One thing for sure. Most dogs don’t enjoy the process of nail trimming. That includes your Alaskan Malamute. Make sure that you teach your dog at an early age to tolerate it. Here’s a few advice:

• Trim the dog’s nails on a regular basis, as overgrown nails can cause pain, limping, and even infection. Depending on your Malamute’s nails, may require trimming anywhere from every two weeks to once a month.
• Don’t allow the nails to grow to the point where the toes begin to curl up when the dog stands. If your dog has her dewclaws—the nails up on the ankle that don’t touch the ground and are often removed from young puppies—remember that they must be trimmed too.
• When trimming the nails, avoid the quick, the blood-rich base of the nail. With a pair of quality nail clippers designed especially for large dogs, clip only the tip of the nail and avoid the region where it darkens.
• If you do “quick” the dog, the nail will bleed profusely, so be prepared. Apply either special blood-stopping powder or a styptic pencil, both of which are available at pet supply stores. Have these supplies ready, because even the most skilled nail trimmer has been known to cut just a little too far down from time to time.

Foot Care

The typical Malamute has large feet with an abundant growth of hair around the paw pads. Since feet are the foundation of athletic movement, don’t neglect them as key targets of the grooming regimen:

• While conformation show exhibitors may trim the hair around the edge of the feet to refine their look, the pet Malamute should require no such grooming.
• Check the feet regularly to make sure that the thick growth of hair remains free of ice, balls of snow, salt, and mud, and that the delicate skin between the toes does not become impaled by fox tails.
• Examine and clean the feet carefully after any outdoor adventure; you never know what your Malamute might pick up as she runs through the snow or explores a mountain trail.