Snowlion Sales Policy:

Snowlion malamute puppies going to non-show homes are eligible for AKC limited registration for spayed/neutered pets. The puppies are vet checked and sold with a health warranty.

Our Focus on Health: Our dogs are athletes -- performance & health are a priority here. Parents are cleared for hip dysplasia, hypothyroidism, cardiac, hereditary eye disease and DNA tested for (PN) polyneuropathy. We suggest working with a holistic veterinarian to set up the best treatment plan for your puppy.

Visits: Please note, other than the weekend(s) we schedule appointments for clients to pick up their puppies, we are unable to arrange additional visits. Like most people we are busy with full-time work during the day, training & exercising our dogs in the evenings; our weekends are set aside for spending time with friends, family and outdoor activities with our dogs.

Deposits Snowlion puppies are sold by reservation. Deposits will be refunded if we don't have the type of pup you requested-- male or female. While we try to accommodate color preferences, we hope you will find all our puppies beautiful! And that you will be willing to consider a variety of colors as we don't know what will arrive nor which ones will be available. Typically we get light to dark grays and wolf gray/sables. Occasionally we see black & whites, seals, as well as reds.

Selection Process Once we have completed our initial evaluations at 7-8 weeks, a few puppies will be set aside for show and sledding homes, and the majority will be available as family companions/pets. From time to time, we will run some pups on, which means we will keep them for several more weeks until we make our final pick. You may see some of these finalists listed on our web site at 12-20 weeks.

After evaluations are completed, we will discuss which pups we feel are most suitable based on their temperament and energy levels, your lifestyle, family members, experience with this breed, as well as any special circumstances we need to take into consideration. We've helped clients select the right pup for families with young children, with co-resident elderly parents; homes with a multitude of cats, turtles, parrots, and even free-roaming indoor rabbits!

We realize everyone is anxious, but try suspend your worries and let the process work! Our intuition and instincts about the pups (and their future people), are based on round-the-clock observations of the litter from birth until 8 weeks and over 30 years sharing our lives with Alaskan Malamutes. We understand your concerns and want to reassure you that we take placements very seriously. We want our Alaskan Malamute puppies to find the right homes, and we want our clients to be happy with their decision to become part of the Snowlion family.

A few things to keep in mind:

Color: Like most experienced show breeders and mushers, we don't pay attention to color or markings as these traits have nothing to do with show or pet quality or performance. Malamute pups go through a metamorphosis which is always amazing to witness. Those cream-colored pups that look like lambs at 8 weeks are going to be gray & white adults with a dark gray/black outer coat, honestly! Facial markings may fade; Shorter coated pups may have fuller coats as adults. Those big puppy coats that look borderline long may be perfect at a year. Coat colors morph as well during the cyclic sheds; new coats will appear darker, sable points may be richer. It's all good!

Size: Our dogs are purebred AKC Alaskan Malamutes from champion parents bred to the AKC standard. We do not breed "giants." We are a sledding and a show kennel. We want athletic dogs on our teams and dogs that exhibit the classic Alaskan Malamute breed type in the ring. In good condition most of our AKC champions and sled dogs will weigh between 75-85 lbs. In pet homes, these dogs may weigh 20-30 lbs more due to lifestyle differences. While there is some natural variation in size in the purebred Alaskan Malamute, there should be nothing extreme.

Is this the right breed for you? Malamutes are a wonderful breed, but they are not suitable for everyone. As breeders our priority is ensuring that our puppies end up in permanent homes with responsible, informed and caring owners who understand that all puppies (and adult dogs) will need ongoing training and socialization. Yes, puppies need to go to school! A private lesson with a trainer is NOT a substitute for attending puppy socialization/obedience classes.

Malamute puppies should begin training classes at 10 weeks and be enrolled no later than 12 weeks. This is not a one time event. You will need to keep training your puppy during it's first year (at least 2 six-week classes are recommended) and you should attend a refresher course in subsequent years if you want an well-behaved companion. The dog you end up with is a reflection of the amount of time you've invested in training, socializing, exercising (and loving) your malamute.

Those first few months in the new home are critical to the puppy's well-being and successful adaptation as a family companion. We are here to answer your questions by phone or email and help you with your puppy. We provide new owners information on feeding, grooming, training and general care of Malamute puppies. As dog people, we take a dog-centered view in training and understanding canine behavior. If you would like to stay a tiny step ahead of your future Malamute, and a league ahead of the average pet owner, take a look at this wonderful book by Patricia McConnell, "The Other End of the Leash."

If you would like information about our breeding plans or current litter, please use our contact form. Please note that we live off the grid, and at times, especially when we're training or racing, we have intermittent internet access and cell phone reception, so it may be awhile before we can return messages (and sometimes, they mysteriously disappear.) Thank you for taking the time to read this. We look forward to hearing from you and helping you with your search for the right puppy.


Warm Regards,
The Snowlion Team