Ever wondered what happens when you combine two large to giant dog breeds that have lots of fur and are full of energy?
You end up with the Newfoundland Malamute mix, a massive dog that requires a lot of exercise but is full of affection and love for their families.
Wondering if this is the right dog for you? Keep reading to learn all about this mix, including how much training they need, how easy it is to train them, and much more.
Contents
Quick Profile
Before we get into the details, here’s a quick overview of the Newfoundland Malamute mix:
- Other Names: Alaskan Newfie, Malanewf
- Average Lifespan: 9-12 years
- Average Height: 24 to 28 inches
- Average Weight: 100-150+ lbs
- Coat appearance: Long and double coated. Can come in a variety of colors including black, white, brown, and more
- Eye Color: Usually dark brown or blue
- Activity Level: 1 to 2 hours per day
- Grooming Frequency: Very high – daily grooming will be needed and even multiple times per day when they are blowing coat
- Typical Temperament: Very affectionate and loyal to the family. Can be independent at times, but will be quite protective over the family
- Daily Food Consumption: Very high
- New Owner Friendly: Not very friendly for new owners due to their sheer size and exercise requirements
- Suitable to live with children? Must be socialized from an early age
- Suitable to live with other dogs? Must be socialized from an early age
- Suitable to live with cats? Must be socialized from an early age
I also highly recommend checking out our comparison guide between the Alaskan Malamute and Newfoundland as it’s a great way to see how the two parent breeds compare.
Appearance
Newfoundland Malamute mixes are gentle giants, with features from both parent breeds such as a thick double coat, friendly facial expression, and broad shoulders.
In order to get a better idea of what they look like, it’s important to look at both the parent breeds.
Newfoundland Appearance
Newfoundlands are a large to giant breed known for their massive size and strength. They have broad, square-shaped heads with small, deeply set brown eyes and wide, droopy ears.
Their thick, water-resistant double coat is typically black, brown, gray, or black and white.
They have a muscular body with a broad chest, sturdy legs, and webbed paws, which are ideal for swimming.
Alaskan Malamute Appearance
Alaskan Malamutes are one of the largest Spitz breeds and their appearance shows it.
They have lots of 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 quite intimidating to those who aren’t familiar 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.
Average Size
The Newfoundland Malamute mix is one of the largest dog mixes that you can find.
Malamutes regularly exceed 100 lbs even though the breed standard states that their weight should be between 75 and 85 lbs.
Newfoundlands weigh anywhere from 100 to 150 lbs as per the AKC standard, but again can easily exceed this and even reach over 200 lbs in some cases.
For health purposes, it is better to keep them in a healthy weight range, but there’s no doubt that the Newfoundland Malamute mix will be very large and prone to putting on weight.
Coat Appearance
Both Newfoundlands and Malamutes have a thick double coat. This means that their coat is split into two layers – a short wooly layer that traps air for insulation, and a long guard layer that protects the coat below from dirt and moisture.
Newfoundlands have a double coat to help to keep them dry when swimming. Double coats act as a waterproof layer that keeps water out – Newfoundlands love to swim but it can become a major issue if the water gets close to their skin and potentially freezes.
Malamutes, like most Spitz-type dogs, also have a double coat. This is again to help keep them dry in the freezing conditions of Siberia and Alaska and also to provide insulation from the cold.
Both coats come in a wide variety of colors.
Physical Features
Newfoundland Malamute mixes are much larger in size than the average Malamute and always have a long, thick double coat that has colors influenced by the colors of the parent breeds.
Their ears can be pointed or floppy, and their eyes tend to be small and brown or blue in color. Their facial expression is generally warm and friendly, which contrasts with their large and imposing physiques.
Grooming Guide
Newfoundland Malamute mixes will always have a long, thick double coat due to the parent breeds.
Double-coated dogs should be groomed every day – the full details of which can be found in our article here.
Double-coated dogs will also blow their coat twice a year, which is when they shed a lot of their undercoat to prepare for the warmer weather.
During this time grooming becomes even more important, and you may need to groom them more than once per day.
Bathing
You may think that because the fur is so long that it would become dirty easily and need to be bathed often, but this is not the case.
In reality, double coats are great at keeping themselves clean due to the guard layer and the oils found within the coat.
Newfoundland Malamute mixes only need to be bathed once every 2 to 3 months, or when their coat becomes too dirty from walking in mud or something similar.
Nail Trimming
Nail trimming shouldn’t need to be done very often as this mix is very active and large in size which means that their nails should naturally stay small.
If you do need to trim their nails we always recommend using a metal grinder to do this.
Is The Newfoundland Malamute Mix Hypoallergenic?
Unfortunately, the Newfoundland Malamute mix is not a great option if you suffer from allergies.
They will shed year-round quite a lot and even more when they are blowing coat.
Exercise Requirements
Alaskan Malamutes are one of the best dog breeds at endurance, capable of pulling heavy loads for miles at a time. Newfoundlands are not on the same level, but they do enjoy regular exercise.
The Newfoundland Malamute mix will require 1 to 2 hours of exercise each day, which is quite a commitment, especially if you have a family.
Temperament
Temperament is one of the most important things to consider with any dog.
Affectionate & Loyal
Newfoundlands are Malamutes are great family dogs.
Malamutes have a pack mentality due to their background as sled dogs and love to be around people.
Newfoundlands are known for being great family dogs as well and become protective of the family and especially children.
Protective
Newfoundland Malamute mixes tend to be protective of their families, but not in a guard dog type of manner.
Malamutes themselves are very friendly, even towards strangers, and are not great guard dogs at all. Newfoundlands are very similar, but they have a protective instinct over their families and also children.
Expect the Newfoundland Malamute mix to be very friendly, but they will protect their families if it comes to it.
Trainability
The Newfoundland Malamute mix can be a challenge to train due to how stubborn the parent breeds can be.
This is why starting from an early age is so important, and also why this mix is not an ideal choice for first-time owners as they require a lot of patience.
Stubborn & Independent
Both parent breeds are known for having a mind of their own.
Alaskan Malamutes are notoriously independent and stubborn at times and are often described as being cat-like in their behavior.
Newfoundlands are not at this level, but they do have a stubborn streak as well.
This is why training and socialization from an early age are super important.
Prey Drive
An important thing to consider with this mix is prey drive.
Newfoundlands and Malamutes both have quite a high prey drive, which means they are prone to chasing after small animals like cats, small dogs, or even rabbits.
This directly affects things like going for walks, and also how well they will mix with other cats or small dogs in the house.
Early socialization is required if you want this mix to live with other dogs, as well as keeping them on a leash during walks to stop them from running away.
Are Newfoundland Malamute Mixes Good Family Dogs?
There’s no doubt that the Newfoundland Malamute mix is a great family dog.
This mix is affectionate and loyal and tends to form a protective bond with its family and especially children.
You do need to be careful of their incredibly large size, however, as they can easily bump into children and cause problems without realizing it.
Health Issues
As a very large mix, there are some health issues that are common across both parents that are likely to be common:
- Hip Dysplasia – This is a deformity of the hip joint that occurs during growth. It is more common in large to giant dogs and leads to a series of issues like arthritis.
- Gastric Dilatation Volvulus (GDV) – This is often referred to as bloat and is common in larger dogs. This starts with the stomach filling with gas, and can then lead to twisting which can be lethal.
- Hypothyroidism – This is when the thyroid is underactive and not producing enough hormones responsible for regulating their metabolism. It often leads to unexplained weight gain and issues with the fur.
Keep in mind that this mix is incredibly rare, so at this stage, there hasn’t been dedicated research into the health problems that they may face.
The issues listed above are simply those that are more common in the parent breeds and specifically due to their larger overall size.
Is The Newfoundland Malamute Mix Intelligent?
Although Malamutes and Newfoundland don’t show up great on conventional dog intelligence tests, they are both very capable due to their working backgrounds.
Conventional tests rely on how capable dogs are at learning new commands, which can be difficult for these breeds due to their stubbornness.
Don’t be fooled, however, Malamutes and Newfoundlands are very intelligent dogs once you get past their stubborn streaks.
How Much Do They Cost?
It’s hard to estimate how much this mix costs as they are not very common at all, and there are not any established breeders.
Newfoundland and Malamutes do tend to be more expensive and can easily cost thousands of dollars.
In Summary
If you want a giant, loving dog that makes a great addition to any family then the Newfoundland Malamute mix is a great option.
Just be aware of how much exercise they need, and how much space they will take up. They are incredibly rewarding dogs, but they do require a lot of work and a patient owner.
Want to learn about more Malamute mixes? Check out some of our most recent articles below:
