Hi all! I have been wanting a GSD/Alaskan Malamute mixed doggo for years and finally in a great place to do it. Im an avid camper, hiker, snowboarder, biker, kayaker, dirt biker, and adventurer living in Colorado and ready to give my future buddy the best life!!

In all of my searches online I haven't been able to find any official breeders in the US... it's driving me nuts. Ive seen a good amount of people engage on this site and have doggos that specific cross, so wondering if you all can tap in and let me know where you got your precious pups! Thanks in advance - appreciate the guidance!

My first suggestion is to look at a husky, malamute or GSD rescue…. you won’t find an “official” (reputable, ethical) breeder as it is a mixed breed dog. I’ve been on this site over 17yrs and cannot recall any GSD x Malamute….. But if you found some(?) — click on the members name, it will show the date they were last active… if recent, send them a private message, but chances are their dogs were not purchased from breeders either.

Why not just choose one or the other?

 

yes- thank you! The specific forum I looked at was a little older so the site recommended I start a new thread vs reignite an old one. Good idea to click on specific members! I am going to do that.

Regarding your question about why not get a purebred: all 3 of those breeds excel at very different things. I am a versatile adventurist but in a lot of my readings, people have been very pleased with this cross saying that the cross mutes the "crazy" found in purebreds!

Additionally-

1. I looked into huskies and actually wanted one for as a kid, but I don't run enough for a husky, I am more of a slow burn activity person so malamute>husky. Also malamutes are more loyal and protective than huskies, their nature is still to come home even if they run away
2. GSD are more trainable than malamutes and have thinner coats... this will help my buddy during summer activities
3. I also like the look of the cross
4. I will be snowboarding with my pup, taking it on big 14er hikes, I solo camp, I live in the woods, this is a great breed for me

 

No good breeder is deliberately breeding mixes. That's why you aren't finding any. This cross is two wildly opposing breeds that don't compliment each other particularly well. Yes, several members have dogs of that mix but they either got them from shelters or accidental breedings.
Just because an individual dog turns out well does not mean the cross always works.

 

No good breeder is deliberately breeding mixes.

cough Doodles, Labradoodles, Puggles, Cockapoo etc

 

You could look in to Shiloh Shepherds or King Shepherds that do have some Malamute mixed with GSDs, often with other breeds as well. However, I would not recommend them. Both of these mixes are infamous for having temperament problems (nerves in particular) which is not something you ever want to deal with. Every time people try to breed the GSD to be a big fluffy softer pet it turns out badly.

I agree with the others those are not two breeds that work well together as they have opposite breed characteristics. People that have crosses here are usually rescue dogs.

The only crosses done for intent to produce working dogs are the KNPV dogs that can be crosses of working line GSDs/Mals/Dutch Shepherds in different combos, but these are intense working dogs & not pets. They are also all herding breeds and cousins to the GSD so you are not working with opposite breed traits.

 

Looking into Shiloh shepherds now.... still pretty hellbent on a malamute/gsd but out of all the other breeds people have recommended the shiloh shepherd has my interest. THANK YOU @KaymanPup !

 

Yes, several members have dogs of that mix but they either got them from shelters or accidental breedings.
Just because an individual dog turns out well does not mean the cross always works.

Meh. I just did a board search for the mix, so far I’m seeing:
“anger issues with strangers”
“attacked my mother”
“reactive to people”
“highly dog aggressive”
🫠

 

Sorry, but you will not find any reputable breeder that intentionally mix breeds mutts.

 

What is your goal for this dog? If you make an honest list of priorities we can probably suggest a breed that fits.

The 2 things that Malamutes excel at are digging and pulling really hard, like really really hard.

 

Have you checked out Chinooks?

 

I have! I'm just not a fan of their "look" (eeee about to get shade for this I know I know) but I like bigger, fluffier, darker, more intense looking dogs. And there are a lot of breeds with similar characteristics to the Chinook that also have a look that I like more so want to try and find my dream doggo.

 

My first dog I had was a GSD Malamute mix.
He was a great dog. Around people.
He wanted to kill everything else.
Except cats. He was petrified of them.

 

Hi M.Frary - where did you find your pup?!?! How old was he when you got him? Do you have other pets? IS he still alive and how was his life?!

 

Folks that are seriously involved with racing sled dogs and weight pulling is where I would begin to research Malemute crosses.Dogs that do real work are often carefully bred cross breeds.I'm imagining that they generally aren't a good choice for a family dog temperment wise.
There's a local woman that used to breed King Shepherds.I got to know her and a few of her dogs. I'm not sure of the % of breeds but they were GSD,Malemute, and Pyrenees. Magnificent looking dogs but nervy.We took a class together once two days per week and she would either bring her stud dog or one of his sons.They both would curl their lips if anyone got a little too close. One time while we were standing around waiting for class to begin the trainer walked up to her and me to chat for a moment. Her dog lunged up right at his face and she yanked him down just in time.The trainer was looking at us not staring into the dog's eyes to make him uncomfortable. I met two of her females when she was out and about with them and they were aloof but didn't seem hostile like those boys.
Anyways that's my miniscule amount of real experienceGood luck with your research.

 

Folks that are seriously involved with racing sled dogs and weight pulling is where I would begin to research Malemute crosses.Dogs that do real work are often carefully bred cross breeds.I'm imagining that they generally aren't a good choice for a family dog temperment wise.
There's a local woman that used to breed King Shepherds.I got to know her and a few of her dogs. I'm not sure of the % of breeds but they were GSD,Malemute, and Pyrenees. Magnificent looking dogs but nervy.We took a class together once two days per week and she would either bring her stud dog or one of his sons.They both would curl their lips if anyone got a little too close. One time while we were standing around waiting for class to begin the trainer walked up to her and me to chat for a moment. Her dog lunged up right at his face and she yanked him down just in time.The trainer was looking at us not staring into the dog's eyes to make him uncomfortable. I met two of her females when she was out and about with them and they were aloof but didn't seem hostile like those boys.
Anyways that's my miniscule amount of real experienceGood luck with your research.

Decades ago, while at the Cow Palace benched show, as a spectator, there was a handler with a beautiful Malamute. The handler, female, was getting ready to go into the ring, she's at the entry to the floor, dog kept growling at her, kinda scary, you could tell by his posture he meant business.

 

Once was called by a couple with a Malamute who had bitten the wife pretty bad. She had fresh and old scars on her arm. The guy had the dog on leash and let him charge me close by me. He seemed proud of the dog. I left and refused to work with him. Beautiful dogs but not for me.

 

Years ago, we got a female Malamute/Collie. She was a give-away from someone's accidental breeding. She looked like a tri-color color collie, with medium-length fur and a thick undercoat. She had a great temperament. We bred her to a large "supposedly" full-blooded Malamute that someone in the area owned. (We were young and ignorant and I would not ever do such a foolish thing again.) Most of the pups turned out fine and we gave them away to good homes. We kept a male who was a real fuzz ball. He grew up to be a huge "teddy bear" and was one of the sweetest dogs I've ever been around. He didn't care much for strange dogs but never even once growled at a human. We had both dogs around and in the house when my son was a baby and growing up. They were great with him too.
I agree that purposefully crossing the breeds is not a good idea but I kind of felt like Malamutes were getting bad rap here. We tried to get another Malamute when ours got old and moved on, but the only breeder I could find that was anywhere near to NC would only sell a dog if the new owner agreed to neutering the male. We've had a lot of male dogs and keep them under control without neutering them, so we felt like these demands were unreasonable. We switched to German Shepherds then and haven't looked back!

 

Agis has among his many breeds 15% GSD (okay 3% of that is WSS but close enough - 12% proper GSD) and 8% malamute (with 12% husky).

I have to agree with @techinstructor though about the bad rap malamutes are getting here. Let's face it, there are one million stories of unbalanced GSDs doing aggressive things. Most of these anecdotes above are based on one/few experiences seeing malamutes. One could argue (coff my MIL) that GSDs are dangerous and unstable and should be avoided at all costs...but we know better!

I don't think any of Agis's dog reactivity is anything to do with his malamute/northern breeds - quite the opposite (coff growing up with an attack beagle loading his natural reactivity AND having breeds notorious for dog aggression in fairly high percentage) - I have a friend Agis and I camp with in the winter who has a husky and husky/malamute cross and they're both sweet dogs - that's my N+1 - Agis gets along great with them from the get go (though finds me putting him in a coat at night in front of his friends EMBARASSING).

First time the dogs met they'd been around each other maybe 24 hours when my friends (adult) daughter shattered her ankle - long story I won't tell, but tl;dr I got a cabin from folks I knew nearby so she wouldn't have to return to the tent and sleep on the ground. Agis and I were suddenly alone in this strange place with these dogs I'd met once before (they got dropped off by her son when he was on the way to meet them at the hospital) and Agis just met the night before. While my friend's dogs were clearly stressed, they were fine. Tai is a sweet dog though I suppose if you had a poor temperament he is BIG. So BIG!

But I while I have less malamute experience I would say most northern dogs are generally not going to be dog aggressive because they have to work in teams. It's a very different personality trait mix than a GSD. The only reason I could see for crossing them is giving the GSD more coat for winter camping and while I've yet to meet a GSD that wanted to sleep outside in -30C, most GSDs will have a fine coat for stuff like winter camping. Teagan was a long coat and she did great with it.

The one thing I will say is (@David Winners is right about the digging haha! Agis loves digging while camping and is a big fan of digging our carpet in the living room) depending on what traits one gets I would not assume the malamute mix will be good off-leash - Tai isn't - and it's not like you're going to snowboard or dirt bike while the malamute is attached to you (or at least I wouldn't).

I have a friend that breeds working huskies (that have offspring that have run in the Iditarod and Yukon Quest) and those dogs are...not off-leash dogs. I've run with one of her dogs and while it was a perfect running companion it wanted to run off while we were transferring it to my human harness. Toby and I went dog sledding for our honeymoon and while a borderline terrifying experience (we were on our sled by ourselves and got "stand on that to slow them down, lean low to turn have fun bye DO NOT LET THEM GET AWAY" uh okay) it is not uncommon that northern breeds are breeds that are very poor off-leash. This would apply to Malamutes as well quite often.

 

I don't think anyone was badmouthing Malamutes, just pointing out that a GSD/Malamute cross is not a good combo. If anything since such a cross would likely be accidental & not the best examples of either breed & a lot of random GSDs out there have weak nerves the GSD part could be what causes the issues, that along with the contradictory traits of each breed.

 

Malamutes are great dogs. I never implied otherwise. Malhaven's Sunday Surprise aka Sabba was my love. I was so grateful that the breeder consented to me keeping her when I bought her, injured and sick, from a notorious dog flipper. She was very much larger then the show lines, bred to work. A delightful teddy bear of a dog with me, and laughably dismissive of rude dogs. She loved to pull and never quite mastered loose leash although we did get close. The frigid Alberta winters were her forte and she was often outside in the yard for much longer then nosey neighbors found acceptable.
HOWEVER! She was incredibly defensive of me, with both dogs and people. These dogs are no slouches in a fight and need training and socializing. Yes they work in teams. Teams are their pack and they don't tolerate interlopers. They have the size and power to do damage and the coat to protect them from the same. They need exercise and not a walk around the block and the grooming is real.
Sadly Saba was stolen and my best efforts to track her fell short. Last I knew she had been sold to an outfitter and then the trail went cold.
I do think that in most cases NONE of the northern breeds belong in the city. Unlike GSD's these are not dogs that are happy as long as they have their people. These are not dogs that will make do with less. These are not dogs that particularly enjoy indoors.

 

Malamutes are great dogs. I never implied otherwise. Malhaven's Sunday Surprise aka Sabba was my love. I was so grateful that the breeder consented to me keeping her when I bought her, injured and sick, from a notorious dog flipper. She was very much larger then the show lines, bred to work. A delightful teddy bear of a dog with me, and laughably dismissive of rude dogs. She loved to pull and never quite mastered loose leash although we did get close. The frigid Alberta winters were her forte and she was often outside in the yard for much longer then nosey neighbors found acceptable.
HOWEVER! She was incredibly defensive of me, with both dogs and people. These dogs are no slouches in a fight and need training and socializing. Yes they work in teams. Teams are their pack and they don't tolerate interlopers. They have the size and power to do damage and the coat to protect them from the same. They need exercise and not a walk around the block and the grooming is real.
Sadly Saba was stolen and my best efforts to track her fell short. Last I knew she had been sold to an outfitter and then the trail went cold.
I do think that in most cases NONE of the northern breeds belong in the city. Unlike GSD's these are not dogs that are happy as long as they have their people. These are not dogs that will make do with less. These are not dogs that particularly enjoy indoors.

These are some very good points about the breed. One of the reasons so many of us love GSDs is their versatility. A good one can be trained to do almost anything, they also can adapt to all kinds of environments as long as they have their person. GSDs are the Swiss army knife of dogdom, most other breeds are not this versatile.

 

Yes that's true @Sabis mom they pack strongly and we all know what pack behaviour can be. Not dog park dogs either!

Frankly if I hadn't got a malamute mix by accident I would NEVER own one - yes I winter camp, hike, run and walk him off-leash daily (he has enough biddable breeds) but we live in an apartment in a city. My friend with the mix lives further north and the dogs stay in the yard a lot in the winter - she finds it a chore to get them inside. She does canicross, sledding, skijoring with her dogs.

I didn't mean to imply they are easy dogs. But they can be good non-human aggressive dogs, though my friend has older children and I'm not sure how long she's had northern breeds, as long as I've known her.

They're impressive powerful dogs, absolutely. And like I said I can't see why you'd want a GSD/malamute mix (but I've also NEVER wanted a malamute - Toronto is too warm (I wouldn't want a PB Sibe either), they don't shut up (Agis talks a bit but yeesh malamutes are next level).

 

A list of Canada's favorite breeds just came out. Note that it's compiled by Rover, a pet sitting service.
Leading the list was "mixed breeds" so not a breed at all and Goldendoodle was #5, still not a breed.....German Shepherds were #5

 

This is really great feedback from everyone but I do have to say.... the ones that said these dogs are aggressive and mentioned horror stories they heard of malamute bites/attacks... that's with all dogs and breeds if they aren't trained properly and being managed by their owner. The only difference between an ill trained malamute mix and an ill trained chihuahua is the malamute bite will hurt more. But think of the bully breeds, think of the GSDs that get a bad rap... there are 100 and 1 stories of this or that breed biting or attacking someone.... it just comes down to nurture! SO now what I will say about nurture:

1. I live in Evergreen colorado and have 2acres of wooded land - this dog will not be cooped up in an apartment
2. I WFH
3. I trained my pixie bobcat (domestic cat) to camp, kayak, paddle board, and hike OFF-LEASH! I CAN LEAVE MY CAT AT THE CAMPSITE FOR 8+ HOURS AND IT WILL COME BACK when it hears/sees/smells me back at the site! If I can train a stinkin cat, I can train a malamute/gsd cross
4. I plan to take my pup to dog training classes and agility classes
5. This dog will hike 14ers with me, go on backpacking trips with me, run while I MTB, run while I dirtbike, camp with me, run while I snowboard, etc. This dog will be very active
6. This dog will be the protector of my home
7. This dog will be socialized with my cats right away as a puppy and will be socialized with the 5 various dogs/dog breeds of my best friends!
8. This dog will eventually be the big brother to a Bernese (boyfriends next dog of choice)
9. I know I will give it the best life, Ive waited years to get a dog because I knew when I got one, it would be my right hand man and take a lot of time, effort, and dedication. I am 30 and I am ready! I am not an irresponsible person, I am not a spineless/scared to reprimand pet owner. I am the alpha and my dog will know it, and follow!

All of this to say - @David Winners this kind of answers your questions about my goals for my dog! It will be an adventurer, a protector, and an absolute bad ass here to enjoy the summers and winters of colorado.

 

@jarn when you mention the running you were referencing an experience with huskies - this is why I am not looking for a husky! As much as I love that breed I do not want to be worrying about them constantly trying to figure out how to "escape" and "get away." This is why I am looking into malamutes! The more docile, loyal counterpart to huskies!

 

I wouldn't call anyone who promotes indiscriminate breeding of dogs responsible or knowledgeable.
If you want a mutt hit the shelters. Loads of great dogs dying for homes. Pun intended

 

to be clear on two points…

huskies were only mentioned by me, not as a recommendation, but because breed rescues often take in “similar” breeds so it wouldn’t be unheard of to find a gsd x malamute there.

the “horror stories” that i quoted had nothing to do with my experience of the mix myself — you referenced inquiring where past members with the breed got their dogs, and from the descriptions of those members dogs, even if they were from a “breeder” i wouldn’t be interested.

in general, mixes don’t always tone down the breeds as one would hope… if anything, creating an imbalance of certain traits is more likely. the best of both worlds in theory, but you have no control of what genes get passed…. without breeding generation after generation for a certain purpose or type…. mixed breeds won’t have the consistency or predictability that you’re after.

 

I would NOT recommend a Shiloh, just mentioned it because they have Malamute mixed in. They are notorious for being nervy, literally afraid of everything. There are folks that have had them on this forum & rehomed. At one point wolf blood was brought in & that may be what cemented the nerviness in the breed.

 

@Keeruh I mentioned huskies in part because you want to do higher speed activities with the dog (depending on where you're mountain biking, and snowboarding and dirt biking). A big dog that especially in what I expect is dirt bike weather (warmer) will overheat very easily because it is big and it would have a thick thick thick coat.

Let alone depending on the characteristics it gets do not assume biddability. My friend's Malamute/Husky cross is really not biddable at all he's very independent. Loves the family, but. Yes he's all northern breeds but as someone mentioned with respect to what you want, traits are not always a 50/50 or 'gets this but not that' with mutts.

 

My local shelter has been flooded with those mixes for a few years. People don’t want an aggressive breed mixed with one that likes to run. They are overwhelming. My neighbor has one that is older now and I have seen him chasing that dog down the street. She doesn’t listen and only returns to him when she’s tired. The OP said it’s all in how you raise them which is not true. Genetics always come into play.

 

I had a cousin with a Malalute a couple decades ago. Stunning dog when he was around...I say that because he scaled the fence regularly and just took off running, often found miles away. I would go straight out nuts with worry if I had a dog escape and take off like that regularly.

 

Like GSDs, Mals are prone to same sex aggression just so you know. I know this from experience. She also had very high prey drive, killing cats outside and trying incessantly to get to my rabbit (I eventually rehomed the rabbit to protect it).

 

Same reason I gave up my rats and bunnies. Not
worth the stress in the house. My hubby is happy because as long as Deja is around, no more animals will be added besides the mice in a tank. Same with dogs; Deja doesn't care for females and Bo doesn't like males. I could make that work but don't have the energy for that drama any longer.

 

Here is the problem OP needs to understand, most people that like one of these two breeds likely would not want the other & here's why. Malamutes like Huskies are very independent dogs & their genetic nature is to run & pull sleds. Huskies are smaller & faster, Malamutes larger, stronger & pull more weight over distance. They are used to working as a team with other dogs. GSDs on the other hand are hard wired to work with their people, even if given the chance to run on acres of land they will naturally want to be close to their people. They don't tend to want to run off. In a mix you have no idea what part will dominate till the dog is an adult. I think Malamutes & Huskies are gorgeous dogs, but I would never want either breed. I like biddable dogs that want to work with you & that is the opposite of what Malamutes & Huskies genetically are. You can try to train out the genetic nature, but in the end the genes will rule.

What you are wanting a GSD is more than capable of doing & they would do it all naturally. You would not be fighting nature.