Forgive me if this is not the place for this..

I follow many different dog trainers and K9 Handlers on a social media program called Instagram and every time someone posts a picture of a Mal it's always followed by the "omg he's so cute, I must have!" and I really wish people would do their research on a dog breed before they get one... Oh and then there is the people who get super defensive and upset when you're like "listen, these dogs aren't pets - their not your golden retriever they're hard working line dogs."

I would love a Mal, I think they're amazing dogs however I cannot handle one.

Mals are starting to appear in our village and most of them are 'walked' on fully extended flex leads pulling, panting and frustrated.

There are a lot of poor bloody Husky types in the same households who look so depressed I could weep.

Lots of so called unethical and money grabbing 'breeders' out there who are more than happy to sell these working dogs to unsuitable homes Rob

Mals are the only breed I've had that I got rid of before they were 6-7 months old. I've had two.
I know there are some great ones out there but the numbers of environmentally unsound dogs out there is to high for me.
Great in drive yet spooks when not in drive.
If your training is really sound then you can handle any breed.
Train the individual dog and not the breed!

Everybody squeals over cute puppies. So many innocent comments from the normal dog owner can irritate people who have gone a bit deeper into it.

I personally hate the "OMG, your dog is so well-behaved! Where did you get him?" said with the assumption that Tanner was born that way. I put a lot of work into my dogs good behavior.

I find this video useful for those who have never seen a high drive puppy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXqNl5bTCMU
The video is long enough for people to realize that her energy is not a 60 second burst. It just keeps going and going.

If the breed becomes super popular, the very nature of the dog may change.

I guess ACDs are popular now. Lately, I've met some with a disposition like a lab, gentle, quiet, open minded. Owned by folks in places like Palm Beach.
The ones I knew in the 70s and 80s and the one that I owned were totally hi drive. Not pets. Very serious dogs who intuited their cattle handling and farm helping jobs with little input from busy farming owners.

These new dogs look the same, but they most certainly are not.

 Quote: Cathy Goessman

I put a lot of work into my dogs good behavior. I find this video useful for those who have never seen a high drive puppy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXqNl5bTCMU

I remember that video and boy does it bring back memories from when Bailey was a pup. Looking back, I'm not sure how we got through it. She's turned out to be a great dog now and we get loads of compliments over how smart she is and how well behaved. If they knew how much work it took... The sad thing is most dog owners (not in this forum) will never realize how rewarding it is though to put in that amount of work with their dogs, even with the less demanding breeds. The payback is immeasurable.

Anyone who wants a Mal can hang out in Miami for a week and pick one, two or three up from MDAS (2 strays have stray hold coming up today actually). They are almost falling from the skies there, clearly the breeding cannot be good given the rate that they're produced in the area.

This means eventually there will be large populations of Mals with poorly bred health and temperment, just like there are of GSDs.

I think a evaluated Malinois from breed rescue has a good chance of being matched with an active home, one of my old gaming friends (30 something couple, very active, no kids) just got matched for an adoption and she's gone out of her way to do breed research, had high drive breeds in her house dog sitting for weeks to prepare, etc etc. Lots of dog people COULD keep the 'average' rescue Malinois now, if they were prepared to make the dog's needs a big part of their life. I wouldn't recommend that anyone who was not a dog person get any dog, period, but there are breeds better suited to someone who just feels like they need a dog around without wanting to do anything with them.

And this is the vid I always link folks who say they want a Mal puppy - your puppy MAY not be like any of these dogs, but then again...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BP9ZT5YGBNY

A few weeks ago i was thinking about how "easy" Kolt has been to raise so far. But then he is Border Collie #4, I went into it with my eyes wide open and I'm constantly doing the supervise/train/play/contain thing and he's already in training for SAR. And oh yes, my first 3 dogs came to me with behavioral issues.

He would so NOT be a dog for a less dedicated person

As a Mal owner I agree you have to change YOUR lifestyle when owning one, do not try to change the dog into something it is not.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wiCJ2WR5Ad4