Living with a Malinois
Living with a Malinois
So you think you are ready to own a Belgian Shepherd of the Malinois flavour?
If the Malinois is on your list as possible 'next dog' then please take time to read on.
As an owner of this wonderful breed it is my responsibility to offer the following advice...
'Don't Get One'!!!!!!
What! he owns one, ( well 2 at the moment and 8 previously ) and he's saying NO!...Whaaat?????
Well here's the thing, as an owner I know what they are really like, I'm not here to sell you one or say how wonderful they look or how they are so good at agility, nope, I'm going to tell you the truth behind the headlines.
As a 'normal' house pet dog then the Malinois is not the right breed for you.
it is all to do with the breeds lineage, what it was bred to do, it is a herding/shepherding/farm type dog.
The qualities that were valued when the original breed was formed were ones of courage, speed, agility, intelligence, power and stamina, what they particularly looked like came second.
Only after years of breeding did the shape and size start to become identified.
So many, many, generations later we end up with the Belgium Shepherd, in this case the variety called Malinois ( the area in Belgium where they originated ) with more or less the colours and sizes being accepted as the norm, here the breed standards have nominated acceptable variations and sizes for both Males and Females.
So, what do we have then as a breed now?
Todays Belgian Malinois is a medium to large short coat, (Tan/Brown in colour athletic guarding intelligent dog with awesome stamina. Great just what we need?..or is it?
If you need your dog to perform tasks such as that involved in Police work or Military operations or Protection Security details then sure the Malinois is right up there as the choice Dog Breed to have.
But unless you intend to trial your dog in weekly agility competitions such as IPO and Ring sports, or perhaps obedience competitions then I would think once, then again then once more about having one as a pet.
They have an enormous depth of energy and intelligence that you can't ever hope to mine, they don't ever give up, they just won't stop...
Am I giving them a bad rap? I hope not as these dogs are absolutely amazing if you can give them everything they need in terms of exercise both physical and mental.
If they are to be left alone for any length of time then they will make there own entertainment and that I assure you will not be what you either need or want, with mass destruction being the result.
The Malinois is the kind of dog best described as...Right Tool for the right job...as in, you need to give a Malinois a purpose in life, be it guarding, working, trialing, detecting or shepherding it needs a job.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmAODjFE4jM
When they go wrong ( not trained correctly ) they can go wrong very quickly, with a tendancy to snap and bite as a first auto response, it is this speed that is to be admired when at work, that is so disastrous at home in the family environment.
Be warned although the Malinois is an awesome dog breed please understand they are not for everyone.
If you are inexperienced in dog owning or unable to give your dog responsible training and exercise and not able to commit to serious dog ownership then do not take on a Malinois as you will lose!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaARe7nHORY
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