One myth about Malamutes and northern dogs in general is that they "don't bark". It's a myth. Some malamutes just bark, but the majority tend to have a very large vocabulary of howls, yodels, yips, chirps, barks, grumbles, rumbles, snorts, huhs, and a few other sounds....in other words, Malamutes have a very rich vocabulary they use quite often - they are by no means a "quiet" dog.

One thing you'll hear often is that they "talk". Talking implies they are having a conversation with you and they seem to think they are! They will ask for your attention, and answer you when you speak to them.

What malamutes are known for is howling and you'll find everyone expects them to howl like wolves all the time. However, there are various kinds of howls and they can mean many different things. There is the mournful lonely, I'm bored or I miss you howl which is normally associated with wolves and what non-mal owners expect. The solidarity howl (usually when you have a pack and one dog is separated from that pack) and the group bark (alert! alert! something is amiss!- all join in to this group-howlfest).


Then there are the non-howl noises - short woofs can mean "hey, did you hear that?" to a low, rumbly "don't like this". Each malamute will have a unique set of sounds specific to him so it's difficult to generalize and even more difficult to understand in a dog that is not yours.. If you have several malamutes, and know them well, you can usually tell one voice from another, even in a group.
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Posté par Nature sur jeudi 24 décembre 2015