“AS A SLEDGE DOG the Malamute must be compact yet NOT SHORT COUPLED.”
type. So, “When all else is equal, the dog closest to the desired freighting size is to be preferred”. At this point one needs to remember that as an endurance dog he must be only slightly longer than tall. In order to negotiate through snow drifts he must have some leg length. We gener- ally expect the leg length to be about ½ the total height at the withers. As you begin your evaluation the Malamute head should be of consider- able importance as it is a defining breed characteristic. The standard states it is broad and deep. The dog cannot possi- bly have the proper ear set if the skull is narrow and shallow. The ears are placed wide apart at the outside back edges giv- ing the appearance of standing off from the skull when erect. They are small in proportion to the head. There is a slight break downward between the skull and the muzzle (stop). The word “slight” does not mean no perceptible stop. The cheeks are flat smoothly joining the muzzle which is large and bulky. Judges sometimes ask about length of muzzle as it relates to back skull. Here is our first example of thinking “balance”. Is the muzzle in balance with the back skull? The correct balance between the two will be apparent giving the head a blend- ing without sharp edges. There should be under jaw. The teeth are large meet- ing in a scissors bite. Remember this breed survived mostly on frozen food so needed a strong jaw with strong teeth. Dropped lower middle incisors are not considered a fault in an otherwise cor- rect bite. The eyes of the Malamute are almond shaped obliquely set but not so much so as to give an extremely oriental
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