You’ve come to the right place to learn about the Alaskan Malamute Keeshond mix, a cross that combines two fluffy Spitz dogs with a high exercise capacity that are prone to being stubborn and sometimes independent.
This article will explore every aspect of the Malamute Keeshond mix, including their temperament, appearance, grooming needs, and much more.
Let’s get straight into it.
Contents
Quick Overview Of The Malamute Keeshond Mix
Before we jump into the main details, here’s a quick overview of the critical facts you need to know about the Malamute Keeshond mix:
- Average Lifespan: 10 to 15 years
- Average Height: 18 to 23 inches
- Average Weight: 50 to 80 lbs
- Coat appearance: Long, double-coated, lots of colors possible
- Grooming Frequency: Very frequent
- Typical Temperament: Affectionate, Independent, Loyal
- Daily Food Consumption: Low to medium
- New Owner Friendly: Challenging for new owners due to exercise and grooming needs
- 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
Malamute Keeshond mixes are medium-sized dogs packed full of Spitz-type features.
From their thick double coat to their curly, fluffy tails and erect ears, these dogs are full of character.
Their expression is gentle and friendly, and they’ll usually sport a black face mask from the Keeshond side.
Let’s examine the parent breeds to see what physical attributes this dog 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. 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.
Keeshond Appearance & Background
Keeshonds have a classic Spitz appearance similar to other breeds like the Pomeranian, with thick double coats with shades of black, grey, cream, and other colors.
Keeshonds usually have a black mask with pointed ears and a very friendly demeanor.
This black mask is often found in the Malamute Keeshond mix, as seen in the previous example.
Average Size
Malamute Keeshond mixes are medium-sized dogs, reaching 18 to 23 inches in height at the shoulder and 50 to 80 lbs in weight.
They give the impression of a physically larger dog, though, thanks to their long, thick coats.
Coat Appearance
The coat of the Malamute Keeshond mix is always long in length, thick, and double-coated.
This means that fur is split into two layers: a short, dense, wooly undercoat and a longer guard layer that protects the coat and skin below.
They’ll shed year-round and even more when blowing their coats, a seasonal process where they’ll shed lots of their undercoat to prepare for the summer/winter months.
Grooming Guide
Grooming is obviously a big part of owning a Malamute Keeshond mix.
They’ll require a quick daily brush with a dog comb and more intense grooming sessions a few times per week to target both layers of their coat.
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.
Expect to repeat this process almost daily while they’re blowing their coats, too!
Bathing
Luckily, Malamute Keeshond mixes don’t need as frequent bathing as they do grooming.
This is because their thick double coats actually do a great job of keeping themselves clean, so you should only bathe them when they really need it.
This should work out as once every 3 to 4 months on average.
Temperament Of The Malamute Keeshond Mix
Temperament is one of, if not the most important thing to consider with any dog.
Fortunately, the Alaskan Malamute and Keeshond are Spitz-type dogs, meaning their temperaments are similar.
Let’s take a look at what you can expect from this mix.
Stubbornness
Spitz-dogs are known for being stubborn, and Malamutes and Keeshonds are no exception to this rule.
This means the mix of these two dogs will always be at least a bit stubborn. In daily life, this can make it hard to teach them new tricks or commands through obedience training and also pretty tricky to get them to listen to you most of the time.
Intelligence
Despite their stubborn nature, Malamute Keeshond mixes are intelligent dogs that will have very little problem understanding you.
Spitz-type dogs are often classified as average or low intelligence, but these results occur from tests that rely on the repeatability of newly learned commands, which stubborn dogs struggle with as they refuse to listen to most people.
Affectionate
Malamute Keeshond mixes are very affectionate with the family and make great companion dogs.
They’re also very loyal too, and love to be part of the family ‘pack.’
Low Guarding Instinct
Malamute Keeshond mixes can be wary of strangers, but that’s about as far as their guarding instincts go.
Keeshonds are more wary of strangers than Malamutes, who want to make friends with absolutely everybody.
If you’re looking for a guarding dog, this mix is not a great choice by any means.
Energetic
Malmaute Keeshond mixes are very active dogs, with both parent breeds being very active dogs (the Malamute more so):
- Alaskan Malamutes need at least 2 hours of exercise per day.
- Keeshonds need at least 1 hour of exercise per day.
Expect this mix to need anywhere from an hour to two hours of exercise daily, including plenty of off-leash exercise in a secure environment.
High Prey Drive
Malamute Keeshond mixes should be off-leash only in secure places because they have a high prey drive.
This means they’re prone to chasing after small animals like cats, small dogs, or anything else instinctually, and if they decide to chase, it can be challenging to recall them.
When you combine this with their stubborn personalities, recall becomes pretty much impossible, which can put them in danger and the animal they’re chasing after.
The other evident impact of a high prey drive is that the Malamute Keeshond mix does need to be raised with cats or small dogs from a young age to have success living with them.
Is The Malamute Keeshond Mix A Good Family Dog?
Malamute Keeshond mixes are great family dogs for active families.
They’re very affectionate and love to spend time with the family, ideally outside exercising.
They are challenging to keep with other small animals if they haven’t been properly socialized, though, and they are a handful when it comes to obedience training, which isn’t something that suits everybody.
Experience with Spitz-type dogs is very beneficial before owning one of these dogs.
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
- Keeshonds cost anywhere from $1,000 to $3,000 on average
Remember that it’s incredibly rare to encounter this mix, so you’re much more likely to find them in a shelter or dog rescue rather than a dedicated breeder.
In Summary
Malamute Keeshond mixes are the epitome of a Spitz-mix breed.
They’re affectionate and energetic, but stubborn and independent at the same time. They’ll need a lot of patience and effort, but they’re very rewarding dogs for the right owners.
If you’re interested in learning about more Alaskan Malamute mixes, you can check out some of our recent articles below:
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- Doberman Malamute Mix (Dobamute): A Complete Profile
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