A Complete Price Guide for the Alaskan Malamute

Alaskan Malamute

Humans domesticated dogs a very long time ago. This can be seen in how the Native Americans had dogs even in pre-Colombian times, meaning that their ancestors were accompanied by their dogs’ ancestors. Most of these dogs are no longer around. This is because most of the modern dogs of the Americas have Eurasian roots rather than American roots. However, there are some exceptions to this rule, as shown by some of the dog breed that saw use and continue to see use in the circumpolar regions. To name an example, there is the Alaskan Malamute. It is indeed capable of tracing its roots to Alaska. Specifically, the Alaskan Malamute seems to have been named for a subsection of the Inupiat called the Malemiut, which is complicated because said name saw much erroneous use in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Regardless, these dogs are considered to be a basal dog breed, meaning that they came into existence before the emergence of most modern dog breeds starting in the 19th century. After all, Alaskan Malamutes existed in isolation for the most part, meaning that they separated from the wider population of dogs for the most part until relatively recent times.

Appearance-wise, Alaskan Malamute are like a lot of their counterparts throughout the circumpolar regions, which is to say, they are big, fluffy dogs. This is because they were meant to perform physically-intensive tasks such as hunting and sled-pulling under very cold conditions. Furthermore, Alaskan Malamutes were meant to get along with humans. Something that enabled them to make a smooth transition to being household companions in the present time. They might not be anyone’s idea of an ideal watchdog. However, they have the smarts, the energy, and the general good nature to more than make up for a lot of shortcomings.

What Can You Expect to Pay for an Alaskan Malamute?

As such, it is natural for people to wonder what an Alaskan Malamute puppy will cost. If so, they should know that these dogs are much the same as other purebred dogs, which is to say, a wide range of dogs come in a wide range of prices. Still, the general range is something like $500 to $2,500, though it is possible for interested individuals to come upon either much lower prices or much higher prices. Be warned that both of these cases mean that there will be something out of the ordinary for the dogs in question, which may or may not be an issue for people depending on exactly what they are after.

There can be times when unusually low prices are not the sign of something nefarious. To name an example, people might come upon Alaskan Malamute puppies that are being given away in exchange for either nothing or next-to-nothing. Similarly, people might be able to either adopt or rescue an Alaskan Malamute from either an animal shelter or an animal rescue. Still, it is important to note that every single one of these potential possibilities have both their pros and their cons. For instance, there is no guarantee that people will be able to stumble upon Alaskan Malamute puppies for either nothing or next-to-nothing because those events tend to happen because of unexpected and thus unpredictable occurrences. Furthermore, if they take advantage of the opportunity, they should know that there is no guarantee that the puppies will be problem-free. The options of either adopting or rescuing an Alaskan Malamute have some similar issues. These dogs have managed to become very popular. Even so, there is no guarantee that interested individuals will be able to find a suitable candidate when they go looking, particularly if they are sticking to animal shelters and animal rescues in the local region. On top of that, even if they find a suitable animal, chances are good that they will be getting an older dog rather than a puppy. Something that may or may not bother them depending on their exact priorities when it comes to their needs and preferences. On the plus side, animal shelters and animal rescues can offer some additional upsides, with an excellent example being how interested individuals should be able to get a clear idea of what to expect from their future dog. Suffice to say that this is invaluable knowledge for their financial planning, particularly if they are afraid of surprise costs caused by unknown health and behavioral issues. Both of which are very much possible for purebred dogs to have. Having said that, the ability to get an Alaskan Malamute for $50 to $500 will be the most attractive part of these options for a lot of people out there.

Unfortunately, there are also times when unusually low prices are a sign of something problematic. Essentially, people can expect to get what they pay for when it comes to their dogs. This is particularly true because the price of a puppy has a very strong correlation with the resources that have been put into that puppy. Cheaper puppies tend to mean puppies that have received less healthcare, less training, and less of everything that make for a better dog, thus increasing the chances that they will develop serious problems either right away or at some point down the road. Thanks to that, it is very much possible for cheaper dogs to prove more expensive in the long run because healthcare won’t be cheap to say the least.

As for the other end of things, well, Alaskan Malamutes don’t go for much higher than $2,500 unless there is something that makes the puppy special for interested individuals. The classic example would be some kind of show-winning bloodline, which means that the puppy should theoretically possess more potential to be a show-winner in its own right. Of course, if people don’t care about that aspect of dog ownership, there is much less of a reason for them to go for such puppies. For them, it makes much more sense to just focus on getting a healthy puppy, which they should be able to do within the aforementioned $500 to $2,500 range without too much issue.

What Kinds of Factors Can Influence the Price of an Alaskan Malamute?

There are a lot of factors that can influence the price of an Alaskan Malamute puppy, so it can be useful for interested individuals to get a general sense of them in order to get a dog that is acceptable for them at a price that is acceptable for them. Unsurprisingly, the price of a puppy is the product of the interaction between supply and demand. However, the factors that go into each of these considerations can be quite complicated in their own right.

For starters, Alaskan Malamutes are pretty popular. As a result, there are a lot of dog breeders producing puppies, which is beneficial for people who want to get their hands on one of them. However, it is important to remember that interested individuals are restricted to a considerable extent by the number of local dog breeders focused on Alaskan Malamutes. Certainly, they can buy a puppy from someone based somewhere further away. However, if they do so, they are going to run into serious constraints, with an excellent example being the greatly increased difficulty of checking up on said dog breeder’s operations as well as the puppy in question. Something that increases the risk that they will take on by making the purchase. For that matter, if people choose to buy a dog from someone based somewhere further away, they are going to eat transportation costs. Thanks to that, they might find the purchase to be more expensive than what they expected. Summed up, the place where someone lives can actually have quite an impact on the price that they can expect to pay for an Alaskan Malamute. Besides this, it should also be mentioned that the resources put into a particular puppy will have a huge effect on that puppy’s price. After all, most dog breeders are running a business, meaning that they need to make a profit somehow. Of course, interested individuals shouldn’t just take the dog breeder’s word for such things. Instead, they should seek out confirmation in the form of documentation, which reputable dog breeders should have on hand for their dogs.

Meanwhile, demand is even more complicated, particularly since it can change much faster than supply. Some things are relatively stable. For example, purebred dogs tend to be more valued than mixed-breed dogs. Their prestige has taken a hit because of some of the excesses that have happened with some of the less healthy dog breeds that can be found out there. Even so, it seems safe to say that purebred dogs will remain more desired and thus more expensive for the foreseeable future. Similarly, people tend to buy dogs because they want younger dogs rather than older dogs. As a result, it seems likely that older dogs will continue selling for lower prices for years and years to come. Unfortunately, there are other factors that can change at faster rates. To name an example, the color of a dog’s coat can have a considerable effect on its price. As a rough rule, rarer coat colors that fall within the range of acceptability for kennel clubs make for higher prices. However, this is one of those things that can change with a fair amount of speed because fashions come to go. There are some dog breeds for which coat color isn’t an issue because all of their members come with either the same or almost the same look anyways. Alaskan Malamutes aren’t one of them because their white fur is often paired with either black, gray, red, or sable. Even if people don’t particularly care about coat color, they might want to check out which ones are less popular to see if that will reduce the puppy’s price without impacting any of the considerations that actually matter to them.

What Are Some Other Costs of Owning an Alaskan Malamute?

Of course, the price of the puppy is just the start of things. After all, there is still the matter of paying for its maintenance, which is necessary because it is a living being. Naturally, the costs will be the highest in the first year because of the additional costs of buying toys, accessories, and other items that probably won’t need to be repeated much in subsequent years. One estimate says that these costs can go from $500 to $800, though the exact amount will depend on exactly what people choose to buy. Not every item needs to be purchased right away. However, there are definitely some things that are waiting for the puppy as soon as it arrives, meaning that they should be purchased ahead of time.

Other than that, a cost of owning an Alaskan Malamute over the course of a month can see significant variation from dog to dog. One dog might not even cost $150. In contrast, another dog can cost more than $700 over the same period of time. Food isn’t actually that expensive for Alaskan Malamutes. Yes, they are big dogs, meaning that they need to eat a lot. However, food shouldn’t hit more than $50 unless they are eating some kind of specialty diet for whatever reason, which leads nicely to the next point. In short, healthcare costs are the most expensive costs for a lot of dogs out there. If people are lucky, they will pay less than $100 on a monthly basis for preventative healthcare but nothing beyond that; if people are unlucky, well, suffice to say that they might have to pay hundreds of dollars on a monthly basis depending on exactly what is wrong with their dog. As such, it is extremely important to get a healthy puppy. To help out, it can be a good idea to get pet insurance, which can go as high as more than $100 a month. This is expensive, but if the Alaskan Malamute has any emergency medical needs, well, being insured means being prepared. Besides these, how someone handles their Alaskan Malamute can have a huge impact as well. These dogs are very energetic. As a result, they need at least two walks on a daily basis. If they don’t get that from their owner, they are going to need to get that from a dog walker or someone similar, which means more monthly expenses. Something that can easily hit the low hundreds depending on how much people lean on such services. Combined, the monthly costs of an Alaskan Malamute can get from less than $100 to the high hundreds depending on exactly what is going on.

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