1) Origin
This is very ancient dog breed, with their origin going back thousands of years. It is impossible to track down their ancestry, but according to the scientific research they might have east Asian origin and might be related to Greenland dogs, Canadian Eskimo dog or Siberian Husky. What we know for sure is, that they were developed in Alaska by Innuit tribes. They actually got their known after a tribe called Mahlemuts. The dogs were used to hunt seals, chase away polar bears, and pull heavy sledges loaded with food or camp supplies.

2) Gold rush
Since the 18th century, explorers were fascinated by the strength of the Alaskan Malamute and in the 19th century, during the Gold Rush, they were often time used as sled dog. During this time, the Alaskan Malamute, just like almost all other local native dogs, was interbred with other breeds and they almost lost their purity. It was not until the 1920s, when the breeders tried to purify the breed again.

3) Exercise

The Alaskan Malamute is a working dog, and you should give them some job to do, otherwise, they will find some job themselves. And believe, you will probably not like the job, because it might include a lot of digging and howling. This breed loves to go for a jog or a long walk anytime and they are good at some dog sports, for example weight pulling, recreational sledding or canicross.

4) Size
The Alaskan Malamute is a big dog with average height between 56-66 cms which is 22-26 inches and weight between 34-38 kgs, which is 74-84 pounds, but it is not uncommon to see much larger Malamutes, up to 45 kgs, which 100 pounds. There is quite a big size difference between the males and females.

5) Friendly dogs
This dog has pretty soft expression in their eyes and even though they are large and strong, they do posses outgoing, playful and friendly personality. They want to be friends with most people, even with strangers, which is a reason why they are not the best guards. They are just too welcoming. But this is a pack animal and they are loyal to its pack, so when they feel the family is in danger, they tend to be pretty protective.

6) Not for novices
This is definitely not the best choice for unexperienced or even novice dog owners. This is an intelligent, independent, big, strong and quite stubborn breed, which is a hard combination to deal with properly and if you fail the training and socialization with dog of this size and strength, you have a big problem.

7) Howling
This is not a big barker, actually it is pretty rare to hear them bark, but that does not mean they are not communicating vocally. They are expressing themselves with the famous woo woo sound and loud howls.

8) Eyes

Have you ever seen an Alaskan Malamute with blue eyes? Well than it was probably a very big Siberian Husky or an Alaskan Malamute crossbreed. Purebred Alaskan Malamute should always have dark almond shaped eyes, most commonly in brown color, but they should never have light colored blue eyes.

9) Fence
The Malamutes love to live outdoors, but you should have a good tall fence which is also burried several inches bellow the ground. It is because Malamutes really love to dig and they are capable of easily dig under the fence. Also, they are good at climbing, which is why high fence is necessary as well.

10) Coat
The coat of the Alaskan Malamute is beautiful. They have extremely thick and coarse outercoat and very very dense undercoat. Thanks to that, they can tolerate very cold temperatures. If you are living in a region with higher temperatures, it is important to never shave the coat. It is not only insulating in the cold, it is also insulating in warm weather. If you shave your dog, he will be more prone to heatstroke or sun burn.

1) Designer dog breed
The Chorkie is a designer dog breed which is an intentional crossbreed between two different purebred breeds. The two breeds that are used for developing a Chorkie are Chihuahua and Yorkshire Terrier and just like with all the crossbreeds, the Chorkie can take on the breed characteristics of either or both parent breeds.

2) Origin
Of course, there could have been mixes of Chihuahua and Yorkies a long time ago, but it was not until the 1990s when the Chorkies started to be bred intentionally. The goal of the breeding was to create very small dog – like Chihuahua with active and feisty personality – like Yorkshire Terrier.

3) Appearance
There is no guaranteed appearance of the Chorkie, since they can inherit different traits from both of their parents, which means that some can look little bit more like Chihuahua and some little bit more like Yorkie. But most commonly, the height is between 15-23 cm which is 6-9 inches and weight between 3-5 kgs, which is 6-11 pounds.

4) Coat
Great fact is, that the Chorkie has very often low shedding coat, especially if they inherit the Yorkishire Terriers coat. They can have both, fluffy or straight coat and the most common colors are brown, white, silver, blue, and black. They can be in single solid color or mix of two or more colors.

5) Separation Anxiety

This is very social dog who wants to be around its owners and family all the time and do everything with them. If you will leave a Chorkie home alone for long periods of time, they might develop a separation anxiety. They are okay with other pets, which might be good if you want to leave them alone from time to time. On the other hand, i would not leave them alone with young children, since this is a fragile dog who can get injured very easily, especially if the kid is still young enough and he does not know how to act properly and gently towards dogs.

6) Loyalty
Chorkies are very loyal to their owners, which sounds great, but it can cause some problems. Because of their loyalty, they might be little bit overprotective or they might try to scare away strangers or other dogs, even if they are much much bigger. That is why early socialization is a must, so they dont suffer from this behaviour.

7) Temperament
The words that describe the best Chorkies temperament are active, fun to be around, loyal, loving, goofy, intelligent and excited. It is true that they are very intelligent and eager to please, but they are not pushovers to train, because of their stubborn streaks. But with patient and firm training, they are definitely capable of learning a lot of tricks and commands.

8) Health
Chorkies tend to be pretty healthy dogs with average lifespan between 11-15 years. Just like with all dogs, they do suffer from some health problems, most commonly from ear and eye infections, patellar luxation, epilepsy, hypoglycemie and skin problems.

9) Maintenance
As i already mentioned in the video, the Chorkie tends to be very low shedding dog, even though it is not guaranteed. The maintenance is not extremely hard, only ocassional, lets say weekly brushing is needed. You should také proper care about the eyes and ears and clean it if needed, because Chorkies tend to suffer from eye and ear infections.

10) Exercise
It is true, that this is active and energetic dog breed, but thanks to their small size, they dont need tons of exercise. Daily walks are a must, but other than that, you can deal with they energy with good indoor playtime or training session.

1) Origin
The Swedish Vallhund was previously known as „Vikingarnas Hund“ or the Viking dog and indeed, they originated in Sweden over 1000 years ago, in the age of the Vikings. Their purpose was to herd sheeps on farms and they also proved themselves as good watchdogs and companions.

2) Corgi Similarity
There is an obvious similarity in apperance and temperament of Welsh Corgi and Swedish Vallhund. There are few theories, how this happened. The first said, that The Swedish Vallhund played part in the development of Welsh Corgi, when the Vikings brought them to England. But the opposite is possible as well, according to the AKC, it is possible, that either the Swedish Vallhund was brought to Wales or the Corgi was taken to Sweden, hence the similarities between the two breeds.

3) Name
Today, we are not calling this breed the Viking Dog, but Swedish Vallhund. And it is very desciptive name, since the word Vallhund is a swedish word that can be translated as shepherd dog or herding dog. And indeed, they make great herding dogs, thanks to their small size, they can nip at cattle heels without being kicked.

4) Tail
Most dogs have their typical length and style of the tail. Not the Swedish Vallhund. Some of them are born with full length tail, some of them are born with stub tails and a some of them are even born with no tail at all.

5) Barking
If you prefer quiet dogs, you might look for different breed, because the Swedish Vallhund is extremely talkative and vocal. They will bark when there is something suspicious going on, which makes them amazing watchdogs. But they will also bark to show a good mood and it really looks they want to chat with you. Its important to teach them some boundaries when they are still young, so they dont bark all day long.

6) Extinction
During the second world war many dog breeds almost became extinct. In 1942, the Swedish Vallhund came very close to extinction, but thanks to careful breeding by Bjorn von Rosen and mr. Zetterstein, the breed was saved and its popularity could started raising again.

7) Size
This is not the largest dog breed, but even though they are pretty short, they are very muscular and strong. The average height is between 11-14 inches which is 28- 36 cms and weight between 22-35 pounds which is 10-16 kgs.

8) Health
This is generally healthy dog breed with great lifespan between 13-15 years. The only common health issue is the progressive retinal atrophy, ocassionaly they can suffer from hip dysplasia. They can have problems living in hot climate areas, and it is important to provide them access to water all the time and provide them some cool place around your home when its hot outside.

9) Postage stamps
This breed is very popular in Sweden, so its not that surprising, that they appeared on Swedish postage stamps. But they didnt stop here, they also appeared on postage stamps of Russia, Mali, Tajikistan, Nicaragau and Ukraine. This proves, that Swedish Vallhund is quite popular all around the world.

10) Personality
The Swedish Vallhund can be described as alert, lively, curious, independent and confident dog breed. He makes both, great loyal family companion and courageous watchdog. Most Swedish Vallhund owners describe them as fun to be around dogs with good sense of humor and willing to please personality

1) Origin
It is believed, that this is one of the oldest of all Terriers. The certain origin is unknown, but we know for sure, that these dogs were used as vermin hunters in Ireland in the 17th century and in the 18th century they gained a lot of popularity in English and Scottish show ring. They were described as poor man's sentinel, the farmer's friend, and the gentleman's favourite.


2) Temperament
This is pretty calm breed when they are indoors, but when they are outside they are full of energy, they want to explore everything and they want to play all the time. Outdoors, they are pretty mischevious, but definitely fun to be around. They are also very sweet, loyal and friendly towards their family, but on the other hand, alert and suspicious towards strangers. We can say, that this is protective breed which makes both, good watchdog and loyal family companion.


3) High energy
The Irish Terrier is very energetic, active dog breed who loves exploring. They need a lot of daily exercise to be happy, otherwise, they might dig their way out of your yard and go for its own adventure. They will enjoy almost any activity with you and daily longer walks or jogs are a must with this breed.


4) Nicknames
This is a fearless dog and that is why they are sometimes nicknamed Daredevil and their motto is no fear. Their second nickname is the d’Artagnan of the show ring, because of their high confidence and often winning in show ring competitions.


5) Size
This is long legged and athletic dog breed with average height between 18-20 inches which is 45-50 cms and weight between 23-27 pounds which is 10-12 kgs. The females are naturally little bit smaller than males.


6) Other pets
This dog breed is pretty dominant and most importantly, they have high prey drive. That is why they are a bad choice for homes with other smaller pets, like hamsters for example. They do okay around other dogs and they love to be around kids, who are no problem at all.


7) Appearance
The Irish Terrier has a typical long terrier head with V shaped ears and strong jaws. Their dense wiry coat can be in bright red, golden red, red wheaten or wheaten color and they have spirited and intelligent look in their dark brown eyes.


8) Bad behaviour
Irish Terriers have the typical terrier problematic behaviours. It is because they are very energetic, and especially, if their energy needs are not met, they can bark, they can be desctructive and they love digging. But you can minimize this bad behaviour with a lot of exercise. Tired dog is a good dog.


9) Health
This is relatively very healthy dog breed without any common serious health issues and good lifespan between 13-15 years. Of course, they can still sometimes suffer from some health issues, for example hip and elbow dysplasia, progressive retinal atrophy or Hypothyroidism


10) Easy Maintenance
This breed is pretty easy to maintain. It might not look like it, but the dense coat is not shedding a lot and they require only weekly brushing to keep the coat in a good shape. Ocassional stripping is benefical as well. Just like with other breeds you should regularly check the dogs ears, eyes and nails and clean it or clip it if needed.