Is it normal for Mal's to mature slower than GSDs or Dobes?
I have a Mal who will be 2 in June. He is out of a bitch from Josh Lewis ( Excellent female/ Great job Josh).
He is very stable temperment wise. Very social, and dependable in public. I work SAR.
He has an excellent high drive, but getting him to understand the game is challenging. I haven't seen his "light" come on yet. I'm told that this is normal for the breed.
Either that, or he's so smart he's playing me <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Lynn there are always exceptions to everything but in general I have found Mals to be slow maturing. If you consider international competitions; the majority are at their 'competitive peak' 5-7 years of age. They learn a new concept very quickly, are very perceptive, and intelligent BUT emotionally speaking are 'mental midgets' until much later. On average, I have found mine to mature or 'come together' at about 4 years of age, even though they had begun Ring III training by 12 months and had the entire program 'mastered' by 2-2.5 yrs of age.

I have also found males (on average again) to mature later than their female counterparts.

Yesterday was Tyler's 2nd b-day, and although like you say he learns quickly, I think he is still mentally a puppy.
He's very affectionate, and mommy oriented, but that does me no good when it comes to work.
I try to not go to far, to fast, to soon - but then sometimes boredom sets in too.

Brigita, I bet you have a helluva lot more experience with the brown dogs than I do, but. . .the few Dutch Mals I've had were much faster to mature, both mentally and physically, than any GSD I've ever had from any bloodline.


Oh. . .yeah. . .and aren't all Malinuts mental midgets? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

>>the few Dutch Mals I've had were much faster to mature, both mentally and physically, than any GSD I've ever had from any bloodline.


>>Oh. . .yeah. . .and aren't all Malinuts mental midgets?

lol absolutely! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> ) But then again they go the opposite as well...When they're 10, they still act like they're 2 and every Mal owner shudders and wonders if they'll ever grow up and if things will ever get any easier!

But yeah, across the board they mature faster than any GSD I've seen. But I still consider the breed itself to be slow maturing (psychologically speaking).

I currently am training an incredible Mal pup who is 6 months old. He learns everything 'too fast'...needs only to be shown once or twice and he's got it and retains it...Tracking fool, incredible protection work, and great OB (minimal that we've done due to his age). He's doing his B&H; searches 5 blinds Sch style, and is tracking 400 paces with 4 articles (metal, wood, rubber, leather etc), indicates; does 60m sendaways, all 3 retrieves, transport w/escape etc...The way he's going he'll know the program by the time he's 12 months...then we'll be 'waiting' until he matures before titling...Probably have to get creative just to keep him from getting bored...but yeah he's definitely a mental midget and will be for a while lol!

Hi Brigita,

Would that be Kain??

Natalie
http://alikamalinois.tripod.com

Hi Natalie <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

That would be HIM! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> He's everything and more than I could hope for. My standards are high to begin with and even at that; he's blown them 'right out of the water' so to speak. I'm having a blast training him. He just wants to work is the best way to describe it. Drive out of the ying yang for whatever is 'thrown to him'.

Nice to hear from you! Hope all is going well for you and yours! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Hi Brigita,

Glad to hear that he's living up to your expectations!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Alika, Sparky and I are doing well. I'll send you an e-mail sometime over the week-end with an "update".

Take care...Natalie
http://alikamalinois.tripod.com

I'm lucky that my Mal and GSD are almost exactly one year apart, it's easy for me to compare and contrast their development.

The Mal ( Buttercup, a male out of Cindy's fine Mal bitch and Nitro, possibly this planet's ugliest working Police Canine ) matured much earlier, sexually - he was lifting his leg for marking in just a little over half the time my male GSD took. Plus he becomes the "humpmeister" at the drop of a hat - which my spayed female Corgi is getting really tired of.... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

The Mal's learning curve seems a bit shorter than the GSD, which could be see as doggie IQ or maturity, take your pick.
The Mal is more of a clown, I find myself laughing at his antics. I spend a lot more time yelling at the GSD..."don't eat the kittie! Bad Fetz!" The GSD and I had already had a major rank battle by the time he was the Mal's age ( hopefully, I won't have to go through that again ), the Mal doesn't seem inclined to challenge me over things....a pleasant change.

The Mal appears to mature emotionally slower than the GSD, to be sure. He seeks attention and affection more often than my GSD.

I'm glad I've got them both <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

The Mal's learning curve seems a bit shorter than the GSD, which could be see as doggie IQ or maturity, take your pick.
The Mal is more of a clown, I find myself laughing at his antics. I spend a lot more time yelling at the GSD..."don't eat the kittie! Bad Fetz!" The GSD and I had already had a major rank battle by the time he was the Mal's age ( hopefully, I won't have to go through that again ), the Mal doesn't seem inclined to challenge me over things....a pleasant change.


This is what I see also.
It's hard not to laugh at Tyler. When he does a flip to get into heel he does it backward (another time) and almost takes my knees out. I laugh.
When Ali does these things it's much more serious. She's never been a loving kind of GSD. She's always serious and ready to work (unless Bob Scott is around, then it's tummy rub time).
It's really weird working Tyler, because he's a lot like working the dobe I use to have. Always energetic and always fast on the take. But in another way he's slowwwwww. Today he actually went out and alerted (on his own) on the training aid I had put out two weeks ago. Ali was doing this kind of work before 6 months of age.
At this rate I'll be 60 before we search.