Malamute or Bichon: All the Hair, or None of It

The shedding row runs the full width of the scale, 5/5 against 1/5. For anyone whose objection to dogs is hair on furniture, that settles it immediately.

The grooming row runs the other way and is the part people underestimate. The Bichon's curly coat grows continuously and holds its dead hair rather than dropping it, which is exactly why it mats — densely, fast, and worst behind the ears, in the armpits and around the tail. Combing to the skin several times a week plus a professional groom every six to eight weeks is the arrangement for the dog's whole life.

The Malamute's work is concentrated instead. It sheds constantly and blows its undercoat in sheets twice a year, and those weeks mean an undercoat rake and several long sessions. Between blows it needs very little, it never mats, and it never sees a groomer.

Neither coat should ever be clipped down to the skin — both are double coats that insulate against heat as well as cold, though a Bichon's regular trim is a normal part of its maintenance.

One coat costs money on a schedule; the other costs time in bursts.

The Malamute rates 5/5 for exercise and the Bichon 2/5, which is the second-widest gap on this page.

A Malamute wants two hours a day and it wants to pull — carting, scootering, canicross or long hikes. A walk does not satisfy it, and heat limits it, so summer sessions move to the cool ends of the day. An under-exercised Malamute excavates a garden and then leaves it.

A Bichon wants two short walks and some indoor play. It rates 3/5 for energy and is genuinely bouncy in the house — this is not a sedentary lap dog — but its requirement is met in a fraction of the time and in almost any weather.

That difference is what produces the apartment ratings: 5/5 against 1/5. The Malamute's problem is size and output together; the Bichon has neither.

Both rate 2/5 for tolerating time alone and 3/5 for barking, so neither suits an empty house without cover, and neither is silent.

Skin allergies head the Bichon's condition list and they are the breed's everyday complaint — itching, paw licking, recurrent ear trouble and inflamed skin, often seasonal and often lifelong. It is managed rather than cured, and a dense coat over irritated skin makes regular grooming part of the treatment rather than a cosmetic extra.

Bladder stones are the second and they are the one to recognise early. Bichons have a documented predisposition, and the practical signs are straining to urinate, frequent small amounts, blood in the urine or discomfort. In a male dog a stone that lodges in the urethra can cause a complete blockage, which is life-threatening within hours — straining with nothing produced is an emergency, not a wait-and-see.

Water intake, a diet chosen with a vet's input after any episode, and not making the dog hold on for long stretches all reduce recurrence.

Patellar luxation, cataracts and dental disease complete the list.

The Malamute's list runs to hip and elbow dysplasia, hypothyroidism, hereditary cataracts, progressive retinal atrophy, epilepsy, heart disease, bloat, inherited polyneuropathy and zinc-responsive skin disease.

Strangers ties at 4/5 and barking ties at 3/5. Both are sociable, demonstrative breeds and neither guards anything — a Malamute will greet an intruder happily and a Bichon will ask him to throw something.

The Bichon is slightly better with other dogs at 4/5 against 3/5, since Malamute same-sex intolerance is common and usually appears at social maturity around two years old.

The Malamute is better with children at 5/5 against 4/5, and the Bichon's rating is about fragility rather than temperament — a 15-pound dog with fine legs and a patellar luxation risk is easily hurt by rough handling.

Both rate 3/5 for trainability and neither is eager to please in a retriever sense. Bichon house-training in particular is often slow, and small-dog bladders plus a dislike of wet grass are a common combination.

Containment is the Malamute's own problem. Its breed notes call it an extreme escape artist — it digs, climbs and travels once loose — so a fence dug in at the base and secured gates are the baseline, and its recall should never be relied on.

The Bichon runs $80–$150 a month against the Malamute's $150–$300, and $1,100–$2,300 against $2,000–$4,000 in the first year. On food alone it is a fraction of the cost.

Grooming closes some of that. Every six to eight weeks across fourteen or fifteen years is over a hundred appointments, and unless you learn to clip the dog yourself it is unavoidable. It should be in the budget from the start rather than discovered in month three.

Skin management is the other recurring cost where allergies appear, and dental care is the usual small-breed line — daily brushing genuinely reduces the anaesthetics needed over a long life.

The Malamute's spending is food-dominated and its coat work is free once you own a rake.

On lifespan the Bichon is ahead at 14 to 15 years against 10 to 14, which cuts both ways: more years of companionship and more years of appointments.