I have heard, on several occasions, things like "mals are breed all their own". What exactly does that mean? I don't plan to get one or anything. Just curious. Athough I have been impressed by the few I've seen in Schutzhund trials.

They are not really dogs. They are actually a cross between an antelope and an alligator.

They are bred to be (though not always raised to be) super-high drive working dogs. When trained and handled properly, they love to work in high drive. They excel in any sport (or any job, for that matter; just ask Kelly), but the very best sport dogs may be a handful to live with.

Depends on the dog. But they're all just that - dogs.

My working shepherd is up to par with most Malinois I know on the "impossible to live with in the house" scale. That doesn't mean she's impossible to live with, just that it took a lot of training to teach her to settle.

Not good pets. Need a job. One of the best competition dogs you can find. Easy to care for. Smart. A lot of drive. Fun to train. Healthy.

Ok so I'm currently trying to do schutzhund for the firstt time with my rottie that is not even from working lines. If in the future I wanted to get a high drive dog, be it rottie , gsd, mal whatever. How do you live with one in the house? I'm not one to have a dog live outside and only be a working dog.

There are two quotes by famous trainers that I always think tell the best story of a Mal:

Bernhard Flinks:
"A GSD is a rock;
A Mal is a sponge."

Michael Ellis:
"HOLY SH*T!! A BUSH!!" ( how a Mal reacts to new things in their envirorment )

I have found these comments to be oh so true!

I have always wanted to know if Mals are human oriented. Are they affectionate and loving with their owners .My dobes are bonded to me and always want to be with me, they stick to me and stay within a few feet of me even in open fields.

If there is no tugging or ball chasing , do mals still like to stick to their humans?

Do they actively seek attention and petting from owners like dobes/labs?

I think Malinois are one of the most affectionate breeds there are!!! They don't just try and snuggle up to you, they want to be in your skin they love you so much. I haven't met one that isn't this way.

How do you live with one in the house? Patience and training. Danni does lots of long downs in the house. Teach a place command. They will never just walk around the house and chill out like a Labrador on their own, but they will if you tell them to do so. If I let my Shepherd out of her crate without any commands, she'd literally be jumping across the room from one couch to another. Then she would take the oranges out of my fruit basket (or the apples, or anything round) because they resemble balls and should be played with. Or she'll lift the lid off of the laundry basket and take all of the socks outside to the backyard (if the door is open) and do victory laps for hours. Or she'll find something outside (like a mop or a shovel) to carry around the yard and do victory laps with. Or she'll stand on top of me and lick my face and eat my hair.

Actually, she would do all of those things. Over and over and over and over. In fact, she's so conditioned to knowing that being inside is for relaxing, if she happens to lay down on her own, she gets stuck. She forgets she did this voluntarily and won't get up until I release her. But in her place/down stay, she will stay for hours. And she does learn to settle.

Remember you want to teach this without giving them some sort of thing to occupy them. The idea is to teach that the place/down stay is something they should do even if they do get bored.

I also do lots of training. They get out a lot. She goes to club at least once a week, and trains at least 3 times a week. I do obedience every single day, usually more than once a day. I wear her out as much as possible. I track every other day.

It's a lot of work. And remember, this is a working German Shepherd, not a Malinois. I personally do not think the Malinois are any crazier than a GOOD working German Shepherd. Sure, some are, but not all. Some are easier to live with. It's completely an individual dog thing. Learning to live with a high drive, active dog is a challenge, but it's such a fun one. It's a total adventure, I think it really builds your relationship and you learn to understand each other better than you can do on the training field.

PS. Kory, I know someone with nice working Rotties, Shepherds and Malinois if you're on the lookout.

Kaite, I currently am trying schutzhund for the first time with a rottie that is not from working lines. So far he's doing ok and the trainer let me bring him several times before I joined to at least get a good idea weather he'll work out. He feels so far that I should be able to title marco but that it take a lot of work and time compared to a gsd or mal. I do expect I will be looking for a more serious pup in a few years but money is tight and having another pup right now with a 7 month old and two young boys would be more than I or my wife could handle. However when I do I very much prefer to stick with rotties. But I keep hearing that good working ones are very hard to find. And I will eventually want to compete at a high level so I'm not closing all doors completely.

Think a large Jack Russell Terrier with environmental issues.
I've had a number of OB competition terriers, show terriers, working earth dogs and GSDs. Only two Mals.
Before I pack it in I will probably have another GSD or terrier but I'll never have another Mal. JMHO of course!