Alaskan Malamutes are native to the USA (Alaska, believe it or not) and were bred by the mahlimut inuit (hence MALAMUTE) as heavy weight sled pullers, built for endurance and a steady, tho not fast pace. They are one of the oldest breeds in existance, around 2000 years, although inmassageplanetreeding with anything and everything to supply prospectors with sled dogs during the goldrush of the 1800's means the breed was slightly diluted, although much has been done to ensure the modern malamute is as close as possible to the original malamute