Alaskan Malamutes! Gorgeous breed, I must agree. Unfortunately, I didn't research them as much as I should have before we went out and bought one. Digging! Yes, digging is...so great. Um, 3 foot deep hole by foundation of our deck and house to be exact. Be prepared. Independent? Yes. Sometimes very stubborn. Zoey is...gone! Okay, just had to run halfway around the block to get her. She got out! All's well now. Okay. Zoey is very strong-willed and takes a lot of discipline before it gets through to her that she did something bad. And she chews EVERYTHING. And eats everything. But she's very loyal and loving. And she knews how I feel no matter what. Very important though- never, ever trust them off leash. They will not come back on their own free will! If you have a strong arm and strong will, be ready for a challenge. They aren't like any other breed, that's for sure!
But I'm not so sure I completely agree with the same-sex aggressiveness thing in all cases. We got Zoey at 5 weeks old and made sure to socialize her with every dog we could find. Most of them were females, and this was to solve the same-sex problem. Now she loves all dogs. And is nuts about her Saint sister. She is awesome with kids. It scares them a little because she gets so excited to see them that she jumps up sometimes, but we're working on that. She just gives them big kisses though.