The Alaskan malamute is one of the few dog breeds that are native to North America. Due to their willingness to work for man, and their pack-orientation, they make excellent companions. With this in mind, there is a demand for the availability of Alaskan malamute puppies. Many people will decide that they want an Alaskan malamute without having any knowledge of what they need to know about the breeder or the breed.

When selecting a breeder, keep in mind that this is the most important decision of all. A good breeder will be able to educate you with everything you need to know about selecting and raising your Alaskan malamute puppy. Keep in mind that there are a lot of unscrupulous breeders, and the following points of discussion will help you select the right breeder.

First, don't select an Alaskan malamute from on-line breeders that post unreasonably low prices. The vast majority of these advertisements are either from scammers who really don't have a puppy to sell to you, or they are selling a puppy that has been poorly bred. Either way, the risk is high that you will get ripped off by anyone offering a deeply discounted puppy.

Second, determine what the level of the breeder's commitment behind their product. Make sure the breeder carries a substantial warranty on the puppy against health defects. A good breeder will provide the buyer a health warranty. With the Alaskan malamute, there are a couple health issues that will cost you a lot of money in the long run. The main problems are cardio-pulmonary disease and degenerative joint disease. The cardio related disorders usually manifest themselves at an early age in the puppy. As a large breed dog, minor heart murmurs are not uncommon, usually correcting themselves by the time the puppy is six months old. However, severe cases will stunt the puppy's development. Most puppies with severe cardio disorders rarely survive past four months of age.

Degenerative joint disease usually manifests as hip dysplasia in the Alaskan malamute. This can be an extremely expensive disorder to treat and is very painful for the dog. Usually, severe hip dysplasia will cause arthritic symptoms that will nearly cripple the dog by the time it is middle-aged.

The probability of the puppy you buy having either of these disorders is greatly reduced if the breeder provides gets their breeding stock certified against these defects. The Orthopaedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) provides the certification, when test results are submitted from the breeder's veterinarian. The tests themselves are not too expensive. The reason that most breeders do not conduct the tests is because if their breeding stock fail their certifications, it would be considered irresponsible to continue to breed the animal. The OFA will provide certification that an animal is cleared of a particular disease. Make sure the breeder can provide the certification. While the OFA will provide a preliminary certification on dogs over one year of age, the official certification and accompanying cert number is not obtainable until the dog is checked at two years of age. The OFA maintains an on-line database of valid certifications. If a breeder certifies their stock, they can either provide the certificate, preliminary documentation, or provide access to the OFA's database. Do not trust that because a breeder used the term "OFA" that their dogs have certifications. Some breeders post the OFA logos all over their website, but have never actually certified their dogs.

The breeder must also provide a substantial warranty against life threatening defects. Some breeders sell their dogs with an "As Is" warranty, or as much as 30-days. When you see this, run as fast as you can away from this breeder. While a one-year warranty will typically get you out of the woods on a cardio defect, hip dysplasia isn't officially identified by the OFA until the dog reaches two years of age. The mark of a truly professional breeder is one that will stand behind their product for two or more years.

Keep in mind, as with many things in life, you get out what you put in. If you buy a new car and don't maintain it, the manufacturer won't honour the warranty. If you have a child and feed him super-sized fast food meals three times per day, deny exercise and preventive medicine, the child will have a short life span. Both of these principles apply to your Alaskan malamute puppy. A good breeder will, as terms of a reasonable warranty, require the owner to provide medical and nutritional support that will facilitate good health for the dog.

Another health indicator to look for is concern for health maintenance. Your breeder must provide proof of immunisations and parasite prevention. This will typically come in the form of a shot record. Puppy immunisations come in individual doses. These doses have adhesive labels on the vials, which should be removed from the vial and affixed to the puppy's shot record. If the shot labels are not in the record, the puppy didn't receive its immunisation. A good breeder will also require you to take the puppy to your vet between 24 and 72 hours of receipt. The reason for this is to prove to you that you bought a healthy puppy. Any breeder that doesn't provide proof of immunisation needs to be reported to the State Department of Agriculture, or the state office that licenses dog breeding businesses. If the breeder doesn't require you to take the puppy to the vet, take the initiative to do it without direction.

The third thing to look for is the condition of the kennel. Many breeders have on-line operations and getting a puppy shipped to you is routine. This makes it difficult to check out a kennel if it isn't located close to you. Find out if your breeder allows visitors? If not, there is typically a reason. A good breeder will invite visitors to meet the parents of the puppy. If they do not allow visitors, some of the reasons may be: inhumane conditions, filth (all indicators of puppy mills), or the dogs and puppies advertised are not what were represented.

The fourth and final point in selecting a good Alaskan malamute breeder is making sure they are honest and upfront with you. Get them on the phone. Have all of your questions prepared and open a dialogue with the breeder. A good breeder will know the breed and have all of your questions answered handily. When looking at on-line advertisements, beware of breeders that use "fisherman", "horse jockey", and "Gulliver" style pictures as a means of deceptive advertisement. The "fisherman" photograph is a technique used by anglers, where they hold the fish outward, toward the camera lens. The "horse jockey" technique is the practise of using a small fellow to stand next to the dog. The "Gulliver" technique is the practise of dropping the lens lower than the dog. All of these practises are intended to make the dog appear much larger than it really is. Another common deceptive advertising practise is to falsify the dog's true weight. Breeders that have faced charges of deceptive advertising will often use the term "Advertised Weight" when describing their dogs. All of these things are red flags. Breeders who avoid their customers or use deceptive advertising practises should be avoided.

By making sure that your breeder is not conducting fraud is the first step to avoid getting the Alaskan malamute puppy that you want. The second step is to ensure that your breeder uses health-certified breeding stock that produces puppies that can be warranted. Avoiding puppy mills and breeders who treat animals inhumanely is always a good idea. Looking out for the tell-tale signs of deceptive breeders will help you find a breeder that isn't only looking out for their bottom line. Following these steps will ensure you buy a healthy pup that has a lot of healthy years to spend with you.