Wolf Hunter Kills Man's Pet Malamute

A Missoula man's malamute was fatally shot by a wolf hunter on Sunday. Layne Spence was skiing with his three dogs near Lee Creek, Montana, when Little Dave, a two-year old brown and white malamute, was shot in the leg.

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The Life and Times of the Alaskan Malamute

By Joe Henderson Mushing.com 

“Hey! Knock it off!” I scolded Johnny as he slapped the harness out of my hand and peed on it. He knows that harness is a good thing. He loves it. It’s his harness and he wants everyone to know it!

Johnny’s the boss. He’s the kingpin of the dog yard, or so he thinks. The other males keep their distance from him and they don’t dare cross his path or growl at him. They know he’ll just pin them to the ground. Johnny’s a typical dominating Alaskan malamute with a passion to indulge in a good fight once in a while. With most malamutes, this raging hormonal fighting stage lasts only a year or two, unless of course they’re Johnny, who lingered in that phase for eight years. Thank God he’s finally settled down at 10 years of age! But not all malamutes play this dominate role and have a temperament like Johnny. In understanding this behavior, let’s take a stroll through Johnny’s canine cranium and try to envision his lust for life through his eyes.
Johnny sees himself as an impressive malamute specimen. His black and white mask and black coat glistens in the morning sun. Johnny’s deep chest is supported by wide, muscular shoulders and his brushy tail curves perfectly over his back. Johnny enjoys being next to the young gals in the team and feels that no one else should be around them but him. If the other males get close to his girlfriends, Johnny reminds them who they’re messing with through a deep growl. When the other males hear his warning, they back off immediately, leaving the old grump alone. Johnny’s gotten used to be treated so well by others in the team and his ego has grown ridiculously large. Even while Johnny is hitched in the team he’s constantly showing off.

A typical day running the team with Johnny starts something like this: I hitch Johnny in wheel position. “Johnny you’re going next to Nikko…and be nice to him.” Johnny recognizes my commanding tone, yet he doesn’t understand all my words and he doesn’t care anyway. Nikko is a younger dog who’s just getting integrated into the team. He stands excitedly next to Johnny, wanting to run. But Johnny’s somewhat intimidated by Nikko, who’s grown up to be quite a large male. So, Johnny anticipates a good fight, or at least he’s looking forward to giving Nikko his best growl so he can watch the young rookie cower. At two years old, Nikko’s powerful chest and shoulders are starting to be a dominating feature of his physique, presenting a threat to Johnny’s domain.
Johnny hopes Nikko squares off with him. “Damn I’ve been looking forward to putting a scar down Nikko’s muzzle for quite some time now,” Johnny grumbles to himself. Nikko glances at him. Johnny rolls his lip above his sharp canines and lets out the snarliest growl he can muster. Nikko ignores the snarl, stiffens his legs trying to look taller than Johnny and thinks, “some day, buddy, you will be old, and then we’ll see.” 


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Arctic Traveler: Malamute Myth Busting

Mushing.com 
September 1, 2009
By Joe Henderson

Alaskan Malamutes have been on this planet for a long time and recent DNA testing shows they are one of the world’s most ancient breeds. Throughout history we have called upon the malamute for the toughest jobs—dragging sleds to the North and South Poles, hauling U.S. mail across Alaska, and packing ammunition for our soldiers in WWII. But why are there so many myths about Alaskan malamutes?

In order to bust some of the myths, first we need to explore their history and origin. The Mahlemuit people or Inuit, whom they are named after, used the Alaskan malamute breed over 10,000 years ago and possibly earlier. The malamutes crossed the Bering Straits with the Inuit from the arctic regions of Siberia. They were used as pack dogs, hunting dogs, and sled dogs and protected the Inuit families from bears. It must have been a rugged life back then and the dogs had to conform to their environment or else they wouldn’t survive. They had to be stout and have stamina to carry a pack or pull a sledge. Their coats had to be lush with just the right length and thickness to hold their body heat and repel whipping snow during blizzards. And malamutes had to be intelligent, trusting, and loyal since they lived with people who valued them as part of their family. 

It’s also believed the dogs ate when the family ate which meant during famines they had to develop a digestive system that allowed them to absorb every micronutrient from their meager rations of food. I have seen dogs half the sizes of malamutes eat twice the amount of food as them—malamutes are just great keepers. These guys also had to develop hefty paws that would endure traveling on dry snow and sharp ice. Basically, it can be said the Alaskan malamute is the perfect breed for a brutal and imperfect environment.

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How Do You Make the Perfect Sled Dog?

ScienceDaily (Sep. 25, 2010) — Over the last few hundred years, Alaskan sled dogs have been bred to haul cargo over Arctic terrain and, more recently, for racing. Now, researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Genetics have identified the contributions different breeds have made to the speed, endurance and work ethic of Alaskan sled dogs.Heather Huson and Elaine Ostrander, from the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA, worked with a team of researchers to carry out genetic analysis in 199 sled dogs and 681 purebred dogs from 141 different breeds.

Huson said, "The Alaskan sled dog comprises several different lineages, optimized for different racing styles -- long or short distance. We sought to identify breed composition profiles associated with expertise at specific tasks, finding that the Alaskan Malamute and Siberian Husky contributions are associated with enhanced endurance; Pointer and Saluki are associated with enhanced speed and the Anatolian Shepherd has a positive influence on work ethic."

The researchers sampled sled dogs from eight kennels, rating them for speed, endurance, and work ethic, using established criteria specified for the distinct racing styles of sprint and distance. These attributes were correlated with genetic information taken from each dog and compared to likely ancestral breeds.

Speaking about the results, Huson said, "The Alaskan sled dog presents a case in which a genetically distinct breed of dog has been developed through the selection and breeding of individuals based solely on their athletic prowess. Interestingly, this continual out-crossing for athletic enhancement has still led to the Alaskan sled dog repeatedly producing its own unique genetic signature. Indeed, the Alaskan sled dog breed proved to be more genetically distinct than breeds of similar heritage such as the Alaskan Malamute and Siberian Husky."

It's an Alaskan Malamute, NOT a Husky !

I wish I had a nickel for every time I had to explain that my dog is not a husky. The comment when someone first sees my 120lb, four legged buddy is usually "WOW!! That's the biggest Siberian Husky I've ever seen". Then I have to go in to my routine explanation which gently corrects their error and describes the difference between the two breeds. Without a doubt, there are very strong similarities and your average sled dog aficionado can tell the difference immediately, but it does get a bit frustrating. While both breeds are highly intelligent, Mals are almost twice the size of a husky and much stockier, easier to train, and much, much more affectionate . . . Alaskans also NEVER, EVER have blue eyes. Having owned both Huskies and Malamutes, I can tell you that I am a 14kt gold, card carrying, die hard fan of the Alaskan Malamute.

Alaskan Malamutes are a brawny freighting sled dog of Alaska's native Inuit people, bred for endurance rather than speed. Wolf like in appearance, it excels as an adaptable, and highly intelligent canine companion. A heavy boned dog with a bulky muzzle, a broad head, wide set ears, and a thickly furred tail carried plume like over the back, the Malamute is one of the most beautiful dogs on earth and, pound for pound, almost certainly the strongest. Of all of the various and sundry dog breeds found today in the United States, the Alaskan Malamute is the only pure, true native canine from North America.

The breed is blessed with a sunny disposition. Happiest when treated as an intelligent partner, the Mal is highly cooperative but never slavish or fawning. He works and lives with you, not for you. The typical Malamute is almost universally friendly to any human being. As the dogs of a peaceful, nomadic people, they do not necessarily guard property and virtually always extend a tail wagging, face licking welcome to strangers; although any aggressive behavior by a stranger directed towards the Mals owner will undoubtedly elicit an immediate, protective reaction. When asked if he is a good watch dog I answer with an emphatic "YES!" "He'd watch someone steal the TV, watch someone take all of the jewelry and valuables . . . " Let's face it, they love people and their size and their previously mentioned wolf like appearance is probably their only intimidating features. Malamutes will develop a deep, complex attachment to their owners, although they are not necessarily one person dogs. They are certainly pack animals and within the human family unit, the Malamute considers himself to be one of the group.

This versatile northen dog is happy to pull a sled, but is equally glad to accompany the backpacker or the casual walker. In cold weather, the Mal makes an ideal running partner. Large and powerful yet remarkably agile, Malamutes sometimes enjoy retrieving tennis balls and Frisbees although they can get bored very easily. Some malamutes love to swim; others have a marked aversion to water. Most enjoy car rides; the breed is not prone to motion sickness. Virtually all Malamutes find their greatest joy in human companionship and are perfectly content to join their owners in almost any activity . . . especially those that might feature something to eat. Malamutes take an alert interest in their surroundings and are excellent company.

Now, not surprisingly, I also get asked plenty of other questions about the Mal . . . after all this is a very exotic looking creature. The next, single most frequently asked question is "does he shed much?". The fact that my yard is loaded with dog hair tumbleweeds and that virtually every bird's nest is lined with Malamute fur might be an indication . . . but I'll delve in to more of that subject at some other time.