WORKING INFORMATION

WORKING TITLES FOR ALASKAN MALAMUTES

The Alaskan Malamute Club of America's Working Dog (WD) Program was initiated in 1977 to encourage people to work their dogs. I have been in contact with the AMCA certification committee and they have confirmed that dogs from the United Kingdom are eligible to earn AMCA working titles as long as they are registered with the UK Kennel Club as Alaskan Malamutes. The AMCA currently have Malamutes from Japan, Spain, Canada, New Zealand and Australia who have earned titles through the program.

We are hoping to run this program here for members of the Alaskan Malamute Club of the United Kingdom, subject to AMCA approval.

Dogs can be certified in three fields: sledding, backpacking and weight pulling. The awards in sledding are WTD (Working Team Dog) or WLD (Working Lead Dog); in weight pulling WWPD (Working Weight Pull Dog); and in backpacking WPD (Working Pack Dog).

Whilst these titles will not be able to be added to our dogs’ Kennel Club registered names, they will be able to added to the names that appear on their pedigrees.

Each field has a number of specific requirements which must be met, and these are set out in the rules, including independent assessment of each discipline being completed satisfactorily.

For the Working Team Dog in sledding the dog must qualify in three different races, but beyond that there are a number of options as to distance, number of dogs per team, and what speed will be acceptable. A sledding award can be won by excursion miles as well as by racing, or a combination of the two. There is a freight team where a minimum weight per dog must be added to the weight of the sled: and a cross country team with a suggested minimum distance of 20 miles per day.

For the Working Lead Dog, the same requirements as for Working Team Dog apply, except that the dog must run single lead on a team consisting of at least three dogs.

Working Weight Pull Dog. The dog must qualify in four separate events. On natural surfaces the dog must pull at least 8 times its weight (over a specified distance and within a specified length of time), and on artificial surfaces, 12 time its weight.

Working Pack Dog. The packing requirements must be spread out over at least two trips, and must be on natural terrain, such as hiking trails or cross country. The dog must carry a weight equal to at least 30% of its own weight. Beyond that there are choices of a total distance of 30 miles, including one overnight campout, or 40 miles, with each trip a minimum of 10 miles.

In 1985, the membership of the AMCA approved a Working Dog Excellent (WDX) Program, which consists of the same fields but with considerably more stringent requirements in each. The corresponding titles are WTDX, WLDX, WWPDX and WPDX.

For dogs to gain their titles, the dog must complete the respective disciplines and the appropriate application forms should be completed. The fees payable for each title if a person is an AMCA member are $8 for the first dog's application, and $5. for each additional dog if they are submitted at the same time. For non-AMCA members the cost is $16. for the first application and $10. for any additional applications which are submitted at the same time.

Stuart Winterton.