Coat, Color, Markings and Size

Coat, Color, Markings and Size - The Official Standard

• Coat

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 rump, 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 shadings 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, Proportion, Substance

There is a natural range in size in the breed. The desirable freighting sizes are males, 25 inches at the shoulders, 85 pounds; females, 23 inches at the shoulders, 75 pounds. 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. 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. The body carries no excess weight, and bone is in proportion to size.

Coat, Color, Markings and Size - Hands On Comments

• Coat

The Malamute is a double-coated breed that has a thick, coarse guard coat, which stands out from the body helping provide resistance to the weather. The undercoat is dense (except when shed out), from one to two inches in depth, oily feeling and wooly. The coarse guard coat varies in length, especially in the "ruff" and down the back to the rear. The length of the guard coat is not as important as is the correct texture.

Bitches may have a somewhat shorter, though no less dense, coat. All lengths of a normal coat with the correct texture are equally acceptable. The average 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 rump and in the breeching and plume. A Malamute that has shed its’ winter coat will have almost no undercoat and a shorter, less dense, guard 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 Malamute colors are the result of guard hairs that are banded.

Usually having a white base, the actual color next and all but the Reds and Whites have black tipped guard hairs. The Gray color is a result of how much or how long the color is on each individual shaft of hair as by the actual pigment tone. The "Jet Black" has guard hair shafts that are entirely or almost entirely black from the root to the tip. The Seal has guard hair in the range of 50% black, while the Grey will have l/3 or less of each hair that is black. A Red will have hair shafts like the "jet black" and a White is all white. The following are the acceptable color descriptions.

• Gray and white – which ranges from light silver through medium to dark gray, with white or very light cream undercoat.

• Seal and white - which is a black and white, with a white, cream or light gray colored undercoat

• Jet Black and white - which is black and white, with a dark gray, charcoal or black undercoat

• Sable and white – which is a coat with black guard hairs and varying amounts of light cream to dark "Irish setter" red undercoat.

• Red and white - which can vary from light cream to a dark mahogany red, with varying shades of cream to darker red undercoats. These dogs always have a "brown" nose and pigment.

• White - which has a white guard coat and a white undercoat and is the only allowed "solid" color. A "white" dog may also have faint biscuit on ears, face and/or body– which are acceptable.

• The Malamute is mantled and broken colors extending over the body or uneven splashing are undesirable.

• Markings

Face markings are a distinguishing feature. Markings range from a "cap" which is color coming to a point between the eyes or with a blaze of white up the forehead, or a "star" on the forehead or a "fluer de lis"  between the eyes with white. There also can be "eye shadow" color markings under the eyes – there may be a cap combined with a bar of color down the muzzle, which may also have a bar of white between the bars of color down the muzzle – all of these may be combined with a "mask" of color under the eyes. All of these markings always have white or cream "eye brows" and white or cream on the muzzle. A white blaze on the forehead and/or collar or a spot on the nape is attractive and acceptable. There are various markings on the chest, consisting of a "necklace" of darker color on the white – an appearance of an "eagle" with wings outspread, of darker color on the white, a white throat continuing down the chest, across the front, between the legs. All of these markings are acceptable and attractive – However, when judging this breed, you must be aware of how markings can be visually deceiving as to the proportions of the individual, length of neck, angulation, length of body, topline, depth of body, weight & condition of the dog, etc. IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT YOU PUT YOUR HANDS ON THE DOG, coat and color and markings may deceive your eye.

• Size

There is a natural range in size in the breed. The desirable freighting sizes are Males 25 inches at the shoulders, 85 pounds in weight. The females are 23 inches at the shoulder, 75 pounds in weight. 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. As mentioned in Markings it is of extreme importance you put your hands on the dog to feel what is actually there under the coat. You may be deceived into thinking the dog is a couple of inches taller or is overweight, because of the correct, coarse, stand off coat.

Coat, Color, Markings and Size - Key Points

• COAT Length and texture of guard coat.

• COAT Length and texture of undercoat

• COAT Density of coat

• Trimming, except of feet is not allowed

• Colors, mantle coat and acceptable markings, as well as various combinations of guardcoat and undercoat colors. (Include all white, reds, jet black, sable, seals and grays)

• Discuss optical illusion that coat color and markings, texture and stage of coat can give. Have a wicket to show the actual size and emphasize how important it is to check the dog at the top of shoulders to determine their size and to feel their body to feel their condition

HOC 2003 – Revised by AMCA Board 2003