan Malamute. One type is known as the M’loot and is the larger variant; the other smaller variant is the Kotzebue and this type is the form that was bred and raised by the Malhemut of the Inuit tribe. The Alaskan Malamute (often referred to as the “Mal”) was essential to the Inuit way of life, which was typically migratory in nature. The Malamute was used to carry loads aboard sleds across considerable distances that in extreme cases were well over a thousand kilometers. In fact the Alaskan Malamute is a dog breed characterized with incredible stamina, so much so that a team of these dogs are easily capable of dragging a half ton load well over 1500 km across extremely difficult terrain.

Other than sled towing the Alaskan Malamute was also employed for other tasks such as backpacking loads during the summer; the dog is capable of carrying half its own weight.