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Alaskan Malamutes


ZEUSSY
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Hi I have a lovely Malamute named Zeus before him I had another Malamute named woofa who was a giant breed, and am wondering if anyone can help with finding breeders of this larger malamute breed, I am from tassie but know people who can get the dogs here, any help would be appreciated.

Paul. I have attached a phot of my beautiful boy Zeus.

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Nope there is no such thing as a giant version of the malamute. Woofa was probably just 'oversized'.

The breed standard for the malamutes states that thier allowable sizes are as follows;

Dogs 63.5 cm (25 ins) at the shoulders - 38.5 kg (85 lbs)

Bitches 58.5 cm (23 ins) at the shoulder - 34 kg (75 lbs)

All dogs within a breed vary depending on thier lines. Preferably they should sit in the size ranges outlined, but some are at the small end of the scale and some are larger. Woofa was probably just a dog that was bred from larger dogs. If someone has told you that it exists they are lying. Full stop. Probably just trying to justify why thier dogs are so much bigger than they should be.

All I can suggest is if you prefer the larger sizes is to research on places like Dogzonline, or go to a local show, and find a breeder whose stock is on the bigger side. And most importantly make sure you buy from a registered repuatable breeder. :)

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Nothing worse then falling in love with a beautiful pup only to find out it is riddled with genetic diseases such as hip and elbow dysplasia epilepsy and thyroid conditions, So yes I agree buy from a reputable registered breeder ( by that we mean someone who also health tests , pedigree papers arent worth anything unless the parents are healthy) :thumbsup:

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Some American breeders (of whatever provenance) list themselves as breeders of "giant malamutes", breeding dogs up to about 65-70 kg. Some are true malamutes selected over the generations for size, others are crossed with newfoundland stock or similar, bigger dogs.

The true malamutes tend to have pretty short lives due to the pressures on the skeleton and organs, the crosses are usually healthier, but you won't find reputable registered breeders with purebred "giant malamutes" of that size by definition. If they're breeding mals with 5-year lifespans they're not reputable, if they're cross-breeding they won't be registered.

Edited to add: a couple of the breeders I just googled up claim that their "giant malamutes" are purer descendents of M'loot dogs. This isn't true.

Edited by War Consigliere
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Agree with the previous posters.

I've fostered several rescue malamutes and the size varied markedly - from one girl who was a bit smaller than my akitas and a boy who was huuuuge.

Have a look for rescue mals and you'll see quite a variation in type -

BTW - your picture of Zeus hasn't shown up :-(

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My parents have a rescue malamute, this is their second one.

The first (Max) was a very large mal, and gorgeous, and had health issues. The current one (Mali) is smaller, and has no health issues at this stage, and he's nearly 6yo.

As others have said, the best bet is a reputable breeder that health tests. It saces a lot of heartache in the long run :)

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I see tons of huge Malamutes around these days that are FAR larger than the breed standard. A lot of people who own these dogs want them for their size. They're definitely being bred larger and larger these days. I can only imagine the issues their joints would have.

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Some American breeders (of whatever provenance) list themselves as breeders of "giant malamutes", breeding dogs up to about 65-70 kg. Some are true malamutes selected over the generations for size, others are crossed with newfoundland stock or similar, bigger dogs.

The true malamutes tend to have pretty short lives due to the pressures on the skeleton and organs, the crosses are usually healthier, but you won't find reputable registered breeders with purebred "giant malamutes" of that size by definition. If they're breeding mals with 5-year lifespans they're not reputable, if they're cross-breeding they won't be registered.

Edited to add: a couple of the breeders I just googled up claim that their "giant malamutes" are purer descendents of M'loot dogs. This isn't true.

if we live in the world against purebred dogs, all f1 cross-hybrids are 'apparently' healthier. In some cases this is true, but no designer dog gets the genetics the way that some breeders make it sound they do. In any cross-breed the type and number of genes that the progeny get from each parent differs greatly, and if they are crossing Malamutes with Newfy's for size, then you would find in a great number of pups the health problems from both breeds. You would also see Malumates with Newfy qualities and the reverse. Just because you want to increase the size does not mean that that's the only genetic marker you would recieve. You would not simply get a large malamute. You would get a jumbled up, messed up, version of a purebred dog. Or simply put a mutt.

There are health problems within the purebred dog community, but at least within the breed you know what those problems are, the likelihood of those problems occuring within YOUR dog, and if you deal with a reputable, registered breeder, a qualified prediction of life expectancy, and size. Just because a breeder is registered does not make them reputable, but do your homework, and with the numbers of Malumate's around, Im sure you can find someone who breeds on the large side of the scale.

BUT, if your heart is set on a giant Malamute, you may as well do the right thing, go to your local pound and rescue a large malumate-esque breed, because idiots who claim that they are breeding these as a 'breed', are simply puppy farmers, or designer dog farmers, or possibly even BYB's, and Im sure many of thier pups would eventually end up there. That way if you wish to look outside the pedigree dog community you are rescuing, instead of allowing puppy farmers and dog designers to profit from dangerous and largely unpredicatable breeding practices.

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The true malamutes tend to have pretty short lives due to the pressures on the skeleton and organs, the crosses are usually healthier

if we live in the world against purebred dogs, all f1 cross-hybrids are 'apparently' healthier.

The cross-breeds aren't typically having five year lifespans before their hearts and livers fail, with severe joint problems beforehand. The acromegalic giant mals aren't built to live at that size, and - like human acromegalics - die young. Your hotbuttons don't enter into it.

Again, breeders who produce purebred dogs who trade ongoing health problems and halved lifespans for double-sized dogs aren't reputable. 'Apparently' or not.

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The 'crosses are healthier' debate only works in the wild, where natural selection comes in and deals with any unhealthy animals before they breed and thus naturally produces a healthier population.

I'm not a fan of breeders who claim to breed 'giant dogs' with 'huge heads', just like I can't stand breeders who claim they breed 'teacup' dogs.

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Wow- I'm surprised at the height standard for the breed- I always thought that they were supposed to be large- or maybe it's just their coat and tail making them appear bigger?

That is pretty large at about the same height as Rotties plus the coat. The Rottie height for males is 24"-26".

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Puts them in the same height bracket as GSD's and the ones that are within the standard I wouldn't classify as 'large' (though I am tall so that may have something to do with it) ;)

Yep, they are all classed as large breeds, anything bigger like a Dane or St Bernard is a giant breed. Border Collie size is medium, Sheltie size is small, Papillons, etc are toy size.

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Puts them in the same height bracket as GSD's and the ones that are within the standard I wouldn't classify as 'large' (though I am tall so that may have something to do with it) ;)

Yep, they are all classed as large breeds, anything bigger like a Dane or St Bernard is a giant breed. Border Collie size is medium, Sheltie size is small, Papillons, etc are toy size.

Actually, GSD's are classed as medium sized dogs, here is an extract from the ankc standard:

General Appearance: The German Shepherd Dog is of medium size, slightly elongated, strong and well muscled, with dry bone and of firm overall structure

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