Alaskan Malamute vs Samoyed

An Alaskan Malamute
Photo: Randi Hausken
A Samoyed
Photo: PeCeT_full

Side by side

Alaskan Malamute
Samoyed
Adult weight
Males 35–42 kg (77–93 lb); females 31–37 kg (67–82 lb) (estimated: ±10% around the AKC/AMCA standard's desirable freighting size, 85 lb dogs and 75 lb bitches)
Males 20–29 kg (45–65 lb); females 16–23 kg (35–50 lb) (breed club figure)1
Height
No sourced figure
Males 53.3–59.7 cm; females 48.3–53.3 cm (breed club figure)1
Lifespan
Median 11.3 years2
Median 13.1 years2
Fully grown
12 months, both sexes3
11 months, both sexes3
Group
Spitz & primitive4
Spitz & primitive5
Coat
Double coat4
Double coat5
Shedding
Moults most as the seasons change
Grooming
A brush once a week
Exercise
Plenty
Health
Mouth melanoma (much more likely); Underactive thyroid (much more likely)6,7
No sourced figure
Class
Working
Family

Which suits you

Size
The Alaskan Malamute is much larger: about 36 kg (80 lb) as an adult, against 22 kg (49 lb) for the Samoyed.
Lifespan
In UK vet records the Samoyed lives longer: a median of 13.1 years, against 11.3 for the Alaskan Malamute.
Temperament
They differ most on affection (Alaskan Malamute: affectionate on its own terms; Samoyed: a lap or leaning dog) and on independence (Alaskan Malamute: decides for itself; Samoyed: cooperative, with its own ideas).
Alike
Both are rated the same on voice: very vocal.
Neither is the better dog in general. Which suits you depends on your home, your days and the care you can give.
Take the breed matcher

What they're like

Alaskan Malamute
Spitz & primitive · Large

Malamutes are affectionate and playful with people, strangers included, and make poor guard dogs.

Samoyed
Spitz & primitive · Medium

In temperament the Samoyed is friendly, gentle and sociable. It tends to greet strangers with interest rather than suspicion, so it makes a poor guard dog.

The Alaskan Malamute page →The Samoyed page →

Breed traits

Day to day
Alaskan Malamute
Samoyed
Activity
Needs lots of exercise
Needs lots of exercise
Intelligence
Learns readily, likes games
Learns readily, likes games
Handler demand
Differs
Needs an experienced owner
Needs steady training
With people
Alaskan Malamute
Samoyed
Affection
Differs
Affectionate on its own terms
A lap or leaning dog
Loyalty
Differs
Friendly with everyone
Bonded to its family
Independence
Differs
Decides for itself
Cooperative, with its own ideas
Around the home
Alaskan Malamute
Samoyed
Sensitivity
Average
Average
Voice
Very vocal
Very vocal
Prey drive
Differs
Likely to chase small pets
Chases; needs managing
Breed explains only about 9% of how individual dogs differ in behaviour8. Meet the dog. A good breeder breeds for temperament as well as health, and matches each puppy's personality to the right home9,10.

Puppy growth

Reference curves · both sexes
The Alaskan Malamute grows to the heavier adult, about 37 kg against the Samoyed's 23 kg. The Alaskan Malamute's weight is not a published figure.
Alaskan Malamute
Samoyed
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More comparisons

Compare the Alaskan Malamute with
Alaskan Malamute vs Siberian HuskyJapanese Spitz vs SamoyedAmerican Eskimo Dog vs SamoyedSamoyed vs Siberian HuskyChow Chow vs SamoyedFinnish Lapphund vs SamoyedAll breed comparisons →

Sources

Parts of this page were written by AI ·