Ever wondered what happens when you mix the energetic and friendly Alaskan Malamute with the highly driven and intelligent Belgian Malinois?
You end up with the Alaskan Malamute Belgian Malinois mix, an extremely active and demanding dog that requires a committed owner.
In this guide, we’ll break down the temperament of this mix, as well as its grooming requirements and much more.
Let’s get straight into it.
Contents
Quick Overview Of The Alaskan Malamute Belgian Malinois Mix
Before we jump into the main details, here’s a quick overview of the critical facts you need to know about the Alaskan Malamute Belgian Malinois mix:
- Other Names: Belgian Malamute, Alaskan Malinois
- Average Lifespan: 12 to 16 years
- Average Height: 22 to 26 inches
- Average Weight: 55 to 80 lbs
- Coat appearance: Medium and double coated, lots of color variation possible
- Grooming Frequency: Very frequent
- Typical Temperament: Extremely driven and active, can be stubborn at times, highly intelligent
- Daily Food Consumption: Medium
- New Owner Friendly: Very challenging due to work ethic, energy levels, and required obedience training
- Suitable to live with children? Yes, but it requires socialization
- Suitable to live with other dogs? Yes, but it requires socialization
- Suitable to live with cats? Can be suitable but needs early socialization
Appearance
Alaskan Malamute Belgian Malinois mixes look quite similar to Shepherd breeds in appearance, with several Spitz-type features from the Malamute side.
For example, they have pointed, erect ears and a fluffy, curly tail. Their coat is double coated and medium in length, with many color combinations possible.
They have a slightly wider snout than the Malinois, which is still quite long in length, and brown eyes.
Their overall physique is powerful and muscular, with little to no excess weight, allowing them to exercise for hours on end.
To get a better idea of the appearance of this mix, I’ve included a few example pictures in this guide. Let’s also explore the parent breeds to see how they compare.
Alaskan Malamute Appearance & Background
Alaskan Malamutes are one of the largest Spitz breeds, and their appearance shows it.
They have many characteristics of Spitz-type dogs, such as pointed ears, fluffy double coats, and a fluffy curled tail. They’re often mistaken for wolves, thanks to their looks.
Malamutes have a super friendly expression, but they can be pretty intimidating to those unfamiliar with the breed. You’ll usually find Malamutes in a black-and-white coat, but there are a lot of other possible colors as well.
Malamutes have an extensive history as sledding dogs, specifically used to pull heavy loads.
Belgian Malinois Appearance & Background
The Belgian Malinois is often confused for the German Shepherd, the main difference being how their snout is more prolonged, giving them the nickname ‘Malligator.’
Belgian Malinois have black masks with pointed ears, brown eyes, and slender bodies. Their coat is usually fawn, but many other colors are possible, from gray to cream to red.
Belgian Malinois’ were initially used as herding dogs in Europe, but their fierce intelligence and work drive quickly led them to many other roles, such as security dogs, armed forces work, and much more.
They’re one of the most intelligent breeds with an unmatched work ethic.
Check out our comparison article on the Alaskan Malamute vs Belgian Malinois to learn more about the parents of this mix!
Average Size
This mix is technically medium-sized, although they’re definitely on the larger end of the ‘medium’ spectrum.
They’ll easily reach 22 to 26 inches at the shoulder and 55 to 80 lbs in weight, with a muscular physique and a medium-length coat that adds to their physical size.
Coat Appearance
Alaskan Malamute Belgian Malinois mixes have medium-length coats that are double-coated and quite thick.
They can have many different colors – mainly from the Malamute side – although fawn shades are the most common, with white and black markings.
Grooming Guide
This mix has a thick double coat, so they’ll need pretty regular grooming.
Once or twice per week, they’ll need to be groomed fully, and the details for that can be found below:
- The grooming process starts with a slicker brush designed to target the undercoat and remove loose hairs.
- After that, use a dematter comb, gently removing stubborn tangles with a serrated edge.
- A gentle undercoat rake is then used to target the undercoat further and remove any remaining loose hairs.
- Lastly, a general grooming comb removes any loose hair or matted areas.
They’ll also blow their coats twice per year on average, which is seasonal shedding typically in the Fall and Spring and may require daily grooming during that time.
Bathing
Unlike their grooming requirements, Alaskan Malamute Belgian Malinois mixes benefit from less frequent bathing as their double coat is designed to keep itself clean most of the time.
They’ll only need bathing when absolutely necessary, which should work out once every 3 to 4 months.
Temperament Of The Alaskan Malamute Belgian Malinois Mix
Now that the physical traits are out of the way, let’s see how the temperament of this mix compares to others.
Highly Intelligent & Usually Trainable
There are quite a few aspects where the parent breeds of this mix differ, but trainability is definitely one of the most obvious.
Alaskan Malamutes are notoriously stubborn and independent; they actively refuse to listen to commands frequently.
On the other hand, Belgian Malinois are extremely eager to please and learn quickly.
This means the mix is often quite trainable, but don’t be surprised if they occasionally get stubborn and refuse to listen.
Extremely Active & Driven
You only have to look at the exercise and mental stimulation requirements of the parent breeds to realize just how much work this mix is:
- Alaskan Malamutes can pull heavy sled loads for miles on end through rough terrain when properly trained and need 2 hours of exercise or more daily.
- Belgian Malinois’ are extremely driven and used as protection dogs (and many other roles) worldwide. Their work ethic is unmatched, and they can easily learn new commands.
If you’re looking for an easy-going dog, the Alaskan Malamute Belgian Malinois mix is probably the exact opposite of what you’d want.
High Prey Drive
Another key part of the temperament of the Alaskan Malamute Belgian Malinois mix is their high prey drive.
This means they’re instinctually prone to chasing after small animals, resulting from the high prey drive of both parent breeds.
This has several impacts on daily life, including issues raising these dogs with other small dogs, cats, or other animals and keeping them on a leash in unsecured areas.
Is The Alaskan Malamute Belgian Malinois Mix A Good Family Dog?
To put it briefly, they aren’t good family dogs.
That isn’t to say that they aren’t incredible dogs; they’re just so highly driven and active that they need a working role or an incredibly active household that can spend hours exercising and engaging in mentally stimulating daily activities.
They aren’t great around children either due to how active they can be, and you’ll have difficulties keeping them with other small dogs or cats due to their high prey drive.
They’ll also need a lot of secure space for exercise and mentally stimulating activities like playing fetch or hide and seek.
How Much Do They Cost?
The average prices of each parent breed can be found below:
- Alaskan Malamutes cost between $1,500 and $3,000 on average
- Belgian Malinois’ can cost upwards of $3,000 from certain breeders, especially working lines, which can easily exceed $5,000
Remember that there’s little chance of coming across a breeder who would cross such different dogs, so you’re much more likely to find them in shelters or dog rescue centers.
In Summary
Please read this article carefully if you’re considering an Alaskan Malamute Belgian Malinois mix.
These dogs are not suited for first-time owners and can quickly take over you and your house if you aren’t prepared to meet their needs.
They’ll need hours of exercise and mental stimulation every day, as well as regular grooming.
If you’re interested in learning about more Alaskan Malamute mixes – most of which are much less work than this one – you can check out some of our recent articles below:
- Newfoundland Malamute Mix: A Complete Mix Profile
- Alaskan Malamute Bernese Mix [Bernamute]: Full Profile
- Alaskan Malamute Great Dane Mix: Full Profile & Pics
- Alaskan Malamute Cane Corso Mix: Full Profile & Pics
- Alaskan Malamute Samoyed Mix: Full Profile, Pics And Q&As
- Alaskan Malamute Saint Bernard Mix: A Full Breakdown & Pics
- Alaskan Malamute Keeshond Mix: Full Profile & Pics
