FCI-Standard N° 243 / 09. 06. 1999/ GB
			       ALASKAN MALAMUTE
			       ORIGIN :  U.S.A.
			       DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE ORIGINAL VALID STANDARD : 14.08.1996.
			       UTILIZATION : Sledge dog.
			       CLASSIFICATION F.C.I. :            
			         Group 5 Spitz  and primitive types.
			         Section 1 Nordic  Sledge Dogs.
  Without  working trial.
			       GENERAL APPEARANCE :  The Alaskan Malamute, one of the oldest   Arctic sledge dogs, is a powerful and substantially built dog with deep  chest and strong, well-muscled body.  The  Malamute stands well over the pads, and this stance gives the appearance of  much activity and a proud carriage, with head erect and eyes alert showing  interest and curiosity.  The head is  broad.  Ears are triangular and erect when  alerted.  The muzzle is bulky, only  slight diminishing in width from root to nose.   The muzzle is not pointed or long, yet not stubby.  The coat is thick with a coarse guard coat of  sufficient length to protect a woolly undercoat.  Malamutes are of various colors.  Face markings are a distinguishing  feature.  These consist of a cap over the  head, the face either all white or marked with a bar and/or a mask.  The tail is well furred, carried over the  back, and has the appearance of a waving plume.   The Malamute must be a heavy boned dog with sound legs, good feet, deep  chest and powerful shoulders, and have all of the other physical attributes  necessary for the efficient performance of his job.  The gait must be steady, balanced, tireless  and totally efficient.  He is not  intended as a racing sledge dog designed to compete in speed trials.  The Malamute is structured for strength and  endurance, and any characteristic of the individual specimen, including  temperament, which interferes with the accomplishment of this purpose, is to be  considered the most serious of faults.
			       IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS :  The depth of chest is approximately one half the height of the dog at the  shoulders, the deepest point being just behind the forelegs.  
			         The  length of the body from point of shoulder to the rear point of pelvis is longer  than the height of the body from ground to top of the withers.
			       BEHAVIOUR / TEMPERAMENT : The Alaskan Malamute is an affectionate, friendly dog, not a  « one-man » dog.  He is a  loyal, devoted companion, playful in invitation, but generally impressive by  his dignity after maturity.
			       HEAD : The head is broad  and deep, not coarse or clumsy, but in proportion to the size of the dog.  The expression is soft and indicates an  affectionate disposition.
			       CRANIAL  REGION : 
                       Skull : Broad and moderately rounded between the ears, gradually narrowing  and flattening on top as it approaches the eyes, rounding off to cheeks.  There is a slight furrow between the  eyes.  The topline of the skull and the  topline of the muzzle show a slight break downward from a straight line as they  join. 
                       Stop : Shallow.
			       FACIAL  REGION : 
                       Nose : In all coat colors, except reds, the nose, lips, and eye rim  pigmentation is black.  Brown is  permitted in red dogs.  The lighter  streaked « snow nose » is acceptable.
                       Muzzle : Large and bulky in proportion to the size of the skull, diminishing  slightly in width and depth from junction with the skull to the nose.
                       Lips : Close fitting.
                       Jaws/Teeth : Broad with large teeth.  The  incisors meet with a scissor bite.   Overshot or undershot is a fault.
                       Cheeks : Moderately flat.
                       Eyes : Obliquely placed in the skull.   Eyes are brown, almond shaped and of medium size.  Blue eyes are a disqualifying fault.
                       Ears : Of medium size, but small in proportion to the head.  The ears are triangular in shape and slightly  rounded at tips.  They are set wide apart  on the outside back edges of the skull on line with the upper corner of the  eye, giving ears the appearance, when erect, of standing off from the  skull.  Erect ears point slightly  forward, but when the dog is at work, the ears are sometimes folded against the  skull.  High set ears are a fault.
			       NECK : Strong and  moderately arched.
			       BODY : Compactly built  but not short coupled.  The body carries  no excess weight, and bone is in proportion to size.
                       Back : Straight and gently sloping to the hips.
                       Loins : Hard and well muscled.  A long  loin that may weaken the back is a fault.
                       Chest : Well developed.
			       TAIL : Moderately set;  follows the line of the spine at the base.   Carried over the back when not working.   It is not a snap tail or curled tight against the back, nor is it short  furred like a fox brush.  The Malamute  tail is well furred and has the appearance of a waving plume.
			       LIMBS 
			       FOREQUARTERS :  Forelegs heavily boned and  muscled, straight to the pasterns when viewed from the front.
                       Shoulders : Moderately sloping.
                       Pasterns : Short and strong and slightly sloping when viewed from the side.
			       HINDQUARTERS : The rear legs are broad.  When  viewed from the rear, the legs stand and move true in line with the movement of  the front legs, not too close or too wide.   Dewclaws on the rear legs are undesirable and should be removed shortly  after puppies are whelped.
                       Thighs : Heavily muscled.
                       Stifles : Moderately bent.
                       Hock  joints  :  Moderately bent and well let down.
			       FEET : Of the « snowshoe » type, tight and deep, with  well-cushioned pads, giving a firm, compact appearance.  The feet are large, toes tight fitting and  well arched.  There is a protective  growth of hair between the toes.  The  pads are thick and tough; toenails short and strong.
			       GAIT/MOVEMENT  : The gait of the Malamute is steady,  balanced and powerful.  He is agile for  his size and build.  When viewed from the  side, the hindquarters exhibit strong rear drive that is transmitted through a  well-muscled loin to forequarters.  The  forequarters receive the drive from the rear with a smooth reaching  stride.  When viewed from the front or  from the rear, the legs move true in line, not too close or too wide.  At a fast trot, the feet will converge toward  the centerline of the body.  A stilted  gait, or any gait that is not completely efficient and tireless is to be  penalized.
			       COAT  
			       HAIR : The Malamute has a thick, coarse guard coat, never long and  soft.  The undercoat is dense, from one  to two inches in depth, oily and woolly.   The coarse guard coat varies in length as does the undercoat.  The coat is relatively short to medium along  the sides of the body, with the length of the coat increasing around the  shoulders and neck, down the back, over the croup and in the breeching and  plume.  Malamutes usually have a shorter  and less dense coat during the summer months.   The Malamute is shown naturally.   Trimming is not acceptable except to provide a clean cut appearance of  feet.
			       COLOR : The usual colors range from light gray through intermediate shadings  to black, sable, and shading of sable to red.   Color combinations are acceptable in undercoats, points and  trimmings.  The only solid color  allowable is all-white.  White is always  the predominant color on underbody, parts of legs, feet, and part of face markings.  A white blaze on the forehead and/or collar  or a spot on the nape is attractive and acceptable.  The Malamute is mantled, and broken colors  extending over the body or uneven splashing are undesirable.
			       SIZE / WEIGHT  : There is a natural range in size in the  breed.  The desirable freighting sizes  are :
                       Males :      25  inches at the shoulders - 85 pounds (63,5 cm - 38 kg).
                       Females :   23  inches at the shoulders - 75 pounds (58,5 cm - 34 kg).
			         However,  size consideration should not outweigh that of type, proportion, movement and  other functional attributes.  When dogs  are judged equal in type, proportion, movement, the dog nearest the desirable  freighting size is to be preferred.
			       IMPORTANT SUMMARY :
			         In  judging Alaskan Malamutes their function as a sledge dog for heavy freighting  in the Arctic must be given consideration above all else.  The degree to which a dog is penalized should  depend upon the extent to which the dog deviates from the description of the  ideal Malamute and upon the extent to which the particular fault would actually  affect the working ability of the dog.   The legs of the Malamute must indicate unusual strength and tremendous  propelling power.  Any indication of unsoundness  in legs and feet, front or rear, standing or moving, is to be considered a  serious fault.  Faults under this  provision would be splay-footedness, cowhocks, bad pasterns, straight  shoulders, lack of angulation, stilted gait (or any gait that isn’t balanced,  strong and steady), ranginess, shallowness, ponderousness, lightness of bone  and poor overall proportion.
			       FAULTS : Any departure from the  foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which  the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and  its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog.
			       ELIMINATING FAULTS : 
			       
			         
			           - Aggresive  or overly shy.
 
			           - Blue  eyes.
 
		              
		             
			       Any  dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities shall be  disqualified.
			       N.B. : Male animals  should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum