If you own a Siberian Husky or a Alaskan Malamute, or you are planning to have one of these similar look dog breeds then you should know the major differences between Alaskan malamute vs Siberian husky.
As a new pet lover you find it difficult to choose between these two similar looking dog breeds because they look very similar but if you characterize them you will find a lot of differences between Siberian husky vs Alaskan malamute.
So in this article we will discuss 9 key differences between Alaskan Husky vs Siberian Husky so that you will have a clear understanding before choosing one of these dogs for your companion.
Alaskan Malamute vs Siberian Husky
1.History
Both Siberian husky and Alaskan malamute are from Arctic areas famous for their shed pulling capacity. They both are known as sled dogs in the arctic region. As the name suggests, that Siberian husky is from Siberia and malamute from Alaska.
Siberian husky is an arctic sled dog in northern Asia where they pull light loads at a quick speed in very harsh and cold climates.
On the other hand, Alaskan malamute is an arctic sled dog known for pulling a heavy sled over long distances with slow and steady speed.
2.Appearance : Coats and Markings
If you look at both Siberian husky and Alaskan malamute, they look similar in most aspects but there are some notable differences between them.
They both look like they have perpetually raised eyebrows,both have thick,double coats. As they both live in extremely cold regions, their sport coats kept them warm.
Alaskan malamute has longer hair than Siberian husky which looks slightly different and easy to differentiate.
Both Siberian husky and Alaskan malamute have similar colour patterns ranging from white to black,white to gray or brown.
3.Alaskan Malamute vs Siberian Husky Size
Size is one of the most important differences between these similar dog breeds.
The height of Male Alaskan malamute is 25 inches whereas females are 23 inches and weight of male Alaskan malamute around 85 pounds and female weight around 75 pounds.
On the other hand, the average height of male Siberian huskies stands between 21 and 23.5 inches while the female husky average 20 to 22 inches.
The weight varies between 45 to 60 for male huskies and for female huskies it varies from 35 to 50 pounds.
4.Life span
The best thing about these two similar look alike breeds is that Both breeds generally live a healthy life . The life expectancy of an Alaskan malamute is 10 to 12 years whereas the life expectancy of Huskies ranges from 12-15 years . If you take care of them properly then some dogs live longer than average.
5.Grooming
Alaskan Malamute requires regular grooming. It includes brushing and bathing with this double coated dog to achieve a beautiful coat and healthy skin. Be sure to keep their coat clean, if the coat gets dirty then try to bathe regularly once in a week to avoid matting.
Siberian huskies need less grooming as compared to other double coated dog breeds.Husky needs brushing once in a week to prevent tangles in the coat.
You need to trim their nails every month to avoid unnecessary tearing or to protect your skin from their nail scratch during jumping at the time of over excitement.
6.Shedding
Shedding depends on different factors like seasonal change, hormonal change, pregnancy and many other reasons too.
Siberian huskies shed moderately round the year but they shed heavily twice a year. Heavy shedding is due to the seasonal change.
During the heavy shedding season, it’s recommended to brush your Siberian husky and Alaskan malamute at least once a week during the heavy shedding period to control shedding around your home
7.Alaskan Malamute vs Siberian Husky Temperament
Both the dog breeds have similar temperaments. Both dogs are very affectionate,friendly with families, very loyal and can be familiar with family members and strangers too.
These two dog breeds can’t be your guard dogs because of their friendly and mixing behaviour towards other unknown people.
As Alaskan malamute and Siberian husky are pack animals, they love their families too much. However Huskies are more preferably to stick with their family members whereas Alaskan malamute are independent on their own terms.
8.Exercise
According to AKC, American Kennel Club, Both Alaskan malamute and Siberian husky require at least two hours of exercise to help them release pent up energy and to enrich their mental stimulation.
As both these dog breeds are sled pulling dogs they need heavy workout to release their build up energy and become stress free but nowadays sled pulling is not possible so you can use them as your running partner, for hiking, climbing and many other playful sessions to exercise them regularly.
If you lack a sufficient amount of playtime or exercise they show some destructive behaviours like tearing sofas, chewing furniture, ripping the bed sheets, digging holes and many other awkward things.
9.Training
Both these breeds are intelligent but Malamutes are challenging to train early. Early socialization helps in overall development of Malamutes . These dogs can show dominance if they don’t get proper training from an early age.
At the time of training, Alaskan male owners should keep in mind not to include activities that over stimulate them or make them aggressive.
The training session should be consistent and with different types so that malamute don’t get bored. These dogs can be trained in the best possible way by positive reinforcement techniques like giving healthy treats and lots of attention.
On the other hand, Siberian Huskies are also difficult to train. They try to ignore commands that they feel are of no use. Siberian huskies are pack dogs and they will challenge your leadership skills if they are not trained constantly with dominance.
You need to show dominance over the dog in order to train them properly like malamute. Positive reinforcement techniques work the best for Siberian Huskies.