The Alaskan Malamute Great Dane mix is a giant dog full of affection for its family.
However, these dogs are not for first-time owners, but not just because of their massive size. They require at least 2 hours of exercise a day and can become stubborn at times as well, which makes them quite challenging to deal with.
Stay tuned for a full rundown of this rare mix, including a deeper dive into their temperament and much more.
Contents
Quick Overview Of The Malamute Great Dane Mix
Before we jump into the main details, here’s a quick overview of the key facts you need to know about the Malamute Great Dane mix:
- Average Lifespan: 9 to 12 years
- Average Height: 25 to 32 inches
- Average Weight: 90 to 150+ lbs
- Coat appearance: Short, double-coated, various color combinations possible
- Grooming Frequency: Not very often
- Typical Temperament: Affectionate, Active, Intelligent
- Daily Food Consumption: High
- New Owner Friendly: Not new owner friendly at all due to huge size and strict exercise requirements
- 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? Not suited due to sheer size and prey drive
Appearance
Alaskan Malamute Great Dane mixes are pretty rare, so there isn’t a standard set for how they should look.
One thing’s for sure, though: they have a pretty intimidating appearance. They’re super tall and usually inherit the overall body shape of the Great Dane, with thicker fur and patterns coming primarily from the Alaskan Malamute side.
They’ll easily exceed 100 lbs and have the energy to match, which is one of the main reasons many people would struggle with this mix.
To better understand this breed’s appearance, let’s look at the parent breeds to see which features it can inherit.
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.
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.
Great Dane Appearance & Background
Great Danes are one of the most giant dog breeds in the world, ranking 3rd in overall height.
They aren’t skinny either and have a well-muscled athletic body with a deep, broad chest.
They have a large head, naturally floppy ears, and a long tail (although these are often cropped).
Great Danes come in many colors, just like the Malamute, and were originally bred as hunting dogs and went on to become guard dogs for families.
Average Size
Malamute Great Dane mixes are enormous dogs, reaching upwards of 30 inches at the shoulder and weighing anywhere from just under 100 lbs to nearly 200 lbs!
Coat Appearance
The coat of this mix is usually relatively short and dense, although double-coated.
In terms of color, many are possible thanks to the variations of both the Alaskan Malamute and Great Dane in terms of coat color.
Grooming Guide
Grooming the Malamute Great Dane mix is straightforward, as their coat is often short and dense.
This means that they’ll benefit from a quick groom with a regular grooming brush a few times per week to remove dead or loose hair, and that’s about it.
In the rare case that they have a longer coat like the Malamute, they will need to be groomed more often, and the details for that can be found here.
The coat will always be double coated, though, so they will shed more often before and after the summer when they blow their coats.
Bathing
Thanks to the shorter coat, they can be bathed fairly often when their coat becomes dirty – once every 4 to 6 weeks should suffice.
If their coat is longer, they will benefit from less frequent bathing, more like once every 3 to 4 months.
Temperament Of The Malamute Great Dane Mix
As with any dog, temperament is important to consider, and you can argue it’s even more important with mixes where the temperament can be harder to predict.
Fortunately for us, Alaskan Malamutes and Great Danes share quite a few similar personality traits, so let’s take a look at what you can expect from this mix.
Stubborn
Alaskan Malamutes are known for being stubborn, and this shouldn’t come as a surprise if you have any experience with Spitz-type breeds.
You might be surprised to find out that Great Danes are also stubborn as well, though, which means that the mix is all but guaranteed to have a stubborn temperament as well.
Malamutes are definitely more stubborn, though, so it depends on which parent they take after more so in this regard.
Stubborn dogs can be challenging to train, and you’ll need a lot of patience.
Intelligent
Although prone to stubbornness, Malamute Great Dane mixes are very intelligent dogs that will understand what you’re saying, but it’s a whole different story getting them to listen to you.
This can again vary, with some Malamute Great Dane mixes being much more receptive to training from the Great Dane side and others being more stubborn from the Malamute side.
Gentle Giants
If you were to describe the overall temperament of the Malamute Great Dane mix, ‘gentle giant’ would be a pretty perfect job.
These dogs are absolutely massive, but they’re full of love for their families, including children and babies (although supervision is still needed here).
They’re very affectionate, and when they’re not outside burning off excess energy, they’ll love to sit down on the sofa with you and unwind.
Very Active
Both parent breeds are active dogs, but Alaskan Malamutes are notorious for their exercise needs, requiring at least 2 hours of exercise every day thanks to their background as sled dogs.
Great Danes are also very active and require 2 hours of exercise daily.
This does mean that the Malamute Great Dane mix is only suited for the most active people and families.
Prey Drive
The last thing to mention about the Malamute Great Dane mix is their high prey drive.
Both parent breeds have a high prey drive, so this mix is prone to instinctually chasing after small animals.
This means that using a leash will be important in unsecured areas, and they will be required to be raised with small dogs or cats from a young age to live together without issues.
Is The Malamute Great Dane Mix A Good Family Dog?
Malamute Great Dane mixes are fantastic family dogs once you get over the challenges that they come with.
For example, they’re not great with cats or other small dogs without being socialized with them from a young age. They can also easily knock over children without realizing it, so they must always be supervised.
If you have an active lifestyle and the time and energy for a mix as large and demanding as the Malamute Great Dane, you’ll be rewarded with an affectionate and gentle dog that loves to be around you and your family.
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
- Great Danes cost anywhere from $1,000 to $2,000 on average
Remember that this mix is not very commonly bred, so you’re much more likely to find them in a shelter.
In Summary
Hopefully, you’ve got a better idea about the Alaskan Malamute Great Dane mix now; they’re very rewarding dogs but definitely not suited for most people due to their sheer size and energy needs.
If you’re interested in learning about more Alaskan Malamute mixes, you can check out some of our recent articles below:
- Newfoundland Malamute Mix: A Complete Mix Profile
- 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
- Doberman Malamute Mix (Dobamute): A Complete Profile
- Alaskan Malamute Shiba Inu Mix [Mala-Inu]: Full Profile
