Z is for Zest for Life
The Alaskan Malamute is described as a moderately angulated breed with
"shoulders moderately sloping" and "stifles moderately bent." Extremes are not
in keeping with a natural breed, hence the term "moderate," which is used with
great frequency in the entire breed standard. "Moderate" might be described as
something that does not call attention to itself by being extreme. A correctly
angulated Malamute will exhibit a strong rear drive and a far-reaching front
assembly. Balance between the front and rear is absolutely vital for efficient
locomotion. The stilted gait of the straight-angled dog and the lack of power in
the overly angulated dog are equally severe deviations from the standard and
should be penalized as such.
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The Alaskan Malamute is described as a heavy-boned dog in
combination with all the other physical equipment necessary to perform his
function as a freighting sled dog. Judges should not limit themselves to a
visual appraisal of bone, as they can be misled by the amount of leg hair
possessed by the dog. Even the smaller bitches should have obvious heavy bone in
proportion to their size.
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The Malamute's coat is thick and coarse, never long and soft or
curly. The standard describes the undercoat as being from one to two inches in
depth and the guard coat as moderately short to medium. A good average guard
coat length would be approximately two inches on the side of the body,
increasing to three or four inches around the neck, down the back to the rump
and the tail. The coat should be naturally oily and woolly and should stand off
the body, never lying flat, except during the summer months when the undercoat
has been shed.
The Malamute is an active, curious, self-confident breed.
He is described as affectionate, friendly and devoted. He is not a "one-man"
dog. The Eskimos often shared their dogs, and it was necessary for the Malamute
to take direction and commands from non-family members. Malamutes are highly
intuitive and can therefore react unfavorably to those who are intimidated or
fearful of them, and they certainly will not take orders from those they don't
respect. Their playful antics in the conformation and obedience rings have cause
more than one or two exhibitors to become red-faced! Fortunately most judges do
not become impatient with the entertainment offered as a break from a long,
tedious day of judging!
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The Malamute's eyes are obliquely placed in the skull,
moderately large for their shape. The almond shape is one of the most beautiful
and distinguishing features of the total appearance. Round eyes should be
faulted. Dark eyes are preferred. Blue eyes are a complete disqualification.
Ears should be of medium size but small in proportion to the head. They are
triangular in shape and slightly pointed at the tips, not wide and rounded.
The ear set should never be too high (on top of the head) nor too low (at the
side of the head) but should give the appearance of standing off from the skull.
This moderately wide set gives the Malamute the ability to rotate its ears to
hear the dog or sled driver behind him. When working the Malamute can fold his
well-furred ears against his skull. Ears that are too large are inefficient for
heat retention and should be penalized.
It has been said that a Malamute is only as good as his feet, and
there is no doubt that having proper feet was an important component for
survival in the arctic environment. The Malamute's feet should be very large,
tight and deep, with well-cushioned pads, giving a firm, compact appearance. The
toes should be tight fitting and well arched, never splayed or flat!
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The large foot enabled the Malamute to avoid penetrating deep snow and thick
toenails helped to create traction on icy surfaces. Feet that are splayed, lack
sufficient cushioning, or are in any other way unsound, should be seriously
faulted.
The correct gait for the Malamute could best be described as
powerful. It will be steady and balanced, while displaying great agility. The
front should travel true in line with no toeing in or out nor moving too close
or too wide. The rear likewise travels clean with hocks turning neither in nor
out, and shows extreme power without any wasted motion or "high kicks."
From the side, the Malamute should have a smooth reaching stride, again
exhibiting strong rear drive from the hindquarters through the loin. He is not
intended to have the flying trot of some of the Herding breeds, but likewise his
gait should never be restricted or choppy. As the Malamute's speed increases,
his legs will converge to a center line. Because the Malamute is a freighting
sledge dog, movement is certainly one of the most important factors in judging
the breed, and any gait that is stilted or not completely efficient and tireless
should be penalized heavily.
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The head is obviously the first thing that catches one's eye, and
the lack of a beautiful head and expression can make all the difference in the
general appeal of a particular animal. The Malamute's head should be broad and
powerful and indicate a high degree of intelligence. It should never be so large
as to make the dog appear clumsy or coarse, but narrow heads with insufficient
back skull are a far more common problem in the breed as a whole. The skull
should be broad and moderately rounded between the ears with gradual narrowing
and flattening on top as its approaches the eyes, rounding off to moderately
flat cheeks. There should be a slight furrow between the eyes, and the top line
of the skull and top line of the muzzle should show a slight break downward from
a straight line as they join. The variety of head and face markings allowed in
the breed make each dog a unique specimen.
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After all the various descriptions and explanations in the standard, this one
section clearly stands out as a firm reminder to the judge:
"In judging the
Alaskan Malamute, (its) function as a sledge dog for heavy freighting must be
given consideration above all else." The Malamute is structured for strength and
endurance; therefore, the standard explains that any characteristic that
interferes with the accomplishment of this purpose should be considered the most
serious of faults! These faults include splay-footedness, any unsoundness or
weakness in legs, cow hocks, bad pasterns, straight shoulders, lack of
angulation, stilted gait, ranginess, shallowness, ponderousness, light bone and
poor overall proportion. Minor faults will be "forgiven" in a Malamute that
meets all the structural requirements needed to do its job.
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Knowledge for both the breeder and the judge is vital for
the preservation of the Malamute. The breeder's knowledge enables him to select
the finest specimens for breeding and showing. He will be aware of the genetic
problems in the breed, and his goal will be to produce only physically and
mentally sound animals that conform to the breed standard. The good breeder
realizes that he learns something from every breeding he does and from every
Malamute he encounters.
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As previously noted with feet, a Malamute is only as good as his
legs, since they are directly involved in how well he stands and moves! The
front legs should be straight with heavy bone and muscle, and with no weakness
in the pasterns. Hind legs should be broad and powerfully muscled through the
thighs, with moderately bent stifles and no cowhocks. The standard further
stresses the importance of good legs by stating, "The legs of the Malamute must
indicate unusual strength and tremendous propelling power. Any indication of
unsoundness in legs or feet, front or rear, standing or moving, is to be
considered a serious fault!"
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The Malamute's muzzle should be bulky, diminishing slightly in
width and depth from the junction with the skull to the nose. Muzzles should
never be long, pointed or Collie-like, nor should they be stubby or have
excessive stop. They should give the impression of being large and bulky in
proportion to the size of the skull. Lips are tight-fitting and jaws are broad.
The lips are black.
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The neck of the Malamute should be deep, well muscled and
moderately arched. The coat there will also be longer and denser. Dogs that lack
angulation in the shoulder and are restricted in front movement will often give
the appearance of lacking a definable neck. By the same token, many over
angulated dogs have necks that are long and out of proportion.
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The Malamute is a breed that should be beautifully
balanced from head to tail. The front and rear assemblies should be equally
angulated and the body compactly built without being short coupled. A long loin
is to be faulted. Every aspect of the Malamute should give the overall
appearance of a completely proportionate animal.
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The Malamute should have a deep chest and powerful,
moderately sloping shoulders. These are both absolutely essential for its
performance as a heavy freighting animal. Its front assembly should turn neither
in nor out, and the legs should be straight to the pasterns when viewed from the
front. Pasterns should be short and strong with only a slight slope when viewed
from the side.
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There's no question that the goal of every breeder is to
produce quality animals - dogs to be admired by his peers as excellent
representatives of the breed. The quality breeder is adamant about breeding only
correct specimens that are physically and mentally sound. Whether selling a show
prospect or a pet, his buyers can be sure of the quality of the Malamute they
have purchased.
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Malamutes must have an excellent rear, for without a good rear,
a particular animal cannot be a good Malamute and perform the job for which it
was intended! Rears should be moderately angulated with a well let down hock.
The legs should not appear bowed in bone but should be broad and heavily muscled
through the thighs. Malamutes stand and move true in line, are absent of
cowhocks and display tremendous power without wasted motion. Dogs with
sufficient angle in the rear will move with a stilted or choppy gait, and while
over angulated animals may exhibit a "flying" side gait, their movement is weak
or sloppy when viewed from the rear. Dew claws should be removed shortly after
birth.
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Because there is a natural range of size in the breed, we have no
disqualification in this category. Desirable freighting sizes are identified as
25 inches and 85 pounds for dogs and 23 inches and 75 pounds for bitches. The
standard, however, clearly points out that size should never outweigh type,
proportion and functional attributes in importance. Only when dogs are
identical in all of these aspects should be judge choose the animal closest to
the desirable freighting size! It's important to remember that we're supposed to
be breeding Malamutes - not Great Danes and not Siberian Huskies. The standard
serves as a reminder of where our size goals should be directed.
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Tails are easily one of the most common problems seen in the
breed as a whole. Unfortunately, in most cases, you can count on one hand the
number of correct tail sets seen in the show ring at any given time!
The tail should appear over the back as a waving plume, not tightly curled,
resting on the back, snapped or carried like a fox brush. Tails should be well
furred and sufficient in length to display the arched waving plume.
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No unsoundness should be tolerated in a working sledge
breed. As mentioned previously, minor faults may be "forgiven" by the judge in
favor of the most physically sound specimens. Any characteristic that would
interfere with the accomplishment of the Malamute's purpose should be considered
an example of unsoundness and labeled a serious fault. Some examples are poor
feet, any unsoundness in legs while standing or moving, cowhocks, weak pasterns,
lack of angulation and any gait that is not balanced, strong and steady.
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Malamutes come in a variety of colors,
ranging from all shades of gray to black and all shades of sable to red. White
is the only solid color allowed. No preference should be given to color! Color
combinations are allowed on undercoats, points and trimmings. Marking can be cap
like or mask-like, or combinations of both. White is always the predominant
color on underbodies, parts of legs, feet and face markings. Malamutes can have
fleur de lis, blazes, stars, bars, goggles,etc. on the face and head. The
collar and/or nape spot markings are described in the standard as "attractive
and acceptable" and should not be penalized! The Malamute is a mantled breed
(blanketed); therefore, uneven splashing or broken color extending over the body
is undesirable.
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Difficult to define but unmistakable when seen, the
well let down hock is what gives the Malamute a gently sloping top line. A long
hock is to be faulted, however, the Malamute should likewise not "sink into" its
rear as this would indicate weakness. Picture a straight back, sloping gently to
the hips, with moderately bent stifles, and broad and strong hocks that are
likewise moderately bent, and you have the ideal structure.
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The Malamute's teeth are large and meet
with a scissors grip. The bite should never been overshot or undershot. The wry
or misaligned mouth prevents the dog from efficiently closing its mouth and
should be considered the most serious of all bite problems. Lips are
tight-fitting to avoid drooling and subsequent ice formation on the lips.
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Type Versus Soundness:
A correct specimen of any
breed must possess both type and soundness. Certainly there are many lovely dogs
with striking breed type that turn into walking disasters with their first
steps. By the same token, the mixed-breed is one of the most sound animals. A
statement made once by a judge while being interviewed that best exemplified the
combination of type and soundness in proper judging:
"I begin," she explained,
"by first selecting the animals that exhibit the best 'type.' Then I rejudge
according to overall soundness."
Malamutes should be friendly and outgoing, displaying a
high degree of activity and enthusiasm. They are true clowns, fun-loving and
extremely smart. Their intelligence is often mislabeled by so-called trainers
who describe them as stupid and difficult to train, when in fact this stubborn,
self-confident personality is what enabled them to survive extreme arctic
conditions for generations. The Malamute should be happy, move with enthusiasm
and display expression and interest, but showmanship should never be the
determining factor in judging over a more sound and physically correct
specimen.
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