The Alaskan Malamute is a strong, heavy-duty dog of a spitz-type. They are loving, attentive, energetic, and dignified animals. They are distinguished by their well-furred adorned tail draped over their back, prominent ears, and skeletal system.
The Alaskan Malamute is 23 – 25 inches in height at its shoulder and weighs at 75 – 85 pounds (lb.). Everything there is about Malamute implies that they were originally arctic sled dogs since they have thick bones, broad chests, strong shoulders, and thick and waterproof coats.
Alaskan Malamutes are commonly shown with white and gray coats, yet they can be conceived in a spectrum of shades. If you’re unfamiliar with the breed, differentiating between the actual color designations might be tricky, but we’re here to assist.
Following our comprehensive guide on Alaskan Malamute colors and patterns, you must be able to discern the sort of coat look and rarity of your Malamute.
The Various Colors of Alaskan Malamute Coats
In this part, we’ll discuss all of the color variations you may assume to see in the breed of Alaskan Malamute.
With essential descriptors and probable rarities, we’ve attempted to keep it as easy as reasonable for you to discover the coat color of your Alaskan Malamute. Puppy and adult coat characteristics are supplied whenever relevant to assist in distinguishing the various Malamute coat variations.
Agouti & White Alaskan Malamute
The agouti and white Alaskan Malamute is a rare coat. They are characterized as a muddy-shade coat with a black mask. However, not all agouti and white Alaskan Malamute retain the muddy color they have when puppies.
Also, it’s quite challenging to differentiate some agouti and white adults from gray and white Alaskan Malamute due to their dark-shade color, especially on their faces that can fade through time.
The puppy of agouti and white Alaskan Malamute is described to have a muddy coat with a sooty face and tiny cream-colored or white eyebrows.
Some agouti puppies may appear very dark gray or all black when conceived and only an inkling of white. However, white markings tend to show more relatively as they turn adult.
The adult agouti and White Alaskan Malamute have an intense banded color and full mask face with bar and light rounds in its eyes. It is worth noting that some agouti malamutes don’t keep their muddy shade as they turn adult.
Perhaps, it can also be daunting to set them apart from dark-colored Malamutes because the adults fade their agouti color at some point.
Rarity: Rare
Black and White Alaskan Malamute
The Black and White Alaskan Malamute have distinguishable black-guarded hairs. The difference between black and white from the seal and white is their undercoat.
The black and white malamutes have a very dark-colored undercoat which is sometimes dark gray or just black. Additionally, their black coat predominantly extends partly down to their legs. Plus, talking about their markings, they have black marks around their body, faces, and legs.
Usually, the upper body markings can either be seen on their Face, collar, nape of their neck, or just half of their collar.
The puppies of black and white Alaskan Malamute have a solid color on their Face with cream-shaded white eyebrows and a typical black coat.
The adults of black and white Alaskan Malamutes, on the other hand, have a solid color of black coat around their body and an extreme face mask.
What differentiates them from other colors?
The black and white Alaskan Malamutes have significantly definite white eyebrows and mask. In contrast with other Alaskan Malamutes coats, they have dark undercoats instead of the typical cream white color.
Rarity: Uncommon
Seal and White Alaskan Malamutes
The seal and white and black and white Alaskan Malamutes are quite the same through their black guard hairs. The only distinctive part is their undercoats since the seal and white mals have light cream or white.
Seal and white mals have a white mask and distinct eyebrows. From afar, you might mistakenly identify them as the black Alaskan mals. Always check their undercoats to avoid this.
The true black mals have solid dark hair guards from top to down with charcoal-like undercoats, whereas seals are like the typical light-colored cream white. But, at birth, it’s quite challenging the dark seals from the black and white mals.
What differentiates them from the black mals?
A few seal and white mals appear with a silver-tipping guard coat with its sides as they mature, and its total black character tends to lighten up gradually.
At a distance, seal and white Malamutes are sometimes identified as the black and white Mals. To identify correctly, look at their undercoat. It’s light-colored if it’s the seal and white.
The seal and white Alaskan Malamute pup have a distinct black coat, white Face, defined Mask, and white eyebrows. Moreover, the adult mals of this color have a black coat with a minimal white showing band beneath. They have clear white eyebrows and a defined mask, just like their puppy.
Rarity: Common
Gray and White Alaskan Malamute
Gray and white Alaskan Mals are characterized as common shade coats. Like black and white mals, they possess a marked cap on their head, and they have an all-white face or are masked with bar marks.
The guard hairs of gray and white mals are gray and sometimes darker compared to the silver and white Alaskan Malamutes. Additionally, their undercoat could be light gray or cream white.
Sometimes, they could have black hairs on their back, yet these are just a sprinkle of it and with spaces apart. Plus, there must be no red hairs noticeable. In this category, there can be a diverse coat of gray and white Mals.
Although from afar, the Alaskan Mals should look distinctly gray. Since this is a common coat type, they are often associated as the representation of all the Alaskan Malamute.
What differentiates them from other Mals?
The gray and white mals typically have a white face and a banded coat. The Mask on their Face is also defined and has sizable white eyebrows.
The puppy of gray and white Alaskan Mals often features a dark stripe on its back. And it typically has a clear and defined mask. The adult gray and white Mals do have a banded coat, white Face, usually have other markings and maskings.
Rarity: Common
Silver and White Alaskan Malamute
The silver and white Mals have an indistinguishable coat to the gray and white Mals. However, its guard hairs are pigmented with a lighter appearance, and its undercoat is commonly solid white.
The pups of silver and white Mals can look solid white at their birth. However, you will notice an evident silver-like shade as they age. Moreover, their coat has white cream and little banding shades.
An adult silver and white mals develop white and light black tipping in the colored coat portions. Furthermore, their resemblance tends to look like the all-white and gray and white Mals. Lastly, their Mask is less noticeable because of the lighter shade of guard hair.
Rarity: Rare
Red and White Alaskan Malamute
Notable in its name, the red and white Alaskan Mals have diverse shades of red with their guard hairs. And, there should be no black shades noticeable.
The undercoat of red and whites can appear a cream-like, pale shade of red or just white. Plus, there could be multiple variations of its red. It could be a very light shade or a dark mahogany shade.
Sometimes, you may hear dog lovers call the red and white Malamutes and Huskies interchangeably, which could be a little bizarre. The red and white Mals are rarer than the gray and white or the black and white mals.
What differentiates them from other Mals?
The pigmented areas of the red and white mals, like their nose, eye rims, and lips, may show brown or reddish rather than dark, dull black.
Furthermore, their masks are white, and their eyebrows are solidly defined. Lastly, their coatings can range from red, orange, apricot, and peach shades.
Rarity: Uncommon
Sable and White Alaskan Malamute
The sable and white Alaskan Mals usually possess coat tip hairs with black shade, yet the remaining hairs can appear gold, gray, silver, brown, or tan shades.
Sable Alaskan Mals are distinctive due to their undercoat and areas with light-shaded color. To wit, the portions that typically appear white are their legs, Face, underside, among others, and could be orange-reddish in appearance.
The characterization of the sable and white coat color of Alaskan Malamute is commonly referred to as Mals other than gray and white. Based on theory, nevertheless, all the previously cited variations of Mals’ coating aside from the all-white Mals are said to be sable.
Resting upon the case, Mal dog lovers will call the coat shade of their Mals by deducting the phrase (and white) and replacing it with sable. To illustrate, a sable gray and white Mal would just be gray sable.
What sets them apart from other Mals?
The light-shaded part of the sable and white Mal will contain a reddish stain setting them apart to be identifiable from other Mals. They should not be misidentified with the red and white Mals, which don’t have the reddish tinge on their light-shaded portions.
Rarity: Common
The All-White Alaskan Malamute
An all-white Alaskan Mals are definitely solid white. The undercoat and guard hairs should be of cream color or just white. There must be no distinguishable black or dark shaded gray colors on their guard hairs or anywhere on their coat. Noticeably, a biscuit-shaded color can be seen around their ears and eyes.
The puppy of all-white Alaskan Mal can be cream-white or just plain white, while the adult is also the same. But with biscuit-shaded tints on its topline and ears.
What sets them apart from other Mals?
The all-white mals are distinct due to their solid white-colored coat. Through which, the only acceptable solid-color shade in the Alaskan Mal standard of breeds.
Rarity: Rare
Alaskan Malamute Marking Distinction Quick Guide
Alaskan Malamutes have noticeable different kinds of face marks, as mentioned individually earlier, allowing them to be unique from each other. Their markings may vary from dark hues to faded ones or sometimes hardly noticeable markings.
Here are some mentioned markings that you may have noticed earlier. Learn them here.
Bar – this is the dark area expanding beginning from the cap down to the nose. This can be faded (somewhat noticeable) or dark.
Blaze – this is the white mark starting from the middle part of the back cap to the forehead. This can be narrow or wide or just irregular (a side of their cap expands a little lower from the other side).
Cap – this is the shade that covers the topline head and its ears. This usually extends from the center point of its forehead.
Closed Face – this is the dark shade that’s too much, making the dog unnoticeable with its markings, goggles, bar, or cap.
Eagle – this is the two bands of darker shade extending throughout the chest, yet not converging in the midpoint.
Eyeshadow – this is the dark shades between, beside, or underneath the eyes. This could be dark or not that sometimes fades through time. A young mal pup with solid eyeshadow can have a faded gray marking when it develops. And, it doesn’t extend with the cap.
Full collar – this is the white band color that surrounds the neck.
Full Mask – this is referred to as the fusion of bar, cap, and goggles.
Goggles – this is the dark portion surrounding the eyes and extends to their cap sideways.
Necklace – this is the dark color band around the dog’s chest. This can be sometimes wide or narrow and may resize once the mals blow their coats.
Open Face – this is the term for an all-white face excluding their cap and without a shade on their eyeshadow.
Star – this is the marking of a white forehead surrounding the portions of the cap.
Withers spot – this is the marking for a few mals with asymmetrical white dot portions at their nape.
Conclusion
Now you have learned all the recognized coat colors of Alaskan Malamutes. Keep in mind that having a dog is not merely just a social status or a privilege to begin with. It is indeed a responsibility that shouldn’t be neglected.
Dogs depend on their owners basically for shelter, food, and everything they deserve. With this, when you bring a dog into your house, you must passionately recognize the commitment it demands.
