The Malamute was bred for the same purpose as the husky, but for a different kind of us. The husky was bred for pulling light loads for long distances. The Malamute was bred for pulling heavier loads for short distances. The are energetic and have the pulling instinct in them from the start. We got the puppies at 8 weeks and from day one they pulled on their leashes as if pulling a sled. We have two runs in the back yard so that they can run as much as they want. They are not dogs that are good for sitting around a house while your at work...left to their own devices, they WILL get into trouble. ...and they do like to dig.
We have about 10 holes in the backyard right now. We love their kind personalities and they are very loving dogs. I just wanted to say that we do not have the standard size of Malamutes. There are some bred to be 'giant Malamutes' and they are larger (as the name says) than the standard ones. They are not even 6 mos old yet and already Kina weighes in at 66 pounds! (they went to the vet yesterday and were weighed) There are not many AKC breeders for the Malamutes in the US....I'm not sure about Canada. We had ours shipped to us from Nevada and Tennessee.