Belhian Malinois

[corgipower]

Originally Posted by DanL

One of the Mals I knew was a guy who I train with. She had a bad habit of jumping his 6' fence to chase rabbits, and got hit by a car. She was an awesome dog. One thing he told me, is because most have so much prey drive, they are often low on defense, which means they will not necessarily be as protective as a dog that has more defense drive. He has been around a lot of dogs and has even heard of dogs being stolen at trials because they had little suspicion towards anyone. People would walk right up to the crate, open it up, hook up the dog to a leash, and walk off. The other nice Mal I knew belonged to an older lady, she was doing some pretty advanced training with hers, but when it was go time, the dog failed her. Someone who had done construction at her house climbed the fence and jumped in her pool to cool off. When she confronted the guy, he started to approach her in a somewhat menacing way, enough that she wanted her dog to intervene. The dog didn't do anything, because the environment was her home and she'd never done any training with the dog at home. Anyone who came in the yard was trusted. She was never able to train that out of the dog. A beast on the protection field, and a pushover at home.

I think that has more to do with training than anything. As you know, you need to train the dog for the situations you need him to work in. I've never heard of them not having sufficient defense because of too much prey drive, and from the malis I've seen, I don't think I buy it.

Yes, they have a lot of prey drive, but they aren't unbalanced in prey. They're intense in any drive. And really not much different from the GSDs I used to own in terms of how much drive they have and how social they are ~ and how much variation there is in temperament across the different lines. The biggest difference is that malis are FAST and malis tend to not think first and malis have a genetically missing off switch and there are more nervebag malis out there.

I've seen a dog who was so off balance in prey drive that she had no defense. I owned her. I had fun testing her in defense so that the rest of the class I was in could see what it looked like ~ we'd never had such a dog show up. When she rolled onto her back, we called it quits. Didn't feel a need to make her pee on herself.

[wcladymacbeth]

Some people here have told me Caesar might be part Malinois, but I dunno... he's such an easy, sweet, good 60 lb lap dog. And he's not fast at ALL.. he's a clumsy oaf. He fell out of the car one time.. lmao he was ok but it was hilarious. (We were parked and he was supposed to be getting out of the car, but he fell out instead.) He is stubborn though, I will say that. He's really smart, too. I dunno.. we tell people he's part mal but I can't be for sure. All I know is that I love him and he's a perfect companion for my Maggie too There isn't a DA bone in his body. One time he got attacked by the neighbor's german shepherd and he didn't even fight back.

This is my boy the day we got him

[corgipower]

He does have malinois coloring. But there are other breeds that come in fawn with a black mask.

Falling out of a car is something a melonhead would do.

[stafinois]

Originally Posted by mrose_s

How are they generally with strangers? I gather they are protective but do they remain reserved even after introductions?

Depends on the lines. Mine is not good with strangers. He likes HIS family and a few select others.

Is there a tendancy towards DA?

Depends on the lines. Mine is terribly dog aggressive.

How are they generally with other animals? Cats/Horses etc

He harasses our cats. He tries to kill strange cats. Thankfully so far, they have all gotten under the fence before he could get to them. He would probably chase horses.

Do they act very differently when out and about as opposed to when they are at home with they're family?

I think so. He is very social with the family, but would prefer to not have anybody else touch him. He particularly hates children, except ours.

How much experience would you suggest an owner have before taking one on?

Proceed with caution. Think about WHY you really want one, and research carefully where you are getting one. My dog would be a working home's dream dog. I purchased him with the intention to work him, but then I got married, had a baby, moved to the middle of nowhere... Now I have a beast that should be working patrol somewhere sitting on the couch next to me. And, he doesn't sit still for long. He has no off switch, he just pauses for a few moments here and there. He is obsessive, loud, and obnoxious. He is reactive, and doesn't think before he acts. When he DOES think, he is scary brilliant. He knows how doorknobs work, and is a master escape artist. He is like the Lex Luthor, Darth Vader, or Voldemort of dogs. I love the **** dog, but boy is he an ass!!!!

What are the more common health issues in the breed?

Not a lot. Some hip/elbow dysplasia, some eye issues. Gastric cancer is relatively common. You might see some more epilepsy, but that is more common in the other varieties.

How trainable are they really? How much do they make you work for them to work?

Mine loves to work! Most in the breed live to work.

When are they at their happiest?

When they are doing something. Mine particularly loves to fetch. He will do it until my arm falls off (he does not get tired )

What are they're excercise requirements?

A ton.

How "hard" are they generally? Buster falls apart if you give him a dirty look, Sophie couldn't give a crap if you knocked her down.

Most are harder than your Buster! Some are so much so that they will come up the leash and eat you when they are delivered a correction.

How many different sports could you fairly stretch them to train for? I've never trained a dog to compete but am interested in trying out a lot of different things in future. Not planning on a Mal for my next dog but just thought I'd put in some research because I can.

My dog's breeder has done French Ring, Schutzhund, Herding, Agility, Dock Diving, Weight Pulling, Obedience, and probably other things that I am forgetting. They are quite versatile.

Anything else? Stories? Warnings? Pictures?

Just be careful what you wish for. Most Malinois are far more dog than even the educated owner needs and wants.

[SmexyPibble]

A friend of mine had a Terverun and a Malinois. They were both very smart dogs, and the Malinois listened very well. The Terverun, on the other hand, had a mind of her own, and loved the bite the kid's feed under the trampolien. She would chase the kids, and then the Malinois would hop in and nip the Tervuren's leg, and pull her down, and she'd stop. It's like the Malinois was helping or something. Or maybe she just didn't like the sound of the kids screaming, lol. I'm not sure, but she was a good dog, very, very smart.

[corky]

My cousin had a Malinois. He was a firm, consistent and experienced dog owner, however his wife owned a poodle x and when left alone together the Malinois darned near killed the poodle a few times. So although my cousin was very good with his dog he was very much in denial that it could be aggressive towards their other dog.

[Artfish]

At the DVG club I was at, I talked to the owner of an awesome, titled, working line malinois. He was six years old at the time and his owner said that even at his age and with all his training, he must be kenneled or crated if not directly supervised/actively worked. She was brutally honest that he was no pet, just a working dog. From what I've gathered, this is very common in the working line mals but some do have a clear off switch and are able to settle in the house. When it comes to mals, I think it would be very wise to go to a few schutzhund clubs, training clubs, and agility clubs, anywhere with mal owners, and talk to them about daily life with their dog. Try to get pedigree info on the dogs you like so you can get a feel for lines that produce what you're looking for, get breeder info, etc. I loved that 6 y/o I watched work but there is no way I could live with a dog that couldn't "turn off" and relax.

The current world record holder for dock dogs high jump is a malinois- 8' 1" or something like that... crazy. I don't think there is anything out there a mal could not do. With the right genetics, the question is not what the malinois could do, it's what the trainer desires to do with his/her dog AND the amount of time and money available!

[cpostelwait31]

IMO, mals I know are a bit clumsy... Though they somehow have the looks of a GSD, they can't be compared to them... However Mals could be a great pet with the right training,IMO...

[cpostelwait31]

IMO, mals I know are a bit clumsy... Though they somehow have the looks of a GSD, they can't be compared to them... However Mals could be a great pet with the right training,IMO... just like any dogs

[stafinois]

Originally Posted by Artfish

At the DVG club I was at, I talked to the owner of an awesome, titled, working line malinois. He was six years old at the time and his owner said that even at his age and with all his training, he must be kenneled or crated if not directly supervised/actively worked. She was brutally honest that he was no pet, just a working dog. From what I've gathered, this is very common in the working line mals but some do have a clear off switch and are able to settle in the house.

Well, having no off-switch and needing to be kenneled if not directly supervised doesn't mean that the dog can't be a pet, too. That perfectly describes my working bred Malinois, who is a member of the family and is currently pacing around my living room. He's annoying, but he's still our pet.

This was taken just a few minutes ago...