Anyone Own a Belgian Malinois?
 

Do you own - or have you in the past owned - a Belgian Malinois?

We're moving to the country in December and decided to get one. We want a dog who will be a great companion but also an excellent watchdog, as there are a lot of home robberies in this area.

It seems like all you read about them is how high-energy they are and the insane amount of physical/mental exercise they need. I've never owned a working dog before, nor even a pure breed dog, but we're prepared to put in the work: trainers, daily workouts and obedience and protection training.

Any tips from present or past owners?

Belgian Malinois are great dogs and exactly what you seem to need. Rather expensive too aren't they?

We have a German Shepard mix. His name is THOR and while he is the friendliest dog in the world, if you come anywhere near the house he will bark up a storm. He woke up the entire house this morning when a delivery driver dropped a package off.

I've never owned one, but I've been involved in the working dog world / Schutzhund since about '09, so around them quite often.

A Malinois as your first working breed is fucking stupid - no offense.

Our trainer who runs our Schutzhund club is pretty much the guy who certifies the people who certifies all K9 trainers in the US and Canada. A very well bred GSD will be really great at tracking, protection and obedience. What makes them really great is the handler's ability to turn them on and off immediately once well trained. A well bred Mal will be probably ok at tracking, great at protection and YMMV for obedience. There's not much of an on / off switch. This is what he says to experienced owners. People who've got dogs more expensive than your car. He's advised billionaire clients away from them and towards other breeds for exactly what' you're after.

If there's a female in your house, though, and the dog is male, it will never leave her side (almost annoyingly) and nobody will ever fuck with her without the dog having something to say about it. They aren't very great for estate protection, though. Get a Rottweiler, Dobie or GSD for that.

But if you insist on still getting one, you or someone needs to make "working" them their daily thing. They have a ton of energy, so they constantly need to be engaged. They will destroy your shit if you don't. I don't mean playing fetch and working on "sit" for 15 minutes. I mean literally all day, this person is somehow engaging them. Otherwise they'll need to be kenneled, and you can't do estate protection as a dog from your kennel.

lol nah. I’ve never owned a Belgian but I’ve owned many working dogs ie GSDs and i can tell you that it’s the wrong dog for you just by your posts here.

You’re more of a Pomeranian kind of guy. Or a cat.

Thanks for the advice.

We are 100% committed to training this dog with help from a professional trainer and learning everything we need to know to give it a healthy, fulfilling life.

Anatolian shepherds are amazing watch dogs. They're large lovable and have a very loud bark.

Please make sure the trainer is someone who's at the very least familiar with Schutzhund (if they haven't heard this word, or similar like IPO, then run). There is a massive difference between training a Golden Doodle to be a sweet road trip companion vs training a working breed like a Belgian / Rottweiler / GSD and the skills required for them to do their intended job. The first just about anyone can do with a little bit of patience. The last requires actual skill and knowledge.

Otherwise you / they WILL fuck up the dog and you won't have a good time.

I'm not trying to talk you out of it. I just want you to be aware that you very much will have a loaded gun on you at all times and it will require an experienced working dog trainer to make sure the safety switch even works.

I know a family who breeds them for police etc - and maybe they are not very good at it but even towards their owners they are sometimes difficult to handle.

Unless you are a professional I wouldn't recommend

Yes.. I know of police agencies who've went back to GSD's because of this.

Even wolf hybrids can be wonderful. You just gotta be a strong confident leader who provides for their needs. I want to stress again look into Anatolian Shepherds. A lady I know owns a goat farm where I live and those dogs lay down the law when the coyotes packs show up to steal chickens or goats

Based on the replies, this seems like taking an RPG to a pistol fight. :1orglaugh

Best security is a little hyper dog, they bark, you shoot. Bigger dogs are good for patrolling your property.
I had a black Newfoundland, he killed things in the back yard all the time. Completely black dog and when he smiled, that scared the crap out of people.

But for inside, get a little dog, they are more likely to sound the alarm.
Get to your gun and shoot.

I also want the dog to guard the house when I'm not there.

Had one long ago, easily one of the best dogs I've ever had.

Sounds like you need some good watchdogs. Belgian Malinois are great dogs and probably a good fit for your situation.

I worked on a farm and they had two Belgian Malinois. Great watch dogs, great companions and protectors. Those dogs probably saved my life chasing away whatever came close to my campsite while I slept. Then one day they broke into a storage shed and got into the poison for rodents. One dog Norma went off into the woods and died on her own. The other one Joanne she died in my arms. It was so fucking sad and I think about those dogs often.

https://i.ibb.co/VmjwNYs/norma.jpg

If you've never had a dog, they're alot of work, and bitey fuckers as puppies.

If you want a guard dog get an English Mastiff, chill as fuck until they have to react to something.

I see them a lot here
https://images.saymedia-content.com/...0/wolfdogs.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czechoslovakian_Wolfdog

It's been said they are quite timid and not completely harmless - and hard to train.

Nika is home

https://i.postimg.cc/xTcz1KNh/Nika.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/kXzt6Bx4/Nika2.jpg

Nice dude! Beautiful pup :)

I want to kiss your dogs cute little nose. Wishing you both a wonderful life.

Way too big for me. I grew up with German shepards and mastiffs. No more big dogs for me.

That's a cute lookin' pooch!

Since there are robberies in the area you're moving to, OP, I assume you're strapped up. If not, please get strapped up.

I do not own a firearm.

That may change eventually.

Thanks.

And thanks for all your useful tips and info in this thread.

:1orglaugh :1orglaugh . . .

best dogs ever! Mine just passed away last year, he was almost 13 years old. Great dog, extremely loving, watchful and grateful. I am planning on getting another one when I move to Europe.
This was him:
https://esxe.com/20200310_180027.jpg

Seeing pics of pets that passed are so saddening. They have a much more fatalist feel than the ones with humans . . .

Our puppy is growing fast.

https://i.postimg.cc/vB3gvmtY/Untitled.jpg

How is the training going so far?

Pretty good. I taught her sit and stay rather fast. She now only eats and leaves the house on my command of "yes." I'm pretty amazed I was able to do that, since I have zero experience training dogs. But she's an incredibly smart dog.

I'm working on stand, down and heel... but those are taking longer. We just started walking her two days ago, so still doing leash training.

We're working with a trainer and we're going to an obedience and protection seminar this weekend.

DoorDash said GFY.

https://youtube.com/shorts/ro7109fCQ...aR2SZIkbPGlW9D


:1orglaugh

I like to watch videos of them on TikTok.

Dogs
 

Don't you love those 6 am Amazon package deliveries Richard?

Times 6
 

Just multiply your noise by 6. We have 6 dogs, lol

Nice pups :thumbsup

If you dont want to fuck up the dog and you are training for protection then dont train schutzand.

Oh, I forgot to mention we are training her for Mondioring.

Why are you leaving s america

My family has a Pomski, a pomeranian / husky cross. It is a medium-energy dog with so much personality and is SO good with kids. Tiny poops, great behavior, no chewing, little shedding. Highly recommend.

We got a new Mal puppy, a male named Troy.

Not as cute as Nika when she was a puppy, but still a great-looking dog IMO. Comes from a line of competitors and police dogs.

https://i.postimg.cc/25PnRwfw/Untitled.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/fTwmNy16/troy2.jpg

And this one:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/6gYKLZ5YDzw

no other dog breed can do this ...

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/RYp2UuSAbVk

I was thinking of one but they'd shrink to the size of skinny greyhounds here due to the tropical heat and humidity.

I notice that my neighbors' German shepherds, Huskies, and even Rhodesian Ridgebacks all look anorexic due to the heat. They all get fed well but all that bulk is lost to panting due to oppressively humid and hot summers.

My Pomeranian is panting a storm so she has a fan keeping her cool during the day and aircon at night when she sleeps in her doggy bed in the main bedroom beside the bed.