The Belgian Malinois
Naturally Special Forces
Everything about the Belgian Malinois is fast. They are fast in movement & in their ability to think on the fly. If the dog is properly trained the handler can give commands and the dog adjust even while in motion to carry out an action. There is nothing excessive about the physical makeup of this breed. They should not carry extra weight but instead be kept lean & hard. They are even more intelligent than they are beautiful. Considering the beauty of a properly bred Mal, that speaks volumes for the mind of this breed. When I say the Mal is a special forces canine, I do not refer to their work in the armed forces, police, executive guardians, & guardians of the home. I am referring to the very nature of this breed. I have heard far too many speak with authority that this breed is not an appropriate pet. They are too much dog for the average. This is both nonsense & truth at the same time. I have been told the breed is too hyper, too busy, too intense to live in the home. My dog & I are proof that this is nonsense however I say this with caution, this is a serious working dog, a dog with the mindset of a special forces soldier. This breed is a true soldier & they need a job.
My dog came from a serious breeder of working dogs. He does not breed for competition, show or sport of any kind. His dogs are guarding human life & doing serious work that does not involve toys, food treats or games. I shied away from this breed for a long while because I listened to the hype. When I met this man's dogs, I saw none of the things I expected. It was purely a gift from God the day I contacted the breeder & asked if it would cause a problem if I changed breeds & got a Malinois puppy from him. He was kind & assured me it was no problem. When we next spoke he told me she came from a serious line of workers, was I certain I was ready for her? Since this man was not joking I heeded his word. Even though I listened, I had no idea the gift that was about to arrive by plane.
This little brown ball of apprehension looked out at me from the crate after coming off the plane and getting clearance for release. She had no desire to be everyone's friend. I will always wonder if the breeder whispered my name in her ear as she seemed to recognize me right away. We rode home from the airport with my hand on the back seat & let her approach without me looking at her. When I felt the swipe of her tongue I called her by the name she would carry for the rest of her life & said, "that's right, we're going to be partners." She was part alligator & part acrobat. She could flip summersaults & grab the cuff of my pants or shirt tail before I could form a word on my lips. And when she was with me only a few weeks she saw a draft horse mare running at me. Without hesitation she raced into the field & attacked the horse in the way of a good herding dog. She nipped at the legs & belly, keeping far away from the hooves who were much bigger than the pup. She turned the mare & was driving her off when I whistled, she returned to me. Her pink tongue wagging, her eyes alight with energy. I dropped down to my knees & hugged her. That is the best description I can give to the courage & inborn instincts/abilities of the Malinois. There was no training for this yet she saw the problem & fixed it as the herding dogs before her were bred to do.
There must be a distinction drawn between dogs who are bred to work & dogs who are bred to compete. If the focus was upholding the standard of the Belgian Malinois, being true to the original, then perhaps there would not be a difference. Sadly, that is not the way of the dog world. My dog would not spin wildly in her crate, snap at her own tail, bite at anything that moved too fast or chase anything that ran. Mine was a working dog. You could - & I have- had people throw balls & toys around her while working & she had no interest or desire to chase these things. They were nonsense things to her. If you hit me with one of them, you would have a fight on your hands. I have trained with many dogs carrying the name of this breed on their papers but they did not equal my dog, Brownie.
My dog lived her life as a companion, as a farm dog, as a working dog in my training facility. She was not raised with small children yet when an abused child, a foster child, visited our home, she was drawn to him & would sit & listen for as long as the child would talk to her. She was my personal bodyguard. She did not live in a kennel. She lived in my home with an ancient Shih Tzu, two very tiny Chihuahuas, other big working dogs at various stages of their training. My husband served in the military & was frequently gone. I had a team of dogs I trusted to work the farm & keep us safe but soon Brownie was the dog I relied on.
The Mal are extreme thinkers. They are quite capable of making humans look foolish, sluggish and bumbling. So for a person who goes through life oblivious to their surroundings, this is not a good breed match for you. A good Mal can do five things before you can praise, correct or sometimes even get a single thought through your mind. My dog learned to accommodate me. In fact, she would launch like a rocket, stop at the field's edge & check in with me. If I shook my head or recalled her, she raced back. If I motioned the go ahead, she was little more than a brown blur! One day I was working with a group putting dogs on a rooftop during training. These men knew how to do this but everyone was having an off day. I was getting frustrated & stepped forward saying, "You know how. It's not hard." I stepped up onto the top step, slapped my shoulders & motioned with both hands toward the roof. My dog leaped from her sit/stay position, onto the steps, used my body as a launching post & was then on the roof. I had never done that before & yet my dog was following my direction. So then she was on the roof & I had to direct her to stop, down, stay, etc... until I could direct her down a ladder to exit the roof. The men thought I was really some kind of dog trainer. I did not take credit. The dog was extremely well bred. They are thinkers. They very quickly acquire their PHD in human behavior. They read us with ease.
My dog came from a serious breeder of working dogs. He does not breed for competition, show or sport of any kind. His dogs are guarding human life & doing serious work that does not involve toys, food treats or games. I shied away from this breed for a long while because I listened to the hype. When I met this man's dogs, I saw none of the things I expected. It was purely a gift from God the day I contacted the breeder & asked if it would cause a problem if I changed breeds & got a Malinois puppy from him. He was kind & assured me it was no problem. When we next spoke he told me she came from a serious line of workers, was I certain I was ready for her? Since this man was not joking I heeded his word. Even though I listened, I had no idea the gift that was about to arrive by plane.
This little brown ball of apprehension looked out at me from the crate after coming off the plane and getting clearance for release. She had no desire to be everyone's friend. I will always wonder if the breeder whispered my name in her ear as she seemed to recognize me right away. We rode home from the airport with my hand on the back seat & let her approach without me looking at her. When I felt the swipe of her tongue I called her by the name she would carry for the rest of her life & said, "that's right, we're going to be partners." She was part alligator & part acrobat. She could flip summersaults & grab the cuff of my pants or shirt tail before I could form a word on my lips. And when she was with me only a few weeks she saw a draft horse mare running at me. Without hesitation she raced into the field & attacked the horse in the way of a good herding dog. She nipped at the legs & belly, keeping far away from the hooves who were much bigger than the pup. She turned the mare & was driving her off when I whistled, she returned to me. Her pink tongue wagging, her eyes alight with energy. I dropped down to my knees & hugged her. That is the best description I can give to the courage & inborn instincts/abilities of the Malinois. There was no training for this yet she saw the problem & fixed it as the herding dogs before her were bred to do.
There must be a distinction drawn between dogs who are bred to work & dogs who are bred to compete. If the focus was upholding the standard of the Belgian Malinois, being true to the original, then perhaps there would not be a difference. Sadly, that is not the way of the dog world. My dog would not spin wildly in her crate, snap at her own tail, bite at anything that moved too fast or chase anything that ran. Mine was a working dog. You could - & I have- had people throw balls & toys around her while working & she had no interest or desire to chase these things. They were nonsense things to her. If you hit me with one of them, you would have a fight on your hands. I have trained with many dogs carrying the name of this breed on their papers but they did not equal my dog, Brownie.
My dog lived her life as a companion, as a farm dog, as a working dog in my training facility. She was not raised with small children yet when an abused child, a foster child, visited our home, she was drawn to him & would sit & listen for as long as the child would talk to her. She was my personal bodyguard. She did not live in a kennel. She lived in my home with an ancient Shih Tzu, two very tiny Chihuahuas, other big working dogs at various stages of their training. My husband served in the military & was frequently gone. I had a team of dogs I trusted to work the farm & keep us safe but soon Brownie was the dog I relied on.
The Mal are extreme thinkers. They are quite capable of making humans look foolish, sluggish and bumbling. So for a person who goes through life oblivious to their surroundings, this is not a good breed match for you. A good Mal can do five things before you can praise, correct or sometimes even get a single thought through your mind. My dog learned to accommodate me. In fact, she would launch like a rocket, stop at the field's edge & check in with me. If I shook my head or recalled her, she raced back. If I motioned the go ahead, she was little more than a brown blur! One day I was working with a group putting dogs on a rooftop during training. These men knew how to do this but everyone was having an off day. I was getting frustrated & stepped forward saying, "You know how. It's not hard." I stepped up onto the top step, slapped my shoulders & motioned with both hands toward the roof. My dog leaped from her sit/stay position, onto the steps, used my body as a launching post & was then on the roof. I had never done that before & yet my dog was following my direction. So then she was on the roof & I had to direct her to stop, down, stay, etc... until I could direct her down a ladder to exit the roof. The men thought I was really some kind of dog trainer. I did not take credit. The dog was extremely well bred. They are thinkers. They very quickly acquire their PHD in human behavior. They read us with ease.
4 months old Adult working agility exercise
The Malinois are excellent working dogs, as the military & police have been enjoying them for years. They likewise make amazing farm dogs and family members. They require training. They require a job. Mine walked fence lines, drove off predators of our farm animals. We had livestock guardians to deal with coyotes & feral dogs. The Malinois & Collie were supreme at helping us with vermin. The Malinois is a member of the herding breeds. Mine came with strong instincts for working a herd, for reading livestock & acting accordingly. If you watched her move the 1,800 pound bull, you would witness a different attitude than a 300 pound calf. Likewise we had a cow that loved to try to charge me when the opportunity arose. Snowball the cow soon learned to bow back with respect when my Mal took the field. The livestock respected her & if they opted to fight with her they learned to fear her. For those on the farm who believe if a dog kills chickens, they will always kill chickens? Well that's incorrect. As a young dog Brownie killed a couple of chickens before we were able to get our timing, correction (from my husband & I at the same time). The lesson was learned & from that day forward, any chicken could come up & even get in her food bowl & she would yield to let us handle it.
The Malinois is an asset to any handler who works their dogs, puts the time & effort into training them for a job. They are loving, gentle & kind. I fell one day & my dog threw herself between my head & the banister. I hit so hard against her that it chipped a bone in the top of her skull. She never cried out or bit me from the pain, she washed my face & ran to the door nearly tearing the screen of the hinges to get my husband for help.
Such a fine dog comes with a price. When searching for a puppy or adult, find a breeder who does with their dogs the very thing you want to do with your future Mal. If you want a herding dog, find a herding breeder or find a breeder who has tested his lines to ensure they've retained that part of their makeup. I've no doubt my dog's breeder knows his dogs will herd because it was right on the surface waiting for livestock to work. There was no going into the herd & hoping her instincts would kick in. She went to work when the draft mare was running at me. The horse did not see me, she was after another horse. The pup, she saw I was in danger with no place to get to safety. Her breeder is credited with producing such a super dog. I would have been ran over more than once, bitten by a copperhead snake (2 actually) & probably have a cracked skull if not for the dog.
The Malinois is not a breed of dog for someone who wants a four-legged rug. My Mal was more than capable of lying quietly at my feet, doing nothing more than hanging out under my desk while I worked but this was a part of her job. The farm, the training facility worked the mental & physical nature of this dog. Caring for her owner who had been hit by a car, that became her job later. She could go from sleeping at my feet to full on combat mode at a single sound at the door or from the farm. This is not a lazy breed or a dog for lazy handlers. They expect a handler they can respect & follow.
Another factor to consider is the Malinois' ability to read people. The dog does not live in a world where political correctness resides. Therefore if your minister is visiting your home & makes a grab for your toddler, expect the Malinois to put him in his place & perhaps the man might require a change of underwear. The Malinois takes their job extremely seriously. They detect the smallest things. One day my mother in-law was joking around and slapped at my arm. She was not doing so in violence. My dog came off the floor & put herself between us. Or if you shake hands with someone & the other person opts not to let go. My dog would impress upon the person to release her human. She never had to repeat the warning. For this reason it is imperative for the handler to be responsible. One does not tease or prompt a Mal to go after the mailman. This is foolish behavior. People do this thinking they are teaching a guardian when in fact creating a monster. This is how vicious dogs are made. The dog must be taught to read a threat from a non-threat. Threat (human shakes the handler's hand but refuses to release) vs. non-threat (normal human handshake). This is done through stabilization in training to ensure the dog is stable to walk down the street without seeing everything as a threat.
In closing, I find the Malinois to be a dog best suited for the human who has nothing to prove, is not trying to be a 'tough guy' or show off. These dogs are a serious working dog & therefore should be treated with the same seriousness & diligence of a firearm. They are warm, loving, gentle dogs who are amazing with their family. Mine had a wicked sense of humor & on more than one occasion played dog-jokes on me (hide the leash behind me or between my feet was a favorite prank). My non-dog training mother could handle Brownie with no problem. She's wag her tail & act like she did not have a tooth in her head for my 60-70 year old mother. Just a big loveable clown. At the end of my lead she was a serious, sharp-eyed body guard who would do anything for me. Like a special forces soldier, the Malinois can do what needs to be done. They understand success. Failure is not really in their vocabulary. Like the commander & chief who commands those special forces soldiers, we must be responsible, serious about the training & handling of such a dog. For someone who devotes the time, fewer breeds will bring more satisfaction.
The Malinois is an asset to any handler who works their dogs, puts the time & effort into training them for a job. They are loving, gentle & kind. I fell one day & my dog threw herself between my head & the banister. I hit so hard against her that it chipped a bone in the top of her skull. She never cried out or bit me from the pain, she washed my face & ran to the door nearly tearing the screen of the hinges to get my husband for help.
Such a fine dog comes with a price. When searching for a puppy or adult, find a breeder who does with their dogs the very thing you want to do with your future Mal. If you want a herding dog, find a herding breeder or find a breeder who has tested his lines to ensure they've retained that part of their makeup. I've no doubt my dog's breeder knows his dogs will herd because it was right on the surface waiting for livestock to work. There was no going into the herd & hoping her instincts would kick in. She went to work when the draft mare was running at me. The horse did not see me, she was after another horse. The pup, she saw I was in danger with no place to get to safety. Her breeder is credited with producing such a super dog. I would have been ran over more than once, bitten by a copperhead snake (2 actually) & probably have a cracked skull if not for the dog.
The Malinois is not a breed of dog for someone who wants a four-legged rug. My Mal was more than capable of lying quietly at my feet, doing nothing more than hanging out under my desk while I worked but this was a part of her job. The farm, the training facility worked the mental & physical nature of this dog. Caring for her owner who had been hit by a car, that became her job later. She could go from sleeping at my feet to full on combat mode at a single sound at the door or from the farm. This is not a lazy breed or a dog for lazy handlers. They expect a handler they can respect & follow.
Another factor to consider is the Malinois' ability to read people. The dog does not live in a world where political correctness resides. Therefore if your minister is visiting your home & makes a grab for your toddler, expect the Malinois to put him in his place & perhaps the man might require a change of underwear. The Malinois takes their job extremely seriously. They detect the smallest things. One day my mother in-law was joking around and slapped at my arm. She was not doing so in violence. My dog came off the floor & put herself between us. Or if you shake hands with someone & the other person opts not to let go. My dog would impress upon the person to release her human. She never had to repeat the warning. For this reason it is imperative for the handler to be responsible. One does not tease or prompt a Mal to go after the mailman. This is foolish behavior. People do this thinking they are teaching a guardian when in fact creating a monster. This is how vicious dogs are made. The dog must be taught to read a threat from a non-threat. Threat (human shakes the handler's hand but refuses to release) vs. non-threat (normal human handshake). This is done through stabilization in training to ensure the dog is stable to walk down the street without seeing everything as a threat.
In closing, I find the Malinois to be a dog best suited for the human who has nothing to prove, is not trying to be a 'tough guy' or show off. These dogs are a serious working dog & therefore should be treated with the same seriousness & diligence of a firearm. They are warm, loving, gentle dogs who are amazing with their family. Mine had a wicked sense of humor & on more than one occasion played dog-jokes on me (hide the leash behind me or between my feet was a favorite prank). My non-dog training mother could handle Brownie with no problem. She's wag her tail & act like she did not have a tooth in her head for my 60-70 year old mother. Just a big loveable clown. At the end of my lead she was a serious, sharp-eyed body guard who would do anything for me. Like a special forces soldier, the Malinois can do what needs to be done. They understand success. Failure is not really in their vocabulary. Like the commander & chief who commands those special forces soldiers, we must be responsible, serious about the training & handling of such a dog. For someone who devotes the time, fewer breeds will bring more satisfaction.