The Alaskan Malamute is a semi-popular dog breed that thrives in cold weather. The thick-coated animals are much like a Siberian Husky, only they’re blockier and sturdier. If you love the look and overall description of the Malamute, you likely wonder more details about the breed before you commit.
One question will surely rise. How long do Alaskan Malamutes tend to live? Ultimately, it depends on several factors relating to genetics, environment, and overall care. Let’s dig into the details of the Alaskan Malamute lifespan.
Alaskan Malamute Average Lifespan
On average, an Alaskan Malamute lives between 10 and 14 years. Several different factors go into the overall answer about this. However, there are averages you should consider.
Sometimes, lifespan is up to fate. A dog might be perfectly healthy and end up getting injured, causing them to pass away. Sometimes death is not so easy to foresee. However, as long as all goes as planned, these guys can have reasonable lifespans.
How to Care For Your Alaskan Malamute for a Long Lifespan?
The way you care for your dog severely impacts their lifespan. Even though it might not seem like much of a big deal feeding your dog table scraps, skipping vet visits, or letting them slack off on exercise, it can severely impact them beyond what you can see.
If you want to give your dog the best life possible and ensure that they are with you as long as time will allow, here are some areas of care you can’t skip out on.
Feeding & Diet
Giving your dog a complete and balanced species-appropriate diet that is tailored for their life stage is crucial for their longevity. The better the nutrition, the lower the likelihood of them developing certain health conditions as they age. Ultimately, you should ask your veterinarian for recommendations about the specific types of dog food that would work best for your canine.
Generally speaking, this particular breed requires a protein-dense recipe that will nourish their large bodies and help them stay in the best shape. Alaskan Malamutes burn quite a few calories in a day’s time if they get the exercise they need.
Proteins help replenish muscles and keep dogs physically fit. Alaskan Malamutes rely heavily on intense exercise to burn those excess calories. So, if they have too many calories and not enough exercise, it can cause weight gain, but if they don’t have enough calories and too much exercise, it can seriously deplete them and impact many of the different organs in their bodies.
Environment
Environment plays a huge role in your Alaskan Malamute’s lifespan. A safe and reliable environment will ensure that they steer clear from dangers and don’t have access to potentially toxic or hazardous elements in the home or on the property.
If they are extremely stressed, don’t exercise, or they’re repeatedly exposed to certain toxins, it can impact the overall health and lifespan of your dog. It is important to provide a dog-friendly space to ensure your four-legged buddy sticks around as long as possible.
Healthcare
Healthcare is extremely important for any dog. The Alaskan Malamute is no exception. These dogs require regular vetting to get ahead of any health issues that might come along, including an annual or biannual check up to make sure your dog is in good health and their vaccination and parasite control is up to date.
It also includes being able to afford emergency visits. More and more families are switching to pet insurance policies these days to combat the ever growing cost of vet care and get peace of mind at all times. If you try to pay out of pocket for these sorts of costs, it can really break the bank.
Routine vet checkups are an unavoidable expense you can plan for, but emergency visits can arise unexpectedly, often leading to treatments and surgeries that may catch you unprepared. It’s always best to have an emergency fund and to prepare for anything.
The Life Stages of an Alaskan Malamute
The life stages of an Alaskan Malamute is much like that of any other dog. They are puppies, young adults or adolescents, then mature adults, then seniors. Each one of these life stages means different things for dogs. Let us explain!
Puppies
Dogs are considered puppies until they are roughly 9 months of age. Some dogs are slower to mature than others, and some dogs don’t stop growing until they’re about 2 years old. For the Alaskan Malamute specifically, these dogs are usually done growing by the time they reach 12 months of age.
After that, your dog can continue to fill out, but they rarely get taller. Puppies are extremely active and grow very rapidly. Since this dog is considered a large breed, they will amaze you with how fast they grow and how much they are capable of learning along the way.
Young adults
Dogs complete their physical and social maturation during their young adult phase. This occurs in Malamutes approximately between 9 months old and 3–4 years of age. Some dogs are slower to mature than others, and some dogs don’t stop their physical growth until they’re about 2 years old. For the Alaskan Malamute specifically, these dogs are usually done growing by the time they reach 18 months of age.
Mature adults
Adult Alaskan Malamutes will stay roughly the same size, permitting they aren’t gaining or losing a bunch of weight, until they reach seniorhood. You have to be very careful when your dog gets spayed or neutered, as they can often increase in weight if portions aren’t controlled.
Keeping your dog healthy can mean many things when they’re an adult. You might find that you have to switch recipes a couple of times to accommodate for weight gain and other factors.
If your dog is sensitive to anything and their dog food, you might also have to adjust their diet and exercise plan to avoid or manage certain kinds of allergies.
Seniors
When your Alaskan Malamute is a senior, this will likely be after they reach about 7–10 years of age. During this stage, you will have to feed your dog a maintenance diet that supports their waning bodies.
Most Alaskan Malamutes will stay very physically fit and strong throughout their senior years, though they may show their age in other ways. To make sure that your dog feels their best, it is still important at this stage to make sure that they have adequate exercise in a day and that they remain an ideal weight.
You know what they say, if you don’t use it, you lose it. That’s very true for your dog’s overall physical health.
How to Tell Your Alaskan Malamute’s Age
The only true way to tell your Alaskan Malamute’s age is if you know exactly when they were born, which is likely to be true if you purchased the dog from a breeder. If an Alaskan Malamute is still quite young, it can be pretty easy for a vet or even yourself to determine how old they are looking at their teeth. It might only be estimations, but you’ll be able to get a pretty good idea. If a dog is already a full-grown adult, it can be a little trickier.
However, you can get your dog thoroughly examined and look for signs that indicate aging. Sometimes, a vet can determine roughly how old a dog is based on the animal’s eyes, for example.
Other times, a rough estimate might be all you have to go by. If you adopt an Alaskan Malamute, they might seem extra old if they have had a hard life. Or in the reverse scenario, they might be extremely puppy-like, which can make it even trickier.
Now you understand roughly how long an Alaskan Malamute lives and all of the different factors that go into it. As you now know, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to how long any one dog will ever live. Life is a gamble for all of us, including our pets.
However, there are certain responsible things that you can do as an owner to ensure their longevity. After all, you want your dog to be with you as long as humanly possible.
Featured Image Credit: Hanna Borysenko, Shutterstock
