Anyone Own a Belgian Malinois?

[Lovebug]

That's how we got Terr.

View attachment 67471908

They look right into your soul, don't they?
Beautiful dog

 

[Rexedgar]

I feel like I am being a nuisance, but I am passionate about animals and dogs in particular.

This is a very good read.


https://www.malinoisrescue.org/

 

[BirdinHand]

I’ve heard they are incredible dogs. I’ve never had one.

They require a lot of attention and work from what I understand and are incredibly smart.


You don’t have cats, do you? I’ve heard they are horrible with cats.


Otherwise, as long as you are willing to put in the work and time - I wish you the best of luck!!!

 

[Bok Tuklo]

I’ve heard they are incredible dogs. I’ve never had one.

They require a lot of attention and work from what I understand and are incredibly smart.


You don’t have cats, do you? I’ve heard they are horrible with cats.


Otherwise, as long as you are willing to put in the work and time - I wish you the best of luck!!!

I forgot to mention that. No cats. At least in my experience. A cat walks by the window and they go nuts. Worse than the Amazon truck.

 

[Jay Falcon]

We do have an 10+ year old cat. Even if raised together as part of the family, do the Malinois will attack her?

 

[Bok Tuklo]

We do have an 10+ year old cat. Even if raised together as part of the family, do the Malinois will attack her?

This is outside of my experience. I only know my own dogs and they absolutely hate cats.

 

[zincwarrior]

We do have an 10+ year old cat. Even if raised together as part of the family, do the Malinois will attack her?

Find out first. We had a cat when we had the dobermans and the dobies were fine with him, even saving his keister when he would come running back, being chased by other tomcats. Nothing changes your aggressive attitude like running into a yard and waking up 2-5 dobermans...

BUT different breeds and even different animals. When the daughter's friend and cat moved in for a few months, our current dog went at it with the cat until the cat adjusted her behavior a few times with a blur of claws.

 

[What if...?]

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?

__________________

What you have heard is true. They are high maintenance/energy dogs. Like border collies.

I have a Louisiana Catahoula. They one of the very intelligent, train-to-do-anything-dogs-can be-trained-to-do breeds. As well as protective. They have Red Wolf and Carolina Dog genes so they work better as a pack, originally bred for livestock recovery. To find the cow or horse, make it stay where it is, yell for you to come and get it. This design made them perfect for boar hunting and the dogs used for that have become animal aggressive. But mine came from original “ranch dog” lines.

TL/DR: all of the intelligence and protectiveness of the Malinois without the super high energy. Ninja porch hound with a PhD that does need exercise and preferably a yard but isn’t constantly keyed up.

 

[Rexedgar]

Find out first. We had a cat when we had the dobermans and the dobies were fine with him, even saving his keister when he would come running back, being chased by other tomcats. Nothing changes your aggressive attitude like running into a yard and waking up 2-5 dobermans...

Dobermans remind me of robot dogs, I’m sure their owners love them, but I sure am wary of them.

 

[Mircea]

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?

__________________

Yeah, be prepared to run.

I been downsizing dogs. I went from a Belgian to a Flat-coated Retriever (great dogs by the way) to a Schipperke.

I was with my Retriever at Washington Park which they redid and added a dog park. So, I'm talking to another dog owner and this elderly couple walks up and starts to talking to us. The had a Belgian pup. These people were pushing 80 and I'm thinking why in the hell would you do that? And they're like, when's he gonna calm down. This woman and I looked at each other and said never. And they're gonna use him as a house dog? That dog will tear their house to shreds.

I like them. The were used as patrol dogs at NATO nuclear weapons storage facilities in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Greece, and Turkey. Those along with Alsatian shepherds and sometimes German shepherds and/or Rottweilers.

They're fantastic companions and really good for home/personal security but only if you train them. Properly. They're working dogs and the operand is working so you need to exercise them 4-8 hours a day and there's no such thing as Saturday and Sunday for a dog. I only work when I feel like it and even then I make my own hours so it wasn't a problem for me. I used to take mine not to far away to an abandoned town/village. Well, settlement might be a better word. The 19th Century school house is some distance away but the houses are gone so it's just the cellars and foundations. She'd spend hours crawling in and out of the cellars and walking along the foundations like a sort of balance beam thing and then we'd play hide and seek and then hide a treat and take her around on her leash to find it.

If you're just gonna fence the dog in on your property and forget about it, that will not end well. The dog will become overly aggressive, even to you. They need something to do and I don't mean toys. Maybe you could put in a doggy obstacle course or something.

The other thing I used to do is there's this thing you can buy and attach it to the back wheel of your bike. It's got like a 12" "leash" you hook the dog to it and then you bike and your dog runs with you. Bike paths are a good place to go. We have bike paths along old rail lines and canals. And they eat. A lot. So be prepared to spend lots of money on food. I got her at 1 year and had her for 14 years. She wasn't very active the last few years but she did like to go on long walks.

 

[Jay Falcon]

Nika is home

 

[Old 'N Chill]

Nika is home

Oh my, what a beautiful baby! Wish I was there to give her hugs and kisses. Good luck with her, I think she'll be a fine and loyal companion.......too cute, enjoy!

BTW, I'm training my Smooth Fox Terrier puppy, they are known to go after prey and cats, even family pets. My cat is twelve years old, he has been very close and friendly with my Standard Schnauzer and my Labradoodle in the past years. The pup is young enough where he's happy to be with the cat but they're not yet bonded where they hang out together. Pup is not house trained yet, so he's not in the other rooms where the cat spends his days. Sooo, the cat will dominate, but mine was never mean. You can introduce them, let the pup know to be respectful, and I think the kitty will do alright.

Give little Nika a big hug for me.

I should add that both my wife and I work from home, with flexible schedules.

We are both excited and motivated to make this work.

We're both retired, so also home all day. With all dominant dogs, you just have to remain calm and act as their leader. They are eager to learn and please you, positive training is the way to go IMO.

You have to assure them at times that you are in charge and run your home, they will soon accept that and behave accordingly. I've seen those dogs in the park, although not that often, beautiful dogs and definitely make you think twice before approaching.

Good your wife is on the same page, that's the only way. You will be busy, a lot of work, but well worth it in the end when you have a well balanced and loving family member.

 

[NewfieMom]

A friend recently lost his Belgian Malinois, Thor, who was a wonderful dog. I considered getting one because I lost my last dog to cancer and the Belgian Malinois have a very low incidence of cancer. I decided that the breed required too much strength and exercise for me. I have had purebred hunting dogs and Newfoundlands, but although they needed to work they did not require as much exercise as a Belgian Malinois. I wish you great luck. Your girl is beautiful. I may be getting another Newfoundland from the same breeder from whom I got my last one about 20 years ago.

 

[eohrnberger]

A friend recently lost his Belgian Malinois, Thor, who was a wonderful dog. I considered getting one because I lost my last dog to cancer and the Belgian Malinois have a very low incidence of cancer. I decided that the breed required too much strength and exercise for me. I have had purebred hunting dogs and Newfoundlands, but although they needed to work they did not require as much exercise as a Belgian Malinois. I wish you great luck. Your girl is beautiful. I may be getting another Newfoundland from the same breeder from whom I got my last one about 20 years ago.

It's very hard to live in a house which has had a dog without one. The house becomes too quite, like a vibrant life force is missing.

I've said a long time that a house becomes a home when there's a dog in it.

 

[eohrnberger]

It's very hard to live in a house which has had a dog without one. The house becomes too quite, like a vibrant life force is missing.

I've said a long time that a house becomes a home when there's a dog in it.

On retrospect, I think I should have used household rater than house in the first sentence.
If you move the household with a dog from one house to another, the new house instantly becomes a home.

 

[Jay Falcon]

Our puppy is growing fast

 

[Bok Tuklo]

Our puppy is growing fast

That is a nice looking dog!

 

[NewfieMom]

She is an absolutely gorgeous girl! You really have a winner there.

 

[Risky Thicket]

Dobermans remind me of robot dogs, I’m sure their owners love them, but I sure am wary of them.

Growing up, our next door neighbors had 2 Dobermans. My brothers and I got along fine with them and sometimes went next door to their fenced backyard and played with them.

Once our neighbors went on vacation for a week or more. They asked the wife's parents to come over and feed the dogs and all that. One afternoon my brothers and I were out in our backyard shooting baskets when we heard a blood curdling scream.

As was SOP our neighbor's mother would water and feed the Dobermans every afternoon on the patio next door. This particular day when the lady bent down to feed one of the Dobermans the other one savagely bit her on the ass. As I recall, no reason was ever determined. The Doberman just suddenly bit the woman's butt.

When she was eventually released from the hospital the poor lady only had half an ass cheek. She walked with a cane and the dogs were disappeared forever.

Later on in life I was not a K-9 troop but sometimes worked alongside K-9 handlers and their dogs. All dogs were German Shepards. The German Shepards were well trained and not insane. No matter, I damn sure respected those dogs.

While Doberman K-9s apparently existed I never saw one. Several K-9 friends told me that Dobermans were too skittish and sometimes too difficult for handlers to control. Like massive Chihuahuas jacked up on speed and steroids.

 

[Rexedgar]

Growing up, our next door neighbors had 2 Dobermans. My brothers and I got along fine with them and sometimes went next door to their fenced backyard and played with them.

Once our neighbors went on vacation for a week or more. They asked the wife's parents to come over and feed the dogs and all that. One afternoon my brothers and I were out in our backyard shooting baskets when we heard a blood curdling scream.

As was SOP our neighbor's mother would water and feed the Dobermans every afternoon on the patio next door. This particular day when the lady bent down to feed one of the Dobermans the other one savagely bit her on the ass. As I recall, no reason was ever determined. The Doberman just suddenly bit the woman's butt.

When she was eventually released from the hospital the poor lady only had half an ass cheek. She walked with a cane and the dogs were disappeared forever.

Later on in life I was not a K-9 troop but sometimes worked alongside K-9 handlers and their dogs. All dogs were German Shepards. The German Shepards were well trained and not insane. No matter, I damn sure respected those dogs.

While Doberman K-9s apparently existed I never saw one. Several K-9 friends told me that Dobermans were too skittish and sometimes too difficult for handlers to control. Like a massive Chihuahuas jacked on speed and steroids.

I knew a guy a long time back. He had two Dobermans. When he was around, all was cool. One time he left the room to take a call, that dog would give me a full dental exam everytime I tried to leave the room. I don’t know where the other one got off to……

 

[NewfieMom]

Growing up, our next door neighbors had 2 Dobermans. My brothers and I got along fine with them and sometimes went next door to their fenced backyard and played with them.

In the United States Dobermans have undergone a program to breed aggression out of them. That is not true of Dobermans in Europe.

"Doberman temperament has changed over the years. The Doberman pinscher was developed as the ideal guard dog and companion. The original Dobermans were more aggressive than the dog of today. The Doberman club became aware that the breed had developed a reputation for aggression and decided to breed out these aggressive tendencies. The result is that today, American Dobermans have a much more stable temperament and have fallen in the ranking of aggressive dogs. Now, the Doberman is friendlier, but it is still a good watchdog. With proper socialization, the Doberman pinscher is affectionate and loyal and will guard his master to the bitter end. To learn more, go to Aggressive Dogs and Society."

The Doberman Temperament: Here’s What to Expect

Doberman temperament has changed over the years. The Doberman pinscher was developed as the ideal guard dog and companion. The original Dobermans were more aggressive than the dog of today. Learn more here.

www.petplace.com

 

[Jay Falcon]

We've decided to buy another Malinois, a male, from a police working dog line.

I'd also like to mention that my wife has begun training with Nika for Mondioring, an international dog sport that includes protection and other areas. She might never compete, but still it's fun and useful to learn. We're working with the same guy who sold us the dog. He trains the police dogs in Uruguay.

Nika comes from a line of champions, so it would be a shame not to train her.
This is her grandfather, Ántrax Ostrarika from Czech Republic:

 

[NewfieMom]

We've decided to buy another Malinois, a male, from a police working dog line.

I'd also like to mention that my wife has begun training with Nika for Mondioring, an international dog sport that includes protection and other areas. She might never compete, but still it's fun and useful to learn. We're working with the same guy who sold us the dog. He trains the police dogs in Uruguay.

Nika comes from a line of champions, so it would be a shame not to train her.
This is her grandfather, Ántrax Ostrarika from Czech Republic:

Wow! Congratulations. You and your wife were certainly up to the challenge of a Belgian Malinois. You researched the breed carefully and made a good assessment of your own abilities. Kudos to you.

 

[Jay Falcon]

 

[NewfieMom]

Oh, what a beautiful young girl Nika has become! One can still see the face she had when she was a young puppy (gorgeous) but she is definitely a young lady now. What is she up to when she isn't training? She must be up to some mischief. Tell us some stories!